Lemon Dill Yogurt Cream Cheese

You know, I’ve been making variations of this type of cheese, (greek yogurt cream cheese) for as long as I can remember. Creamy, and lemony with a herby note from the addition of lemon zest and fresh dill. It’s absolutely divine!

Spread it on your morning toast and top it with sliced tomatoes or add it to freshly boiled pasta for a quick weeknight dinner.

Greek Yogurt Cream with Lemon and Dill  

Yogurt cream cheese is just another fantastic way to get some tangy dairy yogurt into your diet. And you know, all those healthy probiotics that are in yogurt are also transferred into the yogurt cheese. So not only is it super delicious, it’s really great for your gut biome as well! Win-Win! 

This cheese is super easy to make. The biggest part of the time is taken while it strains out the liquids from the yogurt – you know, while you’re off doing other things!

This cream cheese recipe is super versatile. If you’re bored of lemon and dill, you can add new herbs and spices to it and it becomes a brand-new flavor experience.

What is Yogurt Cream Cheese?

Yogurt cheese it’s also known as Labneh, which is a middle eastern type of cheese. At the end of the day, what we are making here is a cheese made from thick Greek yogurt, separated from the liquids (whey), and thickens to a soft cream cheese texture.

What’s great about this is that it still keeps its tanginess in the cheese, and if you add other flavors that go well with it, this cheese is a superstar among spreadable cheeses.  

What is Whey?

Whey is the liquid byproduct that drips and separates from the solids of the yogurt (or rich cream when making other cheeses). In basic terms, it’s a protein that can be used in other applications such as baking muffins, cupcakes, and bread.

So, while you can simply drain it down the sink after the cheese has finished dripping, you can also use it to replace the water or milk in any of the baking recipes you have for extra protein. Believe it or not, you can also use it to water outdoor flowers and plants to give them an extra nutritional boost!

What Other Flavors can you Mix into Yogurt Cheese Spread?

Wow.. honestly, the list can go on and on here. But some really great flavor combinations could be: 

• Roasted garlic and onion
• Lemon Thyme
• Rosemary Blue Cheese (adding blue cheese to the yogurt cheese and fresh chopped rosemary)
• Citrus and honey
• Adding any fresh berries with honey

WHAT CAN I SERVE THIS GREEK YOGURT CHEESE ON?

The possibilities are endless. Some options are:

• crackers
• veggie sticks
• toast soldiers
• regular toast
• bagels
• potato chips
• apple slices (sweet flavored cheese)
• cooked pasta
• sweet potato toast
• baked potatoes (replacing sour cream)

Making Greek Yogurt Cream Cheese the Easy Way

You will need: 

• greek yogurt – try and find the highest milk fat content you can. It will result in a much better flavor for your cheese.
• cheesecloth
• strainer
• bowl
• rubber band or string 
• salt
• mix ins: whatever ingredients you’ve decided to use to add to the cheese.

You will line the fine mesh strainer with the cheesecloth. Put the strainer over the bowl. 

Place the cheesecloth over the strainer, letting the ends overlap the ends.

Scoop the yogurt into the strainer, over the cheesecloth

Wrap the ends of the cheesecloth over the top and either tie in a knot, or use a rubber band/piece of string to close the cheesecloth over the yogurt. 

Let the yogurt strain for about 12 hours or overnight. 

Unwrap the cheesecloth, and the texture of the yogurt should be very creamy and resemble almost a boursin type cheese texture.  Place the yogurt cheese into a bowl.

At this point, you can simply salt (and pepper) if you like, and move on from there. But I highly recommend adding whatever flavor combinations that strike your fancy!

Add your mix-ins, and then cover and let it refrigerate for another few hours, just to let the flavors mingle and become friends. This is an option, but ohhhh so worth it!

After that, the yogurt cheese is ready to go! 

As you can see, today’s recipe with the cheese was a Lemon Dill mix in, and I ended up spreading it on some toasted slices of French bread, and then adding salt and pepper, and sliced cherry tomatoes. OH MY GOSH, it was incredibly good!!! I would have added these Roasted Cherry Tomatoes in Oil and Herbs if I had any left!

As you can imagine, there really is an endless amount of ideas on how to use (and flavor) this yogurt cheese. Next time I make it, I’m going to try and make a fruity-type yogurt cheese! I think it will be super delicious! 

Keep an eye out for some different ideas on this yogurt cheese, and when you make it, please comment below and let me know what flavors you used. Thanks so much for stopping by The Salty Pot today!