This delicious dill labneh with cucumber was inspired by Mediterranean and Levantine flavours and tastes like an upgraded version of tzatziki! You’ll need just six ingredients to make this creamy deliciousness.
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⭐Why you’ll love it
Labneh is especially refreshing in hot weather but can be eaten all year round. If you can’t find any, don’t worry; it’s easy to make (instructions below). You’ll love this recipe because:
- It’s delicious!
- It’s simple and quick to make.
- It’s very flavorful.
- Labneh is high in protein and probiotics, making it a great addition to your menu.
And if you like this dip, then you might want to try this herbed cottage cheese dip (it tastes like Boursin!), this spicy labneh dip, or this spicy feta dip.
🛒Ingredients and substitutions
Cucumber: Use a medium-sized cucumber, preferably an English one as then you won’t need to remove the seeds.
Olive oil: Use a high-quality, tasty oil like extra virgin or virgin.
Labneh: You can use shop-bought labneh, but use a good brand. Homemade labneh is cheaper and easy to make, but it does require more time. The labneh should be a lot thicker than regular yogurt, almost as thick as cream cheese.
Garlic: Labneh has a strong tart flavour, so do use two large cloves, or you won’t be able to taste the garlic.
Salt: Just use regular fine-grain table salt. Remember that labneh already has a small amount of salt in it, so don’t use more than the recipe requires, and don’t add more to taste until after the dip has chilled for at least one hour.
Dill: Using fresh dill is best, but you can also try it with dried dill, reducing the quantity to two heaped teaspoons.
See the recipe card at the bottom of this post for exact quantities.
👩🍳How to make it
Step 1: Peel the cucumber. If you’re not using an English cucumber and the seeds are large, slice the cucumber in half and remove them. Grate the cucumber (using the large holes on your grater). Squeeze by hand to remove most of the liquid and add to a bowl.
Step 2: Finely mince the garlic. Chop the dill finely. Add the garlic, dill, olive oil and salt to the bowl with the cucumber and mix well. Set aside for ten minutes.
Step 3: Add the labneh and mix in well with a fork.
Step 4: Cover and chill in the fridge for at least one hour. Serve!
Hint: It’s best to use a garlic press if you have one; this will ensure your dill labneh has a much nicer texture and more evenly spread garlic flavour.
💡How to make labneh
In case you can’t find any labneh at your local grocery store, you can very easily make it. For this recipe, you’ll need to start out with a kilo (roughly 32 ounces) of unsweetened full-fat Greek yogurt, quark, or laban (a thick Lebanese yogurt).
Open the tub and mix in a quarter teaspoon of fine salt. Now, empty the tub onto a fine mesh piece of cheesecloth or a finely woven tea towel. Gather the ends and tie them in a knot.
Drain overnight either in a strainer above a bowl to catch the whey or by gathering the ends of the cloth and trying it around a wooden or plastic spoon and balancing across a deep bowl. Make sure the labneh package is not touching the bottom of the bowl. Empty the whey as needed.
For this recipe, I recommend draining for at least six hours up to twenty-four. Some people drain up to 48 hours for extra thick labneh that is more like cheese, but I find this makes the labneh very sour, so I don’t recommend it.
Tip: Don’t throw away the whey! Use it instead of stock in soups, to cook pasta or rice in, add to smoothies, or use instead of water when making dough.
🍽️Serving suggestions
This labneh is thick enough to lather on crackers or toast for a tasty, light lunch. It’s also amazing as a dip with breadsticks, pita chips, or carrots. We also love dipping cucumbers, which have been sliced on the diagonal.
And, of course, it would make a great addition to a mezze board, this falafael platter, or even as a dip on a vegetarian charcuterie board.
If you’re entertaining, you can swirl some olive oil across the top and sprinkle a little chopped dill to make your labneh dip look prettier!
❄️Storage
Your dill and cucumber labneh will keep in the fridge, tightly covered, for up to four days. Be aware that the longer it chills, the stronger the flavors will be as they have more time to develop.
I don’t recommend freezing labneh as it gets grainy and separates when defrosted.
❓Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
No, labneh is a dairy product with a consistency somewhere between thick yogurt and cream cheese. Tzatziki is a Medditeranean dip to while garlic, lemon juice and herbs have been added.
Labneh goes great with Levantine food, think dolmades, pita, falafel etc. You can also use it to replace cream cheese in savoury recipes like sandwiches or as a dip for chips or cruditès.
Labneh is made with plain, unsweetened, full-fat yogurt, which has a little salt added to it and is then strained until thick.
🥣Other dip recipes…
Did you make this dish? Let me know how much you loved it with a star rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐and a comment below.
📖 Recipe
Easy Dill Labneh with Cucumber
Equipment
- 1 vegetable peeler or knife
- 1 box grater
- 1 mixing bowl
- 1 garlic press or knife
- 1 knife (for chopping herbs)
Ingredients
- 1 English cucumber (medium)
- 2 cloves garlic (large)
- 1.5 Tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil (extra-virgin or virgin)
- ¼ teaspoon fine table salt
- 16 ounces labneh
Deirdre Gilna
Surprisingly tasty!