Homemade Labneh (think Sour Cream)

Homemade Labneh (think Sour Cream)

Mark Bowen, Guinea.
This is a Middle Eastern item made from strained yogurt. That's it! With strained plain full fat yogurt, you can make several items, and the item I am going to concentrate on is soft labneh which is basically sour cream. I have it from a good friend that has made this and it is a very close to sour cream. As my friend states "Can't have Mexican night without sour cream." I made this on 6 June 2017, and soft labneh is very close to sour cream, it is excellent and will be my Go-To recipe for sour cream. This makes about 800 g (28 oz) of sour cream.
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 10 minutes
Passive Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 10 minutes
Course Condiment
Cuisine Lebanese

Equipment

  • Cheesecloth

Ingredients
  

  • 8 containers plain yogurt, 135 gram (4¾ oz) each
  • pinch salt, optional

Instructions
 

  • For the yogurt, use plain, unflavored, full fat yogurt, NOT Greek yogurt. I used 2 packages of 4 containers each of Dutchie Original Yogurt, each container is 135 grams, so in total I used 1,072 grams of yogurt.
  • Line a sieve with 2-3 layers of cheesecloth. Place the sieve on a large bowl. Add the salt, if using, to the yogurt and stir until smooth. Pour into the prepared sieve.
  • Gather the edges of the cheesecloth together, twist and tie securely with string or a plastic clip and hang it above a bowl or let it just in the sieve. Cover the top of the bowl & sieve with plastic wrap.
  • Place this into the fridge to allow the whey to drain out. How long you let it drain will determine what particular style of labneh you are making.

For Soft Labneh (think Sour Cream)

  • Strain for 8-14 hours. This would provide a soft type of labneh with a consistency to that of Sour Cream. Check the consistency and taste during the time stated and make note of the time for future times you make this. When the consistency is good, remove from the fridge and place all the labneh in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to a week. Use in place of sour cream in recipes.

For Firmer Labneh

  • Strain for 24-48 hours will result in a Cream Cheese like consistency. Remove from the fridge and place all the labneh in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to a week. This sounds like it would be good on a sandwich.

For Yogurt Cheese

  • Strain for 48-72 hours will result in Yogurt Cheese, which is normally rolled into small balls, coated with herbs or spices and stored in olive oil. Store in the fridge for several weeks. These sound like they would make great appetizers.

For Greek-style Yogurt

  • Strain for 3-4 hours will result in a Greek-style of yogurt. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week, use in recipes calling for Greek yogurt.

Notes

Used in Recipes Listed on this Site:
  1. 5 stars
    I made this on 6 June 2017 and I must say, this is nothing short of excellent! The recipe is written exactly the way I made it, very easy, just strain yogurt, that’s it. I checked at 10 hours and the taste and consistency perfect. This is now my go to recipe for sour cream!

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