Labni is a delicious smooth, creamy, soft cheese spread that’s served as a dip or condiment. Top with a drizzle of Olive Oil and a bit of dried mint.
This is an amazing little starter or appetizer. It’s rich and creamy deliciousness hides a marvelous secret… it’s actually good for you! No joke! The main ingredient is plain unflavored yogurt so as you’re chowing down on this yummy dip you’re doing something good for your bones and all the other body parts that benefit from calcium-rich foods. You can use any fat content yogurt you like. I significantly prefer the full-fat version, of course, but have made it from low-fat and nonfat yogurt as well. This is a very subtle dip and I like the added richness the full-fat yogurt adds.
This recipe makes a pretty good size batch so you might want to cut down the quantity. In the first part of the recipe, what you’re actually making is a yogurt cheese. This can be used in all sorts of ways. It’s a nice alternative to soft cheeses like cream cheese or goat cheese. It has its own unique flavor that I would describe as a slightly sweet, slightly tangy, mellow flavor. The yogurt you start with will obviously greatly affect these characteristics. When you make the labni, just make a swirl in the yogurt cheese and add the mint and olive oil so you can use the rest for another type of application.
Labni
Ingredients
- 64 Ounces Plain Yogurt I Like Mountain High
- 2-3 Teaspoons Salt
- Dried Mint
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Pita Bread
Instructions
- Stir salt into yogurt and mix thoroughly.
- Line a large bowl with a rectangle of a double thickness of cheesecloth. Pour the yogurt into the bottom of the bowl. Draw up the corners of the cheesecloth and tie securely with butchers twine. It will look like a hobos sack.
- Hang it with butchers twine over the faucet of your kitchen sink or on an upper cabinet knob and place a bowl beneath it. Allow to drain overnight. (I do this right before I go to bed and then hubby pops it in the fridge for me as soon as he wakes up. He gets up much earlier than I do!)
- Remove from the cheese cloth and refrigerate.
Serving:
- Make the dip by spreading a thick layer of the cheese over a plate. As you do this, create some deeper grooves in a circular pattern following the shape of the plate. Drizzle with your best olive oil and sprinkle with dried mint. Serve with fresh or toasted Pita bread cut into wedges.
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I absolutely loved this post on Labni! The way you described the flavors really made me want to try making it myself. Your tips on pairing it with different dishes were super helpful. I can’t wait to impress my friends with this! Gonna want seconds for sure!
Hey! Wow, thanks for the amazing review. I’m glad you found our recipe and liked it 🙂 Enjoy this with your friends!
Mmm.this does sound amazing. fresh flavors
Simple flavours are often the best!!!
Yum! I have never seen this before. It sounds great:)
Delicious and good for you? I'm sold! Cuz this looks amazing.
Looks so good and I love that it's something different.
this is just lovely, delicious!
I can't remember the last time I had full fat yogurt! I tend to use nonfat greek for everything.
So easy yet so perfect!! Kind of like a quick tzatziki!
Ooh, that mint sounds like it would add a really nice twist of flavor. Can't wait to try it!
This totally intrigues me! I like how simple it is, and I know myself, I would probably eat more than I should.
wow love this so simple and looks amazing
Love the Middle Eastern style of this yogurt dip.
Velva