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    Home » Recipes » Condiments and Sauces » Homemade Tzatziki Sauce recipe

    PUBLISHED: August 11, 2021 • By Toni Dash 28 Comments

    Homemade Tzatziki Sauce recipe

    Jump to Recipe

    This post may include affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Tzatziki Sauce with a pita wedge being dipped title image

    Creamy, tangy Greek Tzatziki Sauce is an easy, fast-to-make yogurt dip or sauce that’s so versatile! Garlic, cucumber, fresh herbs make this refreshing recipe great for dipping vegetables, to serve on grilled recipes or spread on a sandwich!

    Tzatziki Sauce with a pita wedge being dipped title image

    You’ve probably had Tzatziki sauce at Greek restaurants or served with Mediterranean dishes. It’s a creamy sauce that’s full of fresh cucumber and garlic flavor.

    It’s an easy appetizer to serve with pita chips or raw veggies as a great dip. Or serve creamy tzatziki sauce with greek chicken souvlaki.

    This easy Tzatziki sauce recipe is easy to make at home. In fact you can make it in less than 15 minutes!

    It’s so cool and refreshing, you’ll find yourself using it on everything during the summer months. So you won’t miss out when you can’t go to your favorite Greek restaurant!

    It’s naturally gluten-free and something the whole family will love!

    Jump to:
    • What is Tzatziki Sauce?
    • How do you Pronounce ‘Tzatziki’?
    • What Does it Taste like?
    • How Much does the Recipe Make?
    • Recipe Ingredients + Notes
    • How to Make it- Step-by-Step
    • Pro Tips
    • How to Eat it
    • How Long Does it Last?
    • More Recipes You’ll Love!
    • Recipe

    What is Tzatziki Sauce?

    This delicious sauce or dip is made mainly from creamy Greek yogurt making it a thick, cooling, tangy sauce to serve in many ways. 

    It includes fresh ingredients of cucumber, garlic, lemon juice and fresh herbs giving its signature flavors.

    Authentic Greek tzatziki sauce is from the Middle East, Turkey and Greece. It’s featured as a partner in many favorite dishes from those regions.

    Because of the yogurt base it’s great to take the spiciness out of grilled dishes or other things it may be served with with.

    How do you Pronounce ‘Tzatziki’?

    The American pronunciation differs from the Greek. 

    Most native English speakers would say it ‘tsuh-see-key‘ (that link to a pronounciation) with the s being more of a soft z sound.

    It’s pronounced differently in Greek (that link to the Greek pronunciation). It sounds almost like ‘zah-zzee-key’ or ‘cha-cheeky’ depending.

    tzatziki sauce with chicken souvlaki skewers in the background

    What Does it Taste like?

    Tzatziki sauce tastes light, tangy and full of fresh flavors. Because it can be changed up using different herbs, the flavor is easy to adapt for any accompanying dish.

    I love the fresh dill in this recipe. 

    It’s an easy recipe to modify to meet your personal taste preferences.

    You can add more garlic or lemon juice or even lemon zest, or dial an ingredient back if you prefer.

    How Much does the Recipe Make?

    The total yield is about 1 3/4 cups.

    tzatziki sauce ingredients

    Recipe Ingredients + Notes

    English Cucumber. The thin skin doesn’t requiring peeling for use. They are essentially seedless and are less bitter so add better flavor to the dip. They also don’t have as much liquid.

    Grating the cucumber can be done with the larger hole handheld grater or with the larger grating disk of a food processor.

    Plain Greek Yogurt. Thick Greek yogurt is creamy and does not have as much moisture as regular yogurt (it has already been strained). Fat-free yogurt, low fat or full fat yogurt can be used as long as it’s Greek yogurt.

    Traditional Greek Tzatziki uses strained sheep’s milk which is hard to find.

    Sour Cream. Adds some creamy, tangy flavor.

    Garlic Cloves. Fresh garlic is a signature flavor.

    Lemon Juice (fresh). Fresh juice makes a difference. See notes below.

    White Wine Vinegar. Adds tangy acidic flavor.

    Fresh Dill. Do not use dried dill. This recipe tastes best with fresh dill. Try other classic herbs for a different flavor. Try fresh mint, thyme or parsley!

    Salt and Pepper. To taste.

    Olive Oil to drizzle on top

    bowl of tzatziki sauce with pita triangles and slices of cucumber and lemons from overhead

    How to Make it- Step-by-Step

    STEP 1: Drain the Cucumbers. Squeezing the moisture from the grated cucumber is important to make sure the Tzatziki sauce will not get watery. 

    Place the grated cucumber in a clean kitchen towel and squeeze the moisture out of the cucumbers (photo 1). The resulting yield should be about 3/4 cup of cucumber.

    Put the cucumber in a large mixing bowl (photo 2).

    how to make tzatziki sauce photo collage recipe steps

    STEP 2: Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl: greek yogurt, sour cream, garlic, lemon juice, white wine vinegar, fresh dill (photo 3). Mix fully together (photo 4), taste and add pepper and salt to taste.

    Drizzle with a little bit of olive oil before serving!

    tzatziki sauce with souvlaki skewers from overhead

    Pro Tips

    Substituting regular Cucumber

    If using a regular cucumber instead:

    • peel it
    • slice it lengthwise and scoop out the seeds with a dining spoon
    • proceed with grating and squeezing out the excess liquid with a paper towel or cheese cloth

    Drain the Grated Cucumber

    To create the best consistency for the dip be sure to follow the steps for draining the moisture from the grated cucumber.

    Fresh Lemon Juice tip

    Put the lemon in the microwave for 10 seconds before juicing it for more juice yield!

    I prefer hand held juicers to get the most juice. Squeezing by hand works too!

    Chill Before Serving 

    Though the Tzatziki sauce can be eaten as soon as it is made, it’s better after chilling for a bit.

    This allows the flavors to come together.

    A cool sauce to beat the heat

    Did you know dairy products are the one thing that can take the heat out of spicy recipes?

    If you eat food with peppers or spices don’t drink water, have dairy products, like milk or yogurt.

    That makes this sauce a perfect match with spicy grilled food or or anything with spicy ingredients to make them milder.

    tzatziki sauce with pita triangle

    How to Eat it

    Once you try it you’ll find so many uses for Tzatziki sauce!

    Here are some favorite ideas:

    • As a dip: for fresh vegetables, chips or pita bread.
    • Roasted or Grilled Meat: it’s delicious served on pork, beef, chicken. Try it with chicken kabobs and other kabob recipes.
    • Grilled Vegetables: try it on grilled asparagus
    • Fish: it’s great with white fish. Try swapping it into Fish Tacos.
    • Falafels: it is a classic sauce on Falafels.
    • Burgers: use it on meat or veggie burger for a cool creamy dressing. 
    • In Sandwiches and Wraps: try swapping out mayo for tzatziki – so good!
    • As salad dressing: makes for a refreshing dressing on your greens.
    • On baked or mashed potatoes: Try it instead of sour cream.
    tzatziki sauce with souvlaki skewers from overhead

    How Long Does it Last?

    Keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days.

    Freezing not recommended.

    More Recipes You’ll Love!

    • Greek Salad recipe
    • Greek Fries – a Fully Loaded Fries recipe
    • Lemony One Pot Greek Chicken Thighs
    • Peach Yogurt Popsicles with Granola

    Did you make it? Please RATE THE RECIPE below!

    Please SUBSCRIBE and FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, TWITTER and PINTEREST!

    Recipe

    Tzatziki Sauce with a pita wedge being dipped title image

    Tzatziki Sauce

    Cool and refreshing, this tangy yogurt dip or sauce is perfect for dipping vegetables, on grilled meats or on a sandwich.
    5 from 21 votes
    Print Save Recipe Recipe Saved! Pin Rate
    Course: Sauce
    Cuisine: Mediterranean
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Total Time: 10 minutes
    Servings: 7 1/4 cup servings (total yield: 1 3/4 cups)
    Calories: 28kcal
    Author: Toni Dash
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients

    • 1 English cucumber partially or unpeeled, grated with the large holes of a cheese grater
    • 7 ounce container plain Greek yogurt
    • 1 tablespoon Sour cream
    • 1 large Garlic cloves minced
    • 1 tablespoon Lemon juice
    • 1 teaspoon White wine vinegar
    • 1 tablespoon fresh chopped Dill
    • Salt and pepper to taste
    • Drizzle of olive oil

    Instructions

    • In a clean kitchen towel, squeeze the excess moisture out of the grated cucumber. There should be about ¾ cup or so.
    • In a bowl, combine yogurt, sour cream, cucumber, garlic, lemon juice, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Stir until well mixed.
      When ready to serve drizzle a bit of olive oil over top.

    Video

    Notes

    This is best made ahead a couple of hours. It gets better with time. Chill before serving.
    If you can’t find an English cucumber, use 1 regular peeled cucumber but remove the seeds with a spoon first.
    Be sure to drain the cucumber after grating by wrapping and squeezing it in cheesecloth or paper towel. This removed excess moisture for the best dip/sauce results. 
    How to Store
    Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 28kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 2mg | Sodium: 13mg | Potassium: 103mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 56IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 1mg
    Did you make this recipe?Mention @boulderlocavore or tag #boulderlocavore!

    Originally published: June 9, 2020

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    ABOUT THE AUTHOR

    TONI DASH
    Toni Dash head shot

    Toni Dash, is a Certified Nutrition Coach and the writer/blogger, photographer, recipe developer and creator of Boulder Locavore®. She has been developing easy to make, well-tested recipes since 2010. Her seasonal recipes bring excitement to the dining table for both gluten-free and gluten diners. Toni has been featured in numerous publications and on culinary websites for her creative, delicious recipes and travel features. For more details, check out her About page.

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    Comments

    1. Amy B. says

      August 12, 2021 at 7:17 pm

      5 stars
      I’ll never go back to store bought tzatziki after this! So delicious and I love that it’s mostly Greek yogurt, so I don’t feel guilty diving in. 😊

      Reply
    2. Luca - Ruoka on valmis says

      August 12, 2021 at 3:12 pm

      5 stars
      Thanks for sharing this super easy and delicious recipe. The sauce turned out exactly how we wanted it!

      Reply
    3. Linda says

      August 11, 2021 at 1:20 pm

      5 stars
      Love this tzatziki sauce! So easy, fresh, and go well with grilled meat

      Reply
    4. Erin Gierhart says

      August 11, 2021 at 9:00 am

      5 stars
      I added this to my gyros last night and it was so delicious! Such an easy and perfect tzatziki!

      Reply
    5. Sara Welch says

      June 10, 2020 at 10:15 am

      5 stars
      Tried this for an afternoon snack yesterday and my picky eaters devoured it! Delicious!

      Reply
    6. wilhelmina says

      June 10, 2020 at 9:39 am

      5 stars
      I love this tzatziki is so good! I love to eat it as a dip or as a spread on sandwiches. Delicious!

      Reply
    7. Katie says

      June 10, 2020 at 9:39 am

      5 stars
      I love this sauce! It’s so good as a dip or on sandwiches- So tasty!

      Reply
    8. Beti | easyweeknightrecipes says

      June 10, 2020 at 9:33 am

      5 stars
      I am loving this sauce!! It sounds SO delicious!

      Reply
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    About Toni Dash

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    Welcome! I’m Toni. I’m a Certified Nutrition Coach and my goal is to MAKE YOUR LIFE EASIER with delicious, well-tested recipes and travel tips! More About Me …

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