Tzatziki is a light, cooling cucumber dill sauce that is easy to make at home. It’s perfect for a variety of meals including as a dip with crudite or pita, a spread in sandwiches and wraps like chicken gyro, lamb or turkey shawarma and hummus and even as a salad dressing. The recipe is healthy and low in calories as well as fat and sugar if made with full-fat Greek yogurt. It’s also vegan if you omit the optional feta cheese.
Tzatziki can be made up to one day ahead and refrigerated in an airtight container. The flavor of the sauce improves as it sits. It is great for a party appetizer platter along with other Mediterranean dips and spreads like hummus, taramasalata, talatouri (mozzarella cheese dip), tirokafteri (spicy feta cheese dip) and melitzanosalata (aubergine dip).
This recipe is made using a whole mild yogurt from Greece which helps to keep the sauce nice and thick. You can also use lower fat yogurt if you prefer but the strained version is best for this recipe.
The first step is to remove the seeds from a large cucumber and then grate it. Then the grated cucumber needs to be placed in a fine mesh strainer and covered with a paper towel to drain excess water from it. This step is crucial for a good Tzatziki sauce. Otherwise the sauce will be runny.
After the cucumber is drained place it in a bowl with the yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, salt and dill and mix well to combine. Taste for seasonings and adjust if needed. Then chill the mixture in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
This tzatziki is easy to make at home and is so much healthier than store-bought versions. The homemade version also tastes fresher and has no added sugar. You can eat it as an appetizer or mezze along with other grilled veggies and meats such as skewered chicken, pork or vegetables like portobello mushrooms, zucchini, onions or tomatoes or as a salad dressing. It is especially good when drizzled over my Turkish Stuffed Eggplant or Turkish Kofte recipes.
Tzatziki is an essential summer condiment. It’s a delicious counterpoint to all kinds of grilled foods such as these Honey Harrisa Chicken Skewers, chicken or lamb shawarma, or this Mushroom Black Bean Veggie Burger. It can also be used as a dip for crudite and pita or to elevate oven-roasted veggies like these gorgeous Roasted Carrots by JZ Eats or to serve alongside a tzatziki-stuffed pita. It’s a staple for any backyard barbecue or picnic. It is an excellent healthy choice to make when you want something a little lighter than a creamy mayonnaise sandwich. This Tzatziki also works very well as a salad dressing if thinned out with a few tablespoons of water. tzatziki rezept