• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Closet Cooking

Cooking adventures in a small, closet sized, kitchen. - I came to realize that my meals were boring and that I had been eating the same few dishes over and over again for years. It was time for a change! I now spend my free time searching for, creating and trying tasty new recipes in my closet sized kitchen.

  • Recipes
    • Recipe Index
    • Top Recipes
    • 30 Minute Meals
    • 6 Ingredient Meals
    • Slow Cooker Meals
    • One Pan Meals
    • By Course
      • Main Course
      • Side Dish
      • Dessert
      • Appetizer/Snack
      • More
    • By Diet
      • Gluten-free
      • Low-carb
      • Vegetarian
      • More
    • By Meat
      • Beef
      • Chicken
      • Lamb
      • Egg
      • Pork
      • Seafood
      • Turkey
      • More
    • By Cuisine
      • Cajun and Creole
      • Chinese
      • Greek
      • Italian
      • Japanese
      • Korean
      • Mexican
      • Thai
      • Vietnamese
      • More
    • By Type
      • Burger
      • Cake
      • Cookie
      • Dip
      • Pasta
      • Pizza
      • Salad
      • Sandwich
      • Soup
      • More
    • By Ingredient
      • Avocado
      • Bacon
      • Cauliflower
      • Mushroom
      • Pumpkin
      • Quinoa
      • Shrimp
      • Strawberry
      • More
  • Cookbooks
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
Never miss a recipe! Subscribe to the email Newsletter!

Tzatziki Sauce (Greek Cucumber Salad)

[heart_this] · Aug 30, 2015 · 23 Comments

Tzatziki Sauce

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
Tzatziki sauce is great for dipping with pita chips, veggies, grilled meats, etc.!

Tzatziki Sauce
The original photo:

Tzatziki Sauce

Tzatziki Sauce
Tzatziki Sauce

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
  1. 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.
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: Nutritional facts powered by Edamam
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

Similar Recipes:
Avocado Tzatziki Sauce
Creamy Dilled Cucumber Salad
Creamy Feta and Dill Dressing
Cucumber and Feta Rolls
Whipped Feta and Herb Dip
White BBQ Sauce
Shawarma Sauce

Appetizer, Condiment, Dip, Food, Gluten-free, Greek, Low-carb, Recipe, Sauce, Vegetarian

eCookbook Bundle Cover

Get ALL 16 Closet Cooking eCookbooks in a bundle for 70% off! Enjoy some of the tastiest recipes from Closet Cooking along with exclusive cookbook recipes!

Get the Cookbook Bundle Now!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Peter M says

    June 6, 2007 at 8:13 pm

    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.

    Reply
  2. Kevin says

    June 8, 2007 at 1:04 am

    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!

    Reply
  3. lili says

    August 15, 2007 at 4:09 pm

    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

    Reply
  4. Kevin says

    August 16, 2007 at 1:13 am

    I have been looking for Greek yogurt but I have been unable to find any as of yet. I will have to try harder.

    Reply
  5. Antonio Tahhan says

    April 16, 2008 at 11:10 pm

    Hi Kevin! I’ve recently been on a tzatziki craze.. this sauce is one of my favorites!!

    Reply
  6. Janulka says

    May 7, 2008 at 9:54 am

    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!

    Reply
  7. Mathias says

    October 23, 2009 at 10:32 pm

    Try putting just a bit of Olive Oil in,

    Reply
  8. Clive and Dawn says

    February 11, 2013 at 7:26 am

    how do you squeeze and drain a cucumber?

    Reply
  9. Kevin says

    February 19, 2013 at 12:59 am

    Clive and Dawn: I just use my hands a squeeze the grated cucumber but a tea towel would also work.

    Reply
  10. Joan Lomas says

    February 1, 2015 at 1:10 pm

    What is tzatziki? Is it Greek yogurt? I'm not use to terms in Greek. Thank you.

    Reply
  11. kevin says

    February 1, 2015 at 1:48 pm

    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.

    Reply
  12. Anonymous says

    August 30, 2015 at 4:15 pm

    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 😉

    Reply
  13. kevin says

    August 30, 2015 at 4:58 pm

    Anonymous: Good tip for salting the cucumber to drain! I usually just squeeze it out in a tea towel. I love adding feta!

    Reply
  14. Sarah says

    August 30, 2015 at 11:01 pm

    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!

    Reply
  15. Bella B says

    August 31, 2015 at 1:31 am

    I love tzatziki but have never made it. I will have to try it.

    xoxoBella | http://xoxobella.com

    Reply
  16. Susan Melendez says

    September 3, 2015 at 9:57 pm

    How prepare the cucumber? Granted, crushed or chopped?

    Reply
  17. Unknown says

    September 10, 2015 at 9:20 pm

    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.

    Reply
  18. Murasaki Shikibu says

    September 19, 2015 at 1:41 pm

    I always use your recipe for Tzatziki. Thank you for this!

    Reply
  19. Althea Claradene says

    February 3, 2016 at 6:05 pm

    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.

    Reply
  20. April says

    July 12, 2019 at 5:00 pm

    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!

    Reply
  21. Anita says

    January 1, 2023 at 12:03 pm

    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.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Grilled Chicken Souvlaki - Closet Cooking - Weight Loss Reviews & Healthy Recipes says:
    September 3, 2018 at 2:22 am

    […] reproduce the flavours! In general a gyro consists of the rotisserie meat, tomatoes, onions and tzatziki all wrapped up in a pita. In place of the rotisserie style gyro meat I decided to go with some […]

    Reply
  2. Hide-the-lamb Gyro Meat – The Sweet-n-Spicy Kitchen says:
    December 4, 2020 at 4:51 pm

    […] warm in pita bread pockets with Tzatziki sauce, thinly sliced tomatoes, finely chopped cucumbers and lettuce, topping with sliced black olives, […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to the free Closet Cooking email newsletter and get a FREE copy of the eBook:
The Best of Closet Cooking!

About Me

Kevin: I came to realize that my meals were boring and that I had been eating the same few dishes over and over again for years. It was time for a change! I now spend my free time searching for, creating and trying tasty new recipes in my closet sized kitchen.
Read More

The Best of Closet Cooking 2023 – FREE eCookbook

The Best of Closet Cooking Book Cover

eCookbook Bundle

eCookbook Bundle

Top Recipes

Chicken and Avocado Burritos
Ham and Potato Corn Chowder
Mexican Street Corn Nachos
Balsamic Garlic Grilled Mushroom Skewers
Baked Firecracker Chicken
Caprese Balsamic Grilled Chicken
Balsamic Soy Roasted Garlic Mushrooms
Cheesy Beef Enchilada Tortellini Skillet
Parmesan Roasted Carrot Fries
Asiago Roasted Onions
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
About | Contact Us | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy
Copyright © 2007-2023, Closet Cooking Ltd. All Rights Reserved.