Tzatziki! Tsaht-ZEE-kee! Otherwise known as that yogurt and cucumber sauce you love at Greek restaurants but worry about mispronouncing (hear the correct pronunciation here).
Tzatziki is made simply with yogurt, drained cucumber, olive oil, fresh herbs (usually mint or dill), garlic, lemon juice and salt. It’s a refreshing chilled sauce, dip or spread.
I traveled to Greece last fall and ordered tzatziki at every restaurant. I’m serious. I enjoyed tzatziki with every single meal, even breakfast. This recipe tastes just like authentic tzatziki.
I tend to associate tzatziki with Greek food, but you’ll find it served across the Mediterranean and Middle East, sometimes under different names or in slightly different forms.
Tzatziki is often served with grilled meats and gyros, but I can’t think of a grilled or roasted vegetable it wouldn’t play nicely with. You can also serve up some tzatziki with your next appetizer spread. Let’s make some already!
Uses for Tzatziki
Grilled Vegetables
- Bell peppers
- Mushrooms
- Carrots
- Asparagus
- Green beans
- Corn on the cob
Appetizer Spreads
- Toasted pita wedges
- Crisp raw vegetables
- Olives
- Cheese and crackers
- Hummus
- Zhoug or Shatta (Middle-Eastern hot sauces)
Falafel, Sandwiches and Salads
- Falafel
- Pita sandwiches (you could use it instead of the avocado in that recipe)
- Tabbouleh
- Lentil salad
- Chickpea salad
My Tzatziki Technique
Fortunately, tzatziki is super easy to whip together. The only trick is to properly drain the cucumber before mixing it into the yogurt. Otherwise, cucumber waters down the sauce too much. Salting the grated cucumber and letting the excess moisture drip out takes a while.
The easiest and most efficient way to get rid of the excess moisture is to lightly squeeze the grated cucumber over the sink. The only wait required in my recipe is to let the tzatziki rest for five minutes after you mix it all together, to let the flavors meld. At that point, you can serve it right away or chill it for later.
Tzatziki Nutrition & Yogurt Notes
Nutritionally speaking, tzatziki is a creamy but light sauce. You can dollop it generously on your food without adding a lot of calories (unlike, say, mayonnaise or ranch dressing). It’s made mostly with Greek yogurt and cucumber, after all.
I haven’t found a noticeable difference in texture whether I use whole-milk yogurt, low-fat or non-fat, so any of those will work. Traditional Greek tzatziki is made with strained goat or sheep’s yogurt, but it’s hard to find those here. The Greek yogurt sold here in the U.S. is strained yogurt (that’s why it’s thicker and higher in protein than regular yogurt), so I use that.
As always, please let me know how you like this recipe in the comments! I’m excited to hear how it turns out for you and how you serve it.
Watch How to Make Tzatziki Sauce
Best Tzatziki
- Author: Cookie and Kate
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 2 ½ cups 1x
- Category: Sauce
- Method: By hand
- Cuisine: Greek
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.
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
- 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.
- 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).
- Serve tzatziki immediately or chill for later. Leftover tzatziki keeps well, chilled, for about 4 days.
Notes
Recipe adapted from my cookbook, Love Real Food.Â
Make it dairy free/vegan: Substitute an equal amount of cashew sour cream for the yogurt, and thin the tzatziki with a small splash of water if necessary.
Carolyn
Delicious! So fresh and easy to make. No need to buy store-bought with this recipe.
Denisha
Ahhhhmazing i made mine with dill thank you
Kate
Thank you, Denisha!
Kathryn
I was tired and converting the recipe plus halving so put in a little too much lemon juice (and I used 3 garlic cloves as I like mine garlicky as I’ve had in Greece) but nevertheless it looks perfect. I’ve been making tzatziki for 40 years, and come full circle, this is the best of them all. Now I’m going to make my low cal hummus! It will be a very long time before we get back there so this holiday weekend we shll pretend. Thanks again!
Kate
You’re welcome! I’m glad you were still able to enjoy it.
Julie Alber
Delicious! Very easy to make and always much appreciated.
Deb Hawkisnon
Do you use an English cucumber or regular?
Excited to try the recipe! I live in Kansas!
Kate
Hi! You can use either!
Anita
I find the English cucumber is less watery, More cucumber for the buck!
Erlinda
Easy to make and absolutely delicious. Thank you!
Niled
OMG it was delicious! I used dried dill but still tasted amazing! thanks!
Kate
You’re welcome! I’m happy you were able to enjoy it.
Ti
If making with dry dill, did you use less than 2 tablespoons?
Kathy Butterbaugh
Made this for gyros and thought it was excellent. Simple and tasty. I made it with an English cucumber and a combination of dill and mint. Will definitely be making it again for both gyros and as a sauce/dip. Thanks for the recipe and instructions.
Mel
I love your taziki recipe and would love to see more
Rikita
Made this for the first time and it was great!
Kayla Clark
I use this on top of quinoa, romaine, air fryer chickpeas, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, and kalamata olives and it’s so good!
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Kayla!
Danita Klopper
Thank you. A sure staple to accompany our lamb (or anything else that needs a fresh burst). Very tasty and easy to make
Lisa Bell
This is the second time I’ve made this recipe and I love it and its so easy
JORDAN
Never had or even tried this in my life before finding this recipe. I made this with grilled lamb kebabs and everyone loved it! Super easy to make too.
Rosa
This was super delicious. Reminds me of a Greek restaurant I love to eat at. The only change I made was add less dill because I don’t like that flavor profile too much.
Duane
Yes I made this and I love it. So easy to make and so delicious. I went on the search for a good recipe after ordering takeout and the tzaztiki that came with it was terrible. It came from a Greek restaurant, so next time used a different restaurant and the tzaztiki was even worse. I mentioned to a friend how bad it was and they said they never liked it. So I had to find a good recipe, got lucky on my first try.
Anjuu
A light delight and easy recipe! I used garlic and lemon as per taste but the ratios are otherwise perfect in this recipe. Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful recipe!
Mary E Endres
I just finished making tzatziki sauce and it is delicious. I used fat free Greek yogurt and strained it while the cukes were sweating. We will have this as a salad dressing for dinner. Thank you for the recipe!
Mary
Nancy Cairns
just made it.. I am in love and will need this in my refrigerator at ALL times now. thanks.
Micki
Made tonight with homemade gyros. Delicious. I use labna a middle eastern yogurt so it’s even creamier. Will save leftovers for serving with veggies. Absolutely puts store bought version to shame
Kate
Sounds delicious! Thank you for your review.
Carol
Love it! I did not have mint or dill on-hand but I have lots of curly parsley so I chopped it fine in the food processor. So good.
Kirsten Kane
This is stunningly delicious. I can’t wait to eat it with our dinner this evening. Thank you so much for the recipe!
Ana Victoria Alexa
Made it and :) happy ! I added a few more tbs of mint because I personally love it and its delicious !
Kate
Great! Thank you for your review, Ana.
Stacy Turner
Thanks for the easy to follow recipe. Came out great!
Alina
Thank you! The sauce came out great! I added more garlic but yum!
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Alina!
Joyce Di Bari
Excellent recipe, of course I tweak for my own tastebuds: I used non-fat greek yogurt, added the lemon rind, and I included the juice from the cucumber, extra garlic and extra dill. easy to make and the family loves it – very refreshing!
Bernadette
This was so Yummy…I used two smallish mostly peeled seedless English cubes and shredded in food processor on shredding disc. Everything else the Same; I used plenty of dill. I served it as a side during our one week early Easter Ham dinner with with all the fixings.Thanks for another great recipe.
Tina Goldsack
Made this this afternoon! Let it stew in the fridge for dinner. But my taste test was very exciting!
Angela
A general rule of thumb for replacing fresh herbs with dry is to use one third the amount of dry herbs for fresh because the dried herb’s flavor is intensified. In this case, I would start with 2 teaspoons of dried dill in place of the 2 Tablespoons of fresh. Let the flavors meld and then adjust to taste, adding more, if desired.
Bernadette
Thank you, perfect
Eleanor
This is amazing! Tastes like Greek holidays :)
Kate
I’m happy you enjoyed it, Eleanor!
Claire
Amazing! I accidentally used a zester instead of a grater for the cucumber, and I used lactose-free regular yogurt instead of Greek yogurt (lactose-free Greek yogurt can be hard to find).
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Claire! I’m happy you were still able to enjoy it.
Mark L Dally
I use an inside out nut bag to squeeze the moisture from the cucumber.
Kt J
After working at a specialty-burger 50’s restaurant for 13 years, the Gyro Burger quickly became my one & only go-to. Sadly, we haven’t been open the last few summers & to say I miss that burger is a MASSIVE understatement.
I couldn’t take it any longer & finally went looking for the ingredients. My tiny, local store does not carry any form of tzatziki, so I’ve had to resort here….
This sauce is aaaammmmaaaazing & I’d like to eternally thank the posters for this! For anyone who’d like to try my gyro burger, it’s a half lb patty with lettuce, tomato, (onion if you like it), and a healthy dose of feta & tzatziki.
Thanks again!
Judy Cramer
I didn’t have lemons so I used white wine vinegar – this is really very good!
A
I don’t care for dill and my local produce seller didn’t have fresh mint so I used fresh parsley and it tastes awesome! So fresh!
Lee Atkinson
Delicious. Thank you
Kathy
Just tried Tzatziki dip for the first time. Really good. I may try it in a baked potato instead of sour cream.
Meagan
This is so, so good! I made it to go with chicken souvlaki and it was perfect.
Gláucia Fortes
I love this receipe
Mel
I love this idea Kayla!! I Will try this!!
Lisa
OK this is the best tanziki!! I usually buy from the store but never again so easy to!!
katherine
Can I replace Greek yogurt with sour cream for Tzatziki recipe
Kate
Hi Katherine, It won’t be traditional and flavor may change. If you try it, let me know what you think.
Dave
I love this recipe. Grating and squeezing the cucumbers is much easier that salting and draining. Seems so obvious once you do it. Used an idea I got from a little Greek restaurant I used to go to and added some grated feta cheese instead of the salt.
Alice
So glad I discovered your recipe last summer! I put the shredded cucumber in a clean kitchen towel and squeeze all the liquid out. I’ve made other similar recipes in the past, but this is the best!
Kate
I love it! Thank you for sharing, Alice.
Johan Fagerskiold
Hi I will make a tzatziki according to your recipe, and I’ll revert to tell you. But I have to ask you if you find any reason to add some chili (or peperoni) and / or olives, or even a few capers to the mix, or as sides.
I think you can not overdo any of those, but it seems that this is a great recipe and I was imagining what could be added either to this or to the food preparation you have the tzatziki with. I believe that in Iran they make something like this but also add chopped onion. If that is not too overbearing it should enhance the taste – while complicating and reducing the number of people who would like the taste, perhaps. Perhaps no longer original..
As per herbs I am sure thyme would be my first choice. It has a good taste that reminds me of a forest. I don’t know about basil but probably that is good too. Mint is always great and the fresh dill is almost irresistible for me. And if you would have your tzatziki with a piece of fat meat; either lamb or perhaps pork, then rosemary might do the job nicely.
I get all hungry by writing this and I’ll make sure to get the ingredients together!
Thanks for writing nicely about the food you use this for.
Next I will look up taramasalata – a more strong tasting mix which goes well with seafood.
Take care and hang in there, soon the will let you out again!
Joy
Kathryn,
I usually look at recipes and modify to suit my needs. I followed your recipe as written, using fresh mint and dried dill. It tastes great! I have chicken marinating in a garlicky yogurt mix. Chicken gyros tonight…it is going to be a tasty garlic fest! Thank you!
Teddy
Delicious! Fresh ingredients and easy to make. My go-to recipe!!!
Christina
Tastes amazing!! Thank you for sharing!!
Paul Kentros
Delicious! Great recipe
Judy
Easy and delicious! Half the ingredients were growing in our garden and the other half in kitchen stock. I made as soon as I found it online. Wanted something different as we have plenty of cucumbers coming in. We are using for a salad dressing also. Btw we are dog lovers too! Thanks so much for sharing and yes your recipe(s) are still in full swing on the internet!
Kate
I love that you were able to make this with your garden produce. Thank you for your review, Judy!
Michelle
Kate and Cookie—-Thank you so much for your blog! I really appreciate your detail and hard work you put into it. I use it all the time for recipes. (I am a dog lover too!) Thank you! You are appreciated!
Kate
Thank you, Michelle! I’m happy you are enjoying the recipes.
Sarah
I love love love tzatziki and decided to make some to top off the pita pizzas we’re having for dinner tomorrow. After assembling everything, I just couldn’t resist scooping a serving over dolmas and topping it off with sliced red onion. Amazing. This will now be my go-to recipe!
Kate
That sounds delicious, Sarah! Thank you for taking the time to review.
Rita
I was searching for a Tzatki (totally wrong spelling!) recipe and chose yours. I saw in your bio you’re a KCity girl (Kansas girl here) and so I subscribed!! I then saw your blog is a vegan based. I thought who better to get some great salads snd sides from!! Bonus++ I saw my niece follows you as well :)
Kate
Hooray! Thank you for subscribing and trying this recipe, Rita. I’m delighted you loved it!
Brandy Kelly
Sooo good! This recipe exceeded my expectations! I have always loved tzatziki but never made it before. We had an abundance of non-fat Greek yogurt and I wasn’t sure what to do with it all. This was the absolute best solution. Yum!
Richard
Kate’s tzatziki recipe is the best i’ve ever tasted.
Kate
Hooray! I’m glad you love it, Richard. Thanks for your review.
Donna
Delicious! Easy. Pretty!
Cheryl
I am going to try this recipe— but a side note– If I need to scan through pictures and lots of reading material I tend to not want to use the recipe
Kate
Hi Cheryl, I’m sorry you didn’t love the layout. Feel free to always use the jump to recipe option at the top to go straight to the recipe!
April Perry
I added a little more Greek yogurt for texture. I also used garlic salt which gave it the right amount of flavor along with the fresh garlic. It’s close to what I enjoy in restaurants.
MO
Wonderful recipe. Thank you! Note: If the cucumber is peeled, it has a softer bite. And if it’s seeded, then there is no need to squeeze out extra water.
Mauro Astengo
Great recipe, thanks!
Kate
You’re welcome, Mauro! Thank you for your review.
Lena
I made it this morning and it was delicious!
Jezzabellangel
Excellent…Especially with home made organic yogurt done in my slow cooker so simple – this recipe is so good and great for the body.
New planet – new eating habits – this is a great star to add!
Jayne
The best recipe out there!
Kate
Thank you, Jayne!
John Vaonakis
I have made this 2 times and continued as it has turned out awesome each time thank you
Kate
You’re welcome, John!
Audrey L Freiman
5 stars for this recipe. It fits well with Greek & Persian recipes. Because I like it bold in flavor, I went heavy on the garlic & mint. The flavor is great and the ingredients are so good for you. Excellent as a dip for veggies & pita or a sauce for meat. Yummy & simple.
Vid
I didn’t follow the measurements but I follow the ingredients. I didn’t use lemon, but the Greek yogurt was already sour
carolyn turcotte
How long can it keep in fridge?
Best way to store it?
thanks in advance
Kate
Hi, see the final step.
April
I made it for my husband. He loves tzatziki sauce and I noticed he always gets extra extra when we’re out… So, I thought I’d try making it for him! I have never had it myself, but quickly found out it is absolutely delicious! However, I put the ingredients in my bullet and it made for a very runny sauce… exactly what you suggested to avoid! Oops. I will not bore you with the very long story as to why I did that! I tried adding more yogurt to it (mixing by hand this time!) to try and thicken it up… but it made it even runnier. … so, I stopped attempting to reverse the damage! Do you have any suggestions on what I can do to thicken it up?
Kate
Hi, I don’t have suggestions to thicken it up. Sorry! I hope you can still enjoy the taste, April.
Jeanne
I haven’t had tzakziti this good since I was in Greece. So delicious and easy to make. I used the food processor attachment for my Kitchen Aide so it was very easy to separate the cucumber juice. Much better than a few famous restaurants in Chicago. Thank you!
Kate
You’re welcome, Jeanne!
Tonia
Excellent & easy recipe to make!! Thank you so much!
Kate
I’m happy you enjoyed it, Tonia! Thank you for your review.
Andy
Great recipe, very simple- I find the simpler the better! I always save the drained cucumber juice/water; it’s perfect for adding to a “before dinner gin and tonic” ;-)
Kate
Thank you, Andy!
Sarah Jarrell
Yummy! Thanks!
I used your recipe since my family LOVES your enchilada sauce and this one is also delish!
Also I like the easy squeeze handling on the cucumbers. I don’t like the complicated mince/salt/drain steps other recipes have given…
Kate
You’re welcome! I’m glad the enchilada sauce is a hit with your family, too. Thank you for your review, Sarah!
April
My husband and I just made this and it’s perfect. Our garden is very bountiful and we literally have cucumbers coming out of our ears right now. We grated up 5 good sized cucs and that equaled 2 cups. I cant wait to put this on everything haha
Lauren Demuth
Excellent and easy to make! Love it :)
Kate
Thank you, Lauren! I appreciate your review.
Patricia Outland
I made my tzatziki with homemade cashew yogurt and it turned out great. I used 2 tbsp of lemon juice. Just to make sure you know there is a vegan alternative
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Patricia! I’m happy it worked for you.
Clay
This was very simple to make and was quite flavorful. I did end up adding more herbs and a touch more lemon juice after the first five minutes, so I’ll go heavy on the dill next time!
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Clay!
lisaperry
I love the tzatziki drip.I’ve made it with both yogurt and sour cream and both tastes great!
Robin Funnell
Great recipe! When it comes to draining the cucumber you might try using a tea towel. I place all the grated cucumber into the centre of a tea towel and then gather the edges together so that you form a sack. Now hold the ‘bulb’ in one hand and twist the top of the towel to squeeze the water out. All done in one go and works a treat!
Patti
Love your recipe, having later and after and after and after…
April Young
Thanks for the simple and lovely recipe. I have made it twice and having never attempted to create it myself before, this is our favorite.
Kate
That’s great to hear, April! Thank you for sharing.
Shelley S......
Something is missing ??? I made it , followed total recipe and its not like our GREEKTOWN!??? What can i do to flavor it right ? Thanks..
Kate
Hi, I’m not sure what is missing. If you followed this and added all the ingredients?
Nadezhda Wall-Rossi
We Armenians have been eating this with homemade pita bread for centuries. Have you ever eaten Tan? It’s a very refreshing cold soup.
Ronanne Morrow
I hope it is as good as it looks. Went on vacation and the kids did not pick cucumbers so, I have a lot to do something with. This looks delicious, so here it goes. I’ll let you know if my taste bud are happy. :)
Kate
I hope you enjoy it!
Moraima
Easy and delicious. I used mint on mind, great tips that to squeeze the cucumber. Thanks
Kelli Miller
I love this recipe, like obsessively made it after going to Greece. Recently decided to go vegan and tried it with first: coconut based. yogurt, it was MEH. Then did as suggested with the cashew sour cream and it’s incredible, can’t even tell it’s vegan.
Kate
That’s great, Kelli! Thank you for you for your review.
Uma S
Omgl so easy to make and so very delicious.A big hit with my family & friends.
Thanks much for the recipe.
Kate
That’s great, Uma!
Sandra
Squeeze the cucumber juice into a glass and drink it up. So tasty and nutritious too!
Aliya
Love this recipe so much! I’ve been looking for a tzatziki sauce i can make at home and this fits the bill!
Barb
Tried this for the first time and loved it. Wasn’t sure if would like mint or dill better so I mixed the recipe with all but the herbs then divided it in 2. put dill in one and mint in the other. then I took a portion of both and mixed it. Now I can taste all three and see which one I like best.
Shari W.
Hoping for help here….can’t go to the store for at least another 3 weeks and haven’t any cucumbers (son hates them—but loves tzatziki, go figure !). I do have a couple of zucchini, can zucchini be substituted? Also no lemon so can lime be substituted …no dill but lots of parsley. I adore tzatziki but rarely find in my area except in the store sometimes(not that great). This recipe sounds great but I just don’t have the correct ingredients.
Kate
Hi Shari, I wish I could be more help. I haven’t tried it with zucchini. You could some of my other recipes that have zucchini! I hope you find something that works for you. https://cookieandkate.com/search/?q=zucchini
Shari W
thanks for taking the time to answer. next time I can go. shopping I’ll get some cuc s
Paulette Gnojek
This salad is so amazingly good…I used half yogurt and half sour cream. We had it with Greek dishes.
Paul Lowerre
Wonderful, simple condiment! When grilling lamb, I use goat yogurt which makes it “saucier” and more acidic. Very refreshing! As a dip, the Greek yogurt is preferable as it is thicker and stands up to a pita chip!
Kate
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Paul! Thank you for your review.
Tom
O.K. So I tried this. Not bad but I required expanding on additional components because the original was rather bland. Added black olives and Kalamata olives. I am believing there are other variations that enhance this recipe. I would like to hear ideas.
The recipe is great but limited. Maybe that is the way it is supposed to be, I just think it can be better with enhancements. Currently, yogurt and dill are all that have a flavor for the palet.
Janet
Delicious! and so easy to make. Thank you.
Kate
You’re welcome, Janet!
Christa
Hi, I am going to make this today, but I have a LOT of cucumbers to use up. Do you think this would do well if I froze it? I would love to use it throughout the fall and maybe even winter if it lasts! Thank you!
Kate
HI Christa, I don’t think this is the best recipe to freeze. You can try making some Easy Homemade Pickles with your extra cucumbers too!
Diane
Can this be frozen?
Kate
I don’t think this is the best recipe to freeze.
Christina
I’ve made this several times this summer and it is so much better than store-bought. I double the amount of fresh dill and mint and add an extra clove or two of garlic.
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Christina! I do love garlic.
Misty
Such an easy and delicious recipe! Instead of squeezing the cucumber in my hands, I grated it directly into a clean kitchen towel and squeezed as much water out as I could over the sink. I couldn’t find plain Greek yogurt at the store but used regular plain yogurt, and it still came out amazing! Thanks for the recipe!
Kate
You’re welcome, Misty! Thank you for your review.
Jeff
Great recipe! I have made this at least a half a dozen times and it always comes out perfect with the ratios you mention. It is never too soupy, and the flavor profile is great (I use dill). One of the fun things is that as it ages it extracts more of the garlic, which slightly changes it and makes it a delightful surprise for the palate. I sometimes use a fine strainer and press the cucumbers into it over a bowl so that I can isolate the cucumber extract, which I use as an ingredient for a refreshing cocktail (or two)! Thanks Kate!
Kate
You’re welcome, Jeff! I’m glad you love it. Thanks for sharing your experience!
Denise B.
Last week I made a different recipe and what I learned is that after you squeeze out as much water as you can with you hands from the cucumber, put in a sealed container with salt – I used kosher salt and let it sit for 2-3 hours, you will be amazed at how much more water drains out. Other than that, I followed the recipe and it is excellent!
Stacey
I’ve tried so many different tzatziki recipes over the years and none even come close to your recipe. I’ve made it so many times, I know it by heart. Thanks for always finding a way to simplify loved recipes yet never, ever compromising on results.
Kate
You’re welcome, Stacey! Thank you for your review.
Courtney
Amazing.
This goes well on EVERYTHING