Labneh Dip with Zaatar Pistachio Mint Olive Topping

You simply cannot miss out on this Labneh. It’s a Labneh Dip with Zaatar Pistachio Mint Olive Topping! Sprinkled with fresh pomegranate seeds and served with pita chips – this easy labneh recipe is the perfect appetizer or can be served as part of a mezze platter drenched in Moroccan Olive Oil.

This Labneh Dip is the best, most flavorful and lightest way to dip! It’s creamy and smooth with a flavor packed Toppings and homemade Zaatar chips. Sharing this recipe today in partnership with my friends at MINA – Suppliers of authentic Moroccan Olive oil and products.

Here’s a quick video about the labneh recipe and let’s break down the post into key topics. The labneh making, the labneh recipe, the zaatar pita chips and my favorite Mina Moroccan Olive Oil to top labneh.

LABNEH RECIPE

This easy refreshing Labneh Recipe is made overnight but it keeps in your fridge for a month. While there are so many ways to enjoy Labneh, even just plain, I prefer a rich toping.

So I top this recipe with a Zaatar Pistachio Olive Mint topping. Once you try this recipe, you’ll know why it’s SUPER popular on Pinterest!  So much flavor,  freshness and punch to a classic Middle Eastern appetizer.

There’s something special a silky smooth tangy labneh contrasted with fresh mint, salty olives, crunchy pistachios, sweet pomegranate and rounded up in plenty of zaatar and Moroccan olive oil! OMG, seriously you can not miss this labneh recipe!

So let’s to it!

LABNEH

So have you ever tried labneh or at least heard of it??!! It’s a popular condiment/cheese in Turkey and the Middle east which is now becoming ever so popular in the US as well! 

WHAT IS LABNEH?

Labneh is a thick tangy paste like cheese that’s either made from scracth or made the easy way (below) using strained yogurt.

It has the texture of dry sour cream or Greek yogurt, but it has a more tangy and saltier taste. You can find ready made labneh at Middle Eastern stores, and you can absolutely make it from scratch. Here’s how. 

HOW TO MAKE LABNEH

If you’re in the mood for making labneh from scratch, it’s super easy.

Start with the Yogurt. Any type of quality yogurt works, Greek or not. Make sure it’s your favorite type though because that’s how your Labneh will taste eventually. 

Next you’ll be straining the yogurt to remove any moisture out.

For that you have two options.

Use a cheese cloth to strain the yogurt over a sieve.

Or better off: use a pillowcase. YES. A pillowcase does wonders in Labneh making! I learned this trick from a professional Labneh maker on instagram 🙂 Make sure the pillowcase is cotton!

Simply pour the yogurt mixed with a 1/4 teaspoon of salt over the pillow case. Squeeze it out as best as you can to remove any moisture from the yogurt. 

Place the pillowcase with squeezed yogurt over the sieve overnight in the fridge squeezing as often as you can.

Now remove the sieve and you’ll have the excess water, which you don’t need so discard that.

You’l find that your yogrut has turned into a dry thick creamy paste like tangy cheese called Labneh!

Depending on the type of yogurt (greek for example takes less time to strain), this takes anywhere from 8-24 hours. 

Now let’s make the chips!

PITA CHIPS

The easies thing to make when you’re out of crackers is Pita chips. They take less than 8 minutes in the oven and come out super crisp super thin and packed with flavor. You can probably flavor the pita chips endlessly, but using zaatar is my favorite way!

You’ll need quality olive oil here to taste the flavor of Zaatar, pita chips and even Labneh! I love Mina’s Moroccan Olive Oil. Here’s why!

MOROCCAN OLIVE OIL

• Mina is a Moroccan olive oil single sourced, meaning the olives pressed into the olive oil are sourced from ONE origin only: Morocco. 
• As natural as this may sound, the truth is, it’s absolutely rare to find a single sourced olive oil in the market! Each bottle is usually sourced from different origins with zero traceability.
• Mina Olive Oil is fully traceable.
• Moroccan Olive is the richest is Polyphenols.
• Polyphenols are the reason why we love olive oil! It’s the antioxidant that makes olive oil so uniquely helathy.
• After many studies, research has shown that Moroccan olive oil is the richest in terms of polyphenols.
• Moroccan olive oil is SO tasty! Mina’s Olive oil tastes like PURE olives!
• Because of it’s high polyphenol content, Mina’s olive oil is great for cooking and baking–not just for salads and toppings!
• One of my favorite cakes which remind me of my Turkish Grandma is this ever so popular Olive Oil Cake. Make sure to try it!
• Also don’t miss on this delicious and crowd pleasing Tuna Salad Recipe with Olive Oil Dressing.
• Get Your Mina Moroccan Olive oil and TRY the difference yourself.

WHAT IS ZAATAR

So how about the Zaatar spice? This spice blend is one of my favorites!

Its basically a combination of toasted dried thyme leaves, sesame seeds, salt and lemony sumac spice (a fabulous lemon tasting flower spice which I used in this lemon artichoke garlic roast chicken with salsa, this Turkish style chicken skewers, Turkish pizza Lahmacun, and Ultimate lamb kabab platter)

These days, you should be able to find it in pretty much every grocery store and definitely in all specialty stores, spice stores and Middle Eastern stores.

Zaatar tastes of thyme, lemon and sesame! It’s mostly used as a condiment, sprinkled over cheese, pizzas, salads, breads, dips and more.

I can’t say I would like you to substitute anything for Zaatar in this recipe. If you absolutely MUST, then toast following ingredients in a skillet over low heat:

Zaatar Mix:

• 1/3 cup of dried thyme leaves
• 2 tablespoons of sesame seeds
• 1 Tablespoon of sumac spice and
• 1/8 the teaspoon of salt

Toast these spices for about 1.5 mins until fragrant and toasty.

MAKE PITA CHIPS

You’ll start bu cutting off your pita chips into wedges.

Best way to do that is to cut each pita bread in half, and then cut each half into three wedges. Another thing is to separate the layers in your pita bread. That way you have paper thin chips.

Gather the Moroccan Olive Oil and Zaatar and salt. 

Take a brush and thoroughly brush the chips with a mixture of the Mina Moroccan olive oil and zaatar spice.

Bake the chips at 350 for 6-7 minutes until crisp.

Now that you’ve got the labneh done, chips done, we can talk the labneh dip itself!

LABNEH DIP 

To make life easier, you can absolutely combine the topping ingredients in a food processor. I like to chop them because I love a chunky texture and feel to them. And it really just takes a minute—because you’re not chopping large batches of anything, just a couple of tablespoons of each and they all get chopped up together.

HOW TO SERVE LABNEH

This gorgeously delicious labneh dip with zaatar pistachio olive mint topping and pita chips is MY absolute favorite! 

But there are other ways to enjoy labneh:

• With veggie sticks.
• Contrast it with some sweet fruits!
• Use it as a spread on your sandwiches.
• Dollop it over your salads!
• Try a spoon in your soups for a creamy tangy note.
• Pair it with eggs.

LABNEH TIPS

• You can buy labneh at Middle Eastern Stores or make your own. To make your own follow step by step instructions above and video.
• Always start with your favorite type of yogurt.
• A pillowcase is best to strain the labneh, better than a cheesecloth.
• Depending if you start with Greek yogurt or regular yogurt , you may need to strain it for 8-12 hours.
• Salting the yogurt before straining is key.
• Topping is to your taste–the combo of zaatar, mint, olives, pistachios and pomegranate is a contrast of sweet, salty, soft, chewy, crunchy and delicious.
• Use Mina’s Moroccan Olive oil for its’ quality, taste and rich polyphenols. 
• Make pita chips and store them in a ziploc ahead of time– up to a week in advance.\
• You can opt for sa simple sat and olive oil flavored pita chip, it’s still delicious!
• See section on how else to serve labneh.
• Labneh recipe keeps in the fridge for minimum of 2 weeks.
• The pita chips keep for a week.
• ENJOY

Make this labbneh dip for your game day, potluck, snacks and more!

Some Q&A on Labneh!

4.43 from 56 votes

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Labneh Dip with Olive Topping

You simply cannot miss out on this Labneh. It's a Labneh Dip with Zaatar Pistachio Mint Olive Topping! Sprinkled with fresh pomegranate seeds and served with pita chips - this easy labneh recipe is the perfect appetizer or can be served as part of a mezze platter drenched in Moroccan Olive Oil.

Course Appetizer, Dips, Snack

Cuisine Mediterranean, Middle Eastern

Keyword how to make labneh, labneh, labneh dip, labneh recipe, Moroccan olive oil, pita chips, zaatar

Prep Time 10 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Servings 6

Calories 440 kcal

Author Mahy

Ingredients

For the dip:

• 2 cups labneh (store-bought or home-made) replace that with 3 cups yogurt to make it from scratch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
• 2 tablespoons chopped pistachios (toasted preferably but optional)
• 1 tablespoon chopped pitted Kalamata olives
• pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1/4 cup Zaatar spice
• 2/3 cup Mina's Moroccan Olive oil extra virgin
• 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds

For the Zaatar Pita Chips:

• 2 large Pita breads (not Greek style) cut up into wedges
• 2 tablespoons Zaatar spice
• 1/4 cup Mina's Moroccan Olive Oil

Instructions

1. Start by Making the labneh. Use quality yogurt and mix that with salt.

   

2. A cheesecloth or ideally a pillow case is best used to strain the labneh.

   

3. Place the yogurt salt mix in the pillowcase.

   

4. squeeze out as much moisture as possible .

   

5. place that over a sieve over a bowl and let it strain overnight or at least 8 hours.

   

6. The labneh cheese is ready when it's trained and dried out.

   

7. Make the pita chips.

8. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

   Cut up each pita bread into 8 wedges and then separate the 2 layers of the pita bread giving you 16 wedges in total per bread.

9. In a small bowl, mix the zaatar spice and olive oil.

   

10. Lay the pita bread wedges in a single layer on a baking sheet and brush them with the Zaatar and olive oil mixture. Bake for 6-8 mins until crispy (keep an eye on them because they burn easily!)

    
11. In a small bowl, add in the chopped mint, pistachios, olives, pepper flakes, zaatar spice, pepper flakes, zaatar and olive oil. Mix the topping ingredients well.
    

12. Spread your labneh on a flat plate mounding the labneh to about an inch high.

    
13. Spoon the topping ingredients over the top of the labneh and allow it to drip from the sides. Sprinkle the pomegranate arils on top.
    
14. Serve with pita bread and some minty red tea.
    

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

• LABNEH TIPS

  • You can buy labneh at Middle Eastern Stores or make your own. To make your own follow step by step instructions above and video.
  • Always start with your favorite type of yogurt.
  • A pillowcase is best to strain the labneh, better than a cheesecloth.
  • Depending if you start with Greek yogurt or regular yogurt , you may need to strain it for 8-12 hours.
  • Salting the yogurt before straining is key.
  • Topping is to your taste--the combo of zaatar, mint, olives, pistachios and pomegranate is a contrast of sweet, salty, soft, chewy, crunchy and delicious.
  • Use Mina's Moroccan Olive oil for its' quality, taste and rich polyphenols. 
  • Make pita chips and store them in a ziploc ahead of time-- up to a week in advance.
  • You can opt for sa simple sat and olive oil flavored pita chip, it's still delicious!
  • See section on how else to serve labneh.
  • Labneh recipe keeps in the fridge for minimum of 2 weeks.
  • The pita chips keep for a week.
  • ENJOY

  Make this labbneh dip for your game day, potluck, snacks and more!

Nutrition Facts

Labneh Dip with Olive Topping

Amount Per Serving

Calories 440 Calories from Fat 324

% Daily Value*

Fat 36g55%

Saturated Fat 5g31%

Trans Fat 1g

Polyunsaturated Fat 4g

Monounsaturated Fat 25g

Cholesterol 3mg1%

Sodium 256mg11%

Potassium 261mg7%

Carbohydrates 23g8%

Fiber 5g21%

Sugar 3g3%

Protein 10g20%

Vitamin A 514IU10%

Vitamin C 7mg8%

Calcium 310mg31%

Iron 15mg83%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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