This quick spicy labneh dip comes together in under five minutes and tastes delicious. Adjust the spice level to suit your personal preference, and dig in!
If you can’t find any labneh, don’t worry; it’s easy to make (instructions below).
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⭐Why you’ll love it
- It’s delicious!
- It’s impossible to mess up
- It’s quick to make.
- It’s versatile.
- If you have a garlic press, you don’t even need to do any chopping!
And if you like this dip, then you might want to try my dill labneh with cucumber, this spicy crema (which inspired this recipe), or this spicy feta dip.
🛒Ingredients and substitutions
Honey: Labneh is quite tart, so adding some honey balances the flavors better. You can use any type or substitute with maple syrup or agave. If using agave, reduce the quantity and add to taste.
Hot sauce: Use your favorite vinegar-based hot sauce such as Tabasco, Frank’s Red Hot, or Cholula. I don’t recommend using Sriracha. A tablespoon will give you a mild-medium spicy sauce; feel free to add more.
Labneh: Using shop-bought labneh will speed this up, but keep in mind homemade labneh is cheaper, creamier, and easy to make.
Smoked paprika: Use high-quality smoked paprika. I always recommend people invest in Spanish pimentón de la Vera, the sweet or the spicy kind (it’s not very spicy).
Garlic: Use two nice, fat cloves.
See the recipe card at the bottom of this post for exact quantities.
👩🍳How to make it
Step 1: Either press or finely grate and mince the garlic (you want it tiny) and add it to a bowl along with all the other ingredients.
Step 2: Using a fork, mix all the ingredients really well. Taste and adjust (add more hot sauce if you want it spicier, more honey if you want it a little sweeter). Serve straight away or refrigerate to let the flavors develop more.
Hint: If you heat your honey slightly in 20-second bursts in the microwave, it will make it much easier to measure, pour and mix.
💡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 with about 600 grams (roughly 21 ounces) of unsweetened full-fat Greek yogurt, quark, or laban (a thick Lebanese yogurt).
Open the tub, mix in an eighth of a teaspoon of fine salt, and then empty the yogurt out onto a fine mesh piece of cheesecloth or clean tea towel. Gather the ends and tie them in a knot.
Drain for between 6-24 hours either in a strainer on top of a bowl or by tying the cloth around a wooden spoon or chopstick and balancing it across a deep bowl. Empty the whey as needed (you can reserve it or freeze it and use it to cook pasta with or replace stock).
🍽️Serving suggestions
- Use as a dip for tortilla chips.
- Use as a dip for crudités.
- Spread on toast.
- Add to a sandwich.
- Spread it on quesadillas (or add it to this amazing quesadilla platter).
You can swirl some olive oil across the top and sprinkle a little smoked paprika or crushed black pepper on top to make your labneh dip look even better!
❄️Storage
Your spicy labneh dip will keep in the fridge for up to four days in a closed container. Be aware that the longer it chills, the spicier it will be as the flavors continue to develop.
I don’t recommend freezing labneh.
❓Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Labneh is simply strained yogurt with a little salt. It is much more strained than Greek yogurt and has a characteristic tangy taste.
Spiced labneh is simply and labneh that has had spices added to it, it is not necessarily “spicy”.
No, not at all. It is tangier and creamier and cannot be baked or heat without separation occuring.
🥣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
Quick Spicy Labneh Dip
Equipment
- 1 garlic press
- 1 medium mixing bowl
- 1 fork
- 1 set measuring spoons
Ingredients
- 2 cloves garlic large
- 1-2 Tablespoons hot sauce (vinegar-based)
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika preferably Pimentón de la Vera
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 9 ounces labneh
Instructions
- Press the garlic or finely grate and then chop (you don't want any crunchy chunks of garlic in your dip).
- Add to a bowl along with all of the other ingredients and mix with a fork until well blended.
- Taste and adjust the hot sauce and honey if needed. Serve immediately or refrigerating the dip for at least 30 minutes will allow the flavors to develop a lot more.
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