How to Make Tzatziki Sauce (VIDEO)
This post shows How to Make Tzatziki Sauce, and this Greek yogurt and cucumber sauce is the delicious sauce that’s served with Greek Food! And this amazing and versatile sauce is low in carbs and gluten-free!
PIN How to Make Tzatziki Sauce to try it later!
This recipe will show you everything you need to know about How to Make Tzatziki Sauce! And if you’re not familiar with it, Tzatziki (pronounced tsah-see-key) is one of the classic sauces in Greek cuisine, with as many versions as there are cooks who make it. If you’ve had the delicious Greek pita sandwich called a Gyro (pronounced yee-row), Tzatziki is the type of white sauce that’s often served on Gyros.
For years I’ve called this The World’s Best Tzatziki Sauce, and I learned to make it after a Greek friend brought this delicious Greek yogurt and cucumber sauce sauce to my house when I cooked some lamb. That’s when I discovered that homemade Tzatziki is so much better than the kind you buy, and now this recipe has a lot of fans!
I love Tzatziki on all kinds of grilled meats like Salmon, Koobideh, Souvlaki, chicken, and of course lamb. I’ve never had a version of Tzatziki sauce I didn’t like, but this was hands-down the best one I’ve tasted. Try it if you’ve never made Tzatziki yourself!
What is Tzatziki Sauce?
Tzatziki Sauce is the traditional Greek Yogurt, Cucumber, and Dill sauce that’s often served with Greek food, and if you’ve eaten Gyros it is the white sauce that some people call Gyro Sauce! I’m giving you some of my favorite ideas for dishes to serve with Tzatziki in this post, but there are so many different ways to use Tzatziki Sauce, and once you make some homemade Tzatziki you’re going to want to eat it on everything!
What ingredients do you need for this recipe?
(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- Greek Yogurt (or regular plain yogurt, strained through a filter for several hours)
- lemon (I used my fresh-frozen lemon juice)
- garlic clove
- cucumbers
- Kosher Salt (affiliate link) for salting cucumbers
- fresh dill
- Kosher Salt (affiliate link) and fresh ground black pepper to taste
How long will Tzatziki Sauce keep in the fridge?
If you start with very fresh yogurt that’s not close to the use-by date, Tzatziki will keep in the fridge for at least 4-5 days, and probably as long as a week. But if you don’t think you will use it all in that amount of time, you might want to cut this recipe in half.
What else could you add to Tzatziki Sauce?
The recipe you see here is the classic Greek Tzatziki Sauce, but here are some other options you might enjoy:
- Many people like to add fresh mint to Tzatziki, which is good if you like that flavor.
- I’ve seen Tzatziki recipes that used Za’atar Spice Mix (affiliate link).
- I’d also love to serve Tzatziki sprinkled with the middle eastern spice called Sumac (affiliate link).
- I love lemon, so I like adding a bit of lemon zest to Tzatziki for a bit more lemon flavor.
- And I definitely wouldn’t mind a bit of finely-crumbled Feta cheese stirred into my Tzatziki!
How to make Tzatziki Sauce:
(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- Tzatziki Sauce is made with Greek Yogurt, and there are many good brands.
- If you can’t find Greek yogurt, you can make something similar by straining regular plain yogurt for several hours to remove the liquid and thicken the yogurt. I use the yogurt strainer you see in this photo, but if you don’t have one Georgette recommends using two coffee filters inside a colander, placed inside a bowl to catch the liquid.
- The first photo shows the yogurt starting to drain.Let the yogurt drain on the counter for 2 hours, or until it reaches the thickness you want. The next photo shows how much liquid had drained out after 2 hours, when the yogurt was nice and thick.
- Since Tzatziki contains finely-chopped cucumber, it’s best to remove the seeds of the cucumber so the sauce doesn’t get too watery. Use a sharp pointed spoon to scrape out seeds as shown in this photo.
- Then cut cucumbers into thick slices and put in a colander placed in the sink. Sprinkle on salt and let cucumbers release water and drain for at least 30 minutes or more. (The water released rinses off most of the salt, but if you’re limiting salt in your diet you can rinse them and pat dry with paper towels.)
- Tzatziki traditionally contains fresh dill, which makes me glad I have dill from my garden. Use the fine tips of the dill leaves and discard the thick stems. Some versions of Tzatziki use mint, and I’m thinking dried dill weed would also work in a pinch.
- Put the cucumbers, garlic, lemon juice, dill, and black pepper into food processor and process with the steel blade until cucumbers are finely chopped. When you see the liquid in this photo you can tell why it’s important to drain the cucumbers first.
- Then stir the pureed cucumber mixture into the Greek yogurt (or yogurt you’ve drained.)
- Let this refrigerate for at least 2 hours before using to give flavors a chance to develop.
- Tzatziki sauce will keep in the fridge for a day or two, and it’s good on any kind of grilled meat. Look below for more serving suggestions.
Ten Favorite Dishes to serve with Tzatziki:
- Baked Greek Meatballs with Feta
- Grilled Middle Eastern Turkey Burgers
- Ground Beef Gyro Meatball Lettuce Wraps
- Greek Salmon with Tzatziki Sauce
- Low-Carb Lamb Shish Kabobs
- Chicken Souvlaki
- Greek Lamb Souvlaki
- Kalyn’s Pork Souvlaki Recipe
- Grilled Lamb Chops with Garlic, Rosemary, and Thyme
- Kabob Koobideh: Ground Beef Kabobs
How to Make Tzatziki Sauce
This post will show you How to Make the World's Best Tzatziki Sauce! And Tzatziki is delicious served in a variety of ways; enjoy!
Ingredients
- 3 cups Greek Yogurt (or regular plain yogurt, strained through a filter for several hours)
- juice of one lemon (about 3 T)
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- 2 medium cucumbers, seeded and diced
- about 1 T kosher salt for salting cucumbers
- 1 T finely chopped fresh dill (can substitute mint leaves for a slightly different version)
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- If you don't have Greek yogurt, strain plain yogurt for several hours until it thickens.
- Peel cucumbers, then cut in half lengthwise and take a small spoon and scrape out seeds. Discard seeds. (If you use the small seedless or European cucumbers with few seeds, you can skip this step.)
- Slice cucumbers, then put in a colander, sprinkle on 1 T salt, and let stand for 30 minutes to draw out water. Drain well and wipe dry with paper towel.
- In food processor with steel blade, add cucumbers, garlic, lemon juice, dill, and a few grinds of black pepper. Process until well blended, then stir this mixture into the yogurt. Taste before adding any extra salt, then salt if needed.
- Place in refrigerator for at least two hours before serving so flavors can blend. (This resting time is very important.)
- This will keep for a few days or more in the refrigerator, but you will need to drain off any water and stir each time you use it.
Notes
Nutritional information is calculated on 1/4 cup serving size.
Recipe from Georgette Kapos.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
14Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 37Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 2mgSodium: 558mgCarbohydrates: 4gFiber: 0gSugar: 2gProtein: 5g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
This recipe for Tzatziki Sauce would be suitable for low-carb and Keto diets and for any phase of the original South Beach Diet or other low-glycemic diets. Yogurt is a dairy product where the South Beach Diet recommends always choosing non-fat or low-fat, but Tzatziki is a condiment, and you won’t be eating enormous amounts of it so I would probably use full-fat yogurt for best flavor. And of course low-carb and Keto diets would absolutely want full-fat yogurt.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Sauces to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This Tzatziki recipe was first posted in 2007, and I have made it many, many times since then! It was last updated with better photos and more information in 2023.
260 Comments on “How to Make Tzatziki Sauce (VIDEO)”
Yours is the best tzatziki I’ve ever had! Such a hit at parties with pita triangles, and we love it with Greek marinated chicken and feta. I use the small Persian cucumbers so I can skip the salting/draining/seed scooping part and just throw it all in the food processor.
I find the recipe a bit labor intensive, so I tend to make up a giant batch of the concentrate (everything except the yogurt), then freeze it in an ice cube tray and store the cubes in the freezer (they stay good for months). That way I can just thaw one cube and mix with fresh yogurt whenever I have a craving. Instant tzatziki any time!
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe and maintaining the site.
So glad you have been enjoying it! I love your tips for using Persian cucumbers, and also freezing everything without the yogurt. BRILLIANT IDEA!
This is seriously the best tzaziki sauce ever! I make it all the time!
I add extra garlic, but my family are all garlic lovers.
I always forget just how good this stuff is until I make it. Then I’m eating it by the spoonful before I even get it to the fridge. 😂 after letting it sit overnight it’s heavenly! I bought store made stuff once when I was feeling lazy. Needless to say, I threw it out fast and made this instead
Wow, thanks for the great testimonial. So glad you are enjoying it so much!
This was DELICIOUS! I made it as is. It took a day for the flavors to all gel but so super good. Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed it!
This is my favorite recipe for tzatziki sauce. Thanks so much for sharing it.
SO glad you are enjoying it!
Have you tried making it with dill AND mint? How’d it go?
I haven’t, but personally I think it would be amazing. I’m a mint fan but not everyone is, I know that!
when storing the tzatziki in the refrigerator, why do i need to drain off the liquid?
Extra liquid that comes from the yogurt will just make the sauce runny and dilute the flavor. If you drain it really well when you make it, you might not get to much extra liquid.
Recipe says “Let the yogurt drain on the counter for 2 hours,” Well, I followed the instructions but it made a heck of a mess all over the counter. So I’m thinkin’ you need to change your methods a bit, unless you just like moppin’ up your counter. Or maybe have ’em put a bowl under it. Or say to drain it on the floor and the dogs and cat can take care of it for ya. Now, there’s an idea…
I guess you missed the two photos in the post of the yogurt draining with a measuring cup under the strainer?
Have to agree with the MORE GARLIC rec. I use 4 or 5 cloves, and am liberal with the dill. Good stuff!
Glad you liked it!
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Can any left-over sauce be frozen?
I haven’t frozen this but I really doubt it will freeze well, sorry!
Hi there! Getting ready to make this. I see that you prefer Greek yogurt. Will it make the end product sour or tart? I’m just trying to figure out how it’ll all taste at the end. My experience with Greek yogurt is that it is very sour unless I add sugar or something. Thanks in advance!
I’m not sure how to answer that because everyone has different tastebuds, and what seems “too sour” to you might taste just fine to me. This is the white sauce that’s served on Gyros, so if you’ve had that in a restaurant and liked it, I’m sure they used Greek yogurt, since it’s a Greek sauce. But you can certainly use any plain yogurt you like the flavor of.
So I made it and it was goooood. It wasn’t sour or anything. It was really tasty. I think next time I’m going to try half the salt on the cucumbers. Thanks for the recipe!
Glad you enjoyed it Faith! Be sure you use enough salt to draw the water out of the cucumbers, otherwise the dip will be too watery. You can rinse or wipe off the salt after it does its job!
This made A LOT! Can we freeze what we don’t use?
I don’t think it will freeze well. But it’s good on so many things and will keep in the fridge for at least a week.
You could definitely cut the recipe in half next time you make it.
Hello! I’m excited to find your site. I need suggestions as what to replace for citrus (such as the lemon juice in the tzatziki sauce). My husband has severe allergies to citrus and tree nuts and peanuts!?!?
I haven’t ever made tahini without lemon juice, so I can only guess. It might work with a few tablespoons of mild vinegar. I can’t think of anything else.
I made it once and did not like it. It was not even close to tzatziki I get in Chicago on their Kronos Gyros throught the town. There are the most tasty gyros I ate and I ste gyros from many different places throught the US and Europe. But I am going to give it another try, maybe I did something wrong. I will post another comment when I do.
I love this sauce, but would like to make it a bit thicker. Kalyn, any tips?
It is the straining of the yogurt that gives the thickness, so strain it for a longer time (maybe even overnight.) That’s the only thing I can think of.
If you want a thicker sauce, just use labneh, it’s Middle Eastern yogurt that’s been strained to a thick spreadable consistency. It’s delicious and is what you end up with when yogurt is stained for longer than what Greek yogurt ends up as.
Estelle, great idea! I am pretty sure I’d never heard of Labneh years ago when I posted this recipe.
Shred cucumber with the large side of a shredder, NOT IN THE FOOD PROCESSOR! Big hugs from Greece!
nice info sis like it
Teresa, so glad you have been enjoying it all this time!
Kayln
This is 2014 and your recipe is my go too and I pass it on..
thanks for sharing
This is some of the best Tzatziki ever! I have never drained the cucumber when making it, and like that trick! I did use Greek yogurt so no draining required. No need for extra salt as well (glad you put to check before adding) because the cucumbers gave off enough. Another good one 🙂
T = tablespoon. I use tsp. for teaspoon.
Is the T for the recipe Tablespoons or teaspoons?
Karla, I've never used Greek Seasoning in this, but I'd imagine it wouldn't be too bad. It would add salt, so I wouldn't use too much.
I'm just starting the SBD and found your blog. Amazing!!! Can't wait for my Tzatziki to be chilled. Just out of curiosity, have you ever used Greek seasoning instead of just dill in it?
Hopefromtheashes,
If you followed all the instructions in the recipe I'd have to guess that it's the brand of yogurt or possibly bigger/more watery cucumbers that make it thinner. Do try again!
Hi Kalyn,
Thanks so much for posting the recipe; my husband and I fell in love with each other and the food while in Greece. I do think I've done something incorrectly regarding the recipe because mine came out very thin. Any suggestions on how to make it thicker? Many thanks! Jill
Use Greek yogurt, shred the cucumber with the large side of a shredder, NOT IN THE FOOD PROCESSOR, then sprinkle with salt and let it in a strainer (press a little in your palms) to drain all off the excess water. Big hugs from Greece!
Yes, the recipe says "Peel cucumbers."
Ok, I may have missed this, but was I supposed to peel the cucumbers first? It looks like they're peeled in the picture, but I didn't notice until after I scraped and diced.
Oh my! Everyday I try a new recipe of yours, and today I wanted to clean out the fridge. I had a cucumber (it looked nice so I bought it, but I hate them), and I had non-fat Greek yogurt (leftover from the Ham & Cauliflower casserole). This seemed like a great way to use those items. Good thing I cut the recipe in half…this stuff is phenomenal!!! We're topping our crockpot roast (with dill, garlic, & onion) with this tonight (if there's any left…it tastes good on a spoon too). Hopefully on top of souvlaki or gyro meatballs soon! Day 5 of SBD phase 1 and you're making it so easy!
As a Greek – and PROUD of it! – I can honestly say that none of my family/friends *EVER* put mint in tzatziki. Ever. It's just not done in traditional family cooking.
This recipe is pretty spot on, except that we don't food process our cucumber (makes it too watery), rather we chop it – which makes the tzatziki chunkier too. And we put about half a garlic in, not just one clove. If you're not oozing garlic for a week, it's not good tzatziki!
Agree! AND REAL GREEK YOGURT! Big hugs from Greece!
This was a great recipe, I loved how you explained everything. The only thing was when I blended the cucumber, etc it came out a bit too smooth for my liking so next time I'll probably grate and chop everything by hand so I can see the little bits of ingredients. Also, I only buy full fat Greek yogurt, it tastes way better and actually has more health benefits then reduced.
Best tzatziki sauce ever!..Made it today and cant wait to try on Indian roti with veggies..
I bought bottled sauce at the store today, but thought "there must be a recipe for it somewhere." The internet to the rescue! I'm excited to try your recipe. I even have all the ingredients on hand including cukes and dill from my garden.
Oh my! Just as with every other single recipe I've tried of yours, this one is SO DELICIOUS!! The meatballs are soooo flavorful. I made it with a Greek salad. Didn't have the yogurt on hand to make tatziki sauce, but will definitely try that next time. Thank you!!!!
just made this for the gyro meatballs. oh my gosh. soooooo good. could eat just sit here and eat it with a spoon! (even before letting it sit.)
Glad people are still enjoying this! Jerusha, love the variation with roasted red peppers.
today I made this recipe and made a slight modification. after making the base recipe I split it in half (so I could have some original still) and to one half added 1/4 cup roasted red bell pepper. Upon initial taste it is really good. I have to let it sit still but the temptation to have some right now is strong. 🙂
This recipe is GREAT. Not only does the sauce taste wonderful, but the explaination of draining the yogurt and salting the cucumbers to remove water makes the sauce thick and not runny like most recipes.
Thank for the Delicious Tzatziki recipe!!!
Definitely going to try this out. I'd been searching the web for the best sauce and I hope this it!
So glad you enjoyed it, and fun hearing from someone in New Zealand!
Made it here in New Zealand with a leg a lamb but with the mint version (we lived in St. Petersburg, Russian for two years and it put me off all things Dill) and as you say, it was the world's best Tzatziki sauce. Really kicking myself I never made it sooner! I am using it tonight to go with some broiled chicken thighs marinated in lime, garlic, and fresh NZ honey with ginger for a glaze effect. Thanks so much for the recipe!
Tzatziki – I love this stuff!I had Tzatziki for the first time when we made it at our Culinary School and absolutely loved it!We had also made Shawarma and Falafel along,and it was a wonderful dip for them.
Though we used mint,back then,I am game to try the dill version.I will bookmark/note this down!Thank you for sharing,thank you for taking me back down the memory lane!:-)
Becky, thanks for that tip. I'll have to try your method. Glad you are enjoying the site!
I made this recipe and it was wonderful! Instead of pureeing the cucumbers though, I shredded them and then sprinkled the salt on the shreds to draw out the water. After I let it sit for 5-10 minutes, I poured off the water and then squeezed the shreds (with my bare hands :)) to get any additional liquid out. I repeated this about three times and then mixed it into the yogurt. My left overs never accumulated any additional liquid. It stayed the consistency of sour cream until we finished the sauce. I will make this over and over… Thanks, Kalyn, and I love your site!
James, so glad you have enjoyed the recipe so much!
Thank you so much for this recipe. It's fantastic! I've tried it on two separate occasions, and both were beyond amazing!! The first time I tried it I made the mistake of combining the cucumber-mix and the yogurt in my food processor; note to fellow readers: don't do that! I found that it makes the tzatziki very watery because it breaks down the yogurt. However, this was a wonderful learning experience because the second time it turned out nice and thick, which made it even better, of course. The only change I made to the actual recipe was to triple the garlic because, as "spacedogfl" said, you can never have enough!
Thank you again for posting this recpe. It will definitely be a permanent addition to my cooking repertoire. 😀
James, glad you liked it. I don't think it will freeze well (the yogurt will separate and I bet the cucumber will get mushy.)
Thank you so much! I wanted to make my wife something special. She is Greek, so I decided to make her gyros. I found your recipie, and not only did I have fun making it, she loved it! She thought it was the best she had tasted, and we have been to a lot of Greek festivals! I have one question, can fou freeze Tzatziki sauce? I don't need so much all at once. Thanks again!
Yes you will still need 3 cups. You could make a smaller amount if needed. Fun hearing from someone in Beijing; I went on a great trip there.
Hi Kalyn! So I'm straining some regular yogurt to make some of this yummy looking tzatziki, and it's reducing A LOT. If you use three cups of Greek yogurt, I'm assuming that when I use plain yogurt I still need three cups of yogurt after straining? I looked through the previous comments and didn't see anything pertaining to this. Normally, I would've just bought Greek yogurt, but I'm living in Beijing and it is insanely expensive here ($4 a cup? no thanks!). Ah well. I think I'm just going to wing it for today, but I was just wondering. Thanks! 🙂
I just made this using your recipe and it came out fabulous! We are serving it for our Super Bowl party tomorrow. I think everyone will love it! Thanks
Meagan, I have not tried it, but I don't think this would freeze well.
can you freeze the left overs?
Hi Kalyn, I used a low-fat Greek yogurt. The fact mine turned out somewhat thin probably had something to do with me messing around with the recipe proportions and taking as many shortcuts as possible since I didn't have a chance to start on this until almost dinner time! I expect if I had followed the recipe it would've turned out just as expected, but it still tasted great, and we ate before 10 PM! Anyway, I think the "rescue" technique is a keeper.
Ken
Ken, thanks for sharing that. I'm curious about whether you strained the yogurt before you made it or used Greek yogurt. If so, you must have had cucumbers with a lot of water. Glad you still enjoyed it.
Hi Kalyn, made the tzatziki the other day and served with falafel; the way it came out my wife thought it was delicious, but too watery (I thought it was fine and matched consistency of commercially available tzatziki). Anyway, not important, but having the sauce that was arguably too thin, I did the cone/paper coffee filter thing on the finished product; after a couple hours it was rather thicker and a fair amount of juice had collected, which smelled a lot like pickles (cucumber and dill together???). Best of all, sauce still tasted great. Anyway, maybe a possible salvage for those whose sauce is thinner than desired for whatever reason.
Kalyn, I've not heard of salting cucumbers to get excess water out; it's an excellent idea and I will try it next time I make tzatziki.
As for dill, I really prefer dried dill to fresh; it has more flavor. I think it's like oregano. We never use fresh oregano in cooking; it's always the dried, much more flavorful.
Barb, so glad you have enjoyed the recipe!
For several years I tried many recipes for Tzatziki sauce. None tasted like what I remembered while living in Europe. This is the real deal and so easy to make. If you can get the Greek yogurt buy it. Even my little rural town (pop. 1000) in PA finally sells it. Also Tzatziki sauce isn't just for gyros. Works for many things, just need a little imagination.
You could probably make a chunky version of it if you have the patience to finely chop the cucumbers and herbs by hand. I haven't tried it that way; let me know how it works if you try it.
I don't have a food processor. Can I still make this tzatziki sauce ?
Glad you are enjoying it. I have a bunch of garden cucumbers so I'm making some soon!
I love this stuff .. This is a great recipe thanks for the post !!
So glad you have been enjoying the recipes!
I wanted to thank you for such an amazing recipe collection, and particularly for this tzatziki recipe. I've had this with your baked falafel recipe (absolutely amazing – used chickpea flour), and I have been using it as a salad dressing all week. I also found it makes a great substitute for mayonnaise when I make egg salad.
Your recipes have really helped add variety to the South Beach for my husband and me. I'm down 20 pounds, and he is down 30, but I feel like we have been eating like kings, thanks to your recipes and ideas. It makes it so much easier to stick with it.
It says in the recipe "juice of one lemon – about 3 Tablespoons."
How much lemon juice do you use?
So glad you liked it!
Just made your Tzatziki sauce! Your recipe was so great and easy to follow. It tastes SO wonderful, I just want to put it on everything!
I'm new to the scene a bit about this Greek yogurt wave; but now that I've tried Fage on everything from blueberry bagels – instead of sour cream – to rice pilaf, I aint never going back! Plus, maybe you've heard about the fat-fighting prowess of these strained yogurts (I love the honey Oikos)
I don't calculate nutritional information, but if you use non-fat greek yogurt, it's got to be a very healthful sauce.
Does anyone have any idea of the nutritional facts regarding this recipe?
Kristy, so glad you liked it!
Best recipie I have found for this!! I just made it and I had to hide it in the back of the refrigerator so that I wouldn't eat the entire bowl. Thanks for sharing!
Glad people are still enjoying this!
I made this recipe (adding more garlic because you can never have enough!) and it is fantastic. I used a Greek-style yogurt with no additives and 2 largish cucumbers which I let drain for over an hour (while cleaning the apartment) then squeezed dry and two days later it is still thick and creamy with no excess water. I love it! Thanks for posting this.
Just came across your blog as I was finishing up my restaurant leftovers of gyro meat and tzatziki. We always have tons of Greek yogurt on hand I'm tempted to run out and buy cucumber so I can make this with some grilled chicken for dinner tonight. Here in Tarpon Springs (large Greek community) I never see dill in tzatziki but I have some in my garden so maybe I will throw some in.
Leah, good point! Glad you're enjoying the recipe.
"That said, Tzatziki is a condiment, and you won't be eating enormous amounts of it." — speak for yourself!!! :))))
Great recipe. I strain my greek yogurt too. Thank goodness for having multiple colanders 🙂
Michelle, so glad you liked it. (And I do know what you mean about the pronunciation of Gyros!)
So my husband LOVES gyros. So I knew I had to find a Tzatziki suce recipe. I didn't like the one in my cooke book, and the store bought tzatziki was jut blah. Hubby said he liked it well enough, I told him it's because he didn't know any better. LOL and since I'm making Gyros for our dinner guests tonight, I knew I needed a WOW recipe. I just finished making the sauce, and OH MY GOSH! It' tastes awesome already, without even having sat in the fridge yet. Just stuck it in. My husband and guests are going to love this. Thanks so much for posting the recipe, and please pass my thanks on to your friend for sharing the recipe with us via your blog!!!!
PS it's like nails on a chalkboard to me when I hear someoone pronounce gyro it with a hard G!!!! Like someone saying I-talian!!!!
Ahmed, did you use Greek Yogurt or drain your own yogurt? If you drained it, some yogurts just don't thicken as well due to the way the yogurt is made. Other than that, I'm not sure without actually watching you make it!
Hi , I'm a beginner in cooking . I love this sauce so so much . I have a question regarding the consistency : I followed your recipe word by word but I ended up with a semi-liquid sauce and I don't know what went wrong … so Where do you think most people go wrong regarding the consistency ? . Again thank you very much for this Blog .
Kristina, yogurt will only drain if it is free of thickeners & gelatin, such carrageenan, pectin or xantham gum. Try a brand like Nancy's that doesn't add any of these extra fillers. I use it and when I drain a cup of yogurt, it only takes an hour and I end up with 1/2 cup…it decreases by about half. Good luck!
Kristina, I can only guess that the yogurt you used had a lot of water in it. I would try with *real* Greek yogurt, which is very thick. The amount of cucumber may be a matter of taate, but Tzatziki does have a lot of cucumber flavor. Definitely you can add less cucumber if you'd like.
I used nonfat regular yogurt, and strained it as directed, for almost three hours. I also used two medium cucumbers, and drained the water from those as well. However, when I mixed everything together, the taste was great but the consistency was that of a melted milkshake. I'm assuming the yogurt made it not work? Also there was WAY too much cucumber, even for a cucumber lover like myself… Help please! 🙂
Debi, that's great news! Thanks for letting me know they liked it.
mmmmmmmm Very yummy. Im not a great cook but this fully passed inspection by my inherited Greek side of my family! They really enjoyed it. Thanks
I love it! Greek yogurt is my go to food, especially when I'm training.
I'm not sure what "Greek Style Yogurt" is, but the brand of yogurt could definitely make a difference. I'm guessing the flavor will be much better after it sits though. Haven't heard of adding olive oil to this. (You don't want me to come over and cook; I make a terrible mess in the kitchen!)
So what you are saying is… you don't mind coming over and cooking for us, because that is what I heard! We are letting it sit over night, plus one thing I learned is that my wife picked up Greek-"style" yogurt. I'm not sure if that would have made the taste change? Also, I saw that other recipes add Olive Oil… any reason why? I would think it would lose its thickness.
It says in the recipe "This resting time is very important." If you didn't let it rest, I'd guess you don't have the flavor you would have had yet. Without being there cooking it with you there's no way for me to tell if you did something wrong.
The wife and I LOVE to eat this stuff when we go out, so we came online to find a recipe and here we are. We just finished it about an hour ago and followed the recipe every step. We just couldn't wait to let it sit any longer in the fridge, so I tried it and it tastes way too much like the yogurt. Is this normal if we dont let it sit long enough or did I do something wrong? Please help!
So glad to hear it was such a hit.
I just made this tonight for my family to have with pita bread and chicken souvlaki. We live in Astoria, New York which has a huge Greek population. We've eaten tzatziki many times in many places. However, this is, hands down, the best damn tzatziki I have ever had, and ditto for the other 5 members of our family! They were all raving about it – my husband said I could teach the Greeks a thing or two! So much flavor!! Thank you, thank you, thank you for this awesome recipe! I did prep things a bit differently than in the recipe but the ingredients were the same. Yum! Yum! Yum! THANKS!!
Amy I've made this many times and the lemon juice has never curdled the yogurt for me. It is rather a lumpy texture from the cucumbers though.
I just made this today, but the lemon juice curdled the yogurt! Is it supposed to be this way? Anybody else have this problem? Any idea how to fix it? I don't want to just throw it away and start over (money!) but I'm having trouble getting past the grainy texture from the curdled yogurt…
Lauren, thanks! So glad you like it. This is the kind of food that makes me think about living in Greece!
MAN SHALL NOT LIVE BY BREAD ALONE, BUT BY EVERY SLICE DIPPED IN TSATZIKI DIP !!!!!!!!! I AM BONKERS OVER THIS DIP !!!! I REALLY LOVE YOUR TUTORIAL!!!!!!
There are some other dip options that are quicker in the Appetizers section of the recipe archives or you could use purchased Tzatziki suuce.
Is there a quick variation that can be used as a dip for pita bread? Looking for something besides chips/ veggies for Thanksgiving.
Shannon, so glad you liked it (and yaay for the food processor!)
Thanks so much Kalyn for this easy, play-by-play recipe for Tzatziki! I accidentally purchased Greek yogurt the other day (was just looking for low-fat plain). I Googled "what to do with Greek yogurt" and here was your blog to save the day. I made my first batch ever this morning. It's delicious. And I finally got to use that new food processor. :o)
-Shannon, Upstate NY
Linz, lucky you! I've only been to Greece once, but want to go there again!
I just got back from Greece and ate Tzatziki twice a day the whole time i was there, i cant wait to try your recipe, thanks for posting it!
Lsiren it should not have been too salty if you used kosher salt and wiped off the cucumbers.
I usually use a tzatziki recipe that involves grating the cucumber (whole, unpeeled) and straining it through cheesecloth for several hours. This one sounded interesting, so I followed the recipe to the 'T' and ahh, SO salty! I was forced to dilute it with copious amounts of sour cream. Slightly disappointing.
Jen, glad to hear it was a hit!
Delicious! After finishing up his falafel and salad tonight, my husband headed to the kitchen to find other foods to dip in this tzatziki sauce!
Glad it's a big batch, and glad you like it!
Oh, wow! I already had a recipe for tzatziki, but it wasn't quite right, and I found your recipe searching for a way to fix it. Now I have the perfect complement to my homemade gyros! Good thing the recipe makes a pretty large batch of tzatziki, because I keep eating it by the spoonful. Thank you!
So glad you liked it!
I made this tonight, using both the dill and fresh mint from my garden. It was really, really good! Thank you for posting the recipe!
Tzatziki is traditionally served with grilled meat kabobs, especially Souvlakia. You can make it with pork, lamb, beef, or chicken. Hope you have fun trying it.
Hai. i have been interested in western food. Btw i am an asian & to have these kind of foods we must dine out which is very very expensive. after a while look online, i think i have taste a lot greek yugort, just that didn't know what was it, till today. and OMG, it is simple! can't wait to make it over the weekend. could you give me ideas what main dish best go with Tzatziki sauce, that might not require roast cooking? thanx a lot!
Maribel, you're welcome; glad you liked it!
Just tried this with non-fat plain yogurt and strained with the coffee filters and colander. Worked like a charm and it tastes really good freshly mixed! I left the colander in a dish inside the fridge overnight and it reduced from 4c to 2c!!! Thanks for this great recipe!
Thanks for the great recipe from the bottom of my wallet! Here in Albuquerque you can get a decent substitute but it's a bit on the runny side and at $5.99 a lb. + it's no bargain. Geron
I just put the tzatziki in the refrigerator to rest. This is much better than previous attempts, which did not use the proper yogurt or drain the cukes.
Thank you for this recipe. I made it after Easter this year. We had leftover lamb and we made this sauce for lamb gyros. It was delicious! I posted your recipe and our results on our recipe blog, www.mybiscuitsareburning.blogspot.com
Thanks for a great recipe! One tip about straining the plain yogurt: make sure you buy a brand that has no thickening agents in it (such as carrageenan, pectin, xantham gum or other gums) or it won't drain like it's supposed to. I have found a brand in my area called Nancy's that works well.
Lain, so glad it was a hit!
I made this once and it was the best I've ever tasted and I'm not very good at cooking, I've had to make a again tonight as it was demanded by my family. Thanks so much for such good recipe.
Betsy, thanks. Glad to hear you liked it.
Thanks Kalyn! It turned out great!! We have faux gyros with thinly cut steak. Everyone loved the sauce.
lol @ Kalyn. I wouldn't either, was just surprised no one had pointed it out. Definitely didn't mean any disrespect by it! Anyway, I tried this recipe today and it was wonderful! Will definitely come back to your blog.
Well I never claimed to speak Greek, so I guess I'm allowed a mistake with the language. Not something I am going to spend any time worrying about for sure.
I hate to be a troll but I can't help myself here. I can't believe with two people complaining about everyone mispronouncing "gyro" no one has mentioned that you are mistaken. There is no such thing as a gyro it's gyros. I realize in English s is typically to signify a plural but that is not the case with this word. Pronunciation is correct minus the s sound though. Great recipe btw!
Amazing. I made all 3 1/2 cups thinking I could bring it to a family get together tomorrow night. It might not last that long. Thank so much!
Looks like a great recipe–I'm trying it right now! Cukes and yogurt are draining as I type. Thought I'd say thanks for sharing and point out that our blogs have ridiculously similar names–mine is called Kitt's Kittchen (http://kittskittchen.blogspot.com/)! Thanks again for the recipe and for doing what you do.
Kitt
Scott, I'm so glad you've enjoyed it so much. All the credit goes to Georgette, but I agree, it's a great recipe.
Me (and also my best friend Laura) have used this recipe so many times in the last year or so, that I finally decided that I should thank you for having posted this. This truly is great Tzatziki, and i'm having gyros again tonight…so again find myself at your blog. Thanks so much for posting this recipe.
Jamie, I haven't tried it with coriander, but I love it so I'm guessing I'd like it!
I made this recipe last week for Lamb Gyros and I can't get enough of it! I'm making it again today to serve with Syrian Kibbe (bulgar and lamb). I used mint instead of dill but am curious about using coriander as I read in one of the blogs. Have you tried it with coriander? Thanks for the BEST Tzatziki sauce EVER!
This recipe was awesome, thanks for posting! I made it to go with my greek chicken pitas!
I have been interested in trying to narrow down what the green is in most of the tzatziki sauces I've seen, thought it was either the skins left on english cucumbers or maybe some chopped parsley. I haven't tried dill yet in the sauces I've made. Sounds like it will be pretty good, I'm interested to see if the dill is overpowering (as it often can be). I just made gyros and chicken schwarma last night. Love taking the warmed pita bread and spreading one half with tzaziki, the other half with hummus, then layering on either gyro meat or chicken, thinly sliced sweet onion, and some finely shredded lettuce. I like feta and cayenne pepper on mine too!
Although I've never made tzatziki, I've eaten it, and quite enjoy it at restaurants, and I've got to agree with you, this by FAR was the *BEST* tzatziki sauce I have ever had! I splurged with the garlic a bit, but we made this with a lamb roast and it was outstanding! Thank you VERY much for the recipe.
CJ
T = tablespoon
tsp. = teaspoon
Happy cooking!
Uh…. What is the T for?? Tbsp or tsp?
Vampmama, if you use the search bar, there is a recipe for falafel. I don't have a recipe for gyros, but there are some good ones for Souvlaki. Glad you like the Tzatziki.
Now just a good greek recipe for falafel's and gyro meat that the average person at home can make… Got any good ones to pass on to us… and what a awesome tzatziki recipe you shared with us… Thank You…
Anonymous, I do shudder when I look at some of my old posts, but at least I'm getting better! (Thanks!)
Your blog keeps getting better and better! Your older articles are not as good as newer ones you have a lot more creativity and originality now keep it up!
What a beautiful recipe. I only wish I had read it three hours ago so I could drain my yogurt! What a great read & photos.
Anonymous, I'm overcome with jealous about the idea of living in Mexico for the winter! Glad you can have Tzatziki while you're there!
Thank you for this awesome recipe. I live in Mexico for the winter and tzatziki has been impossible for me to find in the supermarkets. Now I will only use this recipe even when back in Canada. It is much better than commercially made tzatziki!
Anonymous, glad you liked it! Thanks for letting me know.
This is delicious! I used 1 tsp of dried dill and Moutain High full fat yogurt.
I have the proper mix which I always bring back or get someone esle to bring back from Greece. I varies from Island to Island but very slightly. I grtae all the cucumber and wring it out in a tea towel in paper towel. The quality of the Olive Oil is essential and only using genuine Total Yoghurt gets the best and most rfespected results. Great tom eat with just about anything.
Extreme_barry, thanks! Of course I never get tired of hearing that.
Hi, I'm saying what everyone else has said but this is absolutely delicious. My chicken souvlaki thanks you.
Love seeing how you've used the Tzatziki, thanks!
Super fantastic recipe!!! Thanks so much.
My favorite meal this summer has been to grill eggplant, zucchini, squash, onions, and peppers and pile into thick pitas, topped with chopped tomatoes and tons of this amazing tzatziki–
I posted the recipe and linked to your site here.
Thanks, again!
Annie, glad to hear it was a hit!
FF, love the sound of your sandwich, and using bread with dill was a great idea.
This really is excellent — & easy, so it's a great way to use up a slew of cucumbers when that happens (as it does from time to time).
I just added this to a vegetable sandwich — spread it on both slices of bread, with swiss cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, & onions. I made the tzatziki without dill because I didn't have any, so I used dill rye bread for the sandwich, which worked well.
Thanks very much (& to Georgette too) for such a lovely recipe.
ff
Just made this for a hungry crew at work and it was devoured! Awesome recipe!
Meg, it's one of my favorites too! So many things you can eat it with!
Thanks for the info and I absolutely love this recipe!! I have a feeling this will become a staple in my kitchen.
Meg, I don't think this will freeze well, although I haven't tried it. It does stay good in the fridge for several weeks though.
Didn't have time to read through all the comments so you made have answered this already, but do you know if this freezes well? Just made a batch but it is entirely too much for my husband and I to eat before it spoils. Thanks!
Oh, I have a weakness for yummy Tzatziki sauce. I'll have to try this recipe. Thanks!
Tzatziki is definitely one of my favorites. I sometimes like to add feta for a salty kick.
Hi Mahek,
I'm familiar with Raita (at least the version I've had in America) and it is very similar to this. I can't see any reason you couldn't substitute coriander (cilantro) for the dill in this recipe.
hi
great great recipe
In India we make something called "koshambir" or salad or its called a raita too.
we finely chop cucumber add a little bit of roasted peanut powder, coriander leaves , green chilies (finely chopped too) and off-course the main ingredient is the yoghurt can you tell me if it is possible to substitute dill with coriander.
This recipe sounds great. I normally just chop the cucumbers (too lazy to use FP), but I'll definitely try this w/ Armenian cukie I have. (wonder if smaller cukie like armenian or JP makes difference. Probably not as thin…)
I also make yogurt cheese from drained (overnight) yogurt, and use it as substitute for sour cream, creme fraiche, etc. It's especially great with banana nutella crepes! Yum!
There is a little trick I use so cucumbers does not release so much liquid: instead of cutting and sprinkling them with salt and let it drip, I process the cucumbers (and only the cucumbers) and then let it drain BEFORE I mix the rest of the ingredients. This way you obtain a very thick and nice cucumber purée…
Very good recipe and so yummy for dipping flat bread. I could also eat just this stuff and be happy the rest of the day.
It's 11:30 p.m. MDT and after finishing my work for Back to School Night tomorrow, I'm just getting around to reading your post about Georgette's delicious Tzatziki sauce. I'm looking for a faculty luncheon pot luck dish! Suggestions?
Dagnabit, I'm jealous of your decision to retire. I could have been alseep for hours if I'd gone out, too!
Just poached some salmon to serve cold. This would be the perfect sauce to go with it. Thanks!
Dara (CC), thanks. I was glad I had my new full-of-light place to take photos to get a better shot of the Tzatziki!
My Sensei, you're welcome.
Tara, thanks so much for that nice feedback. I really appreciate it!
So funny that you posted this today, as I needed a recipe for Tzatziki Monday night and searched your site first… and of course, it was delicious! Thanks for being my favorite go-to source for healthy recipes – I've been sharing with all my friends and family!!
I was just talking about tzatziki sauce today with one of my friends! MMM Greek and Mediterranean are my favorite types of food….this on some warm pita…thanks for sharing!
This is the wonderful recipe that first brought me to your site. I haven't looked back since. I love the photo updates!
ElCelt, thanks! Glad you liked the Tzatziki.
Thanks for the great tzatziki recipe. It tastes like the real thing!!! You have one of the best blogs I've seen in a while (and I'm an internet marketer). All the best.
Anonymous, so glad you liked it. Sorry to say, I don't think this will freeze well. I do think it will last in the fridge for quite a long time though, probably several weeks, so you could still make a big batch.
So sorry if this is a dumb question, but I made this and to say it was a huge hit would be an understatement. I would love to have it more often, especially in the summer when wraps are so fun and light, but with 2 children, it was a bit of a process. Is it possible to double the recipe, or more, and freeze it? Would it still have the same flavor? If not, I will continue to make it, was just hoping for an easy way out. 🙂 thanks so much, I am new to your blog and will be visiting often!
i'd imagine they would–i got some kefir grains from a friend of mine & make my own. *MUCH* cheaper! 😉
MamaRae, thanks, good to know. Now I have to get my hands on some Kefir so I can try it. Maybe Whole Foods would have it?
the kefir worked GREAT! since it's got a much stronger taste than yogurt, i added extra mint (not a fan of dill) and 3 cloves garlic instead of the 1 in the recipe. i also added 2 tsp sugar at the end to tame some of the tart-ness of the kefir. tastes fabulous!! (i'm eating it for my supper, lol)
MamaRae, love to hear how it turns out. I've never had kefir, would love to try it!
i don't have greek or any other yogurt, but i *do* have kefir. one commenter above mentioned arabian yogurt, so it might be worth a try with my (already-made, no-extra-cost) plain kefir. here's hoping, anyway…if it doesn't taste like tzaziki, i'll toss in some curry and chickpeas, lol!
Denise, I think dicing the cucumbers is a great idea. Glad your tummy is happy!
I just tried your recipe; I'd just bought some greek yogurt at Trader Joe's so the timing was perfect.
My tip is to forget dicing the cukes; you're going to be using the food processor anyway so just use the grater and grate them. Besides, they weep out faster.
I'm not on a diet and just ate a whole recipe as my dinner. I'm a baaaad girl (with a happy tummy!)
Denise from Ark
Candace, glad you liked it! One of my favorite things in the world.
I was looking for a quick sauce recipe to dip some leftover falafel balls in for a power snack before my bike ride. Googled this up and so glad I did! Didn’t want to clean my food processor for the third time today, so I just diced everything fine and threw it together with small container of Greek Gods yogurt – what a perfect snack! The flavor and textures were awesome! Perfect with falafel! Thank you!
Anonymous, that’s interesting. I know some Greeks make a sauce with yogurt and mint, but my friend Georgette who gave me this recipe is 100% Greek. Of course she was born in the U.S. so maybe that’s the difference!
great recipe! thanks! all the tricks!
one comment though: I don’t remember using dill in greece too, but i understand it is preferred in the us.
Anonymous, so glad to hear it turned out for you!
I made this recipe last night for dinner and it was *fantastic*! I’m a terrible cook, so my husbnd and friends were a little surprised I was even trying my own tzatziki (esp. since one of the friends is a real foodie and tzatziki snob) but I just followed the directions to the letter and it came out GREAT. Thank you for posting!
I have plenty of lamb left over from Easter dinner. I’ll think I’ll whip up some of this tzatziki sauce and make a gyro. I’m salivating! Thanks for the recipe.
This was the first time that I ever made or tasted Tzatziki! It was great with my sliced veggies. Thank U!
Fagan, glad you liked it. Thanks for the nice feedback.
Taste great, the family said this was the best I ever made. However, the second best thing was the idea to use coffee filters. When my ex left he didn’t take his coffee filters with his coffeemaker, so I’ve had the filters in the back of the pantry (a lot of them). I have several different receipts that call for draining different items like yogurt. This has been a great all-over receipt in more ways than one.
Cherie, sounds to me like it would work just fine!
Yum, ate this last night & again today at lunch time with lamb & grilled flatbreads. Cannot wait until the summer to serve tomato-olive-feta salad on the side.
I grated the cucumber, scooped it into a pile on a clean tea cloth, and squeezed it well to drain it. Worked for me!
Thanks for sharing the recipe. 🙂
Thanks Jessica. I think you could rinse the salt off if you need to restrict salt, but otherwise I think it adds to the flavor (and quite a bit of salt probably gets rinsed off when the water is oozing out.)
Glad you like the site. I do try hard to make it user friendly!
Thanks for getting back to me, Kalyn. I wasn’t sure if the salt was supposed to be part of the dish or not! Now, I’m going through your archives to find more fun dishes to eat with my giant bowl of leftover tzatziki…I could eat this stuff every day!
By the way, your blog is really pretty and user friendly.
Kath, so glad you liked it.
I made this today, and we had it with grilled vegetable and chicken pitas. YUM! And I’ve never been a big fan of cucumbers before. I placed a link to your blog in my blog post. Thanks for widening my horizons!
Hi Jessica,
No I don’t mean rinse well, but here is a better explanation. When you salt the cucumber, the natural water in it will start to ooze out. When I say “drain well” I mean let the cucumbers drain until a lot of water has been drawn out, then take a paper towel and blot (or press down on the diced cucumber) so most of the water is removed. Sometimes I put the cucumber between two layers of paper towels and press down so the towel absorbs a lot of water.
Fun hearing that I’m inspiring you to cook!
Quick technical question…I’m not a cook, so I follow your recipes to the letter. In the following excerpt, “Drain well and wipe dry with paper towel.” did you mean “Rinse well” instead of “Drain well?”
Thank you so much for making me want to cook beautiful food!
My son brought me a gift pack of Greek spices and olive oil when he visited Greece.
One packet was a “mix for Taztziki. I assume it is the basic spices that go into this particular dish made with yogurt.
The packet does not list the ingredients and I can not make out what they are. If any readers out there know the answer please send it to me at lilcowcampcook@hotmail.com
Thank You
PFreeman
Tried it with mint and three cloves of garlic… excellent, but now I have garlic breath. I recommend sticking to one clove (like the recipe says). I used an Arabic yogurt (Labna) which is thick like Greek, but the ingredients include a little cream so it’s a little bit fattier than a regular low-fat or even whole milk yogurt.
Here is my tip, drain yogurt if need be. Process cucumber and other ingredients then drain that through a heavy duty paper towel or wipe, then squeeze and wring if in a hurry…!! Will be thick..if too thick spritz with more lemon juice 🙂
I’m so excited to try this recipe. I made a disastrous batch of tzatziki a month or so back. I’m too embarrassed to tell anyone what I did wrong. Then a few weeks back, I made it a little better. I’ll try this one soon. I went to Greece in 2006 and that’s the first I had even heard of tzaziki let alone tasted it. I agree with the one who said they would eat an old shoe if it had tzatziki on it!
Sarandi, thanks for the pronunciation tip, very interesting.
Hey everyone. I just wrote a recipe for how I make tzatziki on my blog, which I’ve learned and modified from my yiayia and mom. The TZs are pronounced like the terminal ds in the word dads or like the dz in gadzooks. The Is are pronounced like you say the letter e. So, dza-DZEE-kee, with the emphasis on the middle syllable. Thanks for posting this! Its always good to see how other people make food – we could all learn a thing or two!
Thanks to people who’ve taken the time to let me know they’ve enjoyed the recipe. I loved it when Georgette and I made it.
Kalyn, I made this a couple weeks ago and it was great! At first my husband didn’t like it because it tasted too “green” but he’s used to the bland stuff we get a Greek chain. But after a while I commented on how he was just dipping his pita into it and eating quite a bit of it. He looked sheepish… I loved it!
Thanks a bunch to you and Georgette for this recipe. I’d tried others without success and this one FINALLY had the super-delish taste I was looking for! For me, it’s the dill and Greek yogurt that make all the difference (I’m not a big fan of mint). I made only a tiny little batch because I was worried it would be another no-go, but I’ll definitely be making more in the future. Thanks so much!!
Thanks for the great Tzatziki recipe! I linked to it on my blog post about Fancy Themed Baked Potatoes. I like to do a Greek style baker with spinach, pine nuts, feta crumbles and a nice dollop of tzatziki! Check it out it you can!
Best,
Frank
http://frankfood.tumblr.com/
You weren’t kidding that this is the best Tzatziki in the world! I made it tonight with grilled lamb kebabs and it was outstanding. Please thank your friend for such a great recipe and thank you for posting it.
Thanks, anonymous. All credit goes to Georgette, but comments like this make my day.
My daughter loves tzatziki. Her favorite has always been the one at a local greek style restaurant – but finally !! This recipe beats any she has ever tasted. Thanks for posting it. I had to make another batch.
This is a great recipe the sauce made my chicken kabobs complete.
Great recipe. I made it for the first time. Here in Switzerland this sauce is in abundance, but none of them taste quite this good!
I used mine with salmon and stir fried vegetables …
Awesome, Maya
Landis and Alice, I’m not expert, but I think it’s pronounced:
tats-zee-kee.
Any Greeks out there, feel free to chime in.
Τζατζίκι – copy this and put it on the Google translator in the greek session. Then press the hearing button and listen! easy peasy! Big hugs from Greece.
Ah very fun hearing the true pronunciation! Thank you!
Dza-dzee'-kee
How do you pronounce it. I love it, but i don’t know how to say it.
If like me you don’t like hot (chilli/spicy) food this recipe is great because should you eat some-thing over hot/spicy and your mouth is on fire the combination of cool yogurt, cucumber etc cools your mouth down quickly. Also I could eat this by the bucket-ful -well almost.As an insulin dependant diabetic it is a treat with no sugar -great substitute for snacks.
call me crazy, but i think it is delicious on toasted pita with eggs over easy for breakfast.
Chigiy, me too! Or if you saw my house you’d think I might have been African in a past life.
Burcu, I thought it was interesting how similar they were, but some definite differences.
Lydia, agreed, it’s a great combo.
Toni, I went to Wild Oats myself (Georgette bought the other yogurt and realized they have three brands, and Fage is one of them! All three brands have a fat free type too.
Tanna and Lisa, I used to buy it all the time at Costco, but I’ll be making my own now too. The homemade type was sooooo much better (no surprise right?)
I love Tzatziki, but had no idea it was so simple to make. It’s such a refreshing summer condiment.
I’ve only enjoyed this sauce when I’ve eaten it in restaruants. You are right, I need to try this.
I adore Tzatziki, and in fact just bought Greek yogurt and cucumbers. At Trader Joe’s here in San Diego, they sell Fage (pronounced Fa-Yeh)Greek style yogurt. Love it!
Tzatziki is one of my very favorite summer dishes. I love filling pitas with tomato, cucumber, and leftover grilled lamb, with a big dollop of tzatziki sauce on top.
Oh, I love this stuff. I can’t wait to try it. I think I might be Greek in a past life or something.
Oh dear, another day where I’m way behind on responding. (See what happens when I go shopping all day?) Thanks everyone for all the nice thoughts.
Maria, good plan. I love falafel.
Anonymous, you’re too kind.
Peter, I could have eaten it with a spoon just plain.
Kelly, isn’t Greek culture great. I have two good friends who are Greek.
Katie, it did remind me a lot of sour cream (which I also love) but maybe a bit more tart.
AnneMarie, I’ve seen that trick with the cheesecloth too, but coffee filters sounded so easy! Ditto on the Gyro Meat Salad, that’s what I get at Cafe Med in SLC all the time.
Charise, sounds interesting with oregano.
Biggles, you are very naughty to even suggest such a non-South Beach idea! (Just kidding. I’d eat it.)
Zoe, Georgette got two kinds of yogurt for us to make a taste test. One kind was plain low fat yogurt, but had more sugar, and the 3 Greek Gods kind was fat free and less sugar too. The low fat one was regular yogurt drained to thicken it. Both were good, but I definitely preferred the Fat Free Greek Yogurt. I’m sure this is “Americanized” Greek yogurt, not made with sheeps milk, but it tasted great to me. I can tell I’ll have to start going to Wild Oats regularly just to get it.
Kalyn, I’m curious whether the tzatziki Georgette made for you used low-fat yogurt or the full fat. I’ve heard that tzatziki is no good if you don’t use the full fat yogurt, and since I do follow South Beach I’ve never made tzatziki (but do sometimes buy it in small quantities or eat it at restaurants — I’m only human!).
Bet bacon would be really good in there.
Biggles
This is almost identical to the recipe I use, except I usually use oregano instead of dill. We love it!
I like oregano in mine too.
Gosh I love gyro meat. There’s a great place in Denver, Pete’s Kitchen, that has wonderful gyro salads – big enough to feed two.
You can also use cheesecloth to strain the yogurt. I used to make my own yogurt back in college and the “cheese” we made from it was tart and wonderful.
I use Greek yogurt in almost everything…. In any of my recipes where you see plain yogurt, I’m probably using Greek. I’ve just thought it was too difficult to get in the U.S. and/or people would be reluctant to use ewe’s yogurt.
Of course, we can’t get sour cream 😉 which I always sub. Greek yogurt for.
All that said, thanks for sharing the Tzatziki recipe!
Yum, I love this stuff. I traveled with a Greek girl and then I learned the joy of their food. After seeing My Big Fat Greek Wedding, I’d love to be Greek. Good food, lots of family.
Someone I know once said that she could eat an old sneaker if it had tzatziki sauce on it.
Now if only people knew how to pronounce gyro!
I hate ordering it in a restaurant and having the server look at me and say “huh?”
Thanks for writing my new favorite blog!
Great recipe! I love making Tzatziki with falafel and grilled veggie kabobs.