Tzatziki
intro
Cool, tangy, herb-packed creamy Greek yogurt dip with crisp cucumber, garlic, and dill, ideal for pairing with grilled foods, pita, or fresh summer vegetables.
Ingredients
Steps
Prep and salt cucumber
Wash the 300g English cucumber, trim 1cm off both ends, then grate on the large holes of a box grater (do not peel, the tender skin adds pleasant texture). Place grated cucumber in a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl, toss with 2g (1/2 tsp) of the kosher salt, and let rest 10 minutes at room temperature to draw out excess water.
Squeeze cucumber dry
After 10 minutes of resting, transfer the salted grated cucumber to the center of a clean cotton kitchen towel or 3 layers of cheesecloth. Gather the cloth edges and squeeze firmly over the sink until no more liquid drips out, yielding roughly 120g of dry, pressed cucumber; leftover excess water will make the final dip runny.
Make garlic paste
Peel the 2 garlic cloves, place on a wooden cutting board, and sprinkle with the remaining 3g (1/2 tsp) kosher salt. Use the flat side of a chef’s knife to smash and scrape the garlic repeatedly for 1 minute until it forms a smooth, fine paste, which eliminates harsh, crunchy garlic bits in the finished dip.
Mix yogurt base
Add the 500g full-fat Greek yogurt to a 1.5L medium mixing bowl, then stir in 15ml red wine vinegar, 30ml of the extra-virgin olive oil, the prepared garlic paste, and 1g freshly ground black pepper. Whisk slowly at a steady pace for 30 seconds until the mixture is completely smooth and a uniform pale off-white color.
Fold in cucumber and dill
Add the fully squeezed dry cucumber and 15g finely chopped fresh dill to the yogurt base. Use a flexible rubber spatula to fold the ingredients together gently for 20 seconds, taking care not to overmix so the cucumber retains its light, crisp texture.
Chill to meld flavors
Cover the mixing bowl tightly with plastic wrap, then place it in the refrigerator set to 4°C (40°F) for a minimum of 1 hour (up to 24 hours for deeper, more balanced flavor) to let the garlic and dill infuse; avoid serving immediately as flavors will be sharp and unblended.
Stir and serve
After chilling, remove the tzatziki from the fridge, give it a quick 10-second stir to recombine any separated olive oil, then drizzle the top with the remaining 5ml extra-virgin olive oil and a pinch of reserved dill for garnish. Serve alongside warm pita wedges, grilled vegetables, or grilled kebabs.
Tips
2.Never skip squeezing the grated cucumber dry—leftover excess water will separate from the yogurt as it chills, resulting in a thin, runny dip that slides off pita or fresh vegetables.
3.For the most balanced, mellow flavor, make tzatziki at least 1 hour ahead of serving; sharp raw garlic will soften and meld with dill and yogurt notes during chilling for a more harmonious taste.
OMG this tzatziki is SO good! I made it for my family’s Greek night last night and everyone was raving. I used full fat Greek yogurt like the recipe said and it was so creamy, no watery mess at all! Total game changer for gyro nights.
Brought this to our neighborhood potluck over the weekend and people were asking me for the recipe before I even set the bowl down! I added a tiny extra pinch of dill because I grow it in my backyard, and it paired perfectly with the grilled lamb skewers I made. 10/10.
Wait, can I use non-fat Greek yogurt for this if that’s all I have in the fridge right now? I’m making it for a quick dinner tonight for my three kids and don’t have time to run to the store. Looks so good otherwise!
Made this as a late night snack with pita chips while studying for midterms and wow, way better than the store bought stuff I usually get. Super easy even for someone who burns toast half the time, no fancy equipment needed.
Finally a tzatziki recipe that doesn’t taste like bland yogurt with cucumber chunks! I always hated how other recipes skip straining the cucumber, that tip about squeezing all the water out of the grated cucumber is chef’s kiss. No more runny tzatziki for me.
I made this for my book club meeting last week and half the group asked for the recipe to make for their own events. I served it with toasted pita wedges and cucumber slices, and the whole bowl was gone in 15 minutes. Obsessed!
I make a batch of this every Sunday for the week now! It’s perfect with veggie sticks for my kids’ after school snacks, on top of chicken bowls for my work lunches, even as a dip for pita chips. My picky 7 year old asked for seconds, which never happens. My kids loved it, total weekly staple now. So easy to throw together too!
Quick question — can I make this a day ahead for a dinner party I’m hosting tomorrow? I’m trying to get as much prep done tonight as possible so I don’t stress tomorrow.
This is the perfect keto friendly dip! I’ve been missing having flavorful dips for my veggie platters since cutting out processed foods, and this fits perfectly into my macros. No weird additives, just fresh, simple ingredients. Will be making this on repeat.
I added a tiny bit of extra garlic because I’m a garlic fiend, and it was perfect. Not too overpowering, just enough zing. Chilled it for a full 2 hours instead of 1 because I got distracted watching a show, and it was even better than I thought it would be.
I’m super sensitive to strong garlic flavor, so I only used one small clove instead of two, and it was absolutely perfect. I was worried it would still be too much, but it was just a nice subtle background flavor. Great base recipe to tweak to your own taste!
Wait, has anyone tried mixing in a little feta into this? I feel like that would be so good, but I don’t want to mess up the classic texture for my first time making it. The recipe looks perfect as is, just curious!
Tried this last night with grilled chicken souvlaki and it was *chef’s kiss*. I was worried the lemon would be too tart, but it was perfectly balanced. My husband said it’s better than the tzatziki we got at the Greek restaurant we went to for our anniversary, that’s high praise!
Served this alongside grilled burgers at our 4th of July cookout and it was such a fun unexpected swap for regular mayo-based dips. People were putting it on their burgers instead of mayo, it was wild how good it was. Total crowd pleaser.
I used dairy free coconut yogurt to make this for my vegan cousin who came over for dinner, and even the non-vegan people at the table were going back for seconds. I made sure to strain the coconut yogurt really well so it wasn’t watery, and it worked like a charm. Great adaptable recipe!
Forgot to buy fresh dill so I used dried dill (about 1/3 the amount the recipe calls for, since dried herbs are stronger) and it still turned out amazing. I threw it together right after getting home from work, no fancy prep needed. Definitely don’t skip the chilling step, it makes all the flavors come together. 10/10 easy weeknight win.