Labneh Balls

5 from 10 votes

Labneh balls, or fresh shanklish, are a Levantine staple, very popular in Middle Eastern cuisine. This yogurt-based cheese is made by straining Greek yogurt until thickened, then rolling into balls and coating with herbs and spices. They're delicious as a snack or part of a meze!

Prep Time15

Straining time2

Total Time2 15

Course: Appetizer, Breakfast, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: Middle Eastern

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: balls

Author: Luay Ghafari

Cost: $10

Equipment

Cheesecloth

Ingredients

3 cups Greek yogurt
½ tsp Kosher salt
Extra virgin olive oil - As needed
Za'atar, Aleppo chili flakes, dried mint, sumac

Instructions

In a bowl, combine the yogurt and salt. Mix well.
Line a fine-mesh sieve with 3 layers of cheesecloth, so that it overhangs on the sides. Place the sieve over a large bowl. Transfer the salted yogurt to the cheesecloth-lined sieve.
Take the overhanging edges of the cheesecloth and fold them over the yogurt. Place the bowl in your refrigerator for 24-48 hours to drain. Check on your yogurt every 12 hours and discard the liquid in the bowl.
When your yogurt has thickened (transformed into labneh), it is time to make the labneh balls.
Lightly oil your hands with olive oil. Using a spoon or your fingers, take 2-3 tablespoons of labneh and roll into a ball. Transfer the ball to a plate or tray. Repeat with remaining labneh. Refrigerate covered with plastic wrap overnight so that the balls can firm up even further.
Optional - At this point, you can preserve your labneh balls in oil for future use. In a wide mouth jar, carefully place the formed labneh balls and cover with olive oil. Don't use expensive olive oil for this. Refrigerate for up to 1 month.
Place your desired herb blends and spices in small, shallow bowls. Working with one labneh ball at a time, carefully coat with the desired flavoring. If the spice or herb blends don't adhere to the labneh balls, coat them with a small amount of olive oil first.
Serve labneh balls with pita, crackers, crudite. They can be served for breakfast, for a quick snack or as part of a charcuterie board.

Notes

See the blog post above for step-by-step recipe photos and serving suggestions.

Storage options:

Store the labneh as is in a bowl or container with a lid until you are ready to form the balls.
Store the labneh balls in a jar with olive oil until you are ready to coat them with the herb blends and spices. Note: The labneh balls can be consumed as is without the flavorings (more kid-friendly this way). They will keep this way for up to a month, in the fridge.
Spiced labneh balls should be consumed within 12 hours.

I also recommend you see my comprehensive Homemade Labneh post which covers a lot of information, especially if you're interested in knowing about how using different yogurts will affect the finished labneh.

Nutrition