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Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 cups 6g Recipe makes 2 cups) The following items or measurements are not included below: Greek yogurt
Calories 0
Calories from Fat 0		(0%)
Amount Per Serving		%DV
	Total Fat 0.0g	0%
	Saturated Fat 0.0g	0%
	Monounsaturated Fat 0.0g
	Polyunsaturated Fat 0.0g
	Trans Fat 0.0g
Cholesterol 0mg		0%
Sodium 2325mg		96%
Potassium 0mg		0%
Total Carbohydrate 0.0g		0%
	Dietary Fiber 0.0g	0%
	Sugars 0.0g
Protein 0.0g		0%
how is this calculated?

Yogurt Cheese (Labneh)

Recipe #88089 | 5 min | 5 min prep | add private note

⁽¹⁵⁾ RATE IT NOW Print Recipe

By: evelyn/athens
Apr 2, 2004

This is an old-world recipe. It is really just drained, salted yoghurt, very easy to make and very easy to preserve. I guarantee that once you have made these and tasted how delicious they are, they will become a staple in your home.

2 cups (change servings and units)

Ingredients

6 cups Greek yogurt
2 teaspoons salt

Directions

1
In a large bowl stir the salt into the yoghurt.
2
Spoon the yoghurt in the center of a piece of doubled cheesecloth or soft cotton fabric (preferably undyed and immaculately clean).
3
Pull corners up and tie tightly.
4
Suspend from a stationary object over a bowl (to catch liquid).
5
Let this hang overnight or about 12 hours.
6
When well drained it will be the consistency of cottage cheese.
7
Remove from the cloth.
8
Store covered in the refrigerator until needed.
9
You can mix in fresh or dried herbs, minced garlic, pepper flakes, anything you would use to make an herbed cheese.
10
Or you could drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with fresh lemon juice and some cumin and dip pita crisps into it-- The sky's the limit really- so many uses!
11
To make Yoghurt Cheese Balls (Labneh Makbus) (a great little appetizer!), drain the yoghurt for 10-12 hours longer.
12
Take about one tablespoon at a time and roll it into smooth, round balls and place on a tray.
13
Chill until firm.
14
This will take several hours.
15
After they are firm and slightly dried out, place in a sterile, air tight jar, cover with olive oil.
16
Seal the jar and store at room temperature.
17
The labneh will keep this way for several months but you will have eaten them all up long before that!
18
Enjoy Labneh Makbus cut into halves, drizzled with olive oil and eaten with olives and fresh pita bread.

Questions about this recipe?

Featured Reviews for This Recipe

From: Meredith C-ville

On Dec 2, 2008

I did this with fat-free American yogurt. I had not heard of adding the salt either, but I agree that it is a great addition. I let mine drain for about 24 hours and from 3 cups of yogurt I got about 1 cup of yogurt cheese and about 1.75 cups of whey. I used most of the 'cheese' in stuffed mushrooms. I looked around for ways to use the whey and I'll definitely do some more experimenting, but this time I used it to make grits (with some added water, salt, and pepper; plus a tiny bit of parmesan at the end). They were amazing grits...they were soft and creamy and tasted cheesy and rich, when really they were quite light and healthy. I'll definitely be doing this frequently and trying out new uses and other types of yogurt. The labneh and whey are so much more interesting separate than they are together as yogurt!

2 people found this review helpful

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From: LoveToBake67

On Nov 29, 2008

Made this with some homemade yogurt so I ended up having to drain it about two full days, then added spinch dip mix, and I have to say it is wonderful. It never got firm enough to make the cheese balls, so next time I will use some store bought yogurt as it is firmer to start out with. Thank you for a great recipe.

1 person found this review helpful

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From: free-free

On Jul 18, 2007

I've drained yogurt before to use like a cream cheese type spread but never thought to salt it first and was never introduced to the idea of making the "yoghurt cheese balls" - GREAT IDEA!!! I made a 1/2 batch with plain store brand Amer. yogurt (I want to try the Greek when I can find it) - I took the suggestion of a clean cotton cloth (a well worn tiny T-shirt)- in the past I have used paper towels...the T worked much better (and CAN be rinsed and re-used; much more enviro-friendly then my paper towel waste!!!) I added coarse pepper, rolled them in finely chopped walnuts and served them with spinach salad. Next time I will try different seasonings...as evelyn/athens stated "sky's the limit"!! A wonderfully versatile recipe - Thanks for sharing!!

5 people found this review helpful

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From: dividend

On Jan 27, 2006

This is so easy and so good! I made a half recipe using plain grocery store non-fat yogurt. I love the tangy flavor and creamy texture - perfect on toasted bread. I will definately be making this again, and experimenting with different flavors. What a great way to sneak more yogurt into your diet!

5 people found this review helpful

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