Greek Yogurt Cream Cheese (Labneh Jajik)
A delicious, Cream Cheese spread made with tangy Greek or homemade yogurt.
Prep Time15 minutes mins
draining time4 hours hrs
Total Time4 hours hrs 15 minutes mins
Course: Appetizer, Breakfast, side
Cuisine: Assyrian
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 34kcal
- 1 32 oz Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon chives (minced)
- 1 scallion (minced)
- 2 tablespoon dill (minced)
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 Serrano pepper (minced)
- 1 tablespoon marigold leaves (minced)
Transfer yogurt from its container to a soup bag. Twist the bag from the top, to begin draining the whey from the yogurt. Suspend the bag from the faucet and allow the liquid to drain. I recommend leaving it overnight, undisturbed. Otherwise, it can take four or more hours until it's completely drained.
Another option is to place the bag in a strainer and cover it with a heavy object to weigh it down and squeeze out any remaining liquid.
Remove the yogurt from the soup bag and place it in a bowl. Wash the soup bag, then wring out and hang to dry to reuse at a later time.
Mix in the minced chives, scallions, dill, Serrano pepper, sea salt, and marigold leaves, if using.
Enjoy with crackers, pita, or toasted bread.
- As soon as you remove the yogurt from the soup bag, give the bag a quick wash in the sink, wring it out, and hang it to dry so that it's available the next time you need it.
- Place a bowl under the draining yogurt to catch the whey. Whey can be used as a brine, added to shakes, or mixed in with daweh.
- Some people mix softened butter in with the Jajik. I really don't think it's necessary.
- Store jajik in air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Serving: 2tablespoon | Calories: 34kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 7g | Cholesterol: 2mg | Sodium: 94mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g