This homemade tzatziki is an authentic recipe that I learnt on holiday in Greece. It is prepared with Greek yogurt, cucumber, dill, lots of garlic and olive oil. I use it in all sorts of different ways as a zingy condiment and dollop onto these Air Fryer Baked Sweet Potatoes.Â
The first time I heard of this recipe was during during a cooking class in Crete. I was there on holiday as a 15 year old with my Mum. One mouthful and I knew I'd been missing out on something great! Whilst it has similarities to the Indian cucumber raita dip, tzaziki has more of a tangy flavour.
Since that summer, I've been making it at home to go alongside crispy Middle Eastern falafel, grilled veggies and in wraps.
If there's one piece of advice that I'll remember from the chef is that you need lots of garlic. Like LOTS of it. It's what gives tzatziki that unmistakable punchy flavour.
I've also bought a lot of shop-bought tzatziki over the years (can you tell I'm obsessed) but this homemade version wins in flavour and texture every. single. time. It feels fresh, the ingredient ratios are well balanced and will have you eating it directly from the bowl.
Ingredients
Be sure to check out the full recipe and exact ingredient list below in the recipe card.
Thick Greek yogurt
Plain greek yogurt is best
If you cannot get hold of thick Greek yogurt, you can hang regular yogurt to drain extra moisture until it thickens. You'll find me using this trick a lot!
Garlic cloves - you need A LOT of garlic for this recipe! To give it a punchy kick, you need around 6 cloves of garlic per 1 cup Greek yogurt. It seems like a lot but it tastes good! And if you aren't convinced, take it up with the chef in Greece!
Extra virgin olive oil - I use extra virgin rather than regular olive oil for the best flavour. It's more fruity and delicious!
Cucumber - I have used an English cucumber because it has a thin edible skin and few seeds. You can also use Persian cucumbers for the same reason. No need to peel or deseed the cucumbers as you will be grating the cucumber
Dill - you need fresh dill that is finely chopped. You cannot substitute dried dill here.
Salt to taste
Optional:
Fresh lemon juice for extra bright flavour
Black pepper
How to make Tzatziki
You want to start by prepping the cucumber to allow time to drain. I have made tzaziki both with draining and not draining the cucumber. Of course, draining leads to a thicker sauce but I don't think the flavour would be affected too much if you didn't want to.
Grate cucumber using a box grater or food processor then place the shredded cucumber on a colander (topped with a kitchen towel) over a bowl.
Allow the excess moisture to drain. You can also gently press on the kitchen paper towel. A helpful tip I find is to add the salt to the cucumber to draw out the moisture faster. I have not done this in the video.Â
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, add the yogurt and the minced garlic.
Tip in the grated cucumber, chopped dill and lemon juice.
Add the olive oil and salt to taste.
Mix well and allow the flavours to meld for 30 minutes before serving.
Serving Suggestion
I love it in a falafel sandwich along with lettuce, chilli sauce and Israeli Salad (a middle eastern salad of finely chopped cucumber, tomato and red onion).
Storage
Store leftover Tzatziki in an airtight container and place in the fridge. It was stay fresh for 2 days. You can also freeze it however do not expect it to have the same consistency as freshly-made tzatziki.
Other Vegetarian Sauce/Dip Recipes
Yogurt sauce (2 minute Garlic Yogurt sauce)
Creamy Cilantro Sauce (Creamy Coriander Sauce)
Poppadom dips (easy Indian dips)
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!
Don’t forget to follow me on social media using the buttons below – I can't wait to see you all there!
Tzatziki
Equipment
- 1 Sharp knife
- 1 box grater or mandolin or food processor
- 1 Garlic press
Ingredients
- 1 cup greek yogurt thick greek yogurt
- ½ cucumber use english or persian cucumber
- 6 garlic cloves adjust according to personal preference
- ¼ cup dill
- 4 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice optional
Instructions
- First start by prepping the ½ cucumber to allow time to drain.
- Grate cucumber using a box grater or food processor.
- Place the shredded cucumber on a colander (topped with a kitchen towel) over a bowl.
- Allow the excess moisture to drain. You can also gently press on the kitchen paper towel.
- If you want, you can add the salt to the cucumber to draw out the moisture faster. I have not done this in the video.
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, add the 1 cup greek yogurt.
- Add in minced 6 garlic cloves
- Tip in the grated cucumber, ¼ cup dill , 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Add the 4 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil and salt to taste
- Mix well and allow the flavours to meld for 30 minutes before serving.
Video
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
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The Yogi Vegetarian says
Sounds like a wonderful holiday 🙂 I'm totally in love with Greece and the Greek islands, and spent a few months on Crete when I was younger. Went back there last Summer and found it as beautiful as ever, and the quality of ingredients you can get there like olive oil, herbs, olives, lemons and locally-made bread is superb! Perfect for matching with a bowl of tzatziki... If you're interested, take a look at some of our blog posts from last August and September to see what we got up to in the kitchen of our little self-catering apartment near Hersonissos...
Simplyfood says
Thanks for sending this wonderful dip to Flavours of Greece event it looks delicious.
Unknown says
Thats a great dip for snacks i must say...dill is such an amazing herb i love it!
Aparna says
luvly..and a new recipe to me..thanks for sharing dear...:)
Dori says
That recipe looks wonderful and I have a small container of Greek yogurt in the fridge, I will try for sure 🙂
jcookingodyssey says
Thank you guys... we did njoyy greece hoilday !!! life goes very fast, make most of it..
@Grace ; yes, i do have a sweet tooth too..can have both...both greek, diffrent taste..
@Jaya : yes, i'm having a nice weekend..hope u too.. try with dill leaves won't regrate it..
Preeti Kashyap says
tzatziki looks yum!
Jaya M says
tzatziki looks so delicious, I have tried making it couple of times but without dill leaves..I am definitely going to add some next time..hope you are enjoying your weekend..
loved the Greece pics,thanks for sharing
hugs and smiles
grace says
as far as i'm concerned, the only greek foodstuff finer than tzatziki is baklava, and it's a tight race. if i didn't have such a sweet tooth, this creamy sauce would be tops. 🙂
Faiza Ali says
The tzatziki looks perfect..I love to add this in gyros..they taste yummy and awesome clicks dear.
priya says
Yummy recipe, dear....and the pics are awesome!...keep rocking!
chef and her kitchen says
Thanks for visiting my blog..lovely simple n yummy dip..gr8 wid chips...