Creamy, refreshing, light and delicious is the name of the game when it comes to this homemade recipe for Tzatziki Sauce. So much easier to make than you might think, there’s no excuse not to do it from scratch right in your own kitchen!
If you’re a lover of Greek food like I am, then you’ll know just what a necessity it is to have a good recipe for homemade Tzatziki Sauce. Am I right?! Trust me when I tell you that this is the only recipe for Tzatziki Sauce you’re ever going to need! It’s healthy, easy and quick to make, uses only a few basic ingredients and goes good on basically anything! Double up the batch to add this Tzatziki Sauce to everything you make all week long (if it’ll last that long!). This creamy sauce is so good you’ll literally want to put it on everything (or simply eat it by the spoonful!)
I friggggggen LOVE Tzatziki Sauce, y’all. And this particular Recipe for Tzatziki is my all time FAV. I can eat it BY. THE. SPOONFUL.
Tzatziki Sauce is one of the first sauces/condiments I ever realized you can SO easily (so so easily!!!) make from scratch right at home. When I started cooking (and I highly attribute this fact to my love for it, to this day) I went crazy reading ingredients in the things I was buying. I no longer blindly and shamelessly walked on over to the Soy Sauce section, for example, grabbing the first (and likely cheapest!) one I saw. I began to really read the ingredients of the things I was choosing to put in my body. And, consciously making decisions of whether or not I wanted to. You’d be surprised at how much unnecessary sh*t a normal person like you and I couldn’t even pronounce goes into some of the food we eat.
To this day, checking ingredient labels remains one of the most important (and funnest!) parts of my grocery shopping trips. And to this day, I’ve probably picked up, read the ingredients of, and put back, so many countless sauces and marinades I can simply make at home. Without the added crap. And surely ZERO ingredients I can’t pronounce. And honestly, like this Quick and Easy Tartar Sauce or this Sweet and Spicy Mango Habanero Salsa, 10 times out of 10 (seriously!!!) they come out 1000 times better than anything you could have ever bought in the store, anyway.
Don’t believe me? Start making this Recipe for Tzatziki NOW. Like, now, now!
WHAT IS TZATZIKI SAUCE?
Well, dang. Besides completely and utterly delicious and like one of the best sauces to ever grace my piehole, Tzatziki is a classic Greek dip or sauce that everyone needs to know about immediately. It’s traditionally made from strained sheep or goat’s milk yogurt (but we just use Plain Greek Yogurt here, which works wonderfully), cucumbers, garlic, lemon and fresh herbs. If you’ve ever been to Greece, you’d know they use Tzatziki for just about anything from Roasted Meats such as Gyros to Souvlakis, to French Fries, Pitas and Kabobs. There’s just nothing it touches that it doesn’t make tremendously better.
This creamy, cucumber, yogurt-based Greek Dip takes no time to whip up and is always a hit with every crowd. The Greeks reeeeally knew what was up.
INGREDIENTS TO EASILY MAKE THE BEST TZATZIKI SAUCE AT HOME
Fresh and simple ingredients is all you’re going to need to whip up this homemade Tzatziki Sauce. No blender or food processor needed, either. It really could not get any easier! Let’s talk about the ingredients in a little bit more detail down below:
- Greek Yogurt: We’re going to use Full-Fat and Plain Greek Yogurt here. This is the base of our Tzatziki Sauce making it healthy, creamy and delicious. Not to mention the added protein and calcium. If you’ve ever eaten plain greek yogurt by itself right off a spoon and hated it, you’ll be AMAZED at how these ingredients truly transform it!
- Olive Oil: We only use a little for basically splashing on top of the Tzatziki Dip once it’s finished. Feel free to stir a splash into the actual Tzatziki Sauce with the other ingredients as well. As always, good quality, extra virgin is best for this recipe. A little goes a long way!
- Fresh Dill: I love using Fresh Dill to make my Tzatziki Sauce. I feel it just packs an irreplicable flavour in comparison to the dry version. However, I have also made it using Dried Dill in the past and although more subtle, it still comes out flavourful and delicious. I recommend using Fresh Dill if you can get your hands on some. But if not, substitute 1 teaspoon of Dried Dill for the 1 tablespoon of Fresh.
- Minced Garlic: Again, fresh is definitely best here and I would not recommend substituting garlic powder or any dry versions at all. A lot of the flavour in this recipe for Tzatziki comes from the fresh garlic mingling with the yogurt and other flavours. It just wouldn’t be the same without it.
- Lemon Juice: Adds acidity and packs in flavour. Works extremely well in balancing out the flavours from the other ingredients to make the perfect Tzatziki Sauce.
- Cucumber: A crucial ingredient in this recipe for Tzatziki Sauce and what really makes it authentic. I love using English Cucumbers and think they work best here because they’re seedless and I don’t have to worry about deseeding before grating. Use the large side of a box grater to shred the cucumber. No need to peel first. You must squeeze out any excess water from the cucumber before adding it to the Greek Yogurt and rest of the ingredients. This will ensure you don’t end up with a watery and mushy Tzatziki mess!
- Salt/Pepper: Adds flavours as I find the Tzatziki Sauce (like most things, lol) comes out bland without them.
KEY TIPS TO MAKING THIS RECIPE FOR TZATZIKI COME OUT PERFECT EVERY SINGLE TIME
- Don’t peel the cucumber first (unless you reeeeeallllyy want to). There’s just no need. You don’t taste it. It makes no difference and it’s a waste of time IMHO. Plus, it adds fibre, magnesium, potassium, yadda, yadda, yadda.
- Use the large side of the box grater to grate/shred the cucumber. The pieces of cucumber shreds are the perfect size for this Recipe for Tzatziki when using the large side. You’ll taste the cucumber in the yogurt amongst the other flavours. Plus, it’s easier to squeeze out when the shreds are bigger and not mushy.
- Squeeze the excess water from the cucumber after shredding it on the box grater. Cucumbers retain a ton of water and that is the last thing we want to add to our thick and creamy Tzatziki Sauce. Simply put the shredded cucumber into a fine mesh strainer and squeeeeeze with both hands until all (or most) of the water comes out.
- This Recipe for Tzatziki is best served cold. Sure, you can dig in as soon as you make it (there ain’t nothing wrong with that!). But, chilling the Tzatziki Sauce for at least an hour lets the flavours mingle. And honestly, it just tastes better cold. Would you ever consider eating warm or room temperature yogurt? Didn’t think so.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
I really prefer the flavour boost that comes from the Fresh Dill used in this recipe and always choose to make my Tzatziki Sauce with it whenever possible. However, if you need to, use 1 teaspoon of Dried Dill instead of 1 tablespoon of Fresh. It’ll still be delicious, the flavour will just be a little more subtle.
Squeezing the water out of the cucumber will remove excess moisture (cucumbers have a high water content). This, in turn, will help us avoid a watery, mushy Tzatziki Sauce!
This Tzatziki Sauce will last in the fridge for up to 5 days if stored in an airtight container. Like a fine wine, it gets better as it sits 😉 You may notice that some water rises to the top the longer it stays in the fridge – no need to worry, just give the sauce a good stir before serving.
The options are really endless and adding a spoonful to just about every single dish you make from here on out is highly recommended. Of course, anything Greek, like these Authentic Pork Souvlaki Skewers, MUST be served with some Tzatziki. It’s great as a burger topping (try it on these Zucchini Turkey Burgers), amazing as a dipping sauce for anything french fries (how about these Air Fryer Fries?) and of course, perfect as a dipping sauce or marinade for anything chicken or pork. Or, be like me and eat it BY. THE. SPOONFUL.
RECIPE FOR TZATZIKI DIP
Creamy cucumber yogurt Greek dip full of fresh dill and garlic. Use it for dipping, slathering, marinating or eating by the spoonful.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Plain Greek Yogurt
- 1/2 cup (unpeeled) English Cucumber
- 1 Garlic Clove, minced
- 1 tbsp Fresh Dill, plus more for garnish
- 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
- Splash Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Salt/Pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Using the large side of a box grater, grate the cucumber.
- Place the shredded cucumber in a fine mesh strainer over a bowl.
- Using both hands, firmly squeeze the cucumber between your palms until all the excess water is released into the bowl.
- Add the squeezed cucumber, greek yogurt, lemon juice, minced garlic, fresh dill, salt and pepper to a bowl.
- Mix until well combined. Top with extra fresh dill and the olive oil. Chill for an hour, if time allows. If not, serve cold and enjoy!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 1 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 281Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 670mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 1gSugar: 9gProtein: 24g
Nutrition is only an estimate and calculated using Nutritionix.
SERVE THIS HOMEMADE TZATZIKI SAUCE UP WITH THESE DELICIOUS DISHES. YOU WON’T BE DISAPPOINTED:
GREEK STYLE LEMON ROASTED POTATOES
QUINOA CRUSTED CHICKEN TENDERS
BAKED ROSEMARY AND LEMON CHICKEN
