Tzatziki is creamy, garlicky, and full of flavor. This Tzatziki Sauce recipe comes together quickly and pairs perfectly with meat, pita bread, and vegetables.
What is Tzatziki Sauce?
Tzatziki is a salted yogurt and cucumber sauce. It is most often made from strained yogurt that is mixed with grated cucumber, garlic, salt, white pepper, olive oil, and lemon juice (or vinegar), in addition to herbs such as dill or mint.
What's in this Tzatziki Sauce Recipe?
While there are a multitude of recipe variations for homemade tzatziki sauce, mine is quite simple. It's made from ingredients that most already have on hand.
- Greek Yogurt
- English Cucumber - Peeled and grated.
- Fresh Garlic - Minced.
- Olive Oil
- Lemon Juice - Freshly squeezed.
- Salt & Pepper - Preferably white pepper if you have it.
How to make homemade Tzatziki Sauce:
Time needed: 15 minutes.
How to Make Tzatziki Sauce
- Prepare the cucumber.
Peel and finely grate the cucumber. Transfer the cucumber to a mesh strainer to drain the excess liquid and sprinkle with a ¼ tsp of salt (to help draw out the water). Using your hands, press out the excess water and squeeze it as dry as possible.
- Combine the garlic, olive oil, and lemon juice.
In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the garlic, olive oil, and lemon juice. Stir to combine.
- Mix in the Greek Yogurt and cucumber.
Add the Greek Yogurt, and stir into the garlic mixture. Finally, stir in the drained and grated cucumber. Season with salt and white pepper to taste.
- Chill to set.
Tightly wrap the bowl in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours before serving. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Tips for making this recipe:
- Mixing the ¼ tsp of salt with the grated cucumber helps to draw out the excess water before the cucumber is added to the Greek Yogurt mixture.
- You can grate the cucumber in the food processor as well. This will give the final product a smoother texture. Just be careful not to over-process the cucumber into mush.
- In a pinch, sour cream can be used as a substitute for the Greek Yogurt.
- Vinegar is a great alternative for the lemon juice if you do not have lemons on hand.
- For an extra oomph of flavor, add fresh dill or mint to this recipe.
You may also like:
- Easy Bread Dipping Oil
- Cucumber Bites
- Honey Mustard Salad Dressing
- Hummus Naan Pizzas with Cucumber and Olives
The beauty of Tzatziki Sauce is that it can be used as a condiment and as an appetizer. As a sauce, it is phenomenal with marinated chicken kabobs, lamb, or even grilled pork tenderloin. Serve it as a dip, paired with pita bread wedges and julienned vegetables. If you make this recipe, let me know what you think in the comments.
Tzatziki Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ English cucumber peeled and grated
- ¼ tsp salt
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 1 cup Greek Yogurt
- salt & white pepper to taste
Instructions
- Transfer the cucumber to a mesh strainer to drain the excess liquid and sprinkle with a ¼ tsp of salt (to help draw out the liquid). Using your hands, press out the excess water and squeeze it as dry as possible.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the garlic, olive oil, and lemon juice. Stir to combine.
- Add the Greek Yogurt, and stir into the garlic mixture. Finally, stir in the drained and grated cucumber. Season with salt and white pepper to taste.
- Tightly wrap the bowl in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours before serving. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
I love how simple this is! It's great how you use Greek yogurt to make it healthier, instead of mayo or oil that I see other recipes use (I LOVE Greek yogurt!!)
It's so simple and full of flavor! The Greek Yogurt makes it extra creamy.