How to Make Tzatziki
Learn how to make tzatziki, a traditional Greek yogurt and cucumber sauce with fresh herbs. Tzatziki is a refreshing sauce or dip, and it's so easy to make!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 28, 2024
Tzatziki! Tsaht-ZEE-kee! Otherwise known as that yogurt and cucumber sauce you love at Greek restaurants but worry about mispronouncing (hear the correct pronunciation here).
Tzatziki is made simply with yogurt, drained cucumber, olive oil, fresh herbs (usually mint or dill), garlic, lemon juice and salt. Itโs a refreshing chilled sauce, dip or spread.
I traveled to Greece last fall and ordered tzatziki at every restaurant. Iโm serious. I enjoyed tzatziki with every single meal, even breakfast. This recipe tastes just like authentic tzatziki.
I tend to associate tzatziki with Greek food, but youโll find it served across the Mediterranean and Middle East, sometimes under different names or in slightly different forms.
Tzatziki is often served with grilled meats and gyros, but I canโt think of a grilled or roasted vegetable it wouldnโt play nicely with. You can also serve up some tzatziki with your next appetizer spread. Letโs make some already!
Uses for Tzatziki
Grilled Vegetables
- Bell peppers
- Mushrooms
- Carrots
- Asparagus
- Green beans
- Corn on the cob
Appetizer Spreads
- Toasted pita wedges
- Crisp raw vegetables
- Olives
- Cheese and crackers
- Hummus
- Zhoug or Shatta (Middle-Eastern hot sauces)
Falafel, Sandwiches and Salads
- Falafel
- Pita sandwiches (you could use it instead of the avocado in that recipe)
- Tabbouleh
- Lentil salad
- Chickpea salad
My Tzatziki Technique
Fortunately, tzatziki is super easy to whip together. The only trick is to properly drain the cucumber before mixing it into the yogurt. Otherwise, cucumber waters down the sauce too much. Salting the grated cucumber and letting the excess moisture drip out takes a while.
The easiest and most efficient way to get rid of the excess moisture is to lightly squeeze the grated cucumber over the sink. The only wait required in my recipe is to let the tzatziki rest for five minutes after you mix it all together, to let the flavors meld. At that point, you can serve it right away or chill it for later.
Tzatziki Nutrition & Yogurt Notes
Nutritionally speaking, tzatziki is a creamy but light sauce. You can dollop it generously on your food without adding a lot of calories (unlike, say, mayonnaise or ranch dressing). Itโs made mostly with Greek yogurt and cucumber, after all.
I havenโt found a noticeable difference in texture whether I use whole-milk yogurt, low-fat or non-fat, so any of those will work. Traditional Greek tzatziki is made with strained goat or sheepโs yogurt, but itโs hard to find those here. The Greek yogurt sold here in the U.S. is strained yogurt (thatโs why itโs thicker and higher in protein than regular yogurt), so I use that.
As always, please let me know how you like this recipe in the comments! Iโm excited to hear how it turns out for you and how you serve it.
Watch How to Make Tzatziki Sauce
Best Tzatziki
Learn how to make tzatziki, a traditional Greek yogurt and cucumber sauce with fresh herbs. Tzatziki is a refreshing sauce or dip, and itโs so easy to make! This basic recipe yields about 2 ยฝ cups; multiply if necessary.
Ingredients
- 2 cups grated cucumber (from about 1 medium 10-ounce cucumber, no need to peel or seed the cucumber first, grate on the large holes of your box grater)
- 1 ยฝ cups plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint and/or dill
- 1 tablespoonย lemon juice
- 1 medium clove garlic, pressed or minced
- ยฝ teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- Working with one big handful at a time, lightly squeeze the grated cucumber between your palms over the sink to remove excess moisture. Transfer the squeezed cucumber to a serving bowl, and repeat with the remaining cucumber.
- Add the yogurt, olive oil, herbs, lemon juice, garlic, and salt to the bowl, and stir to blend. Let the mixture rest for 5 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. Taste and add additional chopped fresh herbs, lemon juice, and/or salt, if necessary (I thought this batch was just right as-is).
- Serve tzatziki immediately or chill for later. Leftover tzatziki keeps well, chilled, for about 4 days.
Notes
Recipe adapted from my cookbook, Love Real Food.ย
Make it dairy free/vegan: Substitute an equal amount of cashew sour cream for the yogurt, and thin the tzatziki with a small splash of water if necessary.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionistโs advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
drink your cucumber juice :)
This Tzatziki recipe tastes 100 times better than any homemade sauce. Iโll be using this recipe anytime I need some.
Thatโs great to hear, Deanna!
Or make it into a cocktail. Add it to a gin and tonic!!!
I think this Tzatziki recipe is perfect. Iโm never โbuyingโ Tzatziki again. Thank you so much!
Youโre welcome, Karoline!
I just want to say that I love this recipe. Anytime I make lamb, I make sure to make this sauce on the side :)
Tzatski worked well with this recipe. We love Greek food and it just tasted like the dip when we went to Greece this year. We did use Greek olive oil to.
This is the best Tzatziki recipe! Itโs so delicious and it makes a bunch. My family loves it! Thanks for this recipe!
We personally found that much garlic off putting. I dumped it down the drain because with every bite of our gyros, we tasted raw garlic that overpowers everything elseโฆand I only used half of the clove. Yuck
Iโm sorry you didnโt enjoy this recipe.
I doubled the garlic as always! Yum.
Youโve got to be kidding. Its only one clove of garlic. I used 3 cloves and it wasnโt even close to being too garlicky. It was wonderful. I agree with the other readers. You must have used a whole garlic instead of one clove.
Liz, I am Greek, and this is the best recipe I have ever made, including my grandmas. We have to add a bit more garlic, otherwise perfect. <Maybe you are related to vampires?
Same for me Joyce! My mother makes this exact recipe except adding a little more garlic. At every family party, her tzatziki is the first to be finished by everyone.
Probably used 1/2 a garlic bulb, not 1 clove as called for in the recipe. It is really hard to imagine 1/2 a CLOVE making it overpowering with how large a batch this recipe makes.
I bet you used a whole bulb instead of one clove. Itโs really not very garlicky..
Really? It tastes just the way it should. Try using a garlic press and use a small clove.
Wonderful recipe Kate! Thank you!
No offense meant, but I personally think Lizโs rating should be deleted, as she either has a garlic sensitivity or used half a bulb instead of a clove. Iโm guessing the latter. No way this a one star recipe.
I love to adjust the ingredients at the end to get just the right flavor one is seeking.
Better than Iโd get at a restaurant.
One clove of garlic is a very small amount, I wonder if you mistakenly use the whole bulb instead of one individual clove? We actually used 3 cloves in ours which was delicious.
Surprised to read this. You certainly donโt like garlic. This recipe is the best balanced tzatziki recipe Iโve ever tasted. Donโt blame the recipe if youโre not a garlic fan
This is AMAZING! I too added more garlic..but I got crazy compliments when I brought this to a gathering and they ate all of it. Love it!
I think cooking the minced garlic in a little olive oil in the microwave or in a small pan on the stove would be a good alternative to raw garlic. Many people cannot tolerate raw garlic but you definitely want garlic in this recipe!
You are very weird or doing something wrong the recipe is excellent and garlic is not overpowering at all.
Never dump anything down the drain! Even if you have a garbage disposal in sink. Never put any kind of oil down a drain. That clogs water systems. Always compost.
Next time mince your garlic finer. You could have added more yogurt and dill to offset the garlic. Think twice before you callously waste food like that, please.
To tone down the sharp garlic taste, just put the unpeeled clove in the microwave for 10 seconds. It takes the edge of the sharpness and pops out of the skin easily too!
So easy to make taste was right on. Excellent. Third time making it and it is so good I decided to comment on it. Serving with our ground lamb burgers today. Tomorrow with our ground lamb gyros.
Thank you.
I made this! I used a cheese cloth to squeeze out the cucumber and I was able to get a lot of juice out.
I put in some fresh mint and fresh dill. tomorrow I will make up some falafel!
It tastes fantastic!! thank you โ Iโm adding it to my recipes
Enjoyed My greek son-in-law said it was better than the ones in the old tavernas.
I have learned to squeeze the grated cucumbers in a kitchen towel.
Turned out delicious on the first try, thanks so much!
Itโs fantastic, Iโve always loved tzatziki, and my husband has never tried it before, but we have similar taste profiles- so Iโm excited to try this recipe (it already tastes great) and see what he thinks :)
Thank you
So easy and came out delish! I will start making my own tzatziki from here on out! I used garlic powder instead of fresh garlic so the flavors wouldnโt be as strong, and it came out great.
I want to make your yummy Tzatziki Sauce but I only have unflavoured Cashew yogurt. Do you think this will work? (sorry I posted Coconut yogurt by mistake)
Hi Terri, you can try it. Let me know what you think!
Hi there! This sounds perfect! Have you ever made it with English Cucumber? They contain less waterโฆ..
Hey Steve! I believe I have. I love English cucumber. Iโd still give the grated cucumber a squeeze, but youโre right, it wonโt release as much water.
I just made the Tzatziki Sauce to go with some take-out gyros weโd ordered. We loved it! I did not have any fresh dill or mint, but used a little dried dill instead. Next time I will definitely pick up some fresh mint for the dish. Iโm not Greek, nor have I had the pleasure of traveling to Greece yet, but we do have a Greek Daughter-in-law. This sauce tastes like hers! Itโs a keeperโand so is our daughterโin-law! Thanks for a wonderful addition to my table!
Iโm glad you were able to make it work! I appreciate your review, Anita.
I havenโt tried it so I canโt say the end result will be. Let me know if you try it!
I had some leftover plain yoghurt (non-Greek) so I used that instead of Greek. Big mistake! I ended up making another batch using Greek, instead. The difference is very obvious. The Greek version has much less water in it. The other yoghurt looked almost gummy. Not something Iโd want to eat. So, thatโs a long way of saying that this recipe is great (when made with proper ingredients!).
Iโm glad you made it again and enjoyed the second batch!
I add cream cheese to be a bit thicker for gryos
I didnโt know you could use mint!
Couldnโt easily get fresh dill but mint is still growing this winter in my yard. My partner was dubious so I made half with dried dill. Of course he way preferred the mint. Couldnโt get pitas either, but it was perfect with leftover lamb, tomatoes and Sriracha on a flour tortilla. And yes, I added more garlic
Only reason for 4 stars is that it wasnโt my favorite Greek yoghurt.
Thank you for your feedback, Claudia. If you try it again, let me know what you think!
This is delicious! I just made it and I had to try it before I serve it with dinner. Thank you!!
Youโre welcome! Iโm glad you love it.
Would it be a bad idea to use a food processor?
I wouldnโt recommend it, Susan. If you try this recipe, let me know what you think!
I made this to put on some lamb loin and it was delicious
Just made this to go with some hummus and guacamole for tea later. Didnโt have any cucumber so substituted spring onion (scallion) instead. Hope thatโs not too heretical!
Made it for the first time to accompany lamb loin chops. Very easy to make. A huge hit so thank you. The recipe made a huge amount and was wondering if it can be frozen for later?
Hi Robyn, I donโt think this will be a great recipe. Iโm glad you loved it!
Thank you for a great n easy recipe to make this sauceโค๏ธWe moved and Iโve been so hungry for lots different ethnic foods we had access to at our old residence. Greek is my favoriteโฆ. Iโll now have to master a Gyrosโฆ I never cook lamb. Iโll be waiting for ya!
Just curious can you freeze this and if so how long does it keep (sorry if this was already mentioned somewhere/asked)
Hi Leah, I donโt think this would be a great option to freeze. The cucumbers wouldnโt hold up very well. I hope you enjoyed it!
Just an awesome tzatziki dip. Had to add more garlic though otherwise is just perfect! Iโm from Europe and I love Greek foodโค๏ธ
I make this a lot. Dump the yoghurt on lots of kitchen paper and leave it for a few minutes. Same with the grated cucumber. The excess water is absorbed, and then the moisture is stiffer, and can be relaxed again with the olive oil and lemon
Excellent recipe!!! I dislike garlic and found that the amount in this recipe is absolutely perfect!! My husband and I loved it!
Wow, reminded me of a Greek restaurant in Miami , perfect, thank you . Everyone loved it .
Just made this and it is fantastic. I love tzatziki and this does not disappoint. Guess I will never have to buy again. I had some Greek yogurt from another recipe and didnโt know what to do with it. Guess I now have a go to.
Happy to hear that, Pat! Thank you for sharing.
BEST Tzatziki recipe Iโve made. So good!!
U gotta be kidding with half a clove of garlic! It needs way more for our taste, and just basically more of all seasonings. I add the zest of the lemon as well. Very nice with these adaptations.
I canโt believe I wasted all those years and money buying store bought- this recipe is AWESOME!!!!!!!! Perfect for dipping, side for meat or ANY middle eastern dish โ can adjust flavor profile to liking- thank you!!!!
Youโre welcome, Melinda! Iโm glad you love it.
Absolutely loved it. I will never buy store bought again!
Thatโs great to hear, Denise! I appreciate you sharing.
This is just my favorite tzatziki recipe to make. LOVE, LOVE IT!!
Thatโs great to hear, Debbie! I appreciate your review.
I really enjoyed this recipe. I tend to find most yogurt too strong-smelling (especially Greek yogurt), so I just used Plain yogurt and found this to be perfect. I also added 2 additional cloves of garlic for a little extra kick.
Delicious!!! I finally found the perfect recipe for Taziki. Thank you for sharing.
Iโm glad you enjoyed it, Mariam!
I was wondering if you have a recommendation on the fat percentage in the Greek yogurt for this recipe? I usually buy 10% but am wondering if thatโs too rich and creamy for this. Thank you and really looking forward to making your recipe!! :)
Hi Kate! I like a full fat for this, but any seemed to work great. I hope you love it!
I just made this recipe today. Iโve never made any tzatziki before but always order it where available in restaurants. I do love it and am so happy I tried this version! The only changes I made was to use 1 cup Greek yogurt + 1/2 cup sour cream and I added some onion powder. Put both fresh mint and dill in. It is delicious!!! Will definitely add it to my go to recipes!!
Thatโs great to hear, Gloria! I appreciate your comment.
This is a fantastic recipe. Grating the cucumber makes all the difference. I used high quality freeze-dried dill, and it was amazing. And so easy!
Magic. Had it two nights in a row now. No vampires
Thatโs great, Andre! Thank you for your review.
I tried it today and it came out perfectNot buying Tzatziki again. Thank you Kate.
Wonderful, Penelope! I appreciate your review.
I just made and taste-tested. Iโm not a fan of cucumber so slightly hesitated, (also forgot to get dill when I shopped this morning), but otherwise made it as directed. Very surprised and pleased! Only last week did I start making pita and falafel recipes, so this is good recipe to have. Thank you .
Delicious! I have tried a few recipes and this one is absolutely perfect! I marinaded chicken breast with a couple of tablespoons of this Tzatziki for a few hours. Chicken on pita with red onion and this sauce was a huge success! Yummy!!
Thank you so much for this recipe! We make it once a week in my house and use it for everything (chickpea gyros, baked potato topping, chip dip, vegan stroganoff, etc.) The only changes I make are using my homemade soy yogurt and adding more garlic. What a great find!
This is the best tzatziki recipe ever. I come back to it again and again. Everyone who tastes it wants the recipe! Thank you so much
Love that you think so! I appreciate your review, Terry.
My boyfriend is allergic to dairy, so made this with a tofu- based sour cream. Came out excellent.โค
Wonderful to hear, Barb! Thank you for sharing.
Does this hold up well if made a day ahead?
I find itโs best right away, but you can have it leftover.
Made tzatziki and was very surprised that my husband liked it. Such a great veggie and cracker dip and so easy and healthy.
I used to work for a Greek family for years! Turned out delicious!
Thatโs great to hear, Diva! Thank you for sharing.
Loved making this! It was so easy. Used mint and a lime (since I didnโt have any lemons)