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.
Question: Above the recipe you mention strained Greek yogurt, but it’s not mentioned in your recipe. Is that a personal preference for you or does it make the Tzatziki thicker? BTW – try Tzatziki on french fries (better than ketchup!). Can’t wait to make this AND your Chicken Shawarma.
Hi Jill…same ingredient, Greek yogurt. Enjoy! And thanks for sharing your fun ideas!
Made this sauce to eat with gyros. Sooo delicious!!! My 2 year old daughter enjoyed it as well! She is a garlic lover so I used 5 cloves as the recipe suggested and it turned out perfect! Thank you for sharing!!!
That’s great, Megan! So glad even your kiddo loved it!
Made this to go with ground turkey kofte. It was delicious! Easy to make, delicious, and for those counting weight watchers points, it’s very low in points! Will use leftovers as a dip.
Thank you so much for sharing!!
Why didn’t you add lemon juice to the recipe or is that more American tradition?
It’s just a personal preference 🙂
Excellent recipe. I went a little overboard on the garlic as I added extra. The recipe didn’t need it. Follow to the T and you will have the best tzatziki sauce ever!!!
Thank you so much, Cathy!
Wowza! Tzatziki sauces that I’ve made in the past have been very mild. Casually licking the spoon on this one lit up my mouth in an awesome sort of way. I had this on her chicken schwarma which was also good, but the sauce was the star.
Thanks so much, Brittany!
WHY fat-free? The full fat gives body and flavor – not to mention it IS A MACRONUTRIENT. Challenge the fat-free yogurt industry so we can have better products.
It’s just my personal preference for this recipe. Full fat yogurt would work as well, if you prefer.
Absolutely amazing!! Can’t wait to try more recipes from you.
This is absolutely the BEST tzatziki sauce I’ve ever had. And it’s so EASY to make. I do have one question. Do you have any suggestions for how I can use up the cucumber liquid that I squeeze out of the cheese cloth? Thanks.
Hi, Mary Lou. Unfortunately, I don’t. Mine just usually goes down the drain.
I’m using mine in a smoothie. It is a super food.
Very interesting! Thanks for sharing!
In Turkey it’s eaten as a soup. One can vary the consistency, i.e., dip, sauce, soup etc. It’s also a perfect substitute for mayonnaise at 1/10 the calories.
In general the yogurt base is used for all vegetables as a base as in babaganoush: eggplant, etc.
cucumber juice is a great detox drink it!
you can make cucumber lemonade
This is so delicious!!! I made it a few weeks ago and I am making it again this evening. I think it has a perfect amount of garlic 🙂
Yay! so glad, Jennifer! Thanks for trying it
You do not say how much garlic, is it a full English cucumber, and your measurements leave a lot to be desired. Can’t use a recipe without a knowledge of just how much to use.
Hi, Thomas! All of the measurements are listed on the recipe card towards the bottom of the post (you can get there fast by clicking the “To Recipe” button under the recipe title). 3/4 of and English cucumber, 4-5 cloves of garlic, etc. I think you maybe just needed to scroll down a bit more. Hope that helps!
I have Greek in my background so I have had lots of authentic sauce before and this recipe is absolutely amazing!!!!! Thank you so much! I will definitely be making a lot!
Awesome! Thank you!
I’ve never made tzatziki sauce before and this recipe is perfection. Absolutely delicious!! Big winner in my house, everyone loved it! Thank you so much 🙂
Awesome, Nancy! So glad to hear it.
Just made this…my gracious, talk about flavor!! Tastes wonderful! Also just finished making your homemade pita bread…another win! These may not last until dinner tonight….
Ha! You can just consider them appetizers :). So glad both recipes were a hit for you!
Before the recipe you mention “strained Greek yogurt”, but it doesn’t mention straining it in the recipe? Is it necessary to strain it?
Great recipe!! Thanks
So glad you liked it, Mike!
Can this be frozen?
Hi Marilyn, i do not typically freeze it because it can tend to separate given that it’s basically dairy and water from the cucumbers.