This is such a delicious take on a grazing board, a labneh board topped with charred green onions and softened cherry tomatoes, served with crackers or bread to scoop up all that goodness.
What is labneh?
Labneh is a Middle Eastern strained yogurt, like a thicker and tangier version of Greek yogurt. It’s made by straining yogurt (with salt) in a cheesecloth until thick and most of the liquid has been removed. It’s a two ingredient wonder spread!
The consistency is similar to that of cream cheese, and it’s very versatile and delicious. It’s very common in the Middle East and enjoyed as a breakfast item that you either dip pita bread in or spread on other breads, or as part of an assortment of mezze.
What is a labneh board?
I got the idea from the tiktok viral butter board trend. This is way better! It’s a loaded labneh spread out onto a wooden board, topped with blistered cherry tomatoes, charred green onions, salt, pepper, chili flakes and olives. The flavor combination is insane!
If you take a slice of bread and scoop the labneh board components on top of it, you have the ultimate labneh toast.
Ingredients you need for a labneh board:
Labneh– for ease I use store bought. I like Turkish labneh, which is really creamy and mild. Jordanian labneh is tangier so if you like a sour taste, you can go with this.
Olive oil– Get some good quality extra virgin olive oil
Green onions– My favorite part of this dish!
Cherry tomatoes– Red, yellow, orange or a mix. Anything works.
Olives– I like using spicy olives, but any whole pitted olives work well
Mint leaves
Zaatar– A Middle Eastern spice blend, with thyme, oregano, sumac, salt, and sesame seeds. This makes such a good pairing with labneh.
Red chili flakes– You can omit this if you don’t want any heat, but I love the addition it gives
Salt and pepper- a generous amount to season the labneh
How to assemble a labneh board:
- Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet on medium high heat, and add the tomatoes and green onions. Sprinkle red chili flakes on top.
- Saute, stirring occasionally until blistered and a little charred, 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Spread the labneh out onto a display platter or cheeseboard. Season with a little freshly cracked black pepper and flaky sea salt.
- Top with the cherry tomatoes and green onions, drizzling the oil from the pan over the top.
- Scatter olives over the top, sprinkle zaatar, and top with fresh mint leaves.
What to serve a labneh board with:
I like serving this with an assortment of bread, crackers, pita chips, breadsticks, anything you can use to dip.
You can also serve with crudites, like sliced cucumbers, carrots, radish, and bell peppers for healthier dipping vessels.
Recipe tips and tricks:
- Be creative! Layer this with anything you want. You can try adding capers, pickled red onions, sun dried tomatoes, olive tapenade. This is amazing with garlic confit or garlic chips. Labneh works well with so many things.
- If you don’t want this to be spicy, leave out the red chili flakes and use regular olives instead of spicy olives.
- Assemble this right before serving. It doesn’t store well, the texture of the toppings will change if stored in the fridge.
Recipe FAQs:
Yogurt is strained milk, while labneh is strained yogurt. So you could consider labneh to be like a doubly strained Greek yogurt, so they aren’t the same thing.
You can get labneh from any Arabic supermarket, on Amazon, or in Whole Foods or Trader Joes.
Labneh is a good source of protein, and low in lactose so it’s more easily digested than other dairy products. It’s also loaded with probiotics, so yes it’s a great healthy choice!
Labneh Board
Ingredients
- 1 cup labneh 250g, 8 oz
- olive oil
- 2 green onions, sliced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes (handful)
- 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
- 1/4 cup pitted olives of choice, I like spicy olives
- 1 tablespoon zaatar
- pinch red chili flakes
- sea salt and cracked black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet on medium high heat, and add the tomatoes and green onions. Sprinkle red chili flakes and salt on top.
- Saute, stirring occasionally until blistered and a little charred, 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Spread the labneh out onto a display plate or cheeseboard. Add a little freshly cracked black pepper.
- Top with the cherry tomatoes and green onions, drizzling the oil from the pan over the top.
- Scatter olives over the top, sprinkle zaatar, and top with fresh mint leaves.
- Enjoy immediately with crackers or bread of your choice!
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