Greek Tzatziki Sauce
Dorie Greenspan’s classic Greek Tzatziki Sauce is a versatile condiment that’s super simple to prepare. Use as a dip, sauce or even a salad dressing!
Greek Tzatziki Sauce
This Friday, the French Fridays with Dorie crew and I packed our bags and took a journey out of France and into Greece to nibble on veggies with a light and summery cucumber and yogurt dip. Tzatziki is a simple recipe composed of Greek yogurt, minced cucumber, lemon, garlic, dill, and mint. Refreshing and healthy, this tzatziki or Greek Yogurt Sauce is perfect for casual noshing on the patio before dinner yet gourmet enough to serve to company.
How to Make a Greek Yogurt Sauce
- Using Greek yogurt eliminated the step of draining the regular stuff, but both work well.
- A cup of minced, salted then squeezed dry English cucumber was mixed with 2 cups of yogurt, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, minced garlic, dill and mint.
- Dorie suggested using tzatziki to top sandwiches, burgers or even as the dressing for a tomato salad. I stocked up on lovely summer veggies and served it with crudites.
- I found this rather bland at first try, so decided to give it some time in the fridge to allow the garlic, et al., to infuse into the dip. It was much improved hours later.
I’d use this Greek tzatziki sauce as a taming influence on a boldly flavored sandwich or as a dip for a spicy chip. I have never been a huge fan of tzatziki, so even though this certainly was an excellent recipe (my fellow Doristas will attest to that), I doubt I’ll be making it again any time soon…
PS…I left out the mint due to you know who’s food proclivities! But totally forgot that the cukes would also be a deal-breaker!
- Marinated Lamb Kabobs
- Baklava Recipe
- Greek Salad Recipe
- For more entertaining inspiration, go to my Appetizer Recipes.
Dorie Greenspan's Tzatziki
A classic Greek yogurt sauce with garlic, herbs and yogurt
Ingredients
- 2 cups greek yogurt or regular yogurt, drained overnight in a colander lined with cheesecloth over a bowl
- 1 cup coarsely grated cucumber (seedless)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2–3 garlic cloves (split, germ removed and minced)
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh dill
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh mint
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Grate cucumber, add ½ teaspoon salt and let it sit for 30 minutes. Drain well and add it to a bowl together with the yogurt.
- Add the rest of the ingredients, mix well, check for seasonings and serve cold.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 39Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 2mgSodium: 37mgCarbohydrates: 4gFiber: 0gSugar: 2gProtein: 4g
Thatskinnychickcanbake.com occasionally offers nutritional information for recipes contained on this site. This information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although thatskinnychickcanbake.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased can change the nutritional information in any given recipe. Also, many recipes on thatskinnychickcanbake.com recommend toppings, which may or may not be listed as optional and nutritional information for these added toppings is not listed. Other factors may change the nutritional information such as when the salt amount is listed “to taste,” it is not calculated into the recipe as the amount will vary. Also, different online calculators can provide different results. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information obtained is accurate.
59 Comments on “Greek Tzatziki Sauce”
I finally got to this one and what I didn’t use for my lunch I ended up eating with a spoon. So good. Cukes are a dealbreaker too? Really? Even in cocktails?
Sorry I’m so late to the party, but my weekend was so busy with showers and birthday parties. Your tzatziki looks delicious…I really enjoyed this! However, I was the only one eating it!
Lizzy,
I love Tzatziki. I’ve never made it but I’d love to try it.
Annamaria
You did such a lovely job by pairing this with those gorgeous veggies. I just had photos of Naan when I made mine and it didn’t quite “pop”. Makes the dish much more photogenic and your pics are great ! Too funny about pleasing all the taste testers 🙂
Look at that dollop of feathery, fluffy, velvety, smooth dip!
Thank you for introducing me to this lovely idea. Fitness-freaks like me would fall in love with your dip right-away, I bet 🙂
It is so nice that Greek yogurt is readily available now so that we don’t have to strain the yogurt anymore. Tzatziki is one of my favorite sides when preparing a Greek meal.
Ha! Ha!.. deal breakers. You remembered the mint.. not the cucumbers. Cooking for your family is somewhat cooking for mine… You have to always keep all their “deal breakers” in mind too. I really like tzatziki…. but it has to be bold in flavor with the garlic. I love how creamy yours looks. 🙂
Simple and wholesome!
Tzatzkiki is one of my favorite dips ever!!
LOL Lizzy, your honesty is refreshing.
I’m a huge fan of tzatziki and I totally agree that leaving the garlic to infuse is a good idea! A shame that you didn’t love it though 🙂
I love the huge sprig of dill on top! Yum!
We just love tzatiki…. We eat it with pita chips or celery!! The best one we had was in Santorini.. Ahh.. to go back there…
I’d love to have some of that tzatziki with lamb kebabs! Yum!
Liz, your fresh summer veggies are a wonderful accompaniment for the tzatziki – it looks very fresh and so appetizing – but I have to agree with you, there are quite a few other dip/sauces out there that we prefer, not that this was not good, it is just a bit bland and it has gotten such a bad rep around here, that it always seems a bit of a task to look beyond that! Still, a nice recipe and your presentations are always fabulous – a real pleasure to look at!
Have a lovely weekend. Liz!
My fav, love tzatziki, looks great!!
So I suspect you enjoyed this… try it with a little mint for yourself.. I really think the fresh mint and dill is what made this an exceptionally good Tzatziki recipe.
Hey gal, I’m new to Tzatziki! This dip is as cool as a cucumber, Liz 🙂
I am not a fan of cucumbers, but somehow they were great in this dish. This turned out to be
very good. I love your set of little white dishes, they are so cute. Have a great weekend.
We are huge tzatziki fan and it has pretty much replaced ranch dressing at my house. It has to have lots of garlic and dill. It’s so good with grilled lamb and fish.
My favorite sauce when we go to the greek =) My mum likes it with fish, I enjoy it with beef more. Thanks for sharing Liz, looks super inviting!
Eying this as a dinner when the temperatures decide to sour again!
Such a classic recipe. Perfect for summer.
Ah, so I gather he didn’t try it because of the cucumbers. You can’t win ’em all. As long as you liked it – that is the main thing.
LOL next time you wont miss the mint then!
I think your background this week looks refreshing and light, just perfect for this recipe! 🙂
We are fans of tzatziki too. A wonder sauce!
Oh dear – another lovely creation that Bill couldn’t stomach! And what a shame after you left out the mint as well! I love this dip – it’s very refreshing and so much better than those dips I was brought up on – 1 box of sour cream mixed with one green onion dip mix xx
I love tzatziki and slather it over fish. I always make mine with Greek yogurt as well. Great photo!
this look delish dear Lizzy and always love your shots! Hope you have a nice weekend!
try to rest xo
Love dip…and this one looks and sounds delicious 🙂
you are so right. this was indeed a very versatile dip: casual and elegant at the same time. i’m sorry that you didn’t really enjoy this though. but bravo for the effort.
We go through a bucketload of tzatziki every week along with hummus, taramosalata, baba ghanoush, spicy pumpkin dip and more. If it’s been a long day we stop at 4:30 for dips and a drink. Then I don’t have to hurry with dinner. 🙂
This one definitely needs to sit. I had the opposite issue where it was really spicy when I first made it, but it mellowed overnight. I guess you’re not going to make this one again though. Oh, well. On to the duck next week! Happy Friday.
Don’t you just love this – so fresh, pairs perfectly with everything!
Happy French Friday!
It might be simple but there’s nothing simple about how it tastes. Love it with meat..
I love tzatziki — especially to eat with kabobs or pita bread. It looks delish, Liz!
Unlike you, I’m a huge fan of tzatziki. It reminds me of the amazing falafel we ate while in Paris. So good with tzatziki drizzled on top! Thank you for sharing Liz! And thank you for all your sweet words on my blog. They mean so much!
It was a nice way to dress up yogurt 🙂
The veggies go so well with it, but I had it with chicken. Couldn´t believe it was yogurt and not some fatty soft cheese. Looks wonderful Liz! Enjoy the weekend!
I appreciate your sharing this recipe, Liz. It actually looks and sounds quite refreshing. Perfect for a summer dip for crudite =)
We’ve been away for a few days with spotty Wifi so I haven’t been chatting. This spread/dip is really one of my favourites, it’s so refreshing particularly served with BBQ’d meat. It’s a summer staple for us.
I love the beautiful pictures and your food ideas. My problem is a need for a printable recipe. Martha Stewart has a recipe with ads all over it. The other cook you referred readers to does not have a recipe just an ad for her book. I hope you do not continue with this format. I really enjoy your ideas and recipes alone. The other sites are not user friendly.
The publishers have asked us not to publish Dorie’s recipe unless it’s already been published. Most times, I can find it on-line, but this was one exception. Sorry for the inconvience, Nora!
Thanks for the response, I love this site and will continue to work with it.
Oh, tzatziki, I love you. I slather this stuff on everything in the summer!
Eating tzaziki is one of my favorite things. I really should make it more often, because I love it!
Sorry this wasn’t your favorite. I really liked it, but I was so hungry by the time we had dinner I would’ve enjoyed anything.
I LOVE Tzatziki! Yours sounds delicious. ah picky eaters, haha 😉
I always forget about this dip. I have some cukes from the garden to use. Apps on the patio tonight!
Wonderful dip , Lizzy ! Goes well with some summer veggies and a refreshing accompaniment to meaty meals .
I enjoy Tsatziki and this looks like a great recipe! You amaze me Liz – always making it look so easy and pretty!
I love tzatziki and make it all the time in the summer, but I honestly don’t think I have ever followed a recipe! I go crazy with the garlic and do as you did, dip vegetables in it.
This does sound like a lovely dip!
My family loves Tzatziki served with chicken Kabobs. I’ve never used Greek yogurt, on my list to try.
Such a lovely dip and perfect for snacking on some summer veggies.
I do love dill, and once it warms up again here something cold and creamy will be welcome:@)
Wish I could have found some fresh dill too…. Yours is so pretty.
I love tzatziki as a dip for pita chips though I’ve never though to add fresh dill. Wonderful idea!
I can just imagine sitting outside on a super hot day, eating huge bowls of crunchy veggies dipped in this cool yoghurt dip. Who needs hot food?