Rich, creamy, tangy tzatziki sauce, or commonly known as a cucumber yogurt sauce, is a staple in Greek cuisine, and tastes even better when made fresh.
Don't just leave this tzatziki recipe for Greek food, pair this yogurt sauce with just about anything, and you will instantly be in a happy place.
Get your pita, zucchini fries, or falafel ready because this recipe for creamy tzatziki is here and it is fabulous!
A few simple ingredients like fresh herbs (dill), some citrus from lemon juice, crunch from fresh cucumber, and greek yogurt, you've got a a winning dip for truly anything your heart (and tastebuds) desire.
Pairing and serving this tzatziki
- 👩🏼🍳 Prep Level: Easy/Beginner
- ⏱️ Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 😋 Taste: Tangy, salty, umami, garlic, herby.
- 🍽️ Best Served With: You can easily make this to go along side a chicken thigh and rice one skillet recipe. Add this to an appetizer table with spinach dip or a layered taco dip. Incorporate this yogurt recipe into a taco bowl or as a delicious dressing for roasted garlic carrots.
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What is tzatziki? Where does it come from?
Tzatziki is a Greek yogurt sauce comprised of yogurt, cool cucumber, fresh lemon juice, herbs like dill and/or mint, and olive oil. While traditional and authentic Greek tzatziki uses a goat or sheep milk yogurt, this recipe is made with a full-fat, thick Greek yogurt.
The Main Ingredients
- Greek Yogurt - Opt for the full-fat greek yogurt, and as creamy as possible. It gives a lot more flavor, and strained plain Greek yogurt has less moisture.
- Cucumber - Freshly shredded cucumber, grated cucumber, or even finely chopped cucumber is the star of this dip. I like using a very large cucumber and cut or grate more than I probably need, and add it in as I mix.
- Minced Garlic - The minced fresh garlic helps to give the tzatziki more flavor. The jarred minced garlic is a good substitute, but it's just not the same.
- Fresh Dill - Dill is a staple herb used in authentic greek tzatziki. It provides an herby, earthy flavor to the yogurt sauce.
- Lemon Juice - A little lemon juice goes a long way in the tzatziki recipe. It's the acidity that the fat needs to balance it out.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil - A drizzle of olive oil gives a more complex flavor and creaminess.
- Salt - You can use a little salt in the recipe if you don't have salted yogurt.
Be sure to check out the recipe card at the end of this post for more information about quantities, measurements, and specific cooking instructions.
Simple Swaps and Substitutions
- Yogurt - If you are dairy free, you can find a greek yogurt alternative from Siggis, Kite Hill, or even Trader Joe's! You could also use regular yogurt that is not greek. Other options could be using sour cream, it'll be tangy and have the same consistency.
- Cucumber - Sorry, but cucumber is a very important ingredient to use for this yogurt sauce, as it's predominately built on the use of cucumber. However, you get to decide if you want to use english cucumber, small persian cucumbers, or hot house grown.
- Herbs - If you want to add in fresh mint or even a little thyme, be my guest. I like keeping it simple with just dill.
- Garlic - As I mentioned before, you want to use freshly minced garlic cloves as it's got a less sharp flavor than the jarred version.
How to make tzatziki sauce
Simply known as "everything in place", gather all of your ingredients for the yogurt sauce, then begin to either finely chop, grate, or shred the cucumber.
Add the cucumber to a piece of paper towel to drain some of the excess water.
Add the greek yogurt, cucumber, garlic, dill, lemon juice, salt to a medium bowl. Using a small spatula, mix the ingredients together by folding everything in until it's well combined.
Serve in the bowl, or plate in a dish with fresh vegetables, diced pita, pita chips, or as a side for falafel, shawarma, chicken thighs, or in a rice bowl.
If you notice there is too much excess water coming from the cucumbers, you can let them sit for 10 minutes in a paper towel to help absorb the moisture. No one wants a watery tzatziki.
Add any leftover tzatziki to an airtight container and place in the fridge for up to a week. You can also wrap the mixing bowl with plastic wrap too.
You can easily chop with a Santoku knife, a chef's knife, or you can use a box grater.
Here are more recipes I recommend pairing this with
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Easy Greek Tzatziki Recipe (Cucumber Yogurt Sauce)
Equipment
- medium mixing bowl
- spatula
- box grater optional
- cutting board
- chef's knife
Ingredients
- 1 cup full-fat greek yogurt
- 1 large cucumber finely diced or shredded
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 sprigs dill
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt optional
Instructions
- Gather all of your ingredients for the yogurt sauce, then begin to either finely chop, grate, or shred the cucumber.
- Add the cucumber to a piece of paper towel to drain some of the excess water.
- Add the greek yogurt, cucumber, garlic, dill, lemon juice, salt to a medium bowl. Using a small spatula, mix the ingredients together by folding everything in until it's well combined.
- Serve in the bowl, or plate in a dish with fresh vegetables, diced pita, pita chips, or as a side for falafel, shawarma, chicken thighs, or in a rice bowl.
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