Foolproof Tzatziki

Tzatziki served in small white bowl on wooden chopping board surrounded by bread and lemon

Print Recipe

5 from 2 votes

This Tzatziki sauce is thick and creamy, deliciously refreshing and so easy to make!

Prep Time10

Total Time10

Course: Sauce

Cuisine: Greek, Middle Eastern

Servings:

Author: Chris Collins

Cost: £1 / $1

Equipment

Box Grater
Medium Sized Mixing Bowl & Spatula
Small Bowl & Sieve
Sharp Knife & Chopping Board

Ingredients

1 medium Cucumber (approx 10oz/300g)
1 1/4 cups / 300g full fat plain Greek Yogurt
2 tbsp finely diced Fresh Dill, plus more to serve if desired
1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil, plus a drizzle more to serve if desired
1 tbsp Lemon Juice
1 small clove of Garlic, minced/finely grated (see notes)
Salt and Black Pepper, as needed

Instructions

Grate the cucumber on a box grater, then transfer to a sieve above a bowl. Sprinkle over a good pinch of salt then mix and press down with a spatula to squeeze out as much water as possible. Leave to rest for another 10-30mins (depending what you have time for) and repeat.
In a medium sized mixing bowl combine the cucumber with Greek yogurt, dill, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and salt & pepper to taste.
I highly recommend covering and allowing to rest in the fridge for an hour or so to marry the flavours, but you can serve right away. Serve with a drizzle of oil and a pinch of dill (optional).

Video

Notes

a) Removing water from the cucumber - You could just squeeze the shredded cucumber with your hands, or place it in a kitchen towel, tie it into a ball and ring out the moisture that way. I prefer salting it and allowing it to rest a little. Mainly because it seasons the cucumber, but also it removes a lot of water this way. The other methods work, but as soon as you add the cucumber into the sauce and season it, it'll start producing water again. Not a huge difference either way but just make sure you remove the water either way!

b) Garlic - A little goes a long way with raw garlic in a creamy dip, so firstly just make sure it's a small clove. Also make sure it's very finely minced so you don't get chunks throughout the dip.

c) Can I make Tzatziki ahead of time? - You sure can! In fact I recommend leaving it to rest in the fridge for at least an hour or so before serving, just to allow the flavours to marry. I find this stays good for 3-4 days tightly stored in the fridge. If you are serving more than an hour ahead of time leave out the salt to taste in the dip and add just before serving, otherwise the dip goes slightly watery. If it does, just give it a stir!

d) Serving - Great as a dip with Pita Chips or Greek Fries, even better in a Chicken Gyro!

e) Calories - whole recipe divided by 6 with no extra oil to serve:

Nutrition