Tzatziki
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Skip the store-bought version—this homemade tzatziki is fresh, tangy, and packed with cucumber, garlic, and herbs. Keep a batch in the fridge for dipping, spreading, and spooning over grilled meats.
Tzatziki (pronounced tuh-ZEE-kee) is a cool, creamy yogurt sauce that’s popular throughout Greece and the Eastern Mediterranean. Made with thick Greek yogurt, shredded cucumber, garlic, olive oil, and fresh herbs, it’s tangy, refreshing, and incredibly versatile. Traditionally served as part of a meze spread, it’s just as good spooned over grilled meats like souvlaki, kofta, kabobs, and gyros, or served alongside pita and fresh vegetables for dipping. With just a handful of simple ingredients, it’s one of those delicious, healthy recipes you’ll find yourself making all summer long.
“One of the best Tzatziki recipes I have come across—and I have tried many.”
What You’ll Need To Make Tzatziki
To make homemade tzatziki, you’ll need Greek yogurt, cucumber, garlic, extra-virgin olive oil, fresh mint (or fresh dill) salt, and pepper. Many recipes call for straining the yogurt, but I don’t find it necessary. For the cucumber, I like using English (or hothouse) cucumbers, the long cucumbers that come wrapped in plastic. Because their skin is thin and unwaxed, they do not need to be peeled—makes it easy.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Seed the cucumber. Simply cut the cucumber in half lengthwise, and then use a small spoon to scrape the seeds out.
Step 2: Shred. Using a box grater or food processor, shred the cucumber.
Step 3: Wring out the liquid. Cucumbers hold a lot of water, and if you skip this step, your tzatziki will end up thin and watery. I first squeeze the shredded cucumber with my hands to remove as much liquid as possible, then wrap it in a clean dish towel and wring it out one more time.
Step 4: Combine the ingredients. Add the Greek yogurt, shredded cucumber, garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper and mint to a mixing bowl.
Step 5: Mix and serve. Stir until evenly combined. Then taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Serve and enjoy!
More Mediterranean Dips You’ll Love
Tzatziki (Yogurt & Cucumber Dip)
Ingredients
- 1½ cups plain 2% Greek yogurt
- 1 medium English or hothouse cucumber, seeded, coarsely grated, and squeezed as dry as possible (about 1 cup)
- 2 small cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Scant ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and mix until well combined. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary (I often add a generous pinch of sugar to balance the flavors). Cover and chill until ready to serve. Before serving, drizzle with a bit of olive oil and sprinkle with fresh mint, if desired.
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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I’ve made this recipe so many times that I have to comment! I never tzatziki could be a.) so easy to make and b.) taste this good! Thank you for such a delicious recipe.
This recipe is so simple to make. It is so creamy and delicious. I made it to serve with your Jen’s falafel recipe. Perfect combo. Delicious.
You mention zucchini twice-I think you mean cucumber??
Thank you, Lynn! It has been corrected.
Just made it! Fantastic! We have pickling cucumbers galore. We love all the effort we put into building our new victory garden. So it is wonderful when we can find recipes that utilize the bounty that we harvest each day. I expected dill, but I utilized the garden mint we had, as mentioned in the recipe. I rung out the shredded cucumber using a clean dishcloth. It didn’t say if it needed to sit for any length of time. We had our first bites with naan just after 30 minutes. Thank you. I will be making this throughout our growing season.
Easy to make. Pairs great with Zucchini Fritters. I normally eat my Tzatziki with dill but I thought I’d try with mint for something different to my normal recipe & it was really nice with the mint especially with the fritters. Super quick to put together. I added an extra 1/4 tsp of salt & thought that it was perfect!!!
I only have dried mint. Do you think it would work?
Hi Christine, dried will work, but you won’t need as much- add to taste. Fresh (or dried) dill also works nicely.
I love both mint and dill – do you think it would work to use half of each or would the flavors be too muddled?
Thanks!
This tasted wonderful with your Moroccan chicken recipe and I’m sure would go with many other things. I lightly brushed some whole wheat pita bread with olive oil and salt and threw them on the grill. Was very tasty. We kept the water from the cucumbers and threw in a smoothie the next day!
Very good!
No more store bought tzatziki for me, ever!!!! Thank you so much for this fantastic recipe, I’m a fan now!