Tzatziki Recipe (Greek Cucumber Sauce)

Easy tzatziki recipe is a keeper. This Greek cucumber sauce is made with just a few ingredients in only 10 minutes and it’s perfect for vegetables, meat, or simply a dip.

All Mediterranean recipes are made with fresh and delicious ingredients and are very flavorful. Our Greek eggplant moussaka recipe is a crowd pleaser and we have the best Mediterranean pizza recipe on the blog as well. Plus, you can never go wrong with a big bowl of Mediterranean green lentil soup.

What is tzatziki?

Tzatziki is a Greek sauce that is made with yogurt and cucumbers like Mast o Khiar (Persian Yogurt and Cucumber Dip). This easy Mediterranean sauce is flavored with yogurt, and is pretty easy to make. It’s always served cold and can be served with different dishes from meats to vegetable or even as a dip.

Tzatziki sauce is often served in Greek or Mediterranean restaurants alongside main dishes and gives so much refreshing flavors to the dish thanks to the cucumber and yogurt combination. This classic Greek sauce is so easy to make, you’re going to love it the first time you make it and will keep making it over and over again.

What are the ingredients for homemade tzatziki recipe?

An authentic tzatziki recipe has three main ingredients:

• Cucumbers
• Yogurt
• Garlic

Other ingredients used to make homemade tzatziki are:

• Fresh dill or dried dill
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Lemon

What kind of cucumbers should I use for an authentic tzatziki sauce recipe? Tzatziki sauce should be made with seedless cucumbers such as English cucumbers or Persian cucumbers.

What yogurt is good for tzatziki recipe? I love using Greek yogurt because it’s thick and has the perfect consistency for this Mediterranean sauce, but we can use regular yogurt or full fat yogurt too.

How to make tzatziki sauce

To make tzatziki sauce with creamy Greek yogurt, start by grating the cucumbers. Once you’ve grated all the cucumbers, squeeze them and discard all the excess water with paper towel. Since cucumber contains a lot of water, discarding the excess water will help tzatziki sauce to have a thick and spreadable consistency.

Place the squeezed cucumber is a bowl and add in yogurt, minced garlic, fresh dill, olive oil, lemon juice and salt.

Tzatziki is flavored with garlic so please be generous with the garlic. Mix well and taste to make sure it has enough salt and acidity. Serve Greek tzatziki sauce cold.

What to serve Greek tzatziki sauce with

This Tzatziki recipe is very simple and you can whip it up in no time. Traditional Tzatziki goes very well with different dishes such as Gyro, lamb loin chops and shish tawook. You can also use tzatziki as a sandwich spread or serve it as a dip with some raw vegetables and pita bread.

Notes and tips to make easy tzatziki sauce recipe

• To make tzatziki sauce with sour cream, leave out the Greek yogurt and use the same amount of sour cream instead. This won’t be a traditional tzatziki sauce but it’s tasty.
• Can tzatziki sauce be frozen? I don’t recommend freezing this Greek cucumber sauce because it contains dairy which means once frozen, there will be frozen dairy crystals formed in the sauce and once thawed, the sauce will lose it’s consistency and flavor.
• You can add mint to this Greek sauce in addition to or instead of fresh dill. Herbs do make this yogurt and cucumber sauce very tasty!
• Tzatziki sauce is best served fresh and cold. You can store the leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for about 2 days. Stir the sauce well before using it.
• For tzatziki recipe, you need minced garlic cloves. I don’t recommend taking any shortcuts such as using garlic powder, mashed garlic or store-bought minced garlic as freshly minced garlic gives that special flavor to the sauce.

5 from 2 votes

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Tzatziki Recipe (Greek Cucumber Sauce)

This easy tzatziki recipe is a keeper. This Greek cucumber sauce is made with just a few ingredients in only 10 minutes and it's perfect for vegetables, meat, or simply a dip. 

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Greek, Mediterranean

Prep Time 10 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Servings 4 servings

Calories 100 kcal

Author Shadi HasanzadeNemati

Ingredients

• 3 Persian cucumbers
• 2 cups Greek yogurt
• 5 cloves garlic minced
• 3 tbsp fresh dill chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

Instructions

1. Wash and dry the cucumbers. Peel them in stripes and grate them in a large bowl. 

2. Squeeze the grated cucumber in your hand and discard the excess water. 

3. Place the squeezed cucumbers in a bowl and add in yogurt, minced garlic, fresh dill, salt and lemon juice. 

4. Mix well and cool in the fridge for thirty minutes. 

5. Stir well and serve with grilled meat, veggies or pita bread as a dip. 

Recipe Notes

• You can use one English cucumber instead of three Persian cucumbers. 
• Don't use garlic powder instead of fresh garlic in this tzatziki recipe.