Creamy Labneh Dip topped with zaatar infused olive oil, ruby red pomegranate pearls, fresh herbs, salty kalamata olives and sun dried tomatoes - A perfect appetizer or dip for mezze platter.
Homemade Labneh Dip recipe is one of the easiest dips or appetizer you can make and serve your guests while entertaining or having a party with a small group of friends.
The recipe is quite simple. You need good quality unsweetened yogurt (homemade or store bought) which needs to be strained until it resembles a block of cheese. Toppings depend completely on your creativity and availability of ingredients.
Labneh can just taste good with fresh garlic and salt. That's it! OR you could turn it into a fancy dip with fresh herbs, spices, olives, nuts etc.
In this blog post, I have provided plenty of topping or garnish ideas and serving suggestions which means you will never run out of ideas on what to make for your next dinner party!
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Middle Eastern Labneh Dip
Labneh is a Middle Eastern Yogurt Cheese. Fresh Yogurt is strained overnight or 6-8 hours to obtain soft cheese like consistency.
The strained yogurt has cream cheese like consistency and can be used in savory and desserts. It is tangier in taste.
The cheese is spread on a deep plate and topped with a variety of ingredients like fresh herbs, olives, spices etc and served as part of mezze platter with crackers, crudités or pita bread.
It can not only be used as a dipping sauce but makes excellent spreads for sandwiches, wraps, gyros or burgers.
In India, it is popularly known as hung curd as the curd is left hanging in a cheesecloth, above the kitchen sink, overnight. This is used to make Shrikhand a popular hung curd saffron infused dessert and dahi ke kebabs (hung curd kebabs).
Ingredients
Yogurt - Unsweetened Yogurt that is strained using a cheesecloth, overnight or atleast for 6 to 8 hours. Time varies depending on the thickness of the yogurt. Greek yogurt, which is naturally thick and creamy can be strained in just couple of hours.
I have used homemade yogurt. I also prefer placing the strainer with a cheesecloth and a bowl below to collect whey, inside the refrigerator as it prevents the yogurt from getting extremely tangy in taste, especially in summers.
400 grams of Yogurt yields a cup of yogurt cheese. The quantity, again, varies depending on whether you use full fat or low fat yogurt.
The yogurt is then whisked with salt and garlic. This is the basic way to make Labneh Dip. The toppings make it extremely delectable and a perfect party dip.
Toppings / Garnish
I love Zaatar and look for ideas to use them in recipes.
To make this labneh dip special, I have added EVOO mixed with zaatar. Warm the oil and infuse the spice, cool and drizzle over the yogurt cheese. Leftovers can be used as a dipping sauce for breads.
Oils infused with spices add a lot of flavor.
This is an almost no-cook recipe, with the exception of warming the oil for couple of seconds and adding zaatar. You might find it unnecessary but once you try it, you will never go back to adding the ingredients separately on your labneh.
I have used Kalamata Olives, Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Pomegranate Pearls for topping the labneh.
Just go crazy with toppings and I highly recommend you experiment with different flavor combinations. Some of our house favorites include -
Roasted Garlic and Caramelized Onions with fresh thyme or rosemary.
Roasted peppers with a drizzle of EVOO.
Nuts - Toasted Walnuts, Almonds, Pine nuts or Pistachios gives it a nutty flavor and crunch.
Herbs (use fresh or dried) - Cilantro, Mint, Parsley, Dill, Thyme, Rosemary are great options.
The dip is non-spicy so you can drizzle chili oil or any herb infused oil of your choice. Syrian Aleppo Chili Flakes are my personal favorite.
Serving Suggestions
You can serve Labneh as part of mezze platter with crudités, crackers and pita chips.
Makes a great spread for pita wraps with Falafel and Beetroot Hummus.
Skip the mayo and use it as a spread for veggie burgers or tortilla wraps.
Serve as dipping sauce with kebabs, vegetable skewers or paneer tikka.
Storage
Although the dip stays fresh in the refrigerator for a day, I would recommend serving it immediately.
Making ahead Labneh - Just strain the yogurt and keep it refrigerated (not frozen) until you are ready to serve. The toppings can be added just before serving.
I would not recommend freezing labneh. Freezing and thawing would compromise the creamy consistency of the dip.
More Dip / Sauce / Spread Recipes
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Labneh Dip Recipe with Zaatar
Equipment
- Cheesecloth
- Strainer
Ingredients
- 400 grams Yogurt unsweetened, to be strained
- Salt to taste
- 1 tsp Garlic finely grated or pressed
Toppings / Garnish
- ½ tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 tsp Zaatar
- 1 tbsp Pomegranate Pearls
- 6-7 Kalamata Olives
- 1 tbsp Sun Dried Tomatoes finely chopped
- Finely chopped Cilantro
- Finely chopped mint leaves
Instructions
- Strain the yogurt for 6 - 8 hours or overnight in a cheesecloth. Place the cheesecloth on a strainer and collect whey in a bowl placed underneath. The time will vary depending on quality of yogurt used.
- Once the yogurt cheese is ready, remove in a bowl, add salt and garlic. Whisk it gently, taste check and add salt, if required.
- Spread the yogurt cheese in a deep plate or serving bowl.
- Heat or Warm the EVOO for a couple of seconds, switch off the flame and add zaatar spice, mix well. Allow it to cool.
- Top the yogurt cheese with pomegranate pearls, herbs, sun dried tomatoes, kalamata olives and finally drizzle EVOO mixed with zaatar.
- Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Notes
- Oils infused with spices or garlic.
- Roasted Garlic and Caramelized Onions with fresh thyme or rosemary.
- Roasted peppers with a drizzle of EVOO.
- Nuts - Toasted Walnuts, Almonds, Pine nuts or Pistachios
- Herbs (use fresh or dried) - Cilantro, Mint, Parsley, Dill, Thyme, Rosemary are great options.
- The dip is non-spicy so you can drizzle chili oil.
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Vidya Narayan
Love the kalamata olives in this. Such a flavorful and easy dip!
This is a great recipe! It came out so delicious and was super easy to make. Thanks!
We served this dip with pita cracker and the entire family devoured it. A great recipe that I will definitely make again.
I am glad to hear that your family loved it. Cheers!
We eat labneh all the time but have never seen it done so prettily! My kids would love this! Thanks for an easy way to jazz up labneh, can't wait to try this out