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If you’ve been following me for awhile now, you know that I love to pair pretty much all of my meals with a dipping sauce! Dips can certainly make a meal significantly more exciting. For many meals, I have two or even three sauces at a time so that I’ve got variety - it truly is the spice of life, after all!
One of my favourite cuisines since pretty much when I began my cooking journey has been Greek. I recently replicated my favourite Greek meals after quite some time - chicken souvlaki skewers with tzatziki sauce, lemon and herb rice, and baked lemon potatoes. Every time I make this or even eat it at Jimmy the Greek, it totally hits the spot! Have you always wanted to create your own Greek feast? While tzatziki sauce just seems like a small element, it really is the glue to hold your meal together! You can get started by building your Greek feast by following this tzatziki sauce recipe as part of your Live to Cook one-month challenge! If you want to get started on your cooking journey for free, then be sure to sign up to my email newsletter for all of my inspirational resources, plus you’ll get all of my new recipes delivered straight to your inbox!
To see the exact process and how quick it is to make your very own tzatziki sauce, then be sure to watch the video! I’d really appreciate it if you would please subscribe to my YouTube channel if you haven’t already and don’t forget to press the bell button to be notified when all of my video recipes are live! Let’s get mixing!
What is Tzatziki Sauce?▼
Tzatziki is a Mediterranean yogurt-based sauce that’s prepared with shredded cucumber, lemon juice, and garlic. Typically, Greek yogurt is used as this helps get the thick texture. You can add some fresh herbs to it, and there is quite a variety of different herbs that are used, depending on the recipe.
Is tzatziki Sauce Healthy?▼
The Mediterranean diet is considered one of the healthiest diets you can follow, as it is attributed to better cardiovascular health and longevity. There’s a reason why the Mediterranean diet is considered so nutritious and is recommended! Firstly, if you’re using full fat Greek yogurt, not only is it tastier, but the combination of the higher fat content and protein makes full fat yogurt more satiating compared to its lower-fat counterparts. Additionally, adding a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil will provide a great source of mono-unsaturated fats that can reduce bad (HDL) cholesterol and increase the good (LDL) cholesterol. Garlic also reaps the health benefits of boosting your immunity, detoxing your body by providing antioxidants, and reduce your blood pressure. If you’re watching your weight, tzatziki is quite low in calories in reasonable servings, and it’ll make you enjoy your meals more. Check out all of my pairing ideas later on in this post!
However, to actually obtain all the health benefits of tzatziki sauce, it’s best you make it yourself, as I’ll be showing you in this recipe. When you purchase tzatziki sauce that’s packaged, it’s full of preservatives to make it last longer. You don’t need those extra chemicals in your life. This healthy tzatziki sauce recipe so simple to make that you really won’t have any reason to buy it at the store again!
Tools Needed to Make Tzatziki Sauce
Ingredients for Greek Tzatziki Sauce
There are only a few staple ingredients we’ll need for this Authentic Greek Tzatziki Sauce. For full ingredient quantities and instructions, scroll to the bottom of this post for the FULL PRINTABLE recipe card. The recipe card will also allow you to scale the recipe based on how much Tzatziki you want to make - whether for a single meal or for a big crowd for dipping, all individual components will automatically be adjusted!
- Greek yogurt: Go for full fat Greek yogurt for best results. It’ll taste better and it’ll be super creamy! You can’t substitute with regular yogurt because it is too runny. If all you have is regular yogurt, strain it into hung curd first so your tzatziki stays thick.
- Olive oil: Extra virgin olive oil is best! Olive oil is a staple in Greek cooking, and while it not only adds lots of flavor to your sauce, but it will also add a wonderful shine.
- English cucumber: I really like to use the English cucumbers because they’re sweeter and the thin skin doesn’t require you to peel the cucumbers prior. I just grate them right away!
- Garlic: A few cloves of minced garlic.
- Lemon: A little bit of lemon juice to refresh the dip.
- Fresh dill: Other herbs you can use are parsley or mint.
- salt and pepper: Add these to taste!
How to Make Greek Tzatziki Sauce
Add yogurt to a large bowl and finely grate the cucumber and squeeze any excess water from the cucumber.
Add the shredded cucumber to the bowl with the rest of the ingredients. Season to taste.
Mix well until combined. Chill for at least 15 minutes before serving.
Enjoy!
The Tip You Need to Know for Perfect Tzatziki Sauce
Excess moisture will cause the tzatziki sauce to separate. You want to extract as much moisture as possible from the cucumber so that the flavors in the sauce are not diluted. As a result, be sure to really squeeze out the grated cucumber so you’re left with as little moisture as possible so you don’t have a soggy mess with the finished product.
Bonus tip: Really make sure you allow the tzatziki sauce to chill in the fridge before serving to allow the flavors to sink into the yogurt and really work their magic!
Can I make Tzatziki sauce Vegan?▼
While not traditional, you could substitute the Greek yogurt with coconut yogurt, as this will be nice and thick like Greek yogurt is.
Do I have to Use Fresh Herbs?▼
Fresh herbs are best for this tzatziki sauce recipe and they will definitely add the most flavour. However, if you really want to make this recipe and don’t have the time to go to the store to buy fresh herbs, you can be fine with one teaspoon of dried herbs for every tablespoon of fresh herbs.
What Type of Cucumber Should I use?▼
I used English cucumber, but feel free to use any kind that you have already on hand!
How to Serve Authentic Tzatziki Sauce
- Gyros: These are Greek wraps that are made with chicken, pork, beef or lamb. The meat is cooked on a vertical rotisserie, and then wrapped in Greek pita. Other add-ins for the wrap include sliced tomatoes, onions, and lettuce. Of course, tzatziki is the go-to sauce choice!
- Shawarmas: Lebanese meat sandwiches made with either chicken or beef, also prepared on a vertical rotisserie. You can try out my Chicken Shawarma recipe! While a garlic sauce is typically added (check out my toum recipe!), tzatziki would also be delicious! If you need a shawarma in a hurry, then try out my Quick Healthy Chicken Shawarma Wrap.
- Other sandwiches and wraps: There are no rules in the kitchen when it comes to how to use an ingredient! As I mention in my Make Cooking Fun!! free motivational guide to explore your potential in the kitchen, when you’ve got an ingredient that is perishable, you should use that up! Get creative with your tzatziki and explore different sandwich combinations with a variety of toppings, proteins, and breads. Check out my guide to prep the perfect sandwiches. One example where tzatziki would be incredible is in my Vegan Black Bean Pita Pockets (however note that these pockets will no longer be vegan with tzatziki).
- Vegetables: Dip carrots, celery, broccoli, cherry tomatoes and any other veggies that you like for a healthy mid-day snack!
- Fries: While plain Oven-Baked Fries would be incredible dipped in tzatziki, for a true Greek restaurant experience, try serving your Air Fryer Feta Fries or Garlic Parmesan Fries with some tzatziki!
- Meat: You can enjoy pieces of your succulent Souvlaki Chicken Skewers dipped in tzatziki or spread the sauce over your meat! It would also be incredible served with Greek-style meatballs, or my Sheet Pan Shawarma Dinner.
- Pizza: You could dip your slices in tzatziki or drizzle it over the pizza!
- Pita chips: Either pan fry or bake pita bread cut into triangles, and dip or drizzle the tzatziki on top! Any other chip or cracker is perfect for dipping too.
How to Store Tzatziki Sauce▼
If you want to spread your sauce with a spoon, you can store the sauce in a mason jar or in an airtight container. If you’re looking to apply the tzatziki sauce as a drizzle for topping, then you can transfer the sauce into squeeze bottle, but make sure that you cut a portion of the spout out. Since the tzatziki sauce is not a puree, the clumps of the cucumber will get stuck in the nozzle.
Due do the garlic in the sauce, you can only keep it for 3 to 4 days in the fridge. Unfortunately, you can’t freeze tzatziki sauce or else it’ll separate and the texture and flavour will become strange.
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