Authentic Tzatziki

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. 

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

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. 

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)

Amba Sauce

Creamy Cilantro Sauce (Creamy Coriander Sauce)

12 Samosa dipping sauces

Tamarind sauce

Indian mint sauce recipe

Schezwan sauce

Instant pot cranberry sauce

Traditional bread sauce

Sour cream and chive dip

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!

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