Za'atar Labneh Dip Recipe

No ratings yet

Creamy Labneh meze dip made fresh from hung yogurt curd and seasoned with Middle Eastern za'atar spice.

Prep Time10

Hanging Curd Time2

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Mediterranean, Middle Eastern

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian

Servings: people

Calories: 99kcal

Combine the yogurt with the salt in a bowl.
2 cups Greek Yogurt, ¼ Teaspoon Salt
Place cheesecloth over a large bowl.
Place the yogurt curds into the center of your cheesecloth. Gather the edges of the cloth together and tie them securely with kitchen twine to make a pouch.
Hang the yogurt and keep a bowl under it. You can hang it over your kitchen tap too so that it drops into your sink. Keep it hanging until the yogurt is thick, and that can take 2–3 hours as the liquids come out drop by drop.

Open the cheesecloth pouch with the yogurt, take out the thick yogurt, and place it into a serving bowl.
Pour olive oil over the hung curd in your bowl, and sprinkle the za'atar evenly over the olive oil. Top with fresh mint as well.
2 Teaspoon Zaatar, 2 Tablespoon Olive Oil, Mint Leaves
Serve up refrigerated, cooled. I like to cover it with a lid or a clean wrap until serving time.

16 oz Greek Yogurt = ½ a 32 oz tub or 2 cups or 450 grams.
You might not need to hang your yogurt if it's super thick and creamy. Most Greek yogurt are thick but not as thick as a Labneh is meant to be, and therefore they need to be hung. Please refer to my video to see the consistency. The consistency of hung yogurt is heavy, compressed, thick, and creamy. In fact, hung yogurt is like French Petit Suisse or German/Austrian Quark or Topfen (these are high in fat). Some Icelandic Skyr might be as thick as hung curd. If your yogurt is thick enough, you can just mix in the salt and top it with the ingredients as described.