Ready in 5 minutes, this thick and creamy Greek tzatziki is blended with cucumbers, dill, lemon, and garlic to create a healthy and addictive yogurt sauce.
When I have a few extra minutes, I love turning plain yogurt into a delicious side dish by mixing it with cucumbers, lemon juice, garlic, and herbs. This version of cucumber yogurt sauce is known as Greek Tzatziki which is full of bright and fragrant, fresh flavors. It’s a great appetizer, side dish, or snack.
How to Make Greek Tzatziki
Prepare for your Greek tzatziki by dicing your cucumber and freshly chopping some dill.
Then add Greek yogurt to a medium to large size bowl.
Add your chopped cucumber to the bowl with the Greek yogurt, then grate in your fresh garlic.
Then add some fresh lemon zest.
And lemon juice.
Then add the fresh dill, some salt, and pepper.
Stir everything together until all ingredients are incorporated.
Garnish with additional fresh dill, serve, and enjoy your Greek Tzatziki sauce.
Change It Up
- An Indian twist. I’ll throw in chopped cilantro and garam masala to create Cucumber Yogurt Raita.
- A Syrian twist. I add plenty of fresh or dried mint to create Cucumber Yogurt Mint Sauce (Laban).
Recipes to Try with Tzatziki
Frequently Asked Questions:
Do I need to cut out the cucumber seeds when I prepare tzatziki?
That’s up to you if you’re not a fan of seeds but I don’t.
What type of Greek yogurt do I use for Tzatziki?
Always use Greek (strained) plain yogurt. It is widely available and sold at major supermarket chains.
How long does tzatziki keep for?
It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days in an airtight container.
Like It, Eat It, Share It!
Did you try this yogurt sauce? The next time you make it, snap a picture and share it to your socials. Tag @thelemonbowl and #thelemonbowl so we can admire and share your dish.
If you haven’t tried a yogurt sauce before and you’re on the fence, this Greek Tzatziki Sauce is the one to try.
No fork required.
Greek Tzatziki Sauce
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 2 cups plain Greek yogurt
- 2 cups diced cucumber (or shredded)
- ½ cup fresh dill (minced)
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic (grated)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl, check for seasoning. Add more dill, lemon, garlic or salt/pepper if you wish!
- Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
Check out more Lebanese recipes on my Pinterest board!
It’s fantastic that you recommend fresh ingredients, thank you. As a Hellenic / Greek person (and all Hellenics take pride in our cooking) I might suggest the following, while lemon juice is sometimes used, the preferred choice is red wine vinegar. If I may, try swapping dill for fresh fellel for a change sometime. It adds a sweet, licorice flavor but still has the freshness of dill. Also, pepper is considered a contrast that is rarely to never used in tsatsike by Hellenic people. I will of course try your interpretation and I expect it will be flavorful as you clearly appear to enjoy what you do. Thank you again and keep posting more wonderful recipies!
Great suggestions and alterations! I’ll have to try it your way!
Looks good! Too bad there wasn’t a “Pin” button though.
We usually have one! Thanks for mentioning it, we’ll fix that now.
Instead of “chopping” cucumber it should be “grated” on a grater. Grate the cucumber in a strainer and salt it a bit and let stand for the juices to drain. Squeeze cucumber juices with cloth then add all the ingredience.
You can do it either way, as there isn’t one “right” way to do it. But if grating it is your preference, then great! I bet it still tastes great.
Great tips! Thank you!
So simple… and so flavorful. Used non-fat yogurt, and it tasted lighter than commercial tzatziki. Served as accompaniment to white bean burgers.
That sounds so good!!!! :)
mixed with cucumbers, garlic, salt, olive oil, sometimes with vinegar or lemon juice, and herbs such as dill, mint, parsley and thyme. is a sauce based on tahini, while in Turkey and the Balkans it came to mean a combination of yogurt and cucumbers, sometimes with walnuts. It has become a traditional part of meze.
Oh wow that sounds incredible!!! Good to know!
So easy and so good! I thought this sauce would be much more complicated. This made our gyros taste better than any restaurant, and I get as much sauce as I want! Yay!
I’m so happy you enjoyed Carol!! Let me know what you make next!
This sauce was delicious. I am looking for other sauces that have no fat because I have family members with pancreatitis. Searching the web has not been fruitful as it appears no one has discovered how to make delicious sauces without butter or oil or things with high fat content (coconut milk etc.). This recipe worked well with the meal I just prepared and it was great with the Russian rye bread stuffed with onions.
Thank you.
I’m so glad you enjoyed this!
I love tzatziki sauce. This one looks particularly good. Thank you for sharing this recipe! I love recipes that make use of dill in tasty ways. Can’t wait to try this one at home!
It’s so good I hope you love it!
What is the recommended serving size??
1/4 cup! So sorry just edited the recipe to show that!
I can’t wait to try this, Liz!
It’s so good!!
I could eat this on everything!
I pretty much do!!
Pucker up because this is sour! I found this recipe to have far to much lemon juice in it. I made another batch leaving out the lemon to add to the first batch and it still has an over powering lemon taste.
Oh really? I think it’s perfectly balanced but I guess everyone has different taste buds!
I followed your recipe and thought it was perfect – thanks so much for posting this!
I’m so glad to hear it Sam! Let me know if you try anything else!
Different strokes for different folks. It’s delicious, so my taste buds say!
So glad you enjoy it!!
Cani use lime juice if i dont have lemon?
I would really not recommend it- wait until you have lemon juice!
I LOVE this sauce…I’ll have to try your version! Funny thing is, both at the Greek restaurant I went to as a child, and in the recipe I received from my brother (who is a chef in a five-star restaurant on Nantucket), it was made with mint and not dill. Not a huge fan of dill so I may stick with my imposter version, but I will definitely give it a try first!
Great sauce…and the fresh dill…YUM!!!! Making so in the morning…this is a great sauce…thank you!!!!!
One of my favorites too!
Loved your Creamy Tzatziki sauce recipe. I served it with koftas. I have to say the sauce turned out MUCH better than the koftas. The only thing I wasn’t sure of was should I scrape the seeds out of the cucumber or not? Should I have drained off the juice or not? The recipe wasn’t clear about that. SI’ll give the recipe flavor a 5 and the written method a 3, averaging the score to a 4.
Hi There – So glad you enjoyed the tzatziki! Ironically we are making it for dinner tonight to serve with grilled salmon. :) To answer your question, no need to cut out the cucumber seeds. I don’t mention that in the recipe because there is absolutely no need! Of course you can but I don’t mind the seeds. As for draining off the juice, there is also no need. Of course just like the seeds, you can drain off the water if you wish. To be clear: the reason tzatziki is often thicker when you purchase from store or restaurants is because they use sour cream instead of yogurt. :) Lastly, I’m so sorry you didn’t enjoy the koftas! Was there anything particular you didn’t enjoy? Several people have made it and raved about it this week so I’m wondering if it’s a personal preference about the turkey? The traditional recipe calls for fattier beef/lamb which you may prefer. Let me know!! Thank you so much for your candid feedback- I so appreciate it!
HELP!!!!!
I put way too much lemon juice in my Tzatziki sauce. What can I do to fix it? My friends will be here in less than an hour for dinner. and yep,..you guessed it. The Tzatziki is the appetizer.
Thank You,
Stasia
The best thing to do is add more to make it a larger batch. Do you have extra yogurt, cucumber and salt?
Looks like I better get to the store real quick. Thank you Liz.
Stasia
Have a great party!
This has to be my favorite spring/summertime go to sauce. Only thing I don’t put it on is my Cheerios!! It is just yummy. Btw your blog I found thru Pinterest and so glad I clicked that link ;)
Thanks for finding me Barb! Too funny about Cheerios…I’m with you on that. ;)
It’s not great on Cheerios, but pretty good on Chex Mix.
How do I get a bad picture of myself running up with my posts, to replace that really bad lemon? I hate all my pictures, but they look better than a lemon. I think.
You need to have an avatar- google it!
I’ll stick with the lemon…lol.
The amounts listed are perfect. Basically, one fat cucumber and clove of garlic to every cup of Greek yogurt. (Add dill, salt, and pepper to taste – but stay light on all three.)
Allow me to add some time-consuming suggestions that make a major difference:
1) Always use Greek (strained) plain yogurt. It is widely available now. It is thick, and the non-fat variety is just as tasty. Isn’t that good?…lol.
2) After skinning, cut the cucumbers length-wise and remove the seeds (time-consuming suggestion – exhibit A)
3) Put cucumbers and garlic in a food processor/blender, and puree.
4) Pour puree into coffee filters – supported by a strainer – over a large bowl, and drain for at least a half-hour. (time-consuming suggestion – exhibit B) There will be a LOT of juice in the bowl. This is what gets rid of the “runny” consistency problem.
5) Chuck in a tablespoon of olive oil per 8 oz.
6) Slop it all together (finally!). Thoroughly. Taste and adjust seasonings.
7) Let meld in the fridge a few hours. (time-consuming suggestion – exhibit C)
8) Put it on everything you eat.
Even dirty socks are edible with this stuff. Tastes too good to be so damn good for you. But it does and it is.
Nice, Dennis. Thanks for posting this…wish the author was as descriptive as you were.
Hi Mike – I hope you enjoy the tzatziki!! Many apologies for not being descriptive enough in my recipe. Please let me know if you have any trouble or have any questions. It’s one of our favorite recipes – we love eating it on grilled salmon, with lamb, as a dip with veggies or just on top of rice! Enjoy!!
Thanks, Mike. Liz posted a chunky version. Just as good. I posted a painfully slower creamy version. Just as good. You can’t go wrong with Greek yogurt, cucumbers, and garlic. You just can’t.
I love all of your tips Dennis! I hope you enjoy it!
Great site, Liz. It’s all about the variations to the recipes, and the great feedback. Pardon the pun.
Oh man it would take a lot of willpower not to just stick my face in that! I have been on a huge dill kick lately, and I love Greek food! Pinning for sure :D
I adore dill too!!!! Who needs willpower? This is good for us!! :)
One of my favorite sauces of all time. Judging by the ingredients this sounds like a delicious version
Thank you so much Kathy!! I would say I have to agree – love tzatziki!!