Homemade labneh from yogurt

Making your own homemade labneh is done by draining yogurt in a cheese or mesh cloth yogurt. Fun to do when you can find the time, but we claim the result will never be as good as our Labneh. We make the labneh in our Zuivelarij with specific yogurt cultures and enzymes. The draining labneh goes through different temperature zones in the most hygienic conditions. You can’t possibly replicate those optimal conditions at home.

But, as we said, it’s kind of fun to make your own labneh…. For best results, follow these tips from straight from the labneh maker himself.

Good explanation, but I still prefer to just buy your labneh from the store

Preparations

You need a cheesecloth, or otherwise a thin and clean towel that you rinse out frequently. Boil the cloth in water to disinfect it. That’s what we do, too.

You need yogurt. We recommend starting with a Greek or Turkish yogurt, those are usually a little thicker. Our personal preference goes to the Turkish variety, as it drains better. Wheying off is what we call this. Many types of yogurt contain agents to prevent this draining. Make sure there are no gums in the yoghurt. The choice of yogurt culture also determines whether or not the yogurt drains well. In our Zuivelarij, we make labneh from scratch with milk, and we choose a very specific yogurt culture. When you make your own labneh, it’s best to choose a yogurt that whey’s of easily. You can use a low-fat yogurt, but the result is much better when you use a full-fat one.

Clear some space in your fridge where you want to install the draining yogurt construction. In fact, the yogurt can also be drained at room temperature, but in that case the yogurt bacteria will acidify the labneh further, giving it a strong, more acidic flavor and often an unpleasant smell. So, clean out that fridge! Don’t want to clean your fridge. Visit our store finder to find a shop close to you, and just buy our delicious Labneh.

Making labneh from yoghurt

You have now done the important preparatory work. Now put the clean cloth in a strainer or colander. Mix the yogurt with 1 gram of salt/100 grams of yogurt and spoon the yogurt into the cloth. Fold the cloth and let the yogurt drain in the refrigerator for 12 to 24 hours. The longer you let it drain, the drier the labneh will be. If you happen to have some sense of architecture you can also hang the labneh over a pot to drain. If you want the yogurt really dry, drain it for more then 48 hours. Then you can even make labneh balls of it and keep it in oil.

Shelf life

Do it yourself labneh cannot be kept as long as our labneh. Even when you cover it, it will only keep for a few days. Our labneh, on the other hand, keeps for several weeks. For inspiration, visit our Labneh ideas page!

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