Tzatziki Sauce
Thick, creamy Greek tzatziki with grated cucumber, garlic, lemon and fresh dill. The cucumber is salted and squeezed so it never turns watery.
33% of it needs you at the counter
- Hands-on
- 15 min
- Resting
- 30 min
- Serves
- 8
- Calories
- 75
- Protein
- 5 g
- Per serving
- $0.62
Why this recipe works
Tzatziki is the cool, garlicky Greek yogurt and cucumber sauce served with gyros, souvlaki and grilled meats, or as a dip with pita and vegetables. It takes 15 minutes and keeps for days.
- Salting the grated cucumber and squeezing it dry removes the water that otherwise seeps out and thins the sauce within an hour.
- Thick, full-fat Greek yogurt keeps tzatziki rich and scoopable; regular yogurt makes it runny.
- A 30-minute rest lets the garlic mellow and spread through the yogurt, so it tastes balanced rather than harsh.
Ingredients
You will need
- Box grater
- Fine-mesh sieve or clean kitchen towel
- Mixing bowl
Method
Tap a step number to mark it done.
Grate the cucumber
Grate the cucumber, skin and all, on the large holes of a box grater. If your cucumber has big seeds, halve it and scrape them out first.
AI-generated illustration of this step. Salt and drain
Toss the cucumber with ½ teaspoon of the salt in a sieve and leave for 10 minutes. Then squeeze it hard by the handful, or wrap it in a towel and wring it, until no more liquid comes out.
AI-generated illustration of this step. Mix
Stir the yogurt, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, dill and the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt together in a bowl, then fold in the cucumber. Season with pepper.
AI-generated illustration of this step. Rest and serve
Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes so the flavors come together. Drizzle with a little more olive oil to serve.
AI-generated illustration of this step.
Cook's notes
- Start with less garlic if you're sensitive to it; it gets stronger as tzatziki sits.
- Only have regular yogurt? Strain it in a coffee filter or towel-lined sieve in the fridge for 2 hours to thicken it.
- It keeps 4 days in the fridge. Stir before serving and pour off any liquid.
Nutrition per serving
75 calories
$0.62 estimated cost per serving
Where the calories come from
| Protein | 28% of calories | 5 g |
|---|---|---|
| Carbs | 22% of calories | 4 g |
| Fat | 50% of calories | 4 g |
| Fiber | 0 g | |
| Sodium | 130 mg |
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for the listed ingredients and amounts; not lab-tested. Cost estimated from average US retail prices.
Questions people ask
How do you keep tzatziki from getting watery?
Salt the grated cucumber, let it drain for 10 minutes and squeeze it very dry before mixing. Using thick Greek yogurt rather than regular yogurt helps too.
Can I make tzatziki with sour cream?
Yes, you can replace up to half the yogurt with sour cream for a richer, milder sauce. All sour cream works but loses the tang that makes tzatziki taste fresh.
What do you eat tzatziki with?
Gyros, chicken shawarma, souvlaki, grilled lamb or salmon, falafel, or as a dip with pita and raw vegetables.
