This authentic tzatziki sauce is really easy to make at home! Also known as cacik, this sauce is commonly served as a dip or side dish with Mediterranean food.
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Mediterranean recipes are really popular, and for good reason. They are lean and often very healthy, with focus on using fresh produce and flavorful herbs and seasoning.
If you want to check out some other Mediterranean favorites, consider making halloumi stir-fry, sea bass with lemon and capers, or roasted vegetable and feta quiche.
🥒 What is tzatziki?
Tzatziki is a Greek yogurt dip made with fresh cucumber and seasoning. It's a light and refreshing dip that goes really well with Greek and other Mediterranean flavors.
As it has very mild flavors, it's an excellent all-purpose side dish or sauce to serve with a variety of dishes.
Tzatziki is also called cacik in Turkish. Both cacik and tzatziki have small regional differences. Some families make them with vinegar, others with lemon juice. Some add fresh herbs, others don't. This means that there's plenty of room for you to experiment and adjust the recipe to suit your preferences!
🥘 Tzatziki ingredients
To make authentic tzatziki sauce, you will need a cucumber, Greek yogurt, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt and dill. To save some time, I like to buy minced garlic paste.
You will also need a vegetable grater to finely grate the cucumbers, along with a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth.
🔪 How to make authentic tzatziki sauce
First, prepare the cucumber. Finely grate the fresh cucumber. Then, add it to a fine mesh sieve or a cheesecloth, and press out as much water as possible.
As cucumbers contain a lot of water, there should only be a few tablespoons worth of grated cucumber left after the water has been pressed out.
Add the dry grated cucumber to a bowl along with the remaining ingredients. Stir to combine, then serve the tzatziki sauce immediately or store it in a refrigerator.
💭 Top tips
Here are my top tips to make the BEST authentic tzatziki sauce:
- Getting all the water out of the cucumbers is essential, or you'll end up with a very watery tzatziki. I add my cucumbers to a sieve and use my hands or a spoon to press the cucumbers. A cheesecloth can also be used.
- The lemon juice, salt, dill and garlic are only used to add flavor. These can all be omitted based on your preferences or dietary requirements.
- Although any natural yogurt can be used, I highly recommend using full fat Greek yogurt for this recipe. The result will be a thick, creamy, delicious tzatziki.
🥗 Serving suggestions
Tzatziki is a versatile dish. Here are some of my favorite ways to serve it:
- As a dip. Serve tzatziki as a dip with vegetables, crackers or bread. Perfect for a quick snack, or as an appetizer.
- As a side dish. This sauce is the perfect side dish to serve with any Mediterranean food. Serve it with grilled meat, lemon chicken, Mediterranean baked cod, herbed lemon butter cod, lemon chicken with orzo, strawberry salad with chicken, Greek turkey burger or other dishes.
- On a mezze platter. Mezze is basically the Mediterranean or Middle Eastern version of a grazing table or cheese board. Make a mezze platter with olives, hummus, tzatziki, flatbread, falafel and tabbouleh.
🍲 Leftovers
Tzatziki can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. This dip is excellent for making ahead. Plan a few days' worth of Mediterranean style dishes, and serve them up with tzatziki on the side for quick and easy meals.
I don't recommend freezing tzatziki as it tends to be very watery after thawing, and the yogurt can separate.
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📋 Frequently asked questions
Can you make tzatziki sauce with sour cream? - If you generally prefer sour cream to Greek yogurt, you can definitely replace it as you wish. Keep in mind that Greek yogurt is the traditional and most common base ingredient in tzatziki.
Recipe
Authentic Tzatziki Sauce
Ingredients
- ½ cucumber
- 1 ½ cup Greek yogurt
- ¼ teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dried dill
- 1 pinch of salt
Instructions
- First, prepare the cucumber. Finely grate the fresh cucumber. Then, add it to a fine mesh sieve or a cheesecloth, and press out as much water as possible.
- As cucumbers contain a lot of water, there should only be a few tablespoons worth of grated cucumber left after the water has been pressed out.
- Add the dry grated cucumber to a bowl along with the remaining ingredients. Stir to combine, then serve the tzatziki sauce immediately or store it in a refrigerator.
Notes
Leftovers
Tzatziki can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. This dip is excellent for making ahead. Plan a few days’ worth of Mediterranean style dishes, and serve them up with tzatziki on the side for quick and easy meals. I don’t recommend freezing tzatziki as it tends to be very watery after thawing.Top tips
Here are my top tips to make the BEST authentic tzatziki sauce:- Getting all the water out of the cucumbers is essential, or you’ll end up with a very watery tzatziki. I add my cucumbers to a sieve and use my hands or a spoon to press the cucumbers. A cheesecloth can also be used.
- The lemon juice, salt, dill and garlic are only used to add flavor. These can all be omitted based on your preferences or dietary requirements.
- Although any yogurt can be used, I highly recommend using full fat Greek yogurt for this recipe. The result will be a thick, creamy, delicious tzatziki.
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