Learn how to make our favorite Tzatziki sauce recipe! This homemade greek dip will knock your socks off, it's so easy to make and tastes amazing! Serve it with your favorite gyros or top your favorite salad.
This recipe will teach you how to make the best tzatziki sauce. This authentic recipe comes together quickly and gives you that fresh creamy cucumber taste. I love whipping this up when I make greek salad and gyros.
What does tzatziki taste like? Tzatziki is creamy, cool, and refreshing, with a perfect mix of tangy yogurt, fresh cucumber, and a hint of garlic. It adds a light, zesty flavor to dishes, making every bite feel bright and balanced!
We love sauce! Just like this recipe you'll love our other DIY sauce recipes. Try our homemade Peanut Sauce, Buffalo Sauce, Tartar Sauce, and our Bearnasie Sauce. You'll also love our classic hummus recipe.
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What is in Tzatziki?
Making your own Tzatziki sauce? We've got you covered with all the best ingredients while still keeping it quick easy.
- Greek yogurt- Use any fat content for this recipe. Make sure to use plain greek yogurt.
- Lemon juice- Adds a tangu zest while also complimenting the garlic flavor.
- Garlic- For the freshest flavor, be sure to use minced garlic. You can use garlic powder in a pinch.
- Salt- Use to taste.
- Dill- This is optional and not traditonally used in authentic tzatizki but it's a very popular add in.
- Cucumber- We like using english cucumbers. You can use regular cucumbers or even mini cucumbers.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make Tzatziki
Learn how to make homemade Tzatziki sauce in just a few easy steps. It will be ready in no time at all.
- Add all of the ingredients into a small smoothie blender. If you don't have a smoothie blender a food processor or a traditional blender works as well.
- Blend until smooth. Chill and serve.
Hint: You'll get a little more than 1 cup when making this recpe.
Substitutions and Variations
There are some great substituions if you don't want to use greek yogurt. You can even make it vegan/dairy free!
- Vegan/dairy free- Make sure to use vegan greek yogurt to make it a dairy free/vegan option. Substitute at a 1:1 ratio.
- Sour cream- Add a zesty flavor by substituing half of the greek yogurt for sour cream.
- Cottage cheese- For a creamy taste try substituing half the greek yogurt for blended and smooth cottage cheese),
- Spicy- Add a little spice by adding finely chop a jalapeno and stir it in!
Tahini vs Tzatziki
Tahini and tzatziki may sound similar, but they’re quite different in flavor and ingredients! Used in Middle East dishes, Tahini is a rich, creamy paste made from ground sesame seeds with a slightly nutty taste.
Tzatziki, on the other hand, is a cool, tangy sauce made from yogurt, cucumber, and garlic. It has a refreshing and herby flavor that’s popular in Greek food.
How To Serve
Use this as a dip or dressing! You can add it to pasta salad and regular salad using as a dressing. We also love with rice bowls, salmon, chicken, pitas. You can also use it as a chicken marinade. Mix it with tuna, or dip your falafel!
We love adding it to our Shawarma bowl and chicken shawarma.
How Long Does Tzatziki last?
Store your Tzatziki in teh refrigerator for 3-4 days. It's freshness will depend on how fresh the yogurt you use is.
Can you freeze Tatziki? We don't recommend freezing Tzatziki for a couple of reasons. The yogurt will create a weird texture when it thaws. It's also not a good idea to freeze cucumbers.
Top tip
Blend it in a smoothie cup for a smooth experience, otherwise just stir it all together for a normal, thick chunky tzatziki.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Recipe
Tzatziki Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt any fat content
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- ⅛ teaspoon salt or more, to taste
- ¼ teaspoon dill optional, see note 1
- ⅓ long English cucumber see note 2
Instructions
- Finely mince the cucumber. Place Greek yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, salt and dill (if using) in a smallish mixing bowl. Stir with a spoon until well combined. Stir in the minced cucumber. Serve or refrigerate immediately.
- For a smooth tzatziki sauce, add all ingredients to a food processor or a blender (I like to use a smoothie cup attachment) and blend until smooth.
Notes
- Dill isn't technically a traditional tzatziki sauce ingredient, but is a very popular add-in. If you are a dill fan, feel free to stir in the dill or garnish the tzatziki with it.
- Any type of cucumber is fine. For a regular cucumber, use about half. If you're using snack size cucumbers, around 2-3, depending on size.
- This recipe yields about 1 ⅓ cups.
Andrea says
Love making this fresh and easy Taziki Sauce. I love adding it to greek salads, and pitas!