Fresh and flavorful, this easy Tzatziki is so good you’ll want to dip, dunk, and drizzle every meal.
A creamy cucumber yogurt sauce with, garlic, dill, and lemon. This is great with meats, veggies, pita, or even for dipping fries.
What is Tzatziki
Pronounced “tsah-see-key,” it is traditionally a simple cucumber yogurt sauce. It is popular in Greek cuisine but there are variations found in both Middle Eastern and Southeast European cuisines as well.
- Tzatziki is a simple sauce or dip made with Greek yogurt, cucumbers, garlic, and dill.
- The ingredients for this tzatziki recipe seem basic but the flavor is fresh and flavorful adding a bright flavor to any meal.
- This sauce is best made ahead of time so the flavors can blend. It keeps for days in the refrigerator.
- Drizzle it over Chicken Souvlaki in wraps, spoon it on pork, chicken, or roasted potatoes.
- It can also be served as a fresh dip with fresh veggies, chips, or pita bread!
Ingredients
Yogurt is the base of this tzatziki recipe. Greek yogurt makes tzatziki nice and thick but plain yogurt does work too. The flavor is best with full fat (not low fat) yogurt.
A cucumber is shredded using the large side of a box grater. I prefer English cucumber for this recipe so you don’t have to peel or seed it, although you can if you’d like.
If you’re using a field cucumber with larger seeds and thicker skin for this tzatziki recipe, it should be peeled. If the seeds are large, cut in half lengthwise and scrape the seeds out and discard before shredding.
Fresh dill is best if possible but you can use dried dill if it’s all you have, a bit of fresh mint is great in tzatziki too. If using dried dill, reduce the amount to 1 teaspoon. A squeeze of fresh lemon juice adds the best flavor to this recipe and will have a sweeter taste while bottled lemon juice will be a bit more bitter in flavor.
Season the tzatziki with garlic, salt, and pepper and finish with a drizzle of a good quality olive oil.
How to Make Tzatziki
- Shred the cucumber with the larger side of a box grater. Gently drain.
- Combine all remaining ingredients in a medium bowl.
- Fold in the shredded cucumber.
The bright and tangy flavor of tzatziki stands out best when the flavors have had a chance to blend. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving.
Quick Tips
- Use full fat (not low fat) yogurt for the best flavor. Greek yogurt is thicker than plain yogurt.
- If using a field cucumber, peel the thick skin with a vegetable peeler, cut it in half and use a spoon to remove the large seeds.
- English cucumber doesn’t need to be peeled and the seeds can be grated with the cucumber.
- Lightly drain the cucumber by placing it in a fine mesh sieve or a piece of cheesecloth and gently pressing. You don’t want to squeeze it dry, just remove some moisture.
- If using dried dill, reduce the amount to 1 teaspoon.
- Fresh mint or other fresh herbs can be added.
Serve as a Dip, Dressing, or Sauce
This tzatziki recipe isn’t only a dip but a spread and sauce too. It goes well with grilled meats or your favorite Mediterranean inspired recipes.
- As a dip, try it with fresh vegetables, pita chips, baked french fries, crackers, zucchini fries, or even greek meatballs. It makes a great dip for pizza crust too!
- As a spread, serve it with gyros or lamb and veggie kebabs, falafel. Use in place of mayonnaise on sandwiches, subs, or salads!
- As a sauce, pour it over oven-baked chicken breasts, salmon, or use it on a classic potato salad! It’s also great on fish because of its mild, creamy flavor.
Storing Tzatziki Sauce
Keep fresh Tzatziki for up to 2 days in the refrigerator.
Can You Freeze Tzatziki? This recipe doesn’t keep well in the freezer. The consistency changes and it becomes watery after freezing.
More Greek Inspired Favorites
- Greek Style Lemon Roasted Potatoes
- Greek Quinoa Salad
- Easy Greek Pasta Salad
- Greek Salad
- Greek Meatballs
- Sheet Pan Greek Chicken
How did you enjoy this Tzatziki Sauce? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Easy Tzatziki Sauce (Yogurt Cucumber Dip)
Ingredients
- 1 English cucumber
- 1-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 ½ cups Greek yogurt or plain yogurt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon dill fresh, finely chopped
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Shred the cucumber with the larger side of a box grater. Place in a fine mesh strainer and lightly press to drain liquid.
- Combine ingredients (except cucumber) in a large bowl. Fold in the shredded cucumber. Season with salt & pepper to taste.
- Allow flavors to blend at least 30 minutes before serving. Drizzle with 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.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Appetizer, Dip, Sauce
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.
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Love grilled chicken fajitas
So do we Glenda! Enjoy.
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!
Thanks for the info!
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 :)