by Holly
This easy Tzatziki sauce recipe is a fresh and delicious Greek sauce or dip that complements countless meals. Tzatziki is great with grilled chicken, in wraps, or simply served as a dip for fresh veggies or pita bread!
Tzatziki is so bright and flavorful that it has easily made its way into all kinds of American cuisines, especially as a sauce for wraps and sandwiches, or as a dip for kababs.
Cucumber Yogurt Dip
So, what is Tzatziki? Even though tzatziki is made with seemingly simple ingredients like yogurt and olive oil, the flavors are seriously enhanced by the amount of garlic and lemon juice and freshness of the cucumber.
This is the best tzatziki recipe because it goes with nearly anything you have on hand, especially meats like beef, chicken, pork, and even fish!
How to Make Tzatziki Sauce
This tzatziki dip is a cinch to make and will keep about 5 days in the fridge. I have made this with both regular and Greek yogurt and my personal preference is regular plain yogurt.
- Peel, seed and shred a large cucumber and set aside. I use a cheese grater.
- Combine yogurt, olive oil, minced clove of garlic (more or less depending how strong you want it to be), lemon juice and salt and pepper. Gently stir in shredded cucumber last.
- Allow the flavors to blend in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving.
The bright and tangy flavor of tzatziki stands out best when it is served chilled!
What to Eat with Tzatziki
This homemade tzatziki sauce tastes great with so many different things, get creative and use as a veggie dip for cucumbers, carrots, tomato slices and even pita bread!
Tzatziki sauce is great on gyros. We eat it over rice, Oven Baked Chicken Breasts, deep-fried eggplant or zucchini fries for a quick appetizer when company is coming!
More Easy Dip Recipes
- 7 Layer Dip – Party favorite!
- Spicy Dill Dip – Great for veggies and crackers.
- Bacon Cheddar Dip – Classic flavor combo!
- Avocado Dip – Creamy and healthy.
- Buttermilk Ranch Dip – Great to dip appetizers.
- Easy Spinach Dip – Reader favorite dip recipe!
Greek Tzatziki (Yogurt Cucumber Dip)
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 english cucumber
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tablespoon dill
- 1-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- salt & pepper
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Instructions
- Peel, seed and shred cucumber.
- Juice lemon and set aside.
- Combine remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Stir in cucumber.
- Allow flavors to blend at least 30 minutes before serving. Serve cold.
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.)
May I recommend salting the grated cucumber and allowing the salt to leech moisture from the cucumber for 15 min or so before straining and draining? The consistency is less liquidy if you do this.
Thanks for the tip TJ!
hello, i am going to make this tonite, but can i use a regular cucumber and not the english cucumber? what would be the difference if any?
thanks
Sure you can, I would suggest peeling it and making sure you scrape out the seeds before shredding it.
Just curious as to why the calories are so high. My Fitness Pal calculates them much lower.
Thank you Lorraine, fixed! Enjoy!
I would use lots more garlic! The cucumber could be pressed into a colander to remove more of the moisture. The sauce will stabilize a lot longer if there isn’t so much moisture. Since tzadziki is a Greek sauce, I am following the Greek style. It’s used in gyro, with fried fish and with lamb kabobs. I love it! I enjoyed reading your recipe.
Thanks for your great tips Stephanie! So glad you love this recipe.
Fresh and delicious!! I will be making again!
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe Michelle!
Very nice blog post. I absolutely appreciate this site. Thanks!
Hi Holly, I made the Tzatziki for New Year’s Eve, it was such a hit with the beef mince Kofta’s,
Thanks heaps,
Gavin.
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe Gavin!
We had to stray from the store bought versions – they just weren’t cutting it. Love this version! I may have got carried away with the yogurt (greek plain) and I think that became somewha obvious. Would it be best to counter this with more garlic, dill and/or lemon?
Lol- I was wondering the same thin Sharon!
I made this and it turned out amazing. Thanks!!
Awesome!! :) Enjoy!
When do we add the lemon juice? just before serving?
The lemon juice is added with the remaining ingredients.
I added a half amount of Greek yogurt to half amount of sour cream with a sprinkle of thyme to it and it was fantastic. Love your recipes!!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Shashi! This is definitely a staple in our house too! :)
This recipe is a definite keeper !
I have made it several times now using Greek yogurt. I only make half of the recipe as the full amount is more than enough for my family.
I use it on souvlaki/kabobs rather than buying store bought tzatziki as I find the store bought version so salty.
So glad you enjoyed it! I agree, so much tastier than store bought!
I was just wondering how long this will keep for? Not sure if you’ve done any experimenting with making it ahead and freezing it. I’m pregnant, and trying to make ahead healthy things to freeze to make the newborn phase easier. I’d assume a month in the freezer, but if you’ve already tried it and know, that’d be great. Thank you!
Hi Tedi, I have not tried freezing this, but I think a month is a fair estimate. I have purchased the frozen Tzatziki before, so I think this will freeze well too.
By “seed and shred cucumber”, do you mean core and grate? Can I food process all this together or will that ruin the texture?
Yes, core and grate. I wouldn’t recommend food processing this recipe.
Finally found this receipt that I can make my own dressing!!
Going to make this for our women’s ministry seminar …
What is the chip (or cracker) that is shown in the picture? Is there a recipe for that or where we could purchase?
Those are greek pita bread. They’re a soft pita a little bit thicker than a traditional pita. I purchase them at the grocery store bakery. Brush will a little olive oil and a pinch of oregano & seasoning salt. Lightly brown in a pan. Serve warm.
Enjoy!
Great dip! Next time I’ll use a thicker yogurt, didn’t use Greek…. Grated the garlic, added a lemon juice a little bit at a time.. Very tasty, just like what you would get at a restaurant! Thank you!
SO glad you enjoyed it!
Yum! My hubby and I LOVE chips and dip. We might have to give this one a try. A chips and dip we don’t have to feel quite so guilty about :)