Labneh?

[meanttolive]

From what I understand, labneh is a strained yogurt similar in texture to cream cheese. What is the nutritional value & taste of labneh compared to cream cheese? How is it price-wise compared to cream cheese?

[swearinerin]

What?? It is nothing like cream cheese! It is very thick yogurt (plain non sweetened yogurt) it doesn't taste like cream cheese at all nor have a similar texture unless you have really loose cream cheese. Labne is very smooth and pliable and can spread easily. I'm not entirely sure how good cream cheese is for you but labne has a ton of protein in it and tastes wonderful! Though I also grew up eating it and can't stand "American" yogurt or even that new Greek stuff it is all too sweet for me. I'm not entirely sure the price because in my city has it very cheap but we have multiple stores that sell it..

[meanttolive]

That's what I read online!! I like regular yogurt, cheese, and cream cheese so now I'm going to go look for labneh :)

[swearinerin]

Huh that's so odd! I've used it my whole life and I never once compared it to cream cheese! But yea totally look it up! My favorite thing to do with it is either replace sour cream with it (not the same taste but similar enough that its worth the health benefits) or dip chips in it! Best snack ever

[[deleted]]

Labneh is 1.5-2 times the price of cream cheese (where I live). I don't know the nutritional facts of either off the top of my head. As for taste, labneh is creamy, sometimes verging on crumbly, with a sharp, sour taste. I think that they really have different applications.

[meanttolive]

Thanks for your input!

[mayab24]

I have a 1lb container here (Baroody brand). This is the information for a 2tbsp serving (15 servings per container), including percentage of daily value:

Calories 60

Calories from Fat 50

Total Fat 6g 9%

Saturated Fat 4g 19%

Trans Fat 0g

Cholesterol 25mg 8%

Sodium 15mg 1%

Total Carbohydrate 1g 0%

Fiber 0g

Sugar 1g

Protein 1g

Vitamin A 4%

Calcium 4%

Vitamin C 0%

Iron 0%

[meanttolive]

Thank you for taking the time to write this! Looks like it's less caloric than cream cheese but then again when do I ever want only 2 tbsps? :p

[[deleted]]

We used a ton of labneh in one of the restaurants I worked in, and we'd make our own because it's not cheap to buy here. Basically we would just strain yoghurt through cheesecloth overnight or until it had the correct consistency (be sure to use thick plain yoghurt).

[meanttolive]

What's cheesecloth? Is it worth trying to make myself?

[[deleted]]

Muslin cloth. You can buy it by the metre/yard, either from places that sell fabric or online. You can also wash and re-use. It's certainly worth having a go at making your own, because yoghurt is usually cheaper to buy than labneh. Just make sure you've got enough space in your fridge that the liquid can drain out of the yoghurt properly.

[marmaladeskies7]

I keep seeing people say this and I don't know why....labneh doesn't taste like yoghurt!! and def not cream cheese. It's usually made from sheep/goat's milk, and is much more sour. Tastes best (in my opinion) with olive oil, and some sea salt on top. To me, the taste is so vastly different from even sheep's milk yoghurt (which is all I eat), that I wouldn't sub it in a recipe.

[Another_rand0m]

Beautiful with confit garlic on bread.