Tzatziki Sauce is cool, creamy, cucumber deliciousness with a hint of dill and garlic! The creamy element comes from Greek yogurt, though if you’re dairy-free, I’ll bet coconut yogurt could work.
Tzatziki is a beautiful dip for pita chips and fresh veggies. It can be used as a meat marinade, sandwich spread, as an ingredient in appetizers and salad dressings and as a topping on my very favorite Mediterranean sandwich, gyros!
As a matter of fact, I have a recipe to make your own gyro meat at home on this blog. So, if you love gyros, you’ll have to give it a try and add this yummy tzatziki sauce.
Tzatziki does need to sit in the fridge for at least an hour, before serving, and ideally it would rest overnight. So you will want to plan ahead to allow all those scrumptious flavors to marry.
This is a simple, recipe and you’re going to find so many delicious ways to use tzatziki, I can’t wait for you to try it.
How to Make Tzatziki
Start by pureeing the whole English cucumber with the 1/2 teaspoon of salt. The salt is important because it will help draw moisture out of the cucumber. You can peel it, if you prefer, but I leave the peel on this one.
If you don’t have a *high-speed blender or food processor, you can grate the cucumber, trying to get it as fine as possible. This will change the texture of your tzatziki, though. It just won’t be quite as smooth.
*My food processor has a smoothie cup attachment that I like best for this job. The food processor bowl is almost too large for working with this small amount of puree, so I prefer the smoothie cup.
The next step is to strain as much liquid as possible out of the puree. Pour it into a *fine mesh strainer (or line your larger strainer with a cheesecloth). Set the strainer over a bowl and allow the cucumber puree to rest there for at least 15 minutes. You’ll be amazed at the amount of liquid that will drain off.
Mince up the 1/4 English cucumber and prep your other ingredients while you wait.
When the puree has completely drained, put it in a bowl with all the rest of the ingredients and mix them thoroughly. You will end up with a thick creamy sauce. Cover the bowl and place it in the fridge for a minimum of one hour. Ideally, the sauce will rest overnight to allow all the ingredients to meld and deliver maximum deliciousness.
After the waiting time, taste the final dip and see if you need any more seasoning. Salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy, my friend!
Homemade Tzatziki Sauce
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 1 1/2 cups 1x
Description
Tzatziki is an easy creamy yogurt and cucumber sauce with a hint of dill and garlic. This delicious condiment is often used for Greek, Mediterranean or Middle Eastern dishes. Serve tzatziki on gyros, as a dip with pita chips, as a spread on sandwiches, an ingredient in appetizers or even use it as a meat marinade or as the base for a salad dressing.
Ingredients
- 1 English cucumber, peeled or unpeeled
- 1/4 English cucumber, peeled and minced fine
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 cups plain Greek yogurt (For dairy-free try coconut yogurt. It just needs to be thick.)
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon avocado oil
- 3/4 teaspoon dried dill weed
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a food processor or high-speed blender, puree 1 whole English cucumber and the 1/2 teaspoon of salt. I leave the peel on my cucumber, but you can peel it if that’s your preference. (My food processor has smoothie cup attachments that I like to use for this recipe. My food processor is large, so I feel like it can’t puree the small amount as well as the smoothie cup does. If you don’t have a food processor, you can finely grate the cucumber, but the texture of the tzatziki won’t be quite as smooth and creamy.)
- Pour the pureed cucumber into a fine mesh strainer and let it stand over a bowl for at least 15 minutes. There will be a LOT of liquid that drains off from just that one cucumber.
- Mince up the the 1/4 English cucumber and prep your other ingredients while you wait for the puree to drain.
- Stir together the yogurt, drained cucumber puree and all the other ingredients.
- Place the tzatziki in a covered container in the fridge to allow the flavors to meld. It should rest at least one hour and ideally overnight.
Notes
The cucumbers may continue to release liquid as the tzatziki sits. Just stir it back into the dip. If the liquid seems to thin the dip, too much, you can add another spoonful of Greek yogurt.
- Category: Dips, Condiments, Dressings, Marinades
- Method: Cold Prep
- Cuisine: Greek, Mediterranean
More Healthy, Homemade Condiments and Sauces You’re Gonna Love!
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