Tzatziki Sauce Recipe

Learn how to make authentic Greek tzatziki sauce at home. This recipe uses Greek yogurt, grated cucumber, red wine vinegar, minced garlic, salt, extra virgin olive oil, fresh herbs, and a little lemon zest. It tastes great with pita, vegetables, or grilled meats.

This is my go-to dip to make during the summer months. I love serving it with grilled tofu or chicken souvlaki, as a sauce for Mediterranean bowls, veggies, or with warm pita.

It’s healthy, easy to make, and a has a good amount of protein from the Greek yogurt. I also love that it uses mostly pantry staples, which means it’s easy to whip up whenever I’m craving tzatziki.

What is Tzatziki?

Tzatziki is made using strained yogurt (from sheep or goat milk), mixed with cucumbers, garlic, salt, olive oil, red wine vinegar, fresh dill, and mint or parsley.

Greek-style tzatziki is usually served as a cold meze, to be eaten with vegetables and bread, or as a sauce for souvlaki and gyros wraps. You’ll also find similar sauces served throughout the Mediterranean and Middle East.

You’ll need to use a thick yogurt to make tzatziki, otherwise the sauce will be too watery. This recipe uses full-fat Greek yogurt because it’s easier to find than strained yogurt at my local grocery store.

If you can’t find Greek yogurt, you can use regular plain (unsweetened) yogurt that’s been strained through a cheesecloth.

To strain your yogurt through a cheesecloth, line a colander with a double layer of cheesecloth. Add your yogurt into the lined colander, and let the yogurt drain for a few hours in the fridge until it reaches your desired consistency.

Tzatziki sauce ingredients

Greek yogurt: I use plain, 2% Greek yogurt for this recipe. The full-fat yogurt makes it rich and creamy, but you can use 0% Greek yogurt if you prefer.

English cucumber: I use English cucumbers because they are seedless and slightly sweet tasting. The key is to squeeze out the excess water from the cucumbers, so they don’t make the sauce watery.

Garlic: I use just one small garlic clove for this recipe. You can use more, but I find too much raw garlic can overpower the delicate flavors of the yogurt and fresh herbs.

Red wine vinegar: I heard from a Greek friend that if you want to make authentic tzatziki, you need to use vinegar instead of lemon juice.

I’ve tried this recipe using distilled white vinegar, red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, and lemon juice. After numerous taste tests, my family thinks this version (made with red wine vinegar) tastes the best.

Just a touch of acid really helps to brighten and round of the flavors of this dip.

Extra virgin olive oil: This adds good flavor and makes the dip creamy.

Salt: This helps balances the flavors.

Fresh herbs: I use fresh dill and mint in this recipe. Sometimes I use fresh parsley instead of mint. It depends on what I have in my garden. You can use fresh or dried herbs, but fresh always taste best.

Lemon zest: While lemon zest is not traditional in authentic tzatziki, I love the bright and tangy element that fresh lemon zest adds to this dip.

How to make homemade tzatziki

Grate the cucumber: Use the large holes on a box grater to manually grate the cucumber. You don’t need to peel the cucumber for this recipe, but you can if you prefer.

Squeeze out the excess water: To do this, put the grated cucumber in a kitchen towel, paper towel, fine mesh strainer, or cheesecloth. Squeeze the water out directly over the kitchen sink.

There will be a lot of liquid, and it make take you several times to properly squeeze out all the excess water. Set aside.

Stir everything together: In a large bowl, mix the yogurt, garlic, red wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, and salt, until well combined.

Stir in the cucumber, fresh herbs and lemon zest if using. You can serve it immediately, but I think it tastes best after resting in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

What to serve with homemade tzatziki

Use it as a sauce for chicken, fish, pork, beef, lamb, falafel, or tofu.

Use it as a dip for pita, crackers, or fresh vegetables.

Use it as a topping for sandwiches, baked potatoes, wraps, or burgers.

Use it as a dressing for leafy green salads, bean salads, or grain bowls.

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