If you're making labneh with milk, you first need to make yogurt. You'll need a yogurt starter (in the form of a powdered yogurt starter or a few spoonfuls of natural yogurt) along with whole milk. You can find my full recipe for Natural Yogurt here. Once you have your yogurt, proceed with the next steps.
Make Labneh From Yogurt
Pour the yogurt and salt into a cheesecloth.
Hang it over a large bowl or jar to strain. You can place the cheesecloth over a strainer/sieve or suspend it from a doorknob of your kitchen cupboard (with a bowl below it to collect the whey). See the photo for ideas.
Allow the liquid to strain for at least 6 hours, up to 24 hours. The longer you let it strain, the thicker the labneh yogurt will be. If needed, place the bowl in the refrigerator though you can keep it at room temperature if it's not too warm.
Make Labneh Balls (for long preservation)
Once the lebne is strained, you can shape it onto balls to prepare it for longer preservation.Form the balls - use 2-3 Tbsp per ball.
Carefully place the balls in a jar. Then fill it with olive oil. As long as the balls stay completely submerged in the oil, their quality will be preserved.
Storage Instructions
Store the fresh labneh in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. The labneh balls in oil will keep for up to 6 months in a dark place – though they can last even longer.
Video
Notes
Optional add-ins:
Lemon juice - to assist in fermenting and creating acid whey.
Any other additional ingredients and flavoring are better added once the labneh is ready.
What to do with the leftover whey? Whey is the yellow, cloudy liquid left from straining the yogurt. It’s packed with protein as well as various vitamins and minerals. Here are a few ways to use it:
Drink it - add it to smoothies and juices, or drink it as-is.
Use for baking bread, muffins, and tortillas - you can use whey instead of water.
Add to soup recipes in place of some vegetable stock.
Add to hummus, to thin out the mixture.
Check the blog post for more tips and answers to top FAQs!