How To Make Laban (Lebanese Homemade Yogurt)
This Lebanese homemade yogurt recipe, or laban in Arabic, is simple and easy to make using two ingredients: a starter yogurt and milk. This recipe doesn't need any fancy gadgets, just a stovetop pot and towel.
This homemade yogurt recipe is failure-proof and the easiest, simplest way to make homemade yogurt. My family makes a big batch of homemade yogurt every two weeks.
Laban is the first step to making labneh, a popular thick yogurt dip that's similar in texture to Greek yogurt. Use homemade yogurt for Lebanese yogurt sauce with cucumbers (khyar bi laban) or kibbeh labanieh. Or, serve this creamy yogurt with grape leaves.
Ingredients
Whole milk: Use whole milk for creamy homemade yogurt. I prefer grass-fed organic milk. I do not recommend skim milk or part-skim milk.
Plain full-fat yogurt: Use unsweetened plain full-fat cow's milk yogurt. Plain yogurt differs from plain Greek yogurt. I recommend plain yogurt.
How to Make Laban (Homemade Yogurt)
Add the milk to the stovetop pot on high heat. Bring the milk to a boil, then turn off the stove. Pro Tip: Monitor the milk closely so the milk doesn't boil over.
Allow the milk to cool down until you can hold your (clean) finger in the milk for 10 seconds. Skim the film off of the heated milk.
Scoop two cups of warm milk and mix with two cups of starter yogurt. Whisk the starter yogurt and milk together until smooth in a separate bowl. Add the yogurt and milk mixture back to the milk.
Cover the milk with the pot cover and wrap it in a towel.
Let the yogurt sit covered for 24 hours at room temperature or in a slightly warm place in the house. If you would like sour yogurt, allow the yogurt to sit covered for 48 hours at room temperature.
The yogurt may have more whey than store-bought yogurt, which is normal. If you want to thicken the yogurt, strain the yogurt using a thin cotton cloth or kitchen sack towel.
Lumpy Yogurt
The yogurt may look lumpy or curdled. It's optional to use a whisk to smooth it out.
Tips and Tricks
- Watch the milk while it boils, so it doesn't boil over and make a mess.
- Keep the yogurt wrapped in a towel. The yogurt needs a warm room temperature environment.
- Do NOT use a thickening agent like corn starch. If you want thicker yogurt, you can strain the yogurt with paper towels (similar to how labneh is made). Place a strainer on top of a large bowl. Add two layers of paper towels, then pour the laban yogurt on top. You can also use a cloth bag or cloth cotton towels.
Substitutions and Variations
- Make goat yogurt using goat milk (and goat yogurt) instead of cow's milk.
- This method uses live yogurt cultures from a starter yogurt. However, yogurt can be made with a freeze-dried yogurt starter.
- Make cucumber yogurt salad by mixing diced English cucumbers (or Persian), crushed garlic, dried mint, and salt.
📋 Recipe
How To Make Laban (Lebanese Homemade Yogurt)
Ingredients
- 1 gallon whole milk
- 2 cups of plain full-fat yogurt
Instructions
- Bring the milk to a boil in a stovetop pot, then take it off the heat.
- When you can hold your clean finger in the cooled milk for a full 10 seconds, the milk is ready for the starter yogurt. Mix two cups of starter yogurt with two cups of cooled milk in a separate bowl. Pour the yogurt and milk back into the milk.
- Cover the stovetop pot and wrap it in a towel. Allow the yogurt to form for 24 to 48 hours.
Notes
- If desiring more tangy yogurt, keep the yogurt forming at room temperature for 48 hours.
- Once the yogurt is formed, store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two weeks.
- Store the homemade yogurt in an airtight container in the fridge for about two weeks.
It worked and it was so ymmy
Thanks for the comment Jana!
My first attempt turned out great, my second was bad. The second time I used Greek yogurt as a starter and after 24 hours it was rancid, where do you think my mistake was made? Thanks for the help.
Hi Lisa! So… I’ve never used Greek yogurt to make laban, which makes me think that is probably what went wrong. I have never had the yogurt go rancid using plain whole milk yogurt. However, my father has told me that he notices different starter yogurts create a little different batch of yogurt. Hope that helps!
Simple and easy way to make yogurt at home the old fashioned way
Is this the yogurt that everyone is talking about losing weight with. I heard it's supposed to be like a drink you drink before you go to bed and burns fat.
Hi Jena! I’m not sure if this helps with weight loss, but yogurt does have probiotics that help with digestion.