How to make labneh at home with milk kefir or yoghurt

If you've got a jar of milk kefir or homemade yoghurt on the go, you're about one muslin cloth and a night in the fridge away from labneh. It's that thick, tangy, spreadable cheese you get in Lebanese restaurants, swirled into a bowl with olive oil and za'atar, and it costs next to nothing to make at home.

No rennet, no thermometer, no stirring a pot of curds. You just let gravity pull the whey out. And with the festive season around the corner, a bowl of labneh (or a jar of little labneh balls in oil) is one of the easiest things you can put on a Christmas lunch table or take along to a braai.

What exactly is labneh?

Labneh is simply cultured milk that's been strained until it's thick enough to spread or even roll into balls. Traditionally it's made from yoghurt, but milk kefir works beautifully too and gives you a slightly tangier, more complex flavour. The longer you strain, the firmer it gets:

• 6 to 8 hours: soft and dippable, like a really thick Greek yoghurt
• 12 to 24 hours: spreadable, similar to cream cheese
• 24 to 48 hours: firm enough to roll into balls and store under oil

Start with good kefir or yoghurt

Whatever you strain is what you'll taste, so start with a batch you'd happily eat on its own. Full-cream milk gives you the richest, creamiest labneh. Low-fat works, but it comes out a bit chalky.

Using milk kefir: our Milk Kefir Kit grains arrive dehydrated, so give them a few batches to wake up properly before you plan a labneh. Once they're turning milk thick and tangy in about a day, you're in business. Strain the grains out first (they go straight into fresh milk), then use the kefir for labneh. If you're brand new to kefir, our guide to your first jar of milk kefir walks you through it.

Using yoghurt: any plain homemade yoghurt works. A Natural Yoghurt Starter Kit batch is perfect, and if you've already made our thick Greek yoghurt, you're halfway there already.

What you'll need

• 1 litre of milk kefir or plain yoghurt (makes roughly 350 to 450 g of labneh, depending on how long you strain)
• About 1 teaspoon of fine non-iodised salt
• A fine cloth for straining. A Muslin Cheese Cloth or a NutMilkPro Muslin Bag both do the job. Plain gauze from the pharmacy is too loose and you'll lose half your cheese
• A sieve or colander, and a bowl deep enough that the sieve sits well above the whey
• Space in the fridge

Step 1: Get your cloth ready

Pour boiling water over the muslin to scald it, let it cool, then wring it out well. A damp cloth lets the whey run through more easily than a dry one. Line your sieve with it (double layer if the weave looks open) and set the sieve over the bowl.

Step 2: Salt and pour

Stir the salt into your kefir or yoghurt. Salt isn't just for flavour here, it helps draw out the whey and keeps the labneh tasting fresh for longer. Pour everything into the lined sieve.

Step 3: Tie it up and let it drip

Gather the corners of the cloth and twist them together loosely. You can either leave the bundle sitting in the sieve or tie it to a wooden spoon laid across a deep jug so it hangs freely. Pop the whole lot in the fridge. In our summer heat, don't leave it dripping on the counter. Cold straining is slower but it keeps the flavour clean.

Resist the urge to squeeze it in the first few hours. You'll just push the curds through the cloth. Patience does the work.

Step 4: Check the texture

Have a look after about 8 hours. For a dip, it's probably done. For a spread, give it overnight. For balls, leave it a full day or two, giving the bundle a gentle twist now and then to help it along. You're aiming for something you can scoop with a teaspoon and roll between your palms without it sticking everywhere.

Scrape it off the cloth into a clean container and keep it in the fridge. Eat soft labneh within about a week.

Don't throw out the whey

That yellowish liquid in the bowl is acid whey, and it's useful stuff. Use it in place of some of the water in bread or sourdough dough, add it to smoothies, or use it to soak oats overnight. It keeps in a closed jar in the fridge for about a week.

How to make labneh balls in oil

This is the bit that makes people think you went to a lot of trouble.

1. With clean, slightly oiled hands, roll firm labneh into balls about the size of a large marble.
2. Lay them on a tray lined with paper towel and chill for a couple of hours so they firm up even more.
3. Roll them in your coating of choice: za'atar, dried mint, chopped fresh herbs, chilli flakes, toasted sesame, cracked black pepper, or dukkah.
4. Pack them gently into a clean glass jar and pour over olive oil until they're completely covered.
5. Keep the jar in the fridge and use within about a week. The oil will go cloudy and solid when cold. That's normal; just let it stand at room temperature for 20 minutes before serving.

Always use a clean spoon to get them out, and make sure what's left stays under the oil.

Ways to serve it

• The classic: swoosh it into a shallow bowl, drizzle generously with olive oil, scatter za'atar and a few mint leaves, and serve with warm pita or flatbread
• On the braai: spread it on a platter, top with charred peppers, braaied lamb chops or grilled mielies, and finish with lemon zest
• Festive platter: labneh balls next to cold meats, olives, cherry tomatoes and fresh figs or watermelon
• Sweet: soft labneh with honey, pistachios and fresh berries for breakfast
• With your ferments: spread on toast and topped with a spoon of homemade sauerkraut or a few drops of fermented chilli sauce

Quick fixes

• Too runny after a day: your kefir or yoghurt was probably thin to start with. Leave it longer, or give the bundle a gentle squeeze now that it's had time to set.
• Too sour: next time, use a milder, younger batch of kefir or yoghurt, and strain in the fridge rather than on the counter.
• Grainy texture: give it a good beat with a spoon and a splash of olive oil. It smooths out nicely.
• Crumbly balls: it's over-strained. Mix in a spoon of fresh kefir or yoghurt and serve it as a spread instead.
• Anything fuzzy, pink or off-smelling: throw it out. Don't try to rescue it.

Ready to give it a go?

Labneh is one of those things that makes you look at a tub of plain kefir or yoghurt completely differently. Once you've done it once, you'll always have a bundle dripping in the fridge. Grab a Milk Kefir Kit or a Natural Yoghurt Starter Kit and a good muslin cloth, and your festive table is sorted.