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!
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!
How to Make Homemade Tzatziki Sauce
- 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.
- Stir the remaining ingredients together and fold in the grated cucumber.
- Chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving.
- 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.
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!
More Greek Inspired Recipes
How did you enjoy this Tzatziki Sauce? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Easy Tzatziki Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 English cucumber
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups plain Greek yogurt or plain yogurt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice more to taste
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Grate the cucumber with the large holes on a box grater. Place in a fine mesh strainer and toss with 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 salt & black pepper to taste.
- Refrigerate for 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. To avoid the risk of botulism, do not consume past 2 days.
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 some of these recipes
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.
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 :)