The first time I had labneh was when I was working at a local, Lebanese restaurant during college. I remember the thick, creamy consistency that gave my kabobs and rice the perfect finishing touch. Labneh is simply yogurt that has been strained of its whey, which gives it its thickness and higher protein content, and it has really become popular in stores across America. We know it as Greek yogurt, but it is commonly made and eaten around the world: Turkey, the Middle East, Lebanon, Central and South Asia, India, Mexico, Northern Europe and Greece.
I was served this particular labneh in my Wholistic Nutrition class over the weekend atop Gluten-Free Caramelized Onion & Tomato Scones; I was pretty much in heaven. I don’t have digestion issues with dairy, however, I don’t usually eat a lot of it, but if and when I do…it’s gonna’ be a good cheese or a good yogurt! This one fit the bill, it was fantastic. Loved the savory herbiness (new word?) of it. Labneh can be served with rice, kabobs, pita, scones, veggies, pickled/fermented veggies, eggs, sandwich spread, toast/crostini, tacos, tostadas and the list goes on. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did.
Savory Herbed Labneh
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1 qt whole milk yogurt or goat yogurt (better for digestion) - 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp granulated garlic
- 1 tsp chili flake
- 2 Tb chopped herbs (basil, thyme, mint, rosemary etc.)
Mix yogurt, salt, garlic and chili flakes together. Place mixture in a sheet of cheese cloth (doubled or tripled, make sure it is large enough to fold over the yogurt and tie at the top) in a colander set over a bowl. Tie top of cheese cloth together. Place a small plate or bowl on top of the ball to add a little weight, not to heavy, this will assist removing liquid. Place in refrigerator for 1 to 2 days, depending on your desired texture. The longer it sits the firmer it becomes, but less Labneh you will have. Remove from cheese cloth and mix in chopped herbs. Serve with almost anything.
Kelly from Oh Lardy! shows us (video-style) how to strain your yogurt and make whey step-by-step. Bonus: the video’s set to some beautiful music. Score!
Video Here —–> Nicely Making Whey
Craig Fear, Nutrtional Therapist and GAPS certified practitioner and author of Fearless Eating, shows us (also video-style) how to make a super healthy and healing recipe for what to do with your leftover whey. His recipe is good for digestion, gallbladder issues, heartburn, etc. Fabulous!
Video Here ——> How To Make Whey And Beet Kvass
Making your own Labneh/Greek yogurt is great because you get a higher protein content out of your yogurt + you get a nice by-product (whey) you can use for more recipes. Win-win. I hope you give making your own labneh/Greek yogurt a try, at least once for the experience, right? And, it’s pretty darn easy.
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Source: The Wellspring School for Healing Arts ~ Like their FB page here.
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