Learn how to make tzatziki sauce in 10 minutes or less! This authentic tzatziki recipe, made with cucumber, yogurt, and garlic, comes straight from the Greek island of Paros, and a few tips make all the difference.
Tzatziki Recipe That Will Make Yiayia Smile!
Of all the Greek recipes on this site, including Greek salad and the ever-so-comforting moussaka, tzatziki sauce is the one I go to most often.
A few years ago, I came across a real-deal, authentic tzatziki sauce recipe from the Greek island of Paros where Stella Leonetti served it regularly in her restaurant called Rafeletti. My friend Cheryl Sternman Rule featured it in her book Yogurt Culture, and I stayed pretty close to the original recipe, except I’ve pared it down for a smaller crowd.
Tzatziki is easy to make and incredibly versatile. I serve it as a snack with pita chips and fresh veggies or use it as a sauce to spoon over gyros, kebabs, or to jazz up dinner bowls! Really, it goes with almost anything. If you have not tried this creamy Greek yogurt sauce before, you are in for a treat!
What is Tzatziki?
Tzatziki is a creamy cucumber yogurt sauce made from simple ingredients, including strained yogurt (or Greek yogurt), cucumbers, olive oil, garlic, and sometimes fresh herbs such as dill or mint. Traditionally, it is made from strained sheep or goat’s milk yogurt, but a full-fat Greek yogurt works just fine.
This recipe takes about 10 minutes or less to make, and it starts with grated cucumbers, which you need to drain very well, and mix with the yogurt, garlic, and herbs, if using. Tzatziki tastes slightly tangy, garlicky, and cool due to the use of cucumber and fresh herbs.
Once you learn how to make it, you’ll be using it in all sorts of ways to elevate your meals or to simply serve as part of a mezze spread!
Tzatziki Sauce Ingredients
- English cucumber: I like to use English cucumbers here because they are seedless and tend to be sweeter, plus the skin is thin, so you don’t have to fully peel them. If you end up using regular cucumbers with the waxy skin, be sure to peel them completely, and you’ll want to scoop out and discard the large seeds, which would make the dip runny.
- Kosher salt enhances the flavors of the other ingredients to make them pop.
- Garlic: I like a garlicky dip. So I use 4 to 5 minced garlic cloves. If you want a milder-tasting cucumber yogurt sauce, start with 1 or 2 minced garlic cloves.
- Distilled white vinegar: You only need about 1 teaspoon here. It brightens the dip and adds a slight sharpness to cut through the creamy flavor.
- Extra virgin olive oil adds a rich savory note.
- Plain Greek Yogurt: This is the foundation of tzatziki. Use 2 cups plain full-fat or reduced-fat Greek yogurt. Do not use regular plain yogurt as the dip will be too runny. The yogurt you need here must be strained yogurt. Need to avoid dairy? Try this Vegan Tzatziki recipe, which is made with cashews.
- Ground white or black pepper (optional)
- Chopped fresh dill or mint (optional)
How to Make Tzatziki
Here’s the step-by-step tutorial for how to make this tzatziki recipe.
- Grate the cucumbers. Grate the cucumbers using a box grater or a food processor (my favorite way) for a shortcut. Add the cucumbers with a pinch of kosher salt to the food processor and run the processor until the cucumbers are finely grated.
- Drain the grated cucumbers (VERY IMPORTANT). Once grated, transfer the cucumbers to a clean cheesecloth or a flour sack towel, and squeeze out all the liquid.
- Mix the sauce. In a large bowl, combine the grated or minced garlic with the white vinegar and a little olive oil and mix. Add the drained cucumber mixture to a large bowl, Greek yogurt, kosher salt, a pinch of white or black pepper, and chopped dill or mint (if using). Stir to combine.
- Refrigerate for 30 minutes and up to 2 hours before serving or serve immediately, if you can’t wait! Enjoy it with fresh veggies and pita or pita chips! Drizzle a little olive oil on top.
What to Serve With Tzatziki
Creamy cucumber tzatziki is one of the most versatile dips you can make! At the very least, serve it with some carrots, bell peppers, and other fresh veggies of your choice, but you can use it in many more ways.
In Greece, it’s commonly served with gyros, pork souvlaki, and chicken souvlaki. But it’s a wonderful and adaptable sauce for almost any dish.
Try it on pan-seared salmon, lamb rack, all sorts of kebabs, including vegetable skewers, or even to top your baked potato! I love adding it to dinner bowls with keftedes (meatballs) and a salad! I even use it to drizzle onto Greek Meatloaf wrapped in Grape Leaves! It also works as a sandwich spread. It’s great to pair with spicy recipes where you want a cooling counterpoint.
Hungry for more? Check out my Greek Recipes Collection.
How to Store Leftover Tzatziki
It’s best to store tzatziki in the fridge in a tightly covered glass container. Use it within 2 to 4 days.
More Greek Recipes to Love
Ingredients
- 3/4 English cucumber, partially peeled (striped)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- 4 to 5 garlic cloves, peeled, finely grated or minced (you start with 1 to 2 garlic cloves if you don't want it to be too strong)
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Early Harvest Greek Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 cups plain Greek yogurt
- Handful of chopped fresh dill or mint (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
- Warm pita bread for serving
- Sliced vegetables for serving
Instructions
- Prepare the cucumbers. Manually grate the cucumbers with a box grater to finely grate the cucumbers as I do in this recipe. Toss the grated cucumbers with 1/2 tsp kosher salt. Spoon the grated cucumber into a cheesecloth or a double thickness napkin and squeeze dry. There will be a lot of liquid.
- Combine the garlic mixture. In one large mixing bowl, place the garlic with the remaining 1/2 tsp salt, white vinegar, and extra virgin olive oil. Mix to combine.
- Add the cucumber. Add the grated cucumber, yogurt, and a pinch of white or black pepper to the bowl with the garlic mixture, along with the fresh herbs, if using. Stir to combine. (I did not use fresh herbs in the video.)
- Refrigerate. Cover and refrigerate for a bit (anywhere from 30 minutes to a couple of hours before serving). This will help thicken the sauce and give it the best texture, while allowing the flavors to meld.
- Serve. When ready to serve, stir the tzatziki sauce to refresh and transfer to a serving bowl, drizzle with more extra virgin olive oil, if you like. Serve with your favorite veggies, pita chips, or wedges.
Video
Notes
- This recipe makes a generous 2 cups of sauce (or up to 32 tablespoons). The serving size is based on 1 tablespoon.
- This recipe is adapted from Yogurt Culture. It is my quick version, and it’s been cut down to suit a smaller family.
- This is a very garlicky dip; if you prefer, start with a smaller amount of garlic and incorporate more as needed.
- To Store: It’s best to store tzatziki in the fridge in a tightly covered glass container. Use within 4 days.
- Shop this recipe: Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients, including the olive oil and spices used in this recipe.
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*This post first appeared on The Mediterranean Dish in 2016 and has been updated with new information and media for readers’ benefit.
Hi, under your “tips” section you refer to using “strained” Yoghurt. I assume this reduces some of the water in the recipe, but there’s no instruction on how to strain the yoghurt. Could you clarify please?
Hi Jill. By strained yogurt we mean Greek yogurt, which is strained of the whey and liquid and is the best option for this recipe (the ingredient is listed in the actual recipe card as well.)
Awesome Dish! I use the Tzatziki sauce in Chicken Wraps! Delish Dish!
Sounds like the perfect combo! Thanks, Mike!
I don’t have a food processor so I just grated the cucumber and I like the texture it gave. I used less garlic and added a bit of dill weed. Very fresh tasting on the pitas.
I’m glad the grating worked so well! Thanks for sharing that idea!!
YUM! I went so far as to make a “single serving”, using 1/4 of a cucumber and reducing the other ingredients accordingly. Goes beautifully with the gluten free naan I made earlier today!
Glad you enjoyed it! The single serving adjustment was a great idea!
what the hell is 3/4 english cucumber that’s not a real measurement
It is how this recipe is measured and it is a success every single time.
Hello there Suzy! I just made your wonderful tzatziki sauce for our koftka (?) supper tonight and have to make more because I ate half of it with my spoon! So delicious! Thank you for having the absolute BEST site for Mediterranean recipes, you are awesome!
Hahaha! That happens to the best of us with tzatziki. It’s quite irresistible! Happy you liked it!
Hi, I would like to make this for someone who has some diet restrictions. Would Daiya Greek Yogurt Alternative which is dairy, soy and gluten free work in this recipe?
Thanks
Maggie
Hi Maggie, I can’t advise on this 100% having not tried Daiya Greek yogurt as a substitution…I’m not familiar with it. But if it does have similar texture and taste to Greek yogurt, it may very well work.
I’ve made tzatziki before but sliced the cucumbers. I noticed that there would be water sitting at the top when not stirred but this recipe eliminates that problem. Straining the cucumber is genius! I haven’t made it in years but wowee is this recipe delicious. Time to make hummus! My chicken souvlaki is marinating as well. YUM.
I’m happy this recipe helped eliminate the issues you were having! Enjoy that fabulous meal!!
Outstanding…exactly what I wanted!!
Wonderful, Melissa! Thank you.
Yes, it is quite garlicky. Not for the blood suckers…..
I like garlic. No problem.
I just made it in 10 minutes.
Thanks!
Haha! Awesome!
I googled this recipe and I was so impressed by how good it was, I wanted to leave you a note to thank you. I’ve made kind of a basic Tzatziki sauce, but I wanted to try one with more flavor. I’m not even a fan of cucumber, but I absolutely LOVED the way this came out. It was absolutely delicious!
Caitlin, So glad you enjoyed it. Thank you so much for the kind note.
Is it three to four cucumbers?
3/4 (three fourth) of a whole large English cucumber (those long cucumbers that cucumbers that are typically individually wrapped.)
I’d tried several different Tzatzikis, in stores and restaurants and decided to make my own. It turned out spectacularly! The key has to be draining the water from the cucumber! Because this turned out so well, I’ll be trying other recipes – next the Greek Meatballs!!!! I recommend this recipe. It’s tasty, delicious and so much better than anything you’ll find in stores!
So glad to hear it!
Best tzatziki recipe I’ve found yet
I made this tzatziki sauce for the first time today. I think it is delicious. I’m taking it to a baby shower, we’ll see how it fairs with a crowd! Thank you for sharing this recipe.
My pleasure, Catie! Hope your baby shower guests enjoy it!
Does the yogurt need to be strained, as well?
The recipe uses Greek yogurt, no need to strain.