A cool and creamy cucumber and garlic yogurt sauce that is perfect in pitas, on salads, for dipping or even eating by the spoonful.
Tzatziki is a Greek meze or appetizer that is made from strained yogurt, cucumber and garlic. Optional ingredients include herbs such as dill, mint and/or parsley and lemon juice is also common. If you are feeling daring you can even hit it up with a splash of ouzo. In addition to being served as an appetizer it makes a great dip or condiment especially when served in gyros or with souvlaki.
Updates 20150829: Since I was making tzatziki the other day I decided to take some new photos for the recipe!
Tzatziki sauce is great for dipping with pita chips, veggies, grilled meats, etc.!
The original photo:
Tzatziki Sauce
Prep Time: 10 minutes Total Time: 10 minutes Servings: 16(~1 cup or 16 1 tablespoon servings)
A cool and creamy cucumber and garlic yogurt sauce that is perfect in pitas, on salads, for dipping or even eating by the spoonful.
ingredients
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup cucumber, peeled, seeded, grated, and squeezed to drain
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice (~1/2 lemon)
- salt and pepper to taste
directions
- Mix everything and let chill in the fridge for an hour.
Option: Add a splash of ouzo.
Option: Replace the dill with mint or use both dill and mint.
Option: Replace the dill with mint or use both dill and mint.
Nutrition Facts: Calories 6, Fat 0g (Saturated 0, Trans 0), Cholesterol 1mg, Sodium 4mg, Carbs 0.6g (Fiber 0, Sugars 0.4g), Protein 0.7g
Nutrition by: 
Use in:
Chicken Souvlaki Salad
Lamb Souvlaki
Greek Meatballs (Keftedes) in a Pita with Tzatziki Sauce
Greek Zucchini Fritters with Tzatziki
Ntomatokeftedes (Greek Tomato and Feta Fritters) with Tzatziki
Kolokythokeftedes (Zucchini and Feta Balls)
Pumpkin and Feta Fritters
Greek Style Pulled Lamb Pitas
Greek Style Pulled Lamb Fries
‘Souvlaki’ Chicken Salad Sandwich with Roasted Red Peppers and Feta
Gyro Grilled Cheese Sandwich (aka Gyro Melt)
Chicken Gyro Grilled Cheese (aka The Gyro Melt)
Mediterranean Grilled Chicken and Roasted Red Pepper Pizza with Feta and Balsamic Glaze
Greek Lamb Burger
Grilled Chicken Souvlaki
Greek Style Nachos
Greek 7 Layer Dip
Greek Style Roast Leg of Lamb Gyros
Zucchini and Feta Breakfast Casserole
Grilled Lamb Gyros
Greek Meatballs
Roast Chicken Shawarma Gyros
Chicken Souvlaki Salad
Lamb Souvlaki
Greek Meatballs (Keftedes) in a Pita with Tzatziki Sauce
Greek Zucchini Fritters with Tzatziki
Ntomatokeftedes (Greek Tomato and Feta Fritters) with Tzatziki
Kolokythokeftedes (Zucchini and Feta Balls)
Pumpkin and Feta Fritters
Greek Style Pulled Lamb Pitas
Greek Style Pulled Lamb Fries
‘Souvlaki’ Chicken Salad Sandwich with Roasted Red Peppers and Feta
Gyro Grilled Cheese Sandwich (aka Gyro Melt)
Chicken Gyro Grilled Cheese (aka The Gyro Melt)
Mediterranean Grilled Chicken and Roasted Red Pepper Pizza with Feta and Balsamic Glaze
Greek Lamb Burger
Grilled Chicken Souvlaki
Greek Style Nachos
Greek 7 Layer Dip
Greek Style Roast Leg of Lamb Gyros
Zucchini and Feta Breakfast Casserole
Grilled Lamb Gyros
Greek Meatballs
Roast Chicken Shawarma Gyros
Hi Kevin, I’m a fellow Torontonian (& Greek) and I tripped upon your site from WHB. My site is Kalofagas and my email is also there. I’d love to share ideas with you and pick your brain of course!
I hope to hear from you,
Peter
PS. The Tzatziki looks quite good…I can offer some fine-tuning for you, if you like.
Hey Peter I would also like to share ideas. I took a look at your food blog (It looks pretty good.) but I could not find your email. I look forward to seeing more Greek recipes on your blog.
Please let me know what your tips are for Tzatziki!
Hi Kevin, If you can find the thicker Greek yogurt (like the brand Fage, which we get down here in Chicago), you’ll be able to get a creamier textured Tzatziki. Enjoy! lili
I have been looking for Greek yogurt but I have been unable to find any as of yet. I will have to try harder.
Hi Kevin! I’ve recently been on a tzatziki craze.. this sauce is one of my favorites!!
Hi Kevin, your tzatziki does not look bad at all, just imagine, that it needs practice to get it as smoot as possible. I agree that you need to use a greek yoghurt – it is much thicker and I prefer my tzatziki to be as smooth as possible (try it, you will enjoy it that way).. it means, shred your cucumber as small pieces as possible and seed well (to seed – to get out all the water of the cucumber) is the mystic detail to enjoy tzatziki. Bravo!
Try putting just a bit of Olive Oil in,
how do you squeeze and drain a cucumber?
Clive and Dawn: I just use my hands a squeeze the grated cucumber but a tea towel would also work.
What is tzatziki? Is it Greek yogurt? I'm not use to terms in Greek. Thank you.
Joan Lomas: Tzatziki is a Greek condiment that has a base of yogurt with shredded or diced cucumber and herbs such as dill and/or mint along with other possible seasoning. You can place it in sandwiches or use it as a dip for grilled meats or vegetables, etc.
Guys, you can drain the graded cucumber super easily…when u finished grading, put salt on it! It will take most of the water out…leave it for 10 mins and then squeeze it with your hand! And don't forger to put some olive oil (like 1 spoon),oregano and if u have some tzatziki/greek spice mix in the tzatziki as well! Ohh and the most important part, to make it super creamy and tasty: some feta cheese! Buy the really creamy one and cut it into cubes, then mix it in the tzatziki… And no dill pls…thats weird. Top it off with some olives and you're good to go! Ps: I'm greek 😉
Anonymous: Good tip for salting the cucumber to drain! I usually just squeeze it out in a tea towel. I love adding feta!
I love tzatziki sauce, but I've never made it myself. I've got lots of cucumbers from my garden right now, so I'll have to give this a try!
I love tzatziki but have never made it. I will have to try it.
xoxoBella | http://xoxobella.com
How prepare the cucumber? Granted, crushed or chopped?
To get the consistency of Greek yogurt, you can place plain yogurt in a mesh sieve on some cheesecloth. Let stand and the water drains out. You will need about twice as much yogurt. I always seed my cucumbers, grate and salt to get excess water out. I squeeze out the excess too. You will get a much creamier dip.
I always use your recipe for Tzatziki. Thank you for this!
Another method to drain the cucumber is to put the shredded cucumber in between two plates and squeeze plates together. An amazing amount of water can be drained this way. You can use a couple of sheets of paper towels (or a tea towel) between the plates before squeezing, which helps also. Adding salt is an amazing tip which I use sometimes when I want to drain the moisture from tomatoes. Enjoy your site. Thanks for all your work and diligence.
So this is my first attempt at the tzatziki sauce. I absolutely love the stuff and use it in lei of other condiments on sandwiches. I did add a small amount of fresh dill. I am excited to try it once it chills a little! Thank you everyone for all the tips!
This is way too much lemon juice for 1/2 c yogurt. Ruins the flavor. Too much dill also. Won’t use this recipe again. 2 tbsp of juice is not 1/2 lemon more like 1 tbsp. My fault for not tasting before adding all the juice.