Tzatziki is creamy, garlicky, and full of flavor. This Tzatziki Sauce recipe comes together quickly and pairs perfectly with meat, pita bread, and vegetables.
I am not going to lie, I absolutely adore tzatziki sauce. It is creamy, garlicky, and vibrant.
Delicious over cooked meats, roasted vegetables, or simply served as a dip with pita wedges, this sauce is something to behold.
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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.
Ingredients
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
- 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 teaspoon 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.
- Mix in the Greek Yogurt and 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.
Recipe Tips
- Mixing the ¼ teaspoon 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 Greek Yogurt.
- Vinegar is a great alternative for lemon juice if you do not have lemons on hand.
- For an extra oomph of flavor, add fresh dill or mint to this recipe.
Other Recipes You'll Love
- 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. Use this tzatziki sauce to make a batch of Sheet Pan Greek Nachos, they're out of this world tasty!
Tzatziki Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ English cucumber peeled and grated
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoon 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 teaspoon 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.
Nutrition
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? Please leave a star rating and review below!
Bites Of Better
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!!)
kryan0911
It's so simple and full of flavor! The Greek Yogurt makes it extra creamy.