By Nik, founder of 東歐嚴選｜kefir.link and former chef · Updated 2 November 2026
Labneh is the thick, tangy strained cheese of Middle Eastern breakfast tables, usually made from yogurt. Here plain milk kefir takes the yogurt's place, and as the whey drips away it thickens into a spread with the body of cream cheese and a bright, sour flavour. A swirl of olive oil and a pinch of thyme turn it into a plate for sharing.
A breakfast spread from the Levant
Salted strained yogurt, thicker than Greek yogurt, is known as labneh across the Levant, Egypt and the Arabian Peninsula. It is a common breakfast dip, spread on a plate, drizzled with olive oil and often finished with dried mint or za'atar, a blend of thyme, sesame and sumac. It also appears on meze platters with olives, cucumbers and flatbread.
In Lebanon and Palestine, labneh is also rolled into balls and kept in olive oil. Turkish labne is a different product: unsalted and creamy, and used more like mascarpone.
Time decides the texture
Labneh needs no rennet. Fermentation has already set the milk proteins into a gel that holds water, and the cloth simply lets the whey run out while the protein stays behind. After about 12 hours the kefir is as thick as Greek yogurt, after about 24 hours it is firm like cream cheese, and very thin kefir may need up to 36 hours before it can be rolled into balls. The salt seasons the cheese and helps draw out the whey, while unsalted kefir cheese tastes very tart. In Taiwan, where labneh is hard to find in supermarkets, home cooks often strain theirs in a cotton soy-milk bag.
Olive oil, thyme and other toppings
Because za'atar is built on thyme, dried thyme gives a simple take on the classic finish, and lemon zest can stand in for sumac. For colour and crunch, scatter over nigella seeds, pomegranate seeds, chopped pistachios, mint or coriander. Serve it with warm pita or naan, cucumber spears, olives or pita chips, or wrap it in flatbread with vegetables.
Strained kefir labneh
Ingredients
For the labneh
- 500 g plain milk kefir Unsweetened.
- ¼ tsp sea salt
For serving
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ½ tsp dried thyme
You will need
- Fine-mesh sieve
- Food-grade cheesecloth
- Deep bowl
- Kitchen scale and measuring spoons
- Spoon
- Refrigerator
- Container with a lid
Instructions
- Set a fine-mesh sieve over a deep bowl and line it with three layers of clean, damp cheesecloth, leaving room underneath for the whey.
- Stir the sea salt into the milk kefir until evenly mixed.
- Pour the salted kefir into the cloth-lined sieve.
- Cover the kefir with the overhanging cloth, then cover the bowl.
- Refrigerate the covered sieve and bowl at 4°C (40°F) or below for about 24 hours, until the cheese is thick enough to spread.
- Check the bowl once or twice while it strains and pour off the whey before it reaches the bottom of the sieve.
- Scrape the strained cheese into a bowl and stir until smooth.
- Spread the labneh on a small plate with the back of a spoon, leaving shallow hollows.
- Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with the dried thyme.
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