Easy Tzatziki Recipe (2024)

This tzatziki sauce recipe is a delicious addition to every meal!

It’s bright, creamy, and filled with the tangy flavors of yogurt, cucumber, lemon juice, and dill!

Is tzatziki a sauce, a dip, or a condiment? The answer is yes, to all of it!

Easy Tzatziki Recipe (1)

What is Tzatziki Sauce?

Popular in Mediterranean cuisine, tzatziki sauce is multi-purpose and can be enjoyed as a sauce or dip. It’s fresh and healthy made with yogurt, cucumber, lemon juice, and fresh dill or mint.

  • It’s refreshing, and cool with a creamy texture. This tzatziki sauce balances out spicy or savory foods.
  • Two-step tzatziki is so quick & easy to make!
  • It’s a low-carb lover’s go-to, protein-packed, dip and dressing, with a million applications!
  • Beyond just salads: try it on pizzas, burgers, and even grilled meats.ut it.

Ingredients for Tzatziki Sauce

Yogurt – Plain Greek yogurt is thicker and creamier than regular yogurt, but plain can be used in a pinch. I prefer full-fat Greek yogurt in this sauce, and while some drain the yogurt in a cheesecloth-lined strainer, I usually make this recipe without draining.

Cucumber – I prefer English cucumber in this recipe, but any will work. If using English cucumber, there is no need to peel. Draining the liquid from the cucumber ensure that the dip stays nice and thick.

Dill – Dill has a fresh bright flavor that complements the other ingredients in tzatziki, but finely chopped fresh mint can be used as well.

Lemon Juice – Fresh is best, and a little bit of lemon zest makes for a colorful garnish!

Easy Tzatziki Recipe (2)

How to Make Homemade Tzatziki Sauce

  1. Shred cucumber using a box grater, toss with a pinch of salt and drain in a fine-mesh sieve. Squeeze out as much liquid as you can.
  2. Stir the remaining ingredients together and fold in the grated cucumber.
  3. Chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving.
  4. Garnish with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprig of dill, if desired.

PRO TIP: Store in a squirt bottle and use as a condiment for burgers or as a sauce for fish and chips.

Easy Tzatziki Recipe (3)

Serving & Storing Tzatziki Sauce

  • Serve tzatziki as a condiment to drizzle over chicken souvlaki, falafel, grilled veggies, in homemade gyros or lamb kabobs.
  • Serve it with Greek meatballs as a dip, and even as a dressing in cucumber salad.
  • Add it to a platter with warmed pita bread, pita chips, olivea, hummus, tapenade, and fresh veggies like cucumbers and tomatoes.

Store leftover homemade tzatziki in a tightly covered container, bottle, or jar in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Yogurt doesn’t freeze or thaw well, but this recipe is so easy to make, simply start from fresh!

Easy Tzatziki Recipe (4)

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How did you enjoy this Tzatziki Sauce? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!

Easy Tzatziki Recipe (9)

4.94 from 47 votes↑ Click stars to rate now!
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Easy Tzatziki Sauce

Greek Tzatziki is a bright & tangy cucumber yogurt sauce. It’s deliciously fresh and easy to make!

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Easy Tzatziki Recipe (10)

Prep Time 7 minutes minutes

Cook Time 0 minutes minutes

Chill Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 37 minutes minutes

Easy Tzatziki Recipe (11)

Servings 8

Easy Tzatziki Recipe (12)

Author Holly Nilsson

Ingredients

  • 1 English cucumber
  • 1 ½ cups Greek yogurt or plain yogurt
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice more to taste
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1 tablespoon dill fresh, finely chopped
  • salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Grate the cucumber with the large holes on a box grater. Place in a fine mesh strainer and toss with ¼ teaspoon of salt. Let rest 5 minutes while preparing the other ingredients.

  • In a medium bowl, combine the yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and dill.

  • Gently squeeze out the liquid from the cucumber and fold it into the yogurt mixture. Season with additional salt & black pepper to taste.

  • Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving. Drizzle with additoinal additional olive oil to serve.

Notes

  • If using an English cucumber, peeling (and seeding) the cucumber is optional.
  • Fresh is best but you can use 1 teaspoon dried dill in place of fresh or 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder in place of a fresh garlic clove if it’s what you have on hand.
  • Fresh lemon juice is best as store-bought can have a bit of a bitter flavor. To quickly juice a lemon, cut it in half and place a fork in the center. Squeeze the lemon around the fork while moving the fork to extract the juice.
  • Tzatziki will last 2 days in the refrigerator. To avoid the risk of botulism, do not consume past 2 days.

4.94 from 47 votes

Nutrition Information

Serving: 0.25cup | Calories: 65 | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 22mg | Potassium: 126mg | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 85IU | Vitamin C: 2.1mg | Calcium: 62mg | Iron: 0.1mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Easy Tzatziki Recipe (16) Course Appetizer, Dip, Sauce

Easy Tzatziki Recipe (17) Cuisine American, Greek

© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.

Easy Tzatziki Recipe (18)
Easy Tzatziki Recipe (19)
Easy Tzatziki Recipe (20)
Easy Tzatziki Recipe (21)

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  • Buttermilk Ranch Dip – Great to dip appetizers.
  • Easy Spinach Dip – Reader favorite dip recipe!
  • Whipped Feta with Roasted Tomatoes – Rich & Creamy!

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Appetizer Recipes, Dips and Dressings, Healthy Recipes

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About the author

Holly is a wine and cheese lover, recipe creator, shopping enthusiast and self appointed foodie. Her greatest passion is creating in the kitchen and making deliciously comforting recipes for the everyday home cook!
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Easy Tzatziki Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What are the main ingredients in tzatziki? ›

Tzatziki is a salted yogurt and cucumber dip that's made of strained yogurt, shredded cucumber, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, salt, and herbs. Authentic Greek tzatziki is most often made with sheep or goat yogurt, but my tzatziki recipe calls for regular full-fat Greek yogurt.

What are 5 dishes that you could put tzatziki on? ›

Once you've got that covered, check out our favourite ways to use tzatziki, and bring a bit of The Med to your kitchen.
  • Lemon-tzatziki chicken.
  • Gorgeous greek chicken with herby vegetable couscous & tzatziki.
  • Grilled lamb chops with fattoush.
  • Crispy barbecued side of salmon with cucumber yoghurt.
  • Souvlaki (Wicked kebabs)
Sep 8, 2023

What are the ingredients in store bought tzatziki? ›

Ingredients: yogurt (milk ingredients, bacterial culture), sour cream(milk ingredients, bacterial culture, microbial enzyme), water,cucumber, canola oil, white vinegar, sea salt, garlic purée (garlic,canola oil), modified corn starch, garlic powder, citric acid.

How do you make tzatziki not runny? ›

Until recently, I never drained the cucumbers, but taking the time to do so has a twofold benefit: It prevents the tzatziki from becoming too liquidy. If you like a tzatziki with a thick consistency, draining the cucumbers is important.

How long does homemade tzatziki last? ›

Tzatziki will last about four days in the fridge before it starts to go bad. While you can freeze it, it will change a bit in regards to texture and consistency when it comes time to thawing it out.

Does tzatziki have garlic in it? ›

Tzatziki is made of strained yogurt (usually from sheep or goat milk) mixed with cucumbers, garlic, salt, olive oil, red wine vinegar, and dill or mint or parsley.

What meat goes best with tzatziki? ›

Tzatziki makes a very nice condiment for gyros or kebabs. It goes very well with pork or lamb. It's also very nice served as a dip with pita bread triangles.

What do Greeks eat with tzatziki? ›

A platter of salted raw tomatoes and cucumbers becomes an instant salad when topped with tzatziki as a dressing. Bread is smeared with tzatziki and topped with grilled meats or vegetables for a crostini or bruschetta style snack that pairs well with Greek wines, like these Artichoke and Eggplant skewers.

Can you eat tzatziki everyday? ›

Eating tzatziki can help add a variety of healthy nutrients to your daily diet, maintain a robust microbial system, and maintain blood glucose levels. If you suffer from high blood pressure, use tzatziki often as it contains less sodium and carbs than hummus.

What can I put on gyro instead of tzatziki? ›

This cucumber sauce is easy to make and full of fresh flavor. You don't need any fancy ingredients to make it, just sour cream, garlic, mustard, and some fresh dill. You can serve it after just one hour in the refrigerator, but overnight is recommended.

What sauce is similar to tzatziki? ›

Tzatziki is a cucumber and yogurt-based sauce or dip commonly served in Greek cuisine. It's thought to have been inspired by a similar Indian sauce called raita. Our plant-based version is similarly cool and creamy, but made without the dairy!

What does tzatziki mean in Greek? ›

: a Greek yogurt sauce made with cucumbers and garlic.

Can you freeze homemade tzatziki? ›

Some of the recipes I found call for finely chopping or mincing the cucumbers and in that case I can see why you might have some issues. I wouldn't freeze tzatziki sauce. Dairy practically never freezes well. It is a fat-water emulsion, and it is likely to change its structure a lot upon thawing.

Why is my tzatziki sour? ›

Some Greek yogurt brands are very tangy so you may wish to use less lemon juice. Also, some lemons can be very tart. Start with 1/2 a lemon and add more if needed. If your sauce is too tart, you can fix this by adding a little sweetener.

How healthy is tzatziki dip? ›

Tzatziki is a real powerhouse in terms of health benefits. Probiotics, which can aid promote gut health, vitamins A and C, calcium, and phosphorus are all included in this classic Greek meal. Together, these nutrients strengthen your immune system and maintain the health of your bones.

What is Greek yogurt made of? ›

Greek yogurt is made from cow's milk that is strained to remove the whey, this results in a thicker consistency compared to natural yogurt. It also has a tangier flavour and can often be used as a healthier substitute to mayonnaise, sour cream or crème fraîche.

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