Tzatziki Sauce

This Easy Tzatziki sauce is a classic Greek sauce, and great with dishes like gyros, pitas, and more! It's an easy recipe you can make in less than 20 minutes.

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Tzatziki Sauce Recipe

This has been the summer of Greek food at our house. We love making fresh, Mediterranean dishes like Greek Orzo Pasta Salad and Greek Chicken Skewers. They make a great summer meal.

Other dishes I love to make are gyros, falafel sandwiches, and chicken shawarma wraps. These easy sandwiches wrapped in yummy pita bread just can’t be beaten! 

If you’re going to make Greek food, you are probably going to need a recipe for tzatziki sauce. It is the supreme pairing for so many Greek dishes. It’s a great sauce for gyro meat and fresh vegetables especially. 

Why you'll love creamy tzatziki sauce

Here are a few reasons you will fall in love with this easy tzatziki sauce: 

• It is so easy to make! It uses simple ingredients and fresh veggies. It's a simple recipe for a creamy sauce.
• This recipe is so quick. You’ll have the tzatziki sauce on the table in 20 minutes or less.
• Tzatziki is versatile and goes great on a variety of dishes, even salads. 

What is Tzatziki sauce?

Tzatziki sauce is a creamy yogurt sauce with cucumbers, lemon, garlic, and herbs — especially dill. 

This tangy and cool, fresh-tasting sauce is a staple in Greek, Turkish and Mediterranean cooking.

Tzatziki sauce works well as an accompaniment for a variety of dishes such as salads, wraps, and Greek meatballs (keftedes). Also known as gyro sauce or gyro dressing, it is perhaps most famous for its role in the classic lamb pita sandwiches. 

It also works as a tzatziki dip for homemade pita chips alongside other Greek dips like tabouli, baba ganoush, hummus, and tapenade. 

What does tzatziki sauce taste like? 

Greek tzatziki sauce is cool, creamy, and zesty all at once. 

The coolness comes from the cucumbers, of course. The creaminess is thanks to Greek yogurt. And the zestiness is thanks to the garlic, lemon zest, and lemon juice. 

​​Tzatziki also includes fresh dill, an herb with a pungent, grassy aroma and flavor. It is subtly sweet and lends lots of flavor to the sauce. 

Ingredients to make this homemade tzatziki sauce recipe

Here’s what you will need to make this classic cucumber dill yogurt sauce:

• plain Greek yogurt - I use nonfat Greek yogurt, but full-fat greek yogurt works too. Substitute with sour cream if needed. 
• whole English cucumber - You can also use a Persian cucumber or a peeled and seeded standard American cucumber. (Use this vegetable peeler (affiliate link)). I recommend sticking with English or Persian because thin-skinned cucumbers give the best results
• salt - I recommend using coarse kosher salt or sea salt. 
• garlic - You will need about one clove, mashed. You can also use pre-minced garlic from a jar or garlic paste. 
• whole lemon - You’re going to need a whole lemon, and you’re going to use all of it — the zest and the juice. I use this lemon zester (affiliate link). Fresh lemon juice gives the best flavor.
• olive oil - extra virgin olive oil is more true to Greek cuisine, but you can substitute it with avocado oil.
• black pepper - I like to grind my own with a pepper grinder (affiliate link), but you can absolutely use the pre-ground stuff. 
• fresh dill - Use fresh herbs if you can. If needed, you can substitute dried dill, also known as dill weed. Use one teaspoon of dried dill for every tablespoon of fresh dill. You could also use this Greek seasoning.

How to Make Easy Tzatziki Sauce  

Here’s how to make this super quick and easy homemade tzatziki sauce: 

Start by adding your cucumber and ½ teaspoon kosher salt to a bowl and mix around. (If you are using American cucumbers, don’t forget to peel and deseed them first.) 

Let the cucumbers and salt sit for 10 minutes to extract excess water and excess moisture from the cucumbers. 

Remove the cucumbers from the bowl and squeeze with cheese cloth or paper towels to remove the water and return them back to the bowl. 

Add in your garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, fresh dill, salt, and pepper. Mix together. 

Drizzle in the olive oil and mix to combine. 

Now you are free to add this tzatziki sauce to anything you can dream of! See the section below called “Recipes with Tzatziki” for some ideas. 

Dairy Free Tzatziki 

Need to make this tzatziki dairy-free? No problem! All you need to do is use a dairy-free brand of Greek yogurt. 

For vegan tzatziki, make sure to use a plant-based yogurt like coconut yogurt.

Tips & Tricks when making this Greek tzatziki sauce recipe

Here are a few tips to yield the best tzatziki sauce ever: 

Salting and draining the cucumbers is key to keeping your tzatziki sauce from becoming watery. 

Mashing the garlic gives it a strong flavor and allows it to mix it smoothly into the tzatziki. You can use a garlic mincer tool (affiliate link) to get it nice and mashed. 

Fresh lemon juice tastes best, but if you have to you can use the bottled concentrate. However, I highly recommend you use a fresh lemon so you can add the zest for an extra zip of flavor. 

High-quality and flavorful olive oil will add excellent flavor. I usually have a nicer one in my pantry for “finishing” dishes and one I use for everyday cooking — this is when to use the nicer one! 

If you'd like smaller pieces of cucumber you can pulse them in a food processor or use grated cucumber.

A great addition to this is fresh mint. The cucumber sauce pairs great with it.

If you don't have paper towels or cheese cloth to extract the excess moisture from the cucumbers, you can also use a coffee filter if you have one on hand.

How long does homemade tzatziki last?

You can store tzatziki dip in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. It may separate a little due to the yogurt, but you'll just need to stir it back together.

Is tzatziki keto? 

Yes! Tzatziki sauce is keto-friendly because it contains high-fat Greek yogurt and low-carb veggies like cucumber.

Can you freeze tzatziki sauce?

Both cucumbers and Greek yogurt freeze well, so you can freeze tzatziki. It shouldn’t be frozen for more than about 3 months. Be sure to date your packaging! 

Make sure it's in a freezer-safe container so that it’s protected from freezer burn. You may also consider freezing it in an ice cube tray so you can thaw a few portions at a time. 

Is tzatziki sauce healthy?

Yes! Tzatziki has tons of healthy ingredients. Cucumber, lemon, and garlic are nutritious types of produce. It also uses olive oil and Greek yogurt, which have tons of nutritional benefits as well. Altogether these ingredients make for a super healthy sauce to add to Mediterranean dishes. 

Recipes with tzatziki

Here are a few recipe ideas to make with your tzatziki sauce: 

• Greek Tortellini Pasta Salad 
• Marinated Grilled Chicken
• Chicken Gyro Sandwiches
• Vegetable Kebabs
• Homemade Pita Bread
• Greek Turkey Burgers
• Greek Chicken Bowls

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy. It should only be used for estimation purposes and is not a guarantee of any kind. Nutritional information varies widely between brands and types of ingredients used. It is recommended that you calculate the nutritional information based on your own ingredients and brands used. Sweetly Splendid, LLC makes no guarantees as to the exact nutrition information.