Yogurt Garlic Sauce

My version of this Yogurt Garlic Sauce is made with just 3 main ingredients and takes only 2 minutes. It's the perfect dipping sauce for so many dishes like shawarma, kebabs, kofta and grilled vegetables! I love it with my falafel sandwiches and air fryer smashed potatoes.

This easy to make sauce is a great way to cool down your favourite dishes without reaching for the mayo. I follow a Middle Eastern recipe so you can expect it to taste just like the white sauce at your local kebab shop.

The bonus is that it is so easy to make! In this recipe, I simply mix Greek yogurt with crushed garlic and lemon juice. It's so good that I have to stop myself from eating it directly from the bowl!

If you love yogurt-based sauces as much as I do, here are a few other delicious variations you might want to try

• Indian Mint Sauce best enjoyed with onion bhaji, samosa and poppadoms
• Tzatziki sauce - a delicious Greek dip
• Creamy Cilantro Yogurt Sauce - perfect with tacos and fajitas

Ingredients notes

Yogurt - I use plain yogurt for this recipe that's full fat. Low fat works too, I just add less lemon juice as it's already tart. My preference is Greek yogurt so the sauce is nice and thick.

Garlic - it wouldn't be a Middle Eastern yogurt sauce without a good hit of garlic. I find that fresh garlic is definitely the way to go for best results. Add as little or as much as you want based on personal preference.

At a pinch, you can use garlic powder but it does alter the flavour.

Lemon juice - fresh or bottled work well here.

Salt and pepper to taste

Optional:

Though optional, I pretty much always add in dried mint because I love the flavour that it brings to the sauce.

How to make it

Whisk together yogurt and lemon juice in a small bowl. Grate or mince a clove of garlic and give it a good stir.

I recommend that you do not use a food processor to blitz the yogurt and garlic together - it will make the dip runny. However, you can use a food processor to mince the garlic. 

Add a pinch of salt to taste and lots of black pepper. The sauce will remain thick if kept chilled in the fridge.

Serving Suggestion

Spoon lemon yogurt sauce into wraps or pita pockets. 

Dunk these air fryer garlic fries, pita chips and air fryer breaded mushrooms as an alternative to a ranch dressing. 

The yogurt garlic dip can replace sour cream in many Mexican recipes such as these sweet potato and black bean quesadilla.

Taste great with Air fryer Buffalo Cauliflower too or other grilled vegetables.

The sauce is great for dunking these middle eastern falafels into.

Storage

Store leftover yogurt garlic sauce in an airtight container and keep in the fridge. I recommend using it up within 2 days to enjoy it at its freshest.

Do not freeze this sauce.

Other Yogurt Recipes

Cucumber Raita

Yogurt Sandwich

Eggless Chocolate Mousse (made with yogurt)

Mille Feuille with Saffron Yogurt

Dahi Aloo (Potatoes and Yogurt Curry)

Yogurt, Cashew and Date Popsicle

As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!

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