Vegan Labneh

“What do vegans eat for breakfast?” Yal answers with labneh: thick, tangy, made from cashews, and eaten the way you already eat it, with olive oil and za’atar.

Dairy labneh starts with a cow who is made pregnant so that she keeps producing milk. Her calf is taken from her soon after birth¹, and the cycle repeats until her milk yield drops and she is sent to slaughter.

There is your own body to think about too. About two in three people lose part of their ability to digest lactose after infancy, and among Arabs it is very common². For many, the discomfort after dairy is simply that.

Cashew labneh keeps the taste and the breakfast table as they are, and leaves the cow out of it.

The Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 cups of cashews, soaked
• Juice of ½ lemon
• 3 Tbsp or more of water
• ½ tsp or more of salt
• 1 tsp olive oil
• ½ cup rice flour
• 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast

Instructions

1. Soak the cashews in hot water for at least an hour
2. Drain and add to the high-speed blender or food processor
3. Add the lemon juice, rice flour, nutritional yeast, water, salt and olive oil, and blend until the mixture is creamy

Serve with olive oil and za’atar, as a dip or a spread.

Nutritional Information

Per Batch (~520 g)

Calories: ~1,870 kcal
Protein: ~64 g
Fat: ~118 g
Carbohydrates: ~158 g
Fiber: ~17 g
Calcium: ~210 mg
Iron: ~18 mg
Vitamin E: ~2.5 mg
Magnesium: ~820 mg

Per Serving (2 Tbsp | ~30g)

Calories: ~108 kcal
Protein: ~3.7 g
Fat: ~6.8 g
Carbohydrates: ~9.1 g
Fiber: ~1.0 g
Calcium: ~12 mg
Iron: ~1.0 mg
Vitamin E: ~0.15 mg
Magnesium: ~47 mg