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Vegan Labneh


  • Author: Liz Madsen
  • Total Time: 5 minutes
  • Yield: 2 cups 1x
  • Diet: Vegan

Description

Part yogurt, part cheese, this thick and creamy vegan labneh couldn’t be any more simple or delicious and is no-strain!


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 cup raw sunflower seeds (see note 1) (for no-strain method)
  • 1 cup plain vegan yogurt (see note 2)
  • The juice of 1 medium lemon
  • 1 clove garlic, peeled, optional
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt (see note 3)

Instructions

For the no-strain method:

  1. Note: If you do not have a high-powered blender like a Vitamix, I recommend soaking your raw sunflower seeds in hot water for 1 hour or in just-boiled water for 10-15 minutes before blending.
  2. Add raw sunflower seeds, plain vegan yogurt, lemon juice, garlic clove, and salt to the blender.
  3. Blend until smooth and thick. You may need to stop and scrape down the sides of the blender container once or twice--try not to add additional liquid if you can help it. If you need to, I recommend adding more vegan yogurt. I blended mine for 90 seconds to make it super smooth.
  4. Taste and adjust the seasonings if you need to.
  5. Scrape out the contents of your blender container into a container and refrigerate for 1 or more hours to get it cold. It’s good straight out of the blender, but I think it’s better cold.

For the straining method:

  1. Note: Your strained amount will be half the amount of yogurt, so you may want to double the recipe and use 4 cups vegan plain yogurt, the juice of 2 lemons (I’d use small lemons with this method), and 1-2 teaspoons sea salt.
  2. In a bowl, mix together the vegan plain yogurt, lemon juice, and salt. If you want garlic, use a microplane to finely grate a clove of garlic in. Mix well.
  3. Place a double layer of cheesecloth or a kitchen towel free of excess fibers over a strainer over a large bowl.
  4. Pour the yogurt mixture over the cheesecloth or towel, wrap it up, and place a weight over it (like a can of beans), and store in the refrigerator. Refrigerate for at least 24 hours, or up to 48 hours if you are starting with a thinner vegan yogurt or if you like your dairy-free labneh very thick.

To Serve and store:

  1. Serve your dairy-free labneh with tomatoes, cucumbers, fresh herbs, and a drizzle of good olive oil (optional) if you like, OR use how you like--on top of toast, in sandwiches, with crackers or cut up veggies, etc.
  2. Refrigerate leftovers for up to 5 days in an airtight container.

Notes

  • Note 1: Nuts or seeds serve two purposes in this recipe--to make the labneh taste richer and to thicken it so we don’t have to strain it. You can leave it out and double the vegan yogurt if you do intend to strain it. Raw cashews also work, but note that they are very slightly sweet, so I recommend raw sunflower seeds instead, which are actually a lot cheaper.
  • Note 2: So that this vegan labneh has that super yogurty flavor, I do recommend using some plain vegan yogurt. I love Kite Hill Plain Vegan Yogurt for this--it’s so thick and neutral tasting, but it is almond based so be sure to choose something else if you can’t eat almonds. Other great vegan plain yogurts that will work include So Delicious Plain Coconut Yogurt or Forager Project Plain Cashewgurt. You may use whatever you can find at the store. No luck finding vegan yogurt where you live? Add half a block of firm tofu (drained but not pressed) OR an additional cup of sunflower seeds and the juice of a second lemon.
  • Note 3: Cheese is salty. This stuff needs some salt to really taste like labneh. Feel free to adjust the salt to your own tastes. If using table salt, use half the amount.
  • Cook Time: 5 minutes
  • Category: Snack
  • Method: Blender
  • Cuisine: Israeli, Mid-Eastern

Keywords: Vegan, Gluten-Free, Oil-Free, Soy-Free, Can Be Nut-Free, Sugar-Free