Coated in a selection of spices, seeds and nuts, homemade labneh balls with olive oil (also known as labaneh balls) are creamy and have a tangy centre. You cannot have a traditional Israeli breakfast without them.
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Homemade Labaneh: Part of any Middle Eastern Breakfast
As befitting the land of milk and honey, no Middle Eastern or Israeli breakfast would be complete without cheese.
You can go and buy a selection of briny feta and Bulgarian cheeses, or chop up a good block of Swiss Emmenthaler or Jarslberg. But to really stay authentic at an Israeli breakfast you need to remember only one recipe: labneh balls (or even berry labneh with orange infused olive oil). And when it's as is as easy to make as this, who needs store-bought cheeses?!
When Faith from An Edible Mosaic and I decided to pair up and make the ultimate Middle Eastern breakfast spreads. I knew that just showing you how to make Green Shakshuka or cottage cheese blintzes just wouldn't do the meal justice, no matter how amazing it is. I also had to let you in on this labneh balls recipe.
What are Labneh Balls?
Labneh balls (or labaneh balls) are, as you may have guessed, balls made of homemade labneh cheese.
They are wonderful spread on challah, sourdough buns, toasty pita, homemade sourdough bread or eaten with fresh vegetables.
At their base, labneh balls are just spheres of strained yogurt. They came out of the necessity of nomadic life in the dessert. Tricks for preserving yogurt and making it portable were highly sought-after. Fresh milk cheeses like labneh and feta were common, but labneh balls were one of their fanciest and most highly prized presentations.
What Yogurt Should I Use?
Labneh cheese is a cheese made out of drained, aged milk curd - ie, yogurt. It became popular among nomadic Levantine tribes for its ease of preparation and short incubation time, much less than most aged cheese (labneh balls take 12-24 hours to make).
Living in North America, I have also grown accustomed to using whole cow's milk for its ease of finding.
To make it vegan, use the fattiest unflavored vegan yogurt you can find. I believe you'd have good results with coconut culture yogurt. But the flavor will be different and less tangy.
Directions to Make Labneh Balls
- Lay out two layers of cheesecloth over a strainer, and pour the yogurt into it. Tie the yogurt in the cheesecloth, creating a little sack that can be hung up. Hang cheesecloth with yogurt to dry over a sink for at least eight hours, and up to 24 hours. On a hot summer's day, transfer draining yogurt to the fridge after the night, and hang it in there to continue draining.
- To prepare labneh balls, lay out each spice or flavouring on a flat plate. With well-oiled hands, roll into balls, and then roll each ball in a different spice mixture.
- Drizzle olive oil onto a serving platter, and sprinkle with chilli flakes. Serve labneh balls in the oil, and drizzle with a bit more oil.
If you're short on time, avoid balling the labneh and just serve it spread out on a plate, drizzled with olive oil, za'atar and sesame and/or sumac.
Picking Your Toppings!
🌿 Chopped chives – Fresh and mild, they add a subtle onion flavor.
🌿 Za'atar – A tangy, herby Middle Eastern blend of sumac, sesame, and thyme. Especially tasty with olive oil.
⚪ Toasted sesame seeds – Nutty and crunchy. Mix white and black sesame seeds for a beautiful contrast.
🌶️ Sumac – Bright, lemony flavor and vibrant color. Great solo or mixed with za'atar.
🌶️ Chili flakes – Add a kick of heat. Use in the olive oil or roll balls directly in them.
🥜 Crushed nuts – Pistachios, walnuts, or almonds bring texture and richness. Toast them for extra flavor.
Storing these Cheese Balls
You can refrigerate homemade labneh balls recipe in the fridge in a jar of oil for a couple of weeks, so feel free to make them ahead of time.
Serving Suggestions
As mentioned, homemade labneh is a part of most Middle Eastern breakfast spreads. Serve it with, Breakfast Rutabaga Rösti, classic Matzo Brei, or with my mom's traditional blitzes.
labneh balls are incredibly impressive as in a Middle Eastern appetizer platter alongside homemade lavosh crackers.
Serve homemade labneh cheese as part of a cheese platter or alongside raspberry ricotta cheesecake, especially when served swimming in a pool of olive oil spiked with chilli flakes.
Recipe
Tried and loved this recipe? Please leave a 5-star review below! Your reviews mean a lot to me, so if you've got any questions, please let me know in a comment.
Homemade labaneh balls
Equipment
- Cheesecloth: https://amzn.to/3yxefk3
- Colander or strainer: https://amzn.to/2WxGYsl
Ingredients
- 500-1000 ml Whole Greek yogurt preferably goat's or sheep's milk
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Spices and flavourings of your choice:
- Chives finely chopped
- Za'atar
- Sumac
- Paprika smoked or sweet, both are fine; just make sure you're using high-quality paprika
- Black sesame
- Crushed walnuts
- Extra virgin olive oil for serving
- Chilli flakes for serving
Instructions
- Lay out two layers of cheesecloth over a strainer, and pour the yogurt into it. Tie the yogurt in the cheesecloth, creating a little sack that can be hung up. Hang cheesecloth with yogurt to dry over a sink for at least eight hours, and up to 24 hours. On a hot summer's day, transfer draining yogurt to the fridge after the night, and hang it in there to continue draining.
- To prepare labaneh balls, lay out each spice or flavouring on a flat plate. With well-oiled hands, roll labaneh into small balls, and then roll each ball in a different spice mixture.
- Drizzle olive oil onto a serving platter, and sprinkle with chilli flakes. Serve labaneh balls in the oil, and drizzle with a bit more oil.
- If you're short on time, avoid balling the labaneh and just serve it spread out on a plate, drizzled with olive oil, za'atar and sesame and/or sumac.
Dina says
Love these Ksenia. Never thought of rolling them in all these lovely toppings. Thanks for sharing. Also love the look of the table with all the delicious foods on it. Makes me hungry.
kseniaprints says
Dina, looking at your blog makes me hungry EVERY TIME, so I consider this payback 😉 I'm so glad you like them!
Katie @ Whole Nourishment says
I would be over at your house in a heartbeat for this breakfast spread. I have never made labaneh balls but they look seriously good with the spices. And what a fun and unique collaboration for the ultimate Middle Eastern breakfast. I'll be taking some cues from you two for my next weekend brunch!
kseniaprints says
Katie, you are welcome ANYTIME. Seriously. And you should definitely give the labaneh balls a try - they're one of the easiest impressive appetizers to throw together (and everyone loves homemade cheese).
Berta says
I need to make these ASAP! My mum was recently thinking about how to make the dinners for special occasions at our house a little lighter and healthier, because, at least from my experience, being from Soviet Union means that the salads are loaded with mayonnaise and the desserts are rich. Of course I said that will happily help her come up with recipes and I can't wait to impress her with these 🙂
kseniaprints says
I know what you mean... Happily, after a few years in the Middle East, my parents abandoned shuba and holodetz in favour of cheese boards and chopped salad for breakfast. The grandparents were a tougher sell... But we're working on them! And with these labaneh balls, it shouldn't be hard to convince your family to give lighter dishes a try 😉
Brianna says
Oooh, these will be a great addition to snack dinner!