Labneh is what happens when you strain plain yogurt until nearly all the liquid is gone and what is left behind is something between yogurt and soft cheese, tangy, thick enough to hold a spoon standing up, and endlessly useful. It sits comfortably next to the ful medames and shakshuka already on the site as part of a proper Levantine breakfast spread, and unlike either of those, it takes about ten minutes of actual work; the rest is just time in the fridge.
For a weekend breakfast board, put out labneh in a shallow bowl with a well pressed into the center for olive oil and a heavy dusting of za’atar, warm pita, sliced cucumber and tomato, and some olives. A sweet version with honey and walnuts is not traditional, but it is not wrong either.
The only real trick to labneh is patience: give the yogurt a full day to strain properly and you get a spreadable, cheese-like texture instead of something that is just thick yogurt with extra steps.
Labneh Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups full-fat plain yogurt (regular or Greek)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 to 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
- 1 to 2 tablespoons za’atar
- Warm pita bread, for serving
- Sliced cucumber, tomato and olives, optional, for serving
Instructions
- Stir the salt into the yogurt until fully combined.
- Line a fine-mesh sieve with a few layers of cheesecloth (or a clean, thin dish towel) and set it over a bowl deep enough to catch the liquid without touching the bottom of the sieve.
- Pour in the salted yogurt, fold the cloth loosely over the top, and refrigerate for 24 hours, checking occasionally and discarding the liquid whey that collects below.
- Once thick and spreadable, transfer the labneh to a serving bowl or roll into small balls for storing in olive oil.
- To serve, spread the labneh onto a plate, press a shallow well into the center, and fill it with olive oil. Dust generously with za’atar.
- Serve with warm pita and, if you like, sliced cucumber, tomato and olives alongside.
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