This recipe first makes a yogurt-style soy product from soy milk, then turns it into labneh if desired. One key point in the original method is the milk temperature and not moving the pot during the resting period.
Ingredients for the soy yogurt-style base
- 3 liters soy milk
- Juice of 1/2 large lemon
- 4 tbsp water
- A pot with a tight-fitting lid
- A good cover or blanket for keeping the pot warm
Ingredients for the vegan labneh
- The soy yogurt-style mixture produced above
- A labneh-straining bag
- Salt to taste
Original method for the soy yogurt-style base
- Warm the soy milk until it is lukewarm: you should be able to keep a finger in it while counting to ten. The original recipe warns not to overheat it.
- Squeeze 1/2 large lemon and mix the juice with 4 tablespoons water.
- Move the pot to the place where you intend to leave it, with the insulating cover underneath it.
- Add the diluted lemon juice, stir briefly with a wooden spoon, then cover the pot.
- Wrap the pot to keep it warm; use a thicker cover in a cold room.
- The original recipe leaves the pot completely undisturbed for 24 hours.
- It then places the pot in the refrigerator, still without stirring, for another 24 hours.
- After that, use the mixture with salads, in vegan hummus fatteh, in yogurt-based dishes such as vegan zucchini in yogurt sauce, or with fruit and sweeteners.
How the original recipe turns it into labneh
- Put the soy mixture in a labneh bag over a strainer.
- Place a weight on top so the liquid drains. You can add salt while it is still in the bag.
- For soft labneh, remove the weight after a few hours. For a firmer labneh, leave it longer so more liquid drains.
- Adjust the salt and shape into labneh balls.
- Place the balls on a cloth-lined tray to absorb remaining moisture and refrigerate for 1 day.
- Transfer to a glass jar, cover with oil and keep refrigerated.
The drained liquid can be used in cooking with the yogurt-style mixture for extra acidity. Enjoy 🙂
What the evidence supports about soy yogurt and labneh
First, an important distinction about this specific recipe: the original method uses lemon to curdle soy milk and does not use a bacterial starter. We therefore cannot assume the result contains “good bacteria” or call it probiotic simply because the texture resembles yogurt.
Actually fermented soy yogurt is made using lactic-acid bacteria or another appropriate starter, and studies of fermented soy yogurt measure the live cultures and fermentation directly. Review of soy-milk fermentation with lactic-acid bacteria.
The soy itself already gives us a strong case without exaggeration: it is a complete plant-protein source and contains no dietary cholesterol. Randomized trials show modest reductions in LDL and total cholesterol with soy protein. Source.
Soy isoflavones also do not simply behave like human estrogen. A meta-analysis of 41 clinical studies found no effect on testosterone or estrogen in men, while a review of 40 randomized trials found no significant effect on the estrogen markers studied in postmenopausal women. Men, women.
If the soy milk is fortified, it may also provide calcium, B12 and vitamin D depending on the product, so check the label rather than assuming.
For more, read our guide to soy foods.
almond and soy labneh, almond and rice labneh, and soy, rice and almond labneh.
