Name: Greek Yogurt Labneh
Yield: Makes 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients: 2 cups plain 2% fat or whole Fage Greek yogurt; 1/2 cup (or more) good-quality extra-virgin olive oil; 3 tablespoons finely minced fresh herbs (such as tarragon, parsley, and chives); 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest; Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper; Cheesecloth

Why it works: Parsley and lemon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 14,037 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓

Greek Yogurt Labneh

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

2 cups plain 2% fat or whole Fage Greek yogurt
1/2 cup (or more) good-quality extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons finely minced fresh herbs (such as tarragon, parsley, and chives)
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Cheesecloth

Directions

Step-by-step directions aren't available for this recipe. See the full recipe at the source →

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

241Calories

18 gProtein

14 gFat

12 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 8 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Yogurt	170g plain Greek	100
Lemon	juice of 1 lemon (48ml)	12
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Tarragon	1 tsp dried (0.5g)	2
Parsley	1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g)	1
Chive	1 tbsp (3g)	1
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

By epicurious. Recipe from Open Recipes.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

Parsley + lemontop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together14,037 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Tarragon + parsleytop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,563 recipes

Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
Tarragon + chivetop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together589 recipes

Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
Tarragon + lemontop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,137 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Parsley + peppertop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together34,122 recipes

Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

Swap the chive

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (yogurt, olive, tarragon, parsley, lemon, pepper):

Shallotfits about as well
Chivethe original
Lettucefits about as well
Spinachfits about as well

Fit is the average pairing score against yogurt, olive, tarragon, parsley, lemon, pepper. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

Like knowing why a recipe works?

The free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.

Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.