This Vegan Labneh recipe tastes, hand to god (as my Grandma Eva would say) just like its dairy counterpart. I threw in a fresh pita recipe as good pita is so difficult to find outside of the Middle East.
What is Labheh and how can you make it vegan?
I am directly quoting my daughter’s friend here. Lol!
Labneh is a tangy, silky Levantine cheese spread that can be served as a dip with pita bread or smeared on a toasted bagel. The cheese can also be rolled into balls, encrusted in herbs, and preserved in golden olive oil. Vegan Labneh is made the same way as its dairy counterpart. You simply curdle the milk (cashew milk) with an acid (lemon juice0 and that separates the curds from whey. Then you wrap it in cheese cloth and allow it to drip out most of its moisture.
In winter there was rain that fell for days without end and pulled from the almond trees green fruit so tender that you wanted to cup them with your hands and protect them like the fuzzy heads of newborns.
This seasonal memory is one of the corners where my husband’s and my childhood intersect, he on a kibbutz in Israel and me on an island in Greece.
My mother would mix lemon juice and salt into our leftover yoghurt, wrap it in white linen and hang it from a hook until it had drip, drip, dripped out all of it’s whey and become an impossibly tangy, thick spread. As we had no refrigeration this alchemy was both practical and delicious.
And on the opposite hill I am searching for my little boy.
An Arab shepherd and a Jewish father
Both in their temporary failure.
Our two voices met above
The Sultan’s Pool in the valley between us.
Neither of us wants the boy or the goat
To get caught in the wheels
Of the “Had Gadya” machine.
And our voices came back inside us
Laughing and crying.
The beginning of a new religion in these mountains.
Check out my new Aquafaba page! For tips, tricks and to see all of my Aquafabulous recipes.
Labneh is a tangy, silky cheese spread that can be served as a dip with pita bread or smeared on a toasted bagel. If you have the time make your own pita bread, do so, it is well worth it. The Labneh takes about 24 hours inactive time for soaking and draining but only a total of about 30 minutes active overall. If you have a Vitamix or other high speed blender you can cut the process down by 6-7 hours.
- 1 cup cashews raw
- 3 cups water
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/8 tsp salt a pinch
- 1-2 tsp nutritional yeast
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp tsp garlic powder
- 1/4-1/2 tsp strong mustard
- 1 pinch sugar
- salt to taste
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- olive oil for serving
- 1 tsp Za'ater (or a combination of dried herbs for serving
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Soak the cashews in the water for for 8 hours or overnight. Speedy hack: If you have a high speed blender then you can blend the heck out of the cashews and water and let them sit for an hour and blend them again for a few minutes. Until smooth. This shortcut does not work with regular blenders!
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After 8 hours, puree the cashews and soaking water in a blender until totally smooth. Rub a little between your fingers and if it is coarse then blend some more.
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Heat up your cashew mixture in a saucepan until quite hot to the touch but not boiling or bubbling at all. Remember to stir as you don't want the cashew concoction to scorch!
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Remove from the heat and gently stir in the lemon juice, vinegar and salt. Allow to sit undisturbed for 20 minutes.
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Line a sieve with cheese cloth or do what I do and use an unbleached white cotton t-shirt that I have cut up. Place the cloth lined sieve over a bowl to catch the whey. Gently pour the cashew curds into the waiting sieve.
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Place the whole contraption into the fridge for 8 hours. Lightly weighted.
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Now you should have something that is as thick as greek yoghurt. Pour out any whey that has gathered in the bottom bowl. Place a bowl on top of the curds to gently press out more liquid. 6-8 hours later you should be good to go.
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Remove your curds from the cheese cloth, place in a bowl and add the nutritional yeast, garlic powder, onion powder, sugar, minced garlic, mustard and salt to taste. Whiz it with an immersion blender (or use a regular blender) until completely smooth.
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You can now store it in the fridge or roll it into balls and the coat in finely chopped herbs. The flavors mellow after a couple of hours in the fridge.
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I like to spread it in a shallow dish like you would hummus. Splash some really good olive oil over the top, and sprinkle with za'ater and fresh black pepper.
These pita have a wonderfuly fluffy texture and are so easy to make that even a novice baker will end up with a delicious product. If you've never tasted fresh baked pita you will be in for a shock, the good kind.
- 1 cup warm water
- 2 1/2 tsp yeast
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
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Place warm water in a medium bowl and sprinkle the yeast over. Let sit 10 minutes.
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Mix in sugar, salt, olive oil and the whole wheat flour and mix till combined.
Add the all purpose flour and stir till you have a cohesive ball. Knead that ball on your counter with scant additions of flour to keep it from sticking.
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Lightly oil a large bowl and place your ball of dough inside turning once to coat with oil.
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Cover with a damp cloth and place in a warm spot to rise for 1 hour. Uncover your dough and ploop it gently onto a lightly floured counter.
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Turn your oven onto 500 degrees fahrenheit. Place pizza stone or a large sheet pan in the oven to heat up.
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Cut you dough into 8 pieces. Form them into balls and roll each ball out to a 1/4 inch thickness. Cover with a cloth and let rest 20 minutes.
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Place half you rounds into the oven on your pizza stone or hey sheet pan. Allow to bake 3 minutes and then remove from oven and place immediately into a bowl lined with a towel. Place a towel over the newly baked pita, this is important for the formation of the pocket. Bake up your second batch of pita and place in the bowl with the first batch covering immediately with the towel. Let sit 7-8 minutes and enjoy!
I was inspired by the http://plantepusherne.dk recipe for almond milk cream-cheese. This recipe has stood me in good stead and gave me the confidence to experiment with cheese making again as a vegan. Nina’s recipe for butter is beyond compare as well!
Also the best Vegan cheese I have ever tasted is made and sold by a one woman company in Israel and called Einut’s. She has no strange ingredients in her products and the textures and flavors are sublime.
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I am both captivated and enchanted by your blog…
That means the world to me.
Me too… x
All these years and an ocean between us and we are still connected.
Exquisite!
I can smell the divine wafting warmth of fresh pita, and the herbed, creamy, olive oil-drenched labneh, as though I were likewise fortuitously beaconed within that most mythical of tents to sup. ❤
Someday? Perhaps. xox Hanne
Once again: I’m salivating…… gorgeous memories poking all senses.
Goal achieved my sweet.
You write beautifully, Johanne!
Thank you Radhika, I’m glad we’ve “met”.
Thank you for suggesting a t-shirt as a substitute for a piece of cheesecloth! If I had to go out and find cheesecloth I probably wouldn’t do it. Sheer laziness. I have all the ingredients and plan on making this tomorrow. What’s in za’ater? Thyme and that kind of thing? Just want to get a sense of the kind of herbs to rustle up from my spice cabinet.
I recommend repurposing a spouse’s t-shirt. T-shirt herds often need culling.
As to Za’atar. Good question! Za’atar is two things. It is an herb that we commonly call hyssop in English. It is also a spice blend containing but not limited to sumac (the sour herb not the poison ivy), sesame seeds, salt, thyme etcetera. Really there are no hard and fast rules just a pleasing blend.
As I’m typing this, I’m looking out over mist-covered mountains, and longing for warmth and sunshine – your blog is just the thing!
Home-made labneh is fab, isn’t it? My mouth is watering, just thinking of it… tempted to go and make some right now! xx
Those mist covered mountains are waiting for spring as well. Lucky you with such a view!
xox Hanne
I’ve been vegan for 4 years. I don’t miss cheese, or milk, or chocolate… but omg I miss labneh! I am so happy I found your recipe. I made this and it turned out amazing. I was even lazy and used the bullet blender once, didn’t do it again after an hour, and it still worked out perfect.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. ❤
Isn’t Labneh the best?!! I’m chuffed that you gave the recipe a chance and it made your tastebuds happy.
Very nice blog. I will surely be trying this recipe!! Thank you so much!
Wonderful; Let me know how it goes.
“What is labneh, and how could you possibly make it vegan.”
-Diana
This one encapsulates so much. Thank you I needed a laugh!
When I return from the holy land dusty and sunburnt, I cannot wait to forgo the pita and spoon this directly into my mouth while repaying you in stories of my travels.
Holy Olivia with a halo of bronzed hair, an icon at my table. I will listen and learn and love you.
beautiful post and great recipe! Practical question: Can I sub the vinegar with more lemon juice?
Thanks for the recipe and for sharing the memories!
Thank you! Yes absolutely you can substitute. It alters the taste a bit but I love the taste of a good apple cider vinegar.
Do you mean mustard powder, or from a jar of ready made mustard?
Hi Rosemary I mean ready made mustard.
Hi 🙂 Can’t wait to make this. With mustard, is dijon okay? Or a strong german mustard you mean? Also what herbs did you roll the balls in? I want to make it exactly like your balls as it looks amazing.
HI Loretta,
Thank you.
I rolled the balls in finely chopped parsley.Dijon mustard its perfect!
Happy cooking
Hanne
I’m sensitive to cashews…Can I substitute the cashews with almonds or another nut??
Yes I have made this with almonds and it is delicious.
Wow!!!! It looks amazing! I have to made it . Just a question, once the vegan Labneh is done, how long can be the balls up into a jar preserved with olive oil?
Thank you Hanne!
Hi Tatiana, I have kept them up to two weeks. By then we had eaten them all so I’m not sure the longest they can last. I’m so glad you enjoy vegan labneh!
Hi! My fiancé and I went vegan around 4 months ago and we were struggling without labneh. I decided to try out this recipe. The flavor of the labneh is perfect, but my yield is so small! After just 4 hours of straining, I had 1/4 of labneh and it was not thick quite yet. I am wondering what I did wrong. Any suggestions would be appreciated!
Felisha, Yay! You went vegan! Hmm I’m not sure why you ended up with such a small amount of labneh. Perhaps you lost it to evaporation when you heated it. Make sure to just heat it through and don’t leave it on the heat too long. I usually get about 3/4 cup labneh. Maybe double the amount of cashews next time.
This is so good!!! It’s the first time I ever try doing vegan labneh and it is so delicious! I made it on a special occasion, for my mom’s birthday and everyone loved it! I would definitely recommend anyone to try the recipe. Thank you for sharing it!
Would this recipe work with walnuts instead of cashews? Thanks.
Hi, I’ve never tried walnuts in a cheese recipe. If you do please let me know how it works out.
I’ve tried and tried to make cashew cheese and this is the only recipe that actually turned out good! Thank you!
Oh my! What a lovely compliment to receive this chilly morning. Thank you kindly Im so glad you enjoyed it.
Hi! I’m currently making this and I accidentally boiled the cashew mixture I waited till it cooled a bit before adding the lemon/vinegar mix and now I’m waiting to strain it. Will it still work?? How can I fix it?
Hi, All I can say is; you’ve come this far so keep going! I believe it might still turn out. Please let ,me know and pease let me know how it went.