Greek Tzatziki Recipe
Tzatziki is THE quintessential Greek dip – easy to make, healthy, fresh and delicious. Tzatziki is made simply with yogurt, cucumber, fresh herbs, lemon, garlic and olive oil. The perfect dip for your maze table and an essential sauce for souvlaki and gyros. This delicious recipe is naturally vegetarian and can be easily tweaked to make it vegan.
Servings: 4
Calories: 100kcal
Ingredients
- ½ cucumber
- 2 tsp chopped fresh dill
- 1 tsp chopped fresh mint
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- 1 cups (240g) Greek yogurt , full-fat
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice , or to taste
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil , more to serve
- 1 tsp sea salt , or more to taste
- black pepper , to taste
Instructions
- Start by peeling your cucumber. Slice in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. Line a colander with a clean kitchen towel and coarsely grate the cucumber over it using a box grater.½ cucumber
- Gather the towel into a bundle and squeeze out the excess moisture. You can use the cucumber juice in a smoothie or a cocktail. Place the drained cucumber flesh into a small bowl.
- Finely chop the mint and dill and add to the bowl together with the oregano.2 tsp chopped fresh dill, 1 tsp chopped fresh mint, ½ tsp dried oregano
- Stir in the yogurt, lemon juice, olive oil. salt and minced garlic. Have a taste and adjust the lemon juice or seasoning as needed.1 cups (240g) Greek yogurt, 2 garlic cloves, 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- Garnish your tzatziki sauce with a sprinkle of ground pepper, oregano and fresh herbs and serve with an extra drizzle of olive oil. Keep in the refrigerator until ready to serve.2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 1 tsp sea salt, black pepper
Video
Notes
RECIPE NOTES AND TIPS
- Make sure to squeeze all the moisture out of the grated cucumber otherwise it will make the tzatziki watery and insipid.
- You can adjust the cucumber to yogurt ratio as you please. I like to use about half a large cucumber (peeled and deseeded) to one cup of yogurt.
- Vegan Tzatziki: One simple swap and your tzatziki sauce is vegan. Simply replace the Greek yogurt with a Greek-style vegan yogurt equivalent. Opt for a thick and creamy plant-based yogurt and adjust the acidity with lemon juice or vinegar.
- Avocado Tzatziki: stir in in mashed ripe avocado for extra creaminess and a beautiful green hue, making sure to add plenty of lemon or lime juice to keep the avocado from browning.
- Spicy Tzatziki: add a spoonful of harissa, sriracha, or pul biber to give your dip some heat. Stir in little crumbled feta and serve with barbecue lamb.
- Beetroot Tzatziki: a little finely grated or mashed cooked beetroot will turn your dip a bright vibrant pink! Top with loads of fresh dill and chopped pickles. Great with potato salad or as part of a grazing platter.
- Ranch Tzatziki: replace some of the yogurt with full-fat sour cream and mayonnaise. Replace the lemon juice with white wine vinegar and add a pinch each of paprika, cayenne and onion powder. Top with sliced scallions.
Nutrition
Calories: 100kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.003g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 601mg | Potassium: 132mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 38IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 67mg | Iron: 0.3mg
