Greek Cucumber Yogurt Sauce – Tzatziki!

Learn how to make tzatziki, a traditional Greek yogurt and cucumber sauce with fresh herbs. Tzatziki is a refreshing sauce or dip, and it’s so easy to make! This basic recipe yields about 2 ½ cups; multiply if necessary.

Prep: 15 mins

Cook: 0 mins

Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS

2 cups grated cucumber (from about 1 medium 10-ounce cucumber, no need to peel or seed the cucumber first, grate on the large holes of your box grater)
1 ½ cups plain Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint and/or dill
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 medium clove garlic, pressed or minced
½ teaspoon fine sea salt

INSTRUCTIONS

1.Working with one big handful at a time, lightly squeeze the grated cucumber between your palms over the sink to remove excess moisture. Transfer the squeezed cucumber to a serving bowl, and repeat with the remaining cucumber.

2.Add the yogurt, olive oil, herbs, lemon juice, garlic, and salt to the bowl, and stir to blend. Let the mixture rest for 5 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. Taste and add additional chopped fresh herbs, lemon juice, and/or salt, if necessary (I thought this batch was just right as-is).

3.Serve tzatziki immediately or chill for later. Leftover tzatziki keeps well, chilled, for about 4 days.

Notes

I have tried using both full-fat yogurt and low-fat yogurt and there wasn’t much of a difference in the taste or texture of the final dish. So feel free to use whichever you fancy.

Remove the seeds from the cucumber if they have any. Peel and then grate using the large holes of a box grater. You can choose to leave the skin on too.

Make sure you drain out the water from the grated cucumber. You can squeeze out the liquid using a cheesecloth or leave it in a mesh sieve overnight. If you are in a hurry, then squeeze out all the water using your hands. I am always in a hurry and squeezing works perfectly fine.

The liquid discarded from cucumber can be used to make curries or buttermilk. It is rich in nutrients so do not waste it. You can even drink it after diluting it with water.

Garlic is the hero ingredient in this dip. The longer it stands in the yogurt, the better it tastes and its sharp taste also mellows down.

If Greek yogurt isn’t available and you need to make tzatziki, you can use sour cream or hang the plain yogurt for some time to

Nutrition

Calories: 65kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 19mg | Potassium: 90mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 29IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 55mg

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