The Lebanese spread that's better than Cream Cheese

Labneh is a spread that's similar to cream cheese in many ways, but is made in a different manner. It has the same texture, but with a nicer flavour and creaminess, which is why it's the most popular spread in the middle east.
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0:00 What is Labneh
0:50 The basics of Labneh
2:50 Aged Labneh technique
3:46 Forming Labneh balls
6:40 Making creamy spreadable labneh
7:04 Serving suggestions
7:27 Coconut Labneh
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Nut milk bags: geni.us/NutMilkBags
For 600g of creamy labneh:
1kg Yoghurt (live dairy yoghurt)
3/4 Tsp salt
For 400g of Labneh balls:
1kg Yoghurt (live dairy yoghurt)
3/4 Tsp salt
Vegetable Oil
Spices
Coconut Labneh:
1 kg coconut yoghurt
1 Tsp salt

[@coleridge7358]

Dont throw out the whey! It is amazing to use in baking bread

[@ashrillcaw]

How do you use it for bread?

[@sairam-fi7qd]

@@ashrillcaw probably as a water replacement 🤔

[@Peacefrogg]

I think in this case you should not add salt to your bread.

[@huletnadof313]

I agree!

[@huletnadof313]

@@ashrillcaw I use the whey in place of water.

[@JRiddyCuz]

I use this as a replacement for sour cream and cream cheese in almost everything now. It holds up really well in cooking, mixes into things well, and doesn't curdle! My local Afghan market sells it pre-strained, but it's nice to know I could make my own.

[@disconnect9084]

Can i use it to make cheesecake?

[@alaaelhayek2594]

@@disconnect9084 It will be extremely sour unless you add a ton of sugar to counteract it, but yeah it would probably work just add a little liquid to thin it out a bit

[@basharkano9658]

@@disconnect9084 it probably would if you use a non sour yogurt and don't dry your labneh after straining it. The aged stuff from highly active lactic acid cultured yogurt gets mega sour which makes it amazing in a in a traditional wrap or a sandwich.

[@disconnect9084]

Thanks for the replies guys 🤗 If it's sour it probably wouldn't work cause you need neutral tasting cheese for cheesecake. But i'll try it as spread.

[@ArchAngel435]

@@disconnect9084 I've made cheesecake using a mix of cream cheese, cream and strained yogurt. Works well

[@Ajoi14]

As a Syrian, I eat Labneh daily for breakfast. It tastes good, and I don't feel guilty eating it. I use a fork instead of bread though since I'm cutting bread out of my life for the most part. Thanks for making a video about it!

[@brittlecalm94]

A life without bread would be so sad, for me at least...

[@NevertahnProduction]

@@brittlecalm94 me also

[@monsieur_piyushsingh]

how is it in Syria after this last earthquake?

[@xPandamon]

Damn, never thought to replace bread with a fork, how do you even bite through it? I'm impressed!

[@jackfein8914]

I’m Syrian too!!!! My family is from Amin street

[@nienke7713]

When I make tzatziki I also first strain water out of the Greek yoghurt for an extended time (although I do keep it in the fridge, and not as long, maybe half a day at most); the cucumber also needs to have some moisture removed, so I ditch the seed part, coarsely grate the cucumber, salt it, let it sit for a bit for the salt to draw out the moisture, then strain it and spread it on a clean tea towel with another clean tea towel on top, and in the fridge, to absorb some more moisture. And then of course you mix them together along with your minced garlic, mint, and dill, and some extra virgin olive oil, and add any additional salt to taste. I like this more dry style of tzatziki much better than some of the more wet styles that are out there which just use Greek yoghurt on its own and sometimes don't even dry the cucumber and even use the seed parts of the cucumber. I don't disinfect, just use regularly clean stuff, but as I don't leave it as long and then use the finished product usually the same day and finish any leftovers on 1 or 2 consecutive days, it's probably not as much of an issue.

[@soulchorea]

I got addicted to this stuff, it just goes great with so SO many things

[@marcuswilliamson4167]

I make Labneh for my wife- I also make the yoghurt from scratch. I have never tried Labneh balls though- I am going to do this as a surprise for her. Thanks so much!

[@franekwojciechowicz3167]

Vegan Labneh? INCREDIBLE I must try to make it ASAP

[@LaLayla99]

@Maria because dairy causes inflammation and some people can't digest it

[@alvareo92]

@@maria7378 because they're vegan? Just guessing

[@cutiecheeks6998]

@Maria Because cows say moo and we don’t

[@corpseflower8485]

@@maria7378 Why not? Choosing not to use animal products doesn't mean you're diminishing your own life or value in anyway. There are many reasons why someone would choose to become vegan or abstain from certain animal based products. Whether for ethical, religious, or health reasons, they're all valid.

[@corpseflower8485]

@@maria7378 Prove that there is no valid reasoning :0

[@noluck5721]

I really tried to find Labneh in my country ever since I had the pleasure of having it daily in Jordan during my last visit. I am going to try making it after your recipe, so thank you!

[@kimmcvitty3580]

I haven't made labneh balls for ages! Love to roll them in za'atar. Thanks for the reminder.

[@cboy5oc]

Thank you for all the serving ideas and info about storage and the fermentation, very helpful. I use labneh as a spread, but serve it on a plate, drizzled with honey and sprinkled with a seed relish made with 3 TBS pumpkin, 1 TBS mustard, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp poppy all toasted with 1 pinch each of clove, cinnamon, and coriander w/ salt to taste. Really fragrant.

[@simpulacra]

thank you for trying a vegan version of it, that's really thoughtful. I'm definitely going to try this. i really appreciate the info.

[@IsidoraSage]

Thank you so much for the coconut yogurt experiment. I have been missing Lebneh since I went vegan!

[@rubykeiss1540]

Such a great tutorial. I always thought it was made with Greek style yoghurt. I will definitely make the balls labneh in herbs and chilli. Makes great gifts. Thanks for sharing 👏👏👏

[@sskpsp]

I stick a wet paper towel strip one end into the yogurt and the other into a glass of water placed lower than the yogurt in the fridge. It pulls the whey much faster than straining. Also, I make Greek style yogurt and labneh with vegan milk, it definitely works. Soy works best in my opinion, higher protein, and if you specifically want labneh or any white cheese substitute, you can blend the soy milk with soft tofu to speed up the process.

[@belalabusultan5911]

Labneh reached Desi cuisine now? I am impressed, I thought Levant cuisine was just starting to get world recognition with the more famous dishes like Hummus and Falafel.

[@tsutchiex]

Do you need to wet all the paper towel or just the tips?

[@sskpsp]

@@tsutchiex it does seem to be slightly quicker if there while strip is wet in the beginning. Eventually it will get wet by itself though, so it only probably saves 30 minutes at most

[@haselni]

Trying this right now, have had it going 24h, tall bowl of yogurt sitting in a flat, wide bowl with a dash of water. (Trying to minimize the risk of spills.) It doesn't seem to have wicked much of anything so far, except enough to wet the paper towel strip. Do I just need to be more patient? Should I add more strips?

[@sskpsp]

@@haselni it should in that much time...did you put the strip deep enough into the yogurt and water? I usually push it a couple inches under the surface of the yogurt. The water side doesn't seem to need to be very deep though. One more thing I can think of is to add more strips (by this I mean roughly 3 in x 8 in), or fold an entire (8 in x 8 in) sheet into a fat 3 in strip. More surface should mean more pathway for the water to move

[@andreawalker7138]

I am not familiar with Labneh so I really enjoyed this video and all the information in it. I also appreciate that you showed a vegan version. Thanks!

[@Hollis_has_questions]

I’m really interested in the goat yogurt labneh, in balls coated with sumac, za’atar, Aleppo pepper, maybe even minced dried olives and citrus zest. There are so many possibilities. Your pita sandwich with tomatoes (or confit tomatoes) and EVOO looks delectable. Throw on some mint pesto and slivers of cucumber, and it goes up another level.

[@belalabusultan5911]

you can add olives and lemon to a sandwitch, but olives are usually fermented foods, so I am not sure if they would work, they might ruin the labneh.

[@hollydaugherty2620]

@@belalabusultan5911 Olives aren’t fermented. They’re brined.

[@belalabusultan5911]

@@hollydaugherty2620 they are basically pickled, and pickling is a form of fermentation. I tried fresh olives from tree, so bitter and I didn't like it. tried olives that were few days into pickling, tastes less bitter, but till held their shape and taste, that's more like brining. and regular olives are pickled, salty, softer tecture, grow in size, and lose their bitter taste. so I lean towards considering it a fermented food :)

[@rhiannonpearl]

Thank you so much for including the coconut yoghurt version! Going to definitely make this! 😍

[@yuvra649]

Omg! We in India call the strained yogurt chakka. And then we flavor it with thinks and call it shrikhand! Best is mango srikhand! I'm definitely going to try your recipe!

[@emmataub2806]

I know very little about Middle Eastern food outside of the month I spent in Riyadh (my mother worked as a doctor for a year in one of the hospitals out there, my sister and I were allowed to visit in the summer). The three foods, or really flavors, that I remember the most and still actively crave years later are Za'atar seasoning, labneh, and arabic coffee. Awesome video and super comforting to know how easy labneh is to make!

[@susanneaggerholm2171]

OMG, these brought back some lovely memories of an elderly Lebanese lady I met when I lived in Israel 40 years ago. She would make these and wow, was that a treat. 🤤

[@ahusseini]

My grocery store has Kefir, I’ve been using that as is with no salt and it’s my favourite way of making Labneh. Highly recommend trying it if you can find Kefir.

[@danielgyila3662]

Is the process the same as he did with the yogurt?

[@18nyhavn]

Why do you want kefir as it’s extremely watery. And regular yogurt doesn’t taste salty to me

[@ahusseini]

@@danielgyila3662yes, exact same process, but you’ll want to strain it for a bit longer

[@ahusseini]

@@18nyhavnyou add salt to the yogurt to make Labneh, but kefir is salty as is and makes perfect tasting Labneh.

[@danielgyila3662]

@@ahusseini thank you

[@sephestra.]

One of my favorite toppings for fresh labneh is za'atar mixed with chopped roasted pistachios and olive oil. I haven't tried aged labneh before and now I'm excited to try it!

[@kimmerlee10]

I will have to try this combo thanks for the idea 😊

[@callunaherissonne662]

That sounds delicious 😋

[@johannesziaether3916]

Aged labneh is peak human evolution it's so good.

[@KateCarew]

I’ve never made my own labneh! We always buy it but making it seems so simple and I just want to say THANK YOU for such valuable information 🙏🏻

[@jackabug2475]

My wife hates sour cream but loves labneh, so we always have some on hand for baked potatoes, nachos, stroganoff, etc. We're also very fond of combining shankleesh (the herbed labneh balls, which we have been buying ready-made) with falafel balls in the same sandwich. Thanks for another delicious and informative video!

[@dns201125]

I use paper coffee filter to make the spreadable kind! So easy! Works great! Its really delicious! I use homemade yogurt

[@DrBrunoRecipes]

Lovely 👌🏻 Greetings from England 😄

[@trblcleft]

I've grown up with both, I do not think it's better than cream cheese but it is definitely better than traditional yogurt and has a different function as it is not interchangeable in some recipes that involve baking. Thank you for sharing another delicious recipe

[@hallotschuss4177]

Thanks for the vegan option 💛 I always appreciate that

[@fmervick1]

I love your content so much! I was thinking of doing a 'Middle Eats inspired' meal plan next week, so you must've read my mind with this super simple recipe! Thank you.

[@Momzie808]

OBI! Missed your videos! So happy to see you back and happy you made this one!Loving it!

[@mariahsma777]

I am trying this recipe immediately! Thank you for the opportunity to learn something new!

[@lurklingX]

your channel is the best. thank you!!

[@danielkalfat-bw6vz]

Thanks for shedding more light on our great Lebanese cuisine, Obi! You need to do Shanklish next!

[@ciganyweaverandherperiwink6293]

Such an excellent channel. Every aspect of a culture-based cooking tutorial is not just covered but executed to perfection. Great work! You deserve every bit of your success.

[@sherinefahmy3114]

Very informative. Thank you so much 😊

[@mimiashford5544]

Your content is always thorough and helpful and I really appreciate your showing vegan/non-dairy options as well. Thank you!!

[@ryanoutram7059]

This is one of the best cooking channels out there, hands down!

[@adamantIcarus]

This is great, and so simple to be creative with flavors. Thanks for sharing!

[@aprilpeterson9105]

😊Wow I've never been more excited to try a recipe ❤️👏. I've been making homemade yogurt for a year, and collecting ways to use all of it. I tried making some into "labneh-like" and it was pretty good. Excited to try this from someone who knows what they're doing.

[@nadibutnice]

Thank you! This was the most comprehensive guide to labneh. Will definitely try these 😊

[@absunshine6906]

A new Syrian refuge family that has moved in next door has introduced me to a lot of new middle Eastern foods and this wonderful spice Za'atar. Absolutely delicious. The Lady of the house cannot speak English and I don't speak Arabic but we laugh together when she makes a recipe and I try them out.

[@kailash4799]

This is a absolutely amazing. And the Host is awesome with their explanation and demonstrating perfectly. I need to try and Make it just for how nicely they have done it.

[@sweetkarma1345]

Thanks for making this video and trying a coconut version as well! This all looked super good, I’ll have to try :)

[@mzleveli]

Hey Obi, have you considered making the Lebanese "Poor Man's Cheese" that's made out of fermented bulghur? There are some recipes out there but very few videos, it would be great to see that beauty =)

[@danykalfat]

We call it kishk :)

[@mzleveli]

@@danykalfat Kishk al Fouqara =) I hope Obi hears us and makes it :D

[@Anon_E_Muss]

Thank you for sharing the magic of labneh with us. Making some today as it's my new addiction with za'atar!

[@MrChris20912]

I've been experimenting more these days with coconut milk yogurt, so your Lebneh test batch is intriguiing! I'll have to give that a try soon. Thank you!

[@aluminiumknight4038]

Labneh is essential in almost every Arab/Middle Eastern country and even beyond that. It's been there for millenia and it's not specific to Lebanon in any way.

[@mrguy9283]

It is (source: just trust me I 100% definitely have solid evidence for this😉)

[@squatchjosh1131]

I'm guessing he's calling it Lebanese more on general geographical origin, kind of like you could say pizza is Italian but you're not only going to find it in Italy.

[@MiddleEats]

Just calling it Lebanese for the purposes of the title to get people to click ❤️ it totally is a pan Levantine food, and eaten in even more places

[@aluminiumknight4038]

@@squatchjosh1131 it's a good comparison. A good comparison would be saying that olive oil is a Spanish thing, while Spain produces most olive oil in the world, olive oil is not specific to Spain, the concept is older than the Spanish culture itself.

[@aluminiumknight4038]

@@MiddleEats I totally understand that,

[@EmilyJelassi]

I love Labneh, but it’s difficult to find where I am. I’m so happy to have these instructions.. now I can make it myself! And a dairy free version? Fantastic!! Thank you!!! 😊❤

[@Ciarak3]

Wow ❤thanks for sharing I’m definitely going to give this a try

[@jo.comics]

Just when I thought of using labneh, you make a recipe, awesome!

[@andrewsammons9643]

thank god for youtube your channel is amazing!

[@bubblekittea]

This video is amazing, thank you for explaining it so simply and being so in-depth about the details, it's refreshing!

[@bubblekittea]

When you formed the Labneh balls and pressed between the paper towels, was that in the fridge?

[@Superlife1369]

Subscribed! Thank you for this. It is amazing! ❤

[@injunsun]

@Middle Eats At first, I wasn't sure if I would want to watch this or not at, because I am Vegan, and you were making, I thought, just dairy Labneh, but then you mentioned trying it with coconut yogurt, so I was keen to see more. I will try this! Thank you for sharing. A half-Lebanese friend of mine might actually enjoy this, or gifting some to his dad and family; their surname is actually "Labnon." Cheers!

[@Esther-ps3vx]

This looks so delicious! Thank you for sharing.

[@NikhitaPrabhudesai]

Thank you for the vegan substitute!! I've never heard of labneh and I'd love to try! ♥︎

[@asaf77jer]

Thank you for this video. I asked about it a while back and you said that you’ll make it when the weather gets colder… now it’s on me to re-watch it, and gather the “courage” to try and make it myself.

[@assuna1932]

That looks so good!! Glad you tried the coconut alternative so my lactose intolerant ass can also make this 🙏

[@armaniartist6185]

Really appreciate the vegan option! 🌱 will definitely try this - thank you 😊

[@alekhyaganti7940]

This is art !! Love it

[@charmsz566]

Labneh is sooooo goooooooddd! I found it at my local grocery store but they stopped carrying it, I’m always on the lookout for more!

[@ter8330]

Great video as usual!

[@nathaliebergeron5979]

You are genious ! Thank you for this so yummy balls'recipes.

[@ketopower]

😋😋😋 thank you just subscribed.

[@kawag2780]

This is interesting! Love the content!

[@headbangingonfolk]

thank you for this video. it was very good.

[@weston.weston]

This was such a great video, I learned a lot.

[@Phantagepoint]

I'm so excited to try this recipe!

[@thesavvyblackbird]

Thank you so much! I’ve been wanting to try Labneh, but the only kind I can found has pectin in it which I’m allergic to. I can’t believe how easy this is to make.

[@pencil6965]

this looks sooo good im inspired

[@kiha6702]

A house mate turned me on to Labne last year. I had never heard of it before. I tried it and LOVE it, never gone back to sourcream. Also seems easier to digest.🥰

[@cristel9618]

I would love to see a tajin coated labneh video next😋❤️ yum

[@jgpudlum8899]

Thank you for blessing me with a new food skill.

[@zaggnutt]

Never heard of this before. Looks damn delicious. Thanks for sharing!

[@lemagreengreen]

This looks delicious, going to try it. Thanks!

[@jen....]

Thanks for the coconut experiment 👍

[@hollish196]

The sandwich looks wonderful!! This seems to be so easy.

[@Flippokid]

These coated balls look absolutely delicious!

[@ND-nx1nt]

I made Labneh before and it is soooo good!!

[@ashablue78]

I’ve always wondered what these were in the store. Definitely trying it now!

[@Jen-sv7dt]

I need to try asap!😋

[@millalovesgreen]

I love this! I have been doing this for years

[@shilohmjh7628]

If you have small, ice cream scoops used for portioning cookie dough, these would work really well to keep them all the same weight and size

[@ladyAthequeen]

when you said zaatar the proper arabic way I immediately liked and subbed lol. respect pronouncing it like it should be

[@AetherealGodless]

I really appreciate the vegan option you included!

[@arrielmc.d9242]

Not necessary to stir or salt de yogurt. If you don't break the soft yogurt structure you can drain directly in a common kitchen drainer. All you hace to do is put gently in the drainer spoon by spoon. You will see how the yogur dranis perfectly and the whey is so transparent. That's the technique we use in the dairy. On fact there are some cheeses that are made whit this technique, we call this kind of cheese acid coagulated cheese. We ferment the milk to make an over fermented yogurt, after we put it carefully in some tissue or drainer, etc.

[@aring.6307]

Thank u for the vegan substitute i was curious to see 🙏🏽💕

[@pknoblock1993]

The spiced versions look amazing 😭

[@realdealteal111]

man youve really blown up man! I remember when you only had two or three videos! Now you have a quarter million subscribers! Incredible man!

[@homaikhergamwala5929]

Thanks tons..

[@unrightist]

I had a classmate in middle school whose parents were from Lebanon and we would spend the mornings at their house on school days and they had labneh sometimes. I essentially thought it was yogurt lol but Greek yogurt wasn't that popular in stores yet. It wasn't my favorite cause I was used to sweet stuff in the morning but as an adult I've been interested in trying it again

[@Nepafarius]

I subscribed for the channel name alone; I love a good pun. The delicious looking food is just a bonus.

[@eo4wellness]

Awesome! I have coconut yogurt which I had no idea how to use it. I'm going to make your suggested recipe at the end of this video and give it a try. Thanks.

[@lordeverybody872]

Fage, greek yogurt is my favorite. It also has a great whey thats perfect for a smoothie

[@AmitB]

Labaneh is very popular here in Israel, I love mine in a pita with za'atar!

[@strawberrymins]

Thats just great I could try making my own vegan version with soy yoghurt! Thank you so much for the video!!

[@sasi5841]

Coconut not soy. Soy is cringe. Use coconuts instead.

[@Fuzzi974]

Oh, I gotta try this! Thanks for the recipe. Although, I have to say, you probably lost your time at some point here. If the labna balls needs additional drying and the you're re-shapping them... just don't shape them into balls the first time You're mostly absorbing the liquid with the towels by contact, since you cover them (and therefore, humid air is trapped). So they don't need to be already shipped like balls (and your lose time shaping them with spoons). Shape it like a thick tile, or maybe patties, and then cover them. This way they'll have more contact with the towel, less with air, and dry faster. Later when you decide to make balls, you can take the quantity you need and shape with your hands to they'll be balls at that stage. Also, the ball shape is probably the traditional way (or so I guess) but in nature the ball has the smallest surface for highest volume ratio. If you want more surface (more oil and spice coating) shaping them differently (again) would work. I'm thinking tubes, or even cubes or bricks... And yes I'm aware balls are easier to get out of the container, and easier to put in as well. I'm saying this as an idea that came to my mind, but to be honest I'm going to shape them like balls (and tubes) to limit the calories from the oil.

[@robertsmithshair4199]

Haven’t made this for ages. Yes it’s delicious

[@asuban]

This looks amazing! Just seems to take a long time. Maybe I will just try the simple version.

[@nana16792]

aaah mouth-watering!