Labneh Dip Recipe with Roasted Jalapeño

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Roasted Garlic Labneh Dip is one of the best things to serve! The creaminess paired with the fresh lime, the roasted garlic, and jalapenos works beautifully! Serve with homemade pita chips or crackers.

labneh dip in bowl topped with chopped cilantro

Roasted Jalapenos Garlic Labneh Dip coming at you straight from the farmers market circuit.

Our local farmers market has this dip vendor that makes kefir cheese dips loaded with cilantro and jalapenos, and so many other delicious concoctions.

This one is inspired by his creation with fresh herbs, loaded with roasted jalapenos. I’ve taken the liberty of roasting a whole head of garlic and charring scallions for this dip too. The subtle onion-y flavor pairs so well with the other ingredients.

Sprinkle with za’atar if you’d like and drizzle with olive oil and serve it up with fresh veggies like sliced radishes, carrot sticks, cucumber slices, and homemade pita chips.

Ingredients for labneh dip
How to Make this labneh dip recipe
Roasted Jalapeno Garlic Labneh Dip Recipe

Ingredients for labneh dip

Head of Garlic: trim the top of the garlic and then drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with kosher salt and roast until the cloves are tender and no longer pungent.
Olive Oil: we’ll need a glug of olive oil for the garlic and jalapenos before roasting.
Kosher salt and black pepper: we’ll use these ingredients to sprinkle of the garlic head before roasting.
Jalapenos: we’ll use two jalapenos. I opted to remove the seeds and ribs before mincing, but for a hotter dip, leave them in!
Scallions or green onions: I like to char my scallions over an open flame on the grill or very carefully indoors. Feel free to do this in a cast iron skillet or a grill pan as well with a drizzle of oil.
Fresh Cilantro: give the dip an earthy flavor. The green speckles through the dip also make it so appealing. Feel free to play around with the herbs, swapping chives or even a handful of parsley for a different flavor.
Lime Juice: I use lime juice but you can certainly swap this with fresh lemon juice if that’s what you have on hand. I find lime tends to pair better with the jalapeno and cilantro, so that’s what I used.
Cottage Cheese: is completely optional. You can make the entire recipe with labneh alone if you prefer. To make it a bit more protein heavy, I find myself swapping half of the labneh with cottage cheese often. We get all of the creaminess that labneh offers and the protein from cottage cheese.
Labneh: a soft cheese that’s popular in Middle Eastern cuisine. Its made from straining full-fat greek yogurt between layers of cheesecloth to make it thicker. Its’ often served on mezze platter with za’atar and olive oil. If you absolutely cannot find labneh in your area kefir cheese or even softened cream cheese would make a decent substitute.
Homemade Pita Chips: I purchase fresh pita bread from my local Middle Eastern and let it dry out a bit. Then cut into wedges or squares, toss with olive oil and za’atar if desired and air fry until crispy. You can find the full recipe here.

minced roasted garlic, parsley, jalapenos, and lime juice in food processor

How to Make this labneh dip recipe

Start by roasting. preheat your oven to 375ºF. Then trim the top of the garlic head anddrizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with kosher salt and black pepper. Wrap it in foil and roast in the oven until tender. As you’re nearing the halfway mark for the garlic, slice the jalapenos down the center, drizzle in oil and let them roaston the same sheetpan with the garlic, but leave them unwrapped with the skin-side up. This will ensure that they roast up beautifully. Once the garlic is done, you want to peel the garlic and remove the cloves, set aside until you’re ready to blend the dip. You could also do this in advance, remove the cloves are refrigerate inan airtight container.
Mince the jalapeno. remove the seeds and ribs from the jalapenos when they’re done and mince them up finely, we’ll add these to the labneh dip towards the end.
Char the scallions. while the garlic and jalapenos roast, remove the root of the scallions and trim the green a 1/4 inch. Then drizzle with oil if you are charring them in a skillet. If you’re doing this on the stove or a grill, skip the oil, there’s no need for it. Char the scallions, then let them cool. Mine them finely as well.
Blend up the dip. To the bowl of a food procesor, add the lime juice and cilantro. Break down the leaves and stems until the cilantro is in bits and pieces. If you’re using cottage cheese, you’ll add it in now with the roasted garlic so that the curds blend up smoothly. Then add the labneh, kosher salt, minced scallions, and jalapenos. Pulse just long enough for the ingredients to combine. You don’t want to run the food prcesoor too long otherwise you run the risk of making the dip runny. Taste and adjust with more lime or salt as needed.
Rest is best. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and garnish with fresh minced herbs or red pepper flakes. Cover and let rest for at least one hour, longer if you have the time. The dip will be thin when you’re done blending, but it thickens up significantly as it sits. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge.

labneh with roasted jalapenos in food processor bowl

Serving Labneh Dip

Use the labneh as a sauce

Try it with grilled chicken or on pan-seared salmon.

Add a dollop to your bowls

it would be delicious with chicken tzatziki bowls, or as a condiment on your honey harissa bowls

Swap it for the dressing on a salad

my recommendation would be cucumber chickpea salad

Serve it as is with chips

homemade pita chips are always a good idea along with veggie sticks.

If you like this dip recipe, you might also like:

whipped labneh dip in bowl with red pepper flakes. cucumber slices and pita chips on plate

Roasted Jalapeno Garlic Labneh Dip

5 from 3 votes

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Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 50

Total Time: 1

Author: Marzia

Ingredients

▢ 1 whole head garlic
▢ Olive oil for drizzling
▢ Kosher salt + black pepper as needed
▢ 2 jalapeños sliced vertically into long spears
▢ 4 scallions trimmed
▢ ½ cup cilantro leaves and stems loosely packed
▢ 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice plus more
▢ 16 ounces labneh or replace ½ with cottage cheese
▢ homemade pita chips for serving

Instructions

ROAST: Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Remove the top of the garlic head to expose the cloves. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt and black pepper. Roast the garlic head wrapped in foil for 40-55 minutes. While the garlic is roasting, drizzle jalapeño with oil and roast for 15-20 minutes, unwrapped. Char scallions while the garlic roasts (step #3.)
JALAPEÑOS: Immediately place jalapeños in a bowl and cover with a tight fitting lid to steam them. This makes removing the skin easier. Remove the skin of the jalapeños. Mince finely.
SCALLIONS: Remove the root of the scallions and trim the greens. Drizzle with oil and char them in a hot skillet, grill pan, or on an outdoor grill. You can also skip the oil and char them directly over an open flame until they wilt and char in spots, but do so with the utmost care. Remove and let cool, then finely mince.
BLEND: Remove the roasted garlic cloves from the skin; set aside. Add the lime juice and cilantro to a blender or food processor. Pulse until the cilantro and breaks down. Add cottage cheese (if using) and roasted garlic, and pulse until smooth. Add all the labneh, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, minced scallions, and jalapeños. Give it a final couple of pulses to make sure the ingredients are combined, don’t run it too long or the labneh thins too much. Taste and adjust with salt or lime if desired.
LET IT REST: For best flavor refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. The dip will thicken up once it has a chance to sit for a bit. Even better if you make it and refrigerate overnight! Serve with pita chips, cucumber slices, or pita crackers.

Notes

Swap some labneh for cottage cheese. Up the protein content a bit more by swapping half of the labneh for cottage cheese. This is purely optional, but to do so use 8 ounces labneh and 8 ounces cottage cheese. Blend where indicated in step #4.