This creamy, simple garlic labneh is very easy to make and incredibly flavorful. It makes a great dip for crudités or pita chips; serve with roasted vegetables or as a sandwich spread.
Labneh is originally from the Levant region and is commonly used in Middle Eastern and some Mediterranean cuisines. It’s commonly served as part of a mezze platter.
Jump to:
⭐Why you’ll love it
- It’s incredibly easy to make, especially if you have access to store-bought labneh.
- It’s super garlicky with garlic treated two different ways, raw and cooked.
- It’s vegetarian.
And if you like labneh, then you might want to also try this delicious spicy labneh dip or this easy dill labneh with cucumber.
🛒Ingredients and substitutions
Olive oil: You will be heating the olive oil, so there’s no need to break out the extra virgin expensive stuff; you can use any olive oil that you like the taste of; the stronger the flavor, the better.
Garlic: Use some nice fat cloves. I add two raw cloves and sauté the rest, which gives it a slightly spicy kick. If you prefer a much milder kick, only sauté one.
Labneh: Homemade is best, but store-bought is also perfectly fine. To make it at home, simply stir half a teaspoon of salt into a litre of unsweetened Greek yogurt. Then tip out onto a clean tablecloth or cheesecloth and strain overnight. If you’re in a hurry, just strain it as long as you can, at least four hours.
See the recipe card at the bottom of this post for exact quantities.
👩🍳How to make it
- Take the labneh and use a garlic press to press and add two cloves of garlic. This will give it a slightly spicy kick; if you don’t want that, only press one clove.
- Press the remaining garlic cloves and add to the cold olive oil in a deep saucepan or small pot. Heat on medium-high heat, whisking now and then, until bubbles start rising. Whisk frequently and cook for roughly two minutes until the garlic is a pale golden color.
- When the fried garlic is ready, immediately remove the pan from the heat and tip it all out over the prepared labneh and raw garlic.
- Mix well together and chill until ready to serve or eat straight away.
Hint: Adding the pressed or minced garlic to cold oil and whisking while it cooks will prevent it from clumping.
💡Expert tips
- Use only one clove of pressed garlic for a milder flavor.
- The garlicky flavor will develop more strongly the longer it chills.
- If you don’t have a garlic press, you can finely mince the garlic or pound it to a paste with a pinch of salt in a mortar and pestle.
🍽️Serving suggestions
We love to have labneh with garlic as part of a mezze board, or as a dip for French fries and wedges. You can also add it to this gorgeous falafel platter (perfect for entertaining) or as one of the dips on this epic vegetarian charcuterie board.
To jazz it up and make it look even more appetizing, I’d suggest swirling some high-quality olive oil over the top and adding a sprinkle of black pepper or crushed red pepper flakes.
❄️Storage
Labneh will generally keep in the fridge for at least one week, but with the addition of raw and cooked garlic, storage time will be shortened to five days maximum.
You can actually freeze this recipe, but it will change the consistency slightly and you will need to whisk it after defrosting to improve the texture.
❓Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
If you used homemade labneh, you need at least four hours of draining time, but preferably at least overnight. Shop-bought labneh should already be thick, and the addition of olive oil simply makes it creamier.
Yes. While not ideal, you can strain natural yogurt to make labneh. Just make sure it’s full fat and sugar-free. You may have to strain it a few hours longer to get a thicker consistency, as Greek yogurt is already pretty strained, so you have an advantage when you start with it.
🥣More tasty dips and sauces
Did you make this dish? Let me know how much you loved it with a star rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐and a comment below.
📖 Recipe
Easy Garlic Labneh
Equipment
- 1 bowl
- 1 garlic press
- 1 frying pan
- 1 Whisk
Ingredients
- 17.5 ounces labneh (or one kilo Greek yogurt to make labneh)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil good quality but not extra-virgin
- 7-8 cloves garlic
Instructions
- Add the labneh to a small or medium-sized mixing bowl and press 1-2 cloves of garlic into it. One clove for a milder taste and two for a much stroner slightly spicy taste.
- Add the olive oil to a frying pan. Press the remaining six cloves of garlic into it, whisk to separate and then turn on the heat to medium-high.
- Fry for one-two minutes until the garlic is a light golden color, whisking reguarly to prevent clumping. We want it cooked, without that raw garlic flavor, but not crunchy (although a little crunch is fine).
- Immediately tip the oil and garlic into the bowl with the labneh and raw garlic. Mix well with a fork until well-incorporated and smooth. You can eat immediately but the flavors will better develop after chilling for 30 minutes minimum.
Notes
- If you cannot find ready-prepared labneh or would prefer to make your own, simply mix half a teaspoon of salt into 35 ounces/1 kilo of Greek yogurt and strain with a cheesecloth or clean dishtowel overnight or for at least four hours minimum. The longer you strain it, the thicker and creamier it will be.
- Use medium-large cloves of garlic.
- If you don’t have a garlic press, you can finely mince the garlic, finely grate it, or crush it to a paste with a mortar and pestle.
- It’s crucial to start cooking the garlic with a cold pan and oil – so no preheating, as a hot pan or hot oil will cause the garlic to clump.
- This recipe will keep in the fridge for up to five days.
- This recipe can be frozen, but you’ll need to whisk it after defrosting it to improve the texture.
- Use high-quality olive oil with a strong olive flavor, but don’t bother with extra-virgin as you will be using it for frying (albeit a short frying time).
Comments
No Comments