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This Easy Homemade Tzatziki Sauce is cool and creamy and full of fresh Mediterranean flavor. This Greek style sauce is made of Greek yogurt, fresh cucumber, garlic, lemon and fresh dill and comes together in minutes to pair with grilled meats, veggies, gyros and warm pita.
This Easy Homemade Tzatziki Sauce brings refreshing, tangy boost to any meal and tastes like it came straight from a Greek kitchen. This uses a blend of creamy, tangy Greek yogurt, cucumber, garlic, lemon and fresh dill to create a flavor packed dip. This is simple to make, versatile and works great as a dip, pairing to grilled meats or spread for pitas and wraps. Whether you are meal-prepping or serving a Mediterranean meal this is the tzatziki recipe you want on hand.
This sauce works great alongside these Greek Marinated Chicken Kabobs with Lemon, Grilled Mediterranean Chicken Wings or these Beef Souvlaki. If you like sauce recipes you also might like this Creamy Dill Sauce, Tahini Sauce or this Tahini Yogurt Dressing.
Why You Will Love this Tzatziki Sauce
This creamy Tzatziki Sauce is so easy to make and great to have on hand for your Greek meals, paired with veggies or a warm pita. Here is why we love it:
• Easy to Make: This sauce is easy to make and comes together with simple ingredients.
• Flavorful: Tzatziki sauce is incredibly flavor with a mix of tangy Greek yogurt, crisp cucumber and fresh dill. It is light but adds great flavor.
• Great for Meal-Prep: When you meal-prep this is an easy one to make and have on hand for the weekend ahead.
Recipe Ingredients
You will love this easy recipe and the simple ingredients it uses. It is one of my favorite recipes!
- yogurt: I suggest using Greek yogurt if you can as it adds a nice tangy flavor to the tzatziki and has a thicker consistency and is used in traditional tzatziki sauce. If all you have is regular yogurt you can use that but it will be thinner and not as tangy.
- cucumber: freshly grated and drained cucumber is added to tzatziki to create the sauce we all know and love. I try to use an english cucumber but you can use any cucumber variety like Persian cucumbers or garden cucumbers.
- garlic: fresh garlic cloves is preferred in this sauce but if you don’t have it you can sub in garlic powder or pre-minced, jarred garlic.
- olive oil: extra virgin olive oil is my go-to for this as it has the most robust flavor.
- fresh herbs: try to use fresh dill for the best flavor. If you don’t have it on hand you can use dried dill or mint in its place.
Serve this with these Easy Greek Gyros. The perfect pairing!
Ways to Vary this Authentic Tzatziki Recipe with Dill
- Greek yogurt: you can sub in plain regular yogurt for a less tangy flavor (strain for thicker texture) or you can use sour cream.
- herbs: swap the dill for fresh mint or parsley.
- lemon juice: if you don’t have lemon juice you can use white wine vinegar as an alternative.
- spices: add some spices like dried oregano or crushed red pepper for a bit of spice.
- citrus: for an extra lemony flavor add lemon zest.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Prepare the Cucumber: grate the cucumber and squeeze out excess water using a clean towel or paper towels. This step helps prevent the sauce from becoming watery.
Step 2: Drain Cucumber: Squeeze out excess water using a clean towel, paper towels or cheesecloth. This step helps prevent the sauce from becoming watery.
Step 3: Mix the Sauce: In a bowl, combine Greek yogurt, grated cucumber, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, and dill. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
Step 4: Chill & Serve: cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to let the flavors blend. Serve cold as a dip, sauce, or spread.
Serving Ideas
- Protein: Add tzatziki alongside protein like these Mediterranean Beef Kabobs, Beef Kafta Kabob Recipe, Chicken Souvlaki Recipe, Pork Souvlaki with Tzatziki or with this Greek Chicken with Tzatziki Orzo Salad.
- Seafood: Pair this with The Best Baked Mediterranean Salmon Recipe, Sheet Pan Mediterranean Cod, Black Sea Bass Recipe, Air Fryer Cod or this Easy Pan Fried Fish.
- Wraps & Pita: We love this Greek yogurt sauce on wraps like this Beef Shawarma, Greek Beef Pita Pizza, Mediterranean Flatbread or this Chicken Feta Cheddar Pita Pitza.
- Salads: Add a dollop of tzatziki to this Grilled Chicken Greek Salad, Mediterranean Bean Salad or this Greek Village Salad.
- Bowls: We like to add this to bowls like this Easy Mediterranean Hummus Bowl, chicken shawarma, Greek Quinoa Salad or this Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Hummus Bowls.
Storage Instructions
Store in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container. When you are ready to serve you will need to give it a stir and might want to add more lemon juice in.
Recipe FAQ
It is very important to squeeze and drain the excess water from the cucumber before mixing it into the sauce.
Yes you can but it will have less tangy flavor and also be thinner. Sour cream is another option if you want a thicker sauce.
Yes you can but the flavor will change. You can use coconut, almond or cashew yogurt.
More Greek Recipes
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Easy Homemade Tzatziki Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup Greek yogurt, (8 ounces)
- 1/2 cucumber, grated and drained (about 3.5 oz)
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon fresh dill, or mint, chopped
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Prepare the Cucumber: grate the cucumber and squeeze out excess water using a clean towel or paper towels. This step helps prevent the sauce from becoming watery.
- Mix the Sauce: In a bowl, combine Greek yogurt, grated cucumber, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, and dill.
- Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
- Chill & Serve: cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to let the flavors blend.
- Serve cold as a dip, sauce, or spread.
Notes
- Greek Yogurt: Use plain regular yogurt (strain for thicker texture) or sour cream.
- Dill: Fresh mint or parsley can replace the dill.
- Lemon Juice: White wine vinegar works as an alternative.
- Storage: Keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Serving Ideas: Serve with gyros, grilled chicken, pita bread, falafel, or roasted vegetables.
- For extra creaminess, use full-fat Greek yogurt.
- Always drain cucumber well for a thick, rich sauce.
- Add a drizzle of olive oil before serving for authentic presentation.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is an easy tzatziki sauce to make! Perfect for gyros or wraps.