From-scratch Quick Tzatziki Sauce

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

Greek Tzatziki Sauce

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 we love to make are Gyros, Falafel sandwiches, and Chicken shawarma wraps. These straightforward sandwiches wrapped in tasty pita bread 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 Greek Tzatziki Sauce Recipe stays in the rotation

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

• It is so straightforward to cook! It uses plain ingredients and fresh veggies. It’s a plain recipe for a creamy sauce.
• The method 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, herbs, lemon, and garlic — 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 from-scratch 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 plenty of flavor to the sauce.

Straightforward Tzatziki Sauce Recipe Ingredients

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

• Plain Greek yogurt – we 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
• Salt – we 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. We use this Lemon zester
• Olive oil – Extra virgin olive oil is more true to Greek cuisine, but you can substitute it with avocado oil.
• Black pepper – We like to grind our own with a Pepper grinder
• 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.

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.

How to make Tzatziki Sauce

Here’s how to cook this super quick and straightforward from-scratch tzatziki sauce:

1. 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.)
2. Let the cucumbers and salt sit for 10 minutes to extract excess water and excess moisture from the cucumbers.
3. 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.
4. Add in your garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, fresh dill, salt, and pepper. Mix together.
5. Drizzle in the olive oil and mix to combine.
6. 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.

Straightforward Tzatziki Sauce Recipe Tips & Tricks

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

Fresh lemon juice tastes best, but if you have to you can use the bottled concentrate. However, we 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. We usually have a nicer one in our pantry for “finishing” dishes and one we 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.

What to Eat with this Greek Tzatziki Sauce Recipe

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

• Greek Tortellini Pasta Salad
• Marinated Grilled Chicken
• Greek Turkey Burgers
• Greek Chicken Bowls

Storing this Recipe for Tzatziki

From-scratch tzatziki sauce should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

When storing, it may become separated, but it needs a quick stir to come back together.

Frequently Asked Questions