Tzatziki is my favorite creamy, yogurt-based sauce made with grated cucumber, fresh dill, zesty lemon juice, and garlic. It’s refreshing, cooling, and perfect for pairing with grilled meat and veggies, or set out as a party dip!
Why You’ll Love This Tzatziki Sauce
I’ve learned that when I eat Mediterranean food, my body just feels better. I feel more energized, lighter, and overall healthier. That’s why I prioritize so many Mediterranean recipes on my website! And if there’s one Mediterranean sauce I make on repeat, it’s this Greek tzatziki sauce (aka cucumber yogurt sauce). Similar to hummus or tahini sauce, it’s one of those staple sauces that works with so many dishes. I love it spooned over chicken souvlaki or Greek chicken burgers, but honestly, it always finds its way onto my plate in one form or another! You’ll also love that it:
- Takes less than 15 minutes. Minimal prep and no cooking required.
- Uses simple ingredients. The classic base is strained yogurt, cucumber, and dill, with optional herbs like parsley, mint, or cilantro.
- Perfect for Mediterranean meals. Traditionally served with grilled meats and gyros, but it’s just as good with grilled veggies or as part of a mezze platter.
Tzatziki Ingredients
While tzatziki is most closely associated with Greece, you’ll find versions of it in Turkey, Cyprus, and throughout the Balkans. Today, I’m sharing the classic, authentic-style tzatziki I make at home. You’ll need:
- Greek Yogurt: To mimic the thick, creamy consistency of goat’s milk (in traditional Greek versions), full-fat Greek yogurt is ideal. But low-fat Greek yogurt works too. And if you’re dairy-free, be sure to check out my vegan tzatziki. It’s a great alternative!
- Cucumber: Grating the cucumber gives tzatziki its signature light-but-chunky texture. And because you’re peeling the cucumber, you can use a garden cucumber (that typically has thicker skin) rather than an English cucumber, though either works.
- Dill: Fresh dill is key here for that classic, herbaceous flavor.
- Garlic and salt: I use two cloves, but feel free to add more if you love a bold garlic bite.
- Olive Oil: A drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil rounds everything out.
- Lemon Juice: Just a squeeze of fresh lemon juice brightens the whole sauce.
Find the printable recipe with measurements below.
How To Make Tzatziki Sauce
First, grate and drain the cucumber. After peeling and grating the cucumber, place it in a fine-mesh sieve over a bowl and press out as much liquid as possible. If you don’t have a sieve, a nut milk bag or cheesecloth works great, too. This step is key because excess moisture is the main cause of watery tzatziki!
Then, mix it all together. Add all the ingredients to a bowl and stir until thick and creamy. Give it a quick taste and adjust as needed with more lemon juice, herbs, or salt.
Lastly, let it rest. For the best flavor, let the tzatziki chill in the fridge for a couple of hours. This gives the flavors time to meld. And yes, it really does make a difference!
Storage and Make-Ahead Tips
Store tzatziki in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 to 5 days. Keep in mind it may release a little extra moisture over time, just make sure to stir it before serving. I also don’t recommend freezing it, as cucumbers can become mushy and the yogurt may separate once thawed.
Ways to Dip, Drizzle, and Spread
- Dip into it with my Greek fries, seed crackers, or sliced vegetables. And if you combine all of these on a table, it makes for the perfect mezze platter!
- Drizzle it over grilled skewers like my chicken souvlaki or Greek chicken kabobs, spoon it onto meatballs (think pork meatballs or tuna meatballs), or serve it alongside baked salmon, roasted vegetables, zucchini fritters, or tabbouleh.
- Spread it onto my Greek Chicken burgers instead of mayo, onto falafel flatbread with tomato slices and microgreens, or inside a gyro sandwich.
How to Pronounce Tzatziki?
If you’re wondering how to pronounce this recipe (as it seems to stump many people), it’s tsah–see–key. With an emphasis on tsah, which should sound like the zz sound in pizza. Don’t worry, I pronounced it incorrectly for a long time myself, but now you know!
Complete Your Mediterranean Meal
- Falafel: The best vegetarian appetizer!
- Greek Salad: A must-make side salad.
- Baba Ganoush: The best smoky eggplant dip.
- Lentil Salad: So refreshing and crunchy!
- Greek Lemon Chicken: The tastiest chicken thighs.
If you try this tzatziki recipe, let me know how it turns out in the comments below! Your review will help other readers in the community. And if you’re looking for more healthy food inspiration, join my free newsletter here.
Description
Video
Ingredients
- 1 medium cucumber, peeled and grated
- 1 ½ cups Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoon roughly chopped fresh dill
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Drain the cucumber. Drain the grated cucumber by pressing down on it over fine mesh sieve over a bowl. Alternatively, you could use a nut milk bag or cheesecloth and gently squeeze until all the moisture is out.
- Mix together. Stir together the cucumber, yogurt, dill, garlic, oil, lemon juice and salt in a large mixing bowl, until everything is well combined. Let the mixture rest for a few minutes for the flavors to meld together. Taste test to see if you need to add any extra herbs, lemon juice, or salt.
- Serve. Serve immediately or let it chill covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Lisa’s Tips
- This recipe yields about 2 cups of tzatziki.
- Storage tip: Keep tzatziki in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Stir before serving, as a little moisture may separate over time.
- Make-ahead tip: Tzatziki tastes even better after a few hours in the fridge, once the flavors have time to meld.
Nutrition
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This recipe was originally posted June 2020, but updated to include new photos and information for your benefit!
This tzatziki is so fresh, creamy, and refreshing 🥒✨ I really loved it—it’s easy to make and perfect with almost anything.
Hi Sidra – Glad you’re loving this tzatziki sauce!
I have never made this before, Lisa! Thank you it looks delicious!
Enjoy, Heather!
I have made this recipe multiple times and for my family it is the best!
Wonderful! Love to hear that.
This is a fantastic tzatziki recipe! I’ve made several different varieties and this one is my favorite!
I’m so glad you love this one, Stacy!
What kind of Cucumbers are best??
You can use any type of cucumber for this recipe, as you peel and grate them.
I make this a few times a week because it makes eating veggies so good! And when I make it to take to share I ALWAYS get asked for the recipe.
Love this with fresh veggies! Enjoy, Jaime :)
Mmmmm, perfect!! I used too much garlic as I normally do, even still, I might omit most of it, considering I also made the souvlaki which was pretty heavy on the garlic. I’m not kissing anyone tonight. I’ll say that. :) so good though thank you!!
Haha, as a fellow garlic lover, I totally understand. ;) But happy you loved the recipe, Nikki!
Delicious! I also use it on shrimp tacos.
Lisa, I made this recipe and it was delicious.
Wonderful! So happy you enjoyed it!
Hands down the best sauce ever! Thank you!
Just follow the recipe exactly!
Glad you’re loving this tzatziki sauce, Edythe!
I would like to try this. Sounds delicious. Could you substitute plain yogurt for Greek. I don’t care for Greek yougurt. Or maybe sour cream?
Hi Sandra – yes, you could use plain yogurt. Enjoy!
I love the recipe and taste! I used the larger shred size for the cucumber and next time, I plan to use the smaller shred size. I let the cucumber drain for quite a while and pressed it with a fork to try to get the liquid out because I didn’t have the other options on-hand. I do think a nut milk bag or a piece of cheesecloth is necessary to be able to squeeze the liquid out efficiently :)
Hi Deb – Yes, the nut milk bag is my favorite tool for getting most of the liquid out. But, glad you loved this tzatziki sauce either way!
Question, can I sub dried dill for fresh?
And for this recipe, in what quantity?
Thanks
Hi John – while I do think fresh is best in this recipe, you can add dried as well. I’d recommend using about 2 teaspoons dried dill, and adjusting from there. Enjoy!
The Tzatziki is easy and very delicious, I made it with Chicken Souvlaki I can’t wait to use it with other recipes as well!
Hi Lisa – it really is a versatile sauce to use with so many different mains. So happy you love it!
This is a great recipe! I had to use freeze dried dill because I didn’t have any fresh, but it still turned out well. Thanks for this recipe!
Hi Claire – Glad it still turned out great with dried dill instead!
Thank you for this recipe and the taziki and hummus recipes, just delicious. I follow you on FB and can always trust your recipes, have made many of your recipes, like burratta (sp) Tuscan chicken, gf recipes and pointers for best results. Like using vitamix for hummus 😊. Also like your personality and health driven lifestyle and recipes! 5 stars ⭐️ to you!
Hi Michelle – Thanks so much for your feedback on all the Downshiftology recipes you’ve made, including this tzatziki sauce! Happy to hear you’re enjoying every single one.
My family loves this recipe! It is quick to put together and pairs well with cut veggies, potatoes, and greek chicken pitas.
Thank you!
Hi Michelle – Sounds like you’ve got the perfect meal to pair with this tzatziki sauce, enjoy!
This is great! The only thing missing here is (and it made a BIG difference) is a bit of lemon zest.
Thanks for sharing!
Hi Sarita – Great idea on adding more lemon zest for an extra lemony touch!
This tzatziki sauce was absolutely amazing. Better than any restaurant or store bought I have ever had. This is definitely a keeper. Excellent when dipped with Yukon Gold fries.
Hi Susan – Thrilled to hear you’re loving this homemade tzatziki!
My daughter loves to whip this up. She puts a few dallops in the bottom of a pint-sized jar and then adds julienned veggies. It makes a perfect on-the-go snack! Paired with a sandwich, and she has a really healthy lunch. This is better on the second day, but it’s good the first day too.
Tzatziki really is the perfect dip for veggies sticks. That’s great your daughter enjoys this for a snack – so healthy!
My 10 year old specifically asks to make this whenever we have grilled chicken. She absolutely loves this dip! It’s easy to make and adds a freshness to whatever you’re dipping. (Chicken and carrots are our favorite).
Oh wonderful! I love that your 10 year old love this tzatziki. That’s definitely a win!
A huge personal favorite. 🙌🏻
So great! I used my usual cashew base to keep it dairy free but followed the rest of these instructions for additions and it turned out incredible. So flavourful and fresh. My family said it was much better than store bought!!
Amazing! Homemade tzatziki will always beat the store-bought kind.
I used the Greek God honey yogurt which gave a nice flavor but had more sugar than I intended. Everything tasted great but my tzatziki came out watery. I’m wondering if I used too large a cucumber or didn’t drain it enough? Herbs were delicious.
Hi Sheryl – It’s best to use a plain Greek yogurt for this. As for the texture, it does seem like you could drain the cucumber a bit more to remove all excess water. I hope it works out the next time you make it!
what kind of yogurt did people use?
does plain work>?
I’m lazy and usually buy tzatziki from Trader Joes or Whole Foods, but decided to try Lisa’s recipes this week because it looked easy enough and wanted to try something new! This was delicious and so quick to make. I ended up adding an additional half cucumber without squeezing out the liquid because I like my tzatziki cucumber-y.
Homemade tzatziki is the way to go! Happy to hear you loved this recipe, Nisha.
So yummy, so easy and makes for a perfect pairing with the Greek Lemon Chicken recipe!
The perfect pairing with Greek lemon chicken! I’m glad you enjoyed this tzatziki recipe.
Delicious! Will definitely make this again. Better than anything sold in the grocery store.
I’m so happy you love it!