This post may contain affiliate links. See our disclosure policy.
This easy Tzatziki Sauce recipe comes together in 2-3 minutes. Creamy and tangy, it’s delicious with grilled vegetables, gyros, and Greek salad.
Featured with this recipe
This Easy Tzatziki Sauce recipe adds incredible flavor to grilled vegetables, pita chips, crackers, and of course with our amazing gyros, made in the crock pot! When I serve it with gyros I like to be able to crunch into the cucumbers so I leave them diced instead and just give everything a good stir instead of processing everything. If I am serving with grilled veggies, I will process all the ingredients so the sauce holds to the vegetables better. It’s totally up to you how you want to do it! This is also great over Greek salads, if it is too thick, you can just add a teaspoon or so of milk.
What is Tzatziki Sauce?
This best Tzatziki recipe can be served as a dip, a sauce or a soup. It’s found in a lot of Mediterranean and Southeast European cuisine, as well as in the Middle East. There are countless ways to make homemade tzatziki sauce, with various ingredients that you can add or take out depending on your family’s tastes. Tzatziki sauce is quite healthy. Despite its creamy texture, it is relatively low in calories. And it goes great with a variety of Greek foods.
Ingredients in Tzatziki Sauce Recipe
This creamy tzatziki recipe comes together with just a few simple ingredients, found at your local grocery store. Here’s what you need for plenty of sauce:
- Plain Greek yogurt – one cup, PLAIN full-fat Greek yogurt. Don’t use vanilla or other flavors or the Greek yogurt sauce won’t taste right. You can also use sour cream.
- Cucumber half a cup, seeded, and diced. I love English cucumber because it has fewer seeds but you can use any cucumber you like. Use a box grater to peel the veggies. Use a paper towel to remove excess moisture.
- Dill – one teaspoon, dried or fresh
- Lemon juice – one teaspoon. For extra flavor add a teaspoon of lemon zest.
- Kosher salt & black pepper – add a pinch of salt and pepper, to taste
Additional Ingredients and Variations
While the cucumber-yogurt sauce above is delicious as-is you can try all sorts of fresh herbs and spices for different types of authentic tzatziki:
- Grated Cucumber – slice or grate the veggies
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Fresh garlic cloves or garlic powder
- Vinegar or lemon juice
- Parsley
- Thyme
- Fresh dill
- Fresh mint
Uses for Tzatziki Sauce
The other day we made kebabs with lemon-marinated chicken and all sorts of yummy vegetables (peppers, squash, zucchini, tomatoes, onions, etc.). We grilled them all up and served them with this Tzatziki on the side. They were a huge hit and everyone (kids included) gobbled them up. If you are looking to make a healthy, low-carb dinner, definitely try it! It will quickly become a favorite! You can also serve a bowl of this Greek tzatziki sauce with easy appetizers like pork, beef kabobs, Greek meatballs, falafel, pieces of pita bread, a dip for veggies, or as a spread for all types of sandwiches. It’s also delicious as a dip for French fries!
How to Store Tzatziki Sauce
- For easy storage, make sure the sauce is cooled to room temperature.
- Next, transfer the sauce to an airtight container, or cover tightly with plastic wrap. Press a cheesecloth or a piece of parchment paper directly on the surface of the sauce so it doesn’t get that skin layer on top.
- Keep the sauce in the refrigerator for up to five days. If there’s too much liquid on the top, stir the sauce together to reincorporate all the ingredients.
Frequently Asked Questions
Greek tzatziki sauce has a tangy and refreshing taste, with a thick and creamy texture. The flavors of strained Greek yogurt pair perfectly with grated cucumber, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, and fresh herbs such as dill, mint, or parsley
The best tzatziki sauce is made with plain Greek yogurt but you can combine a little sour cream for an extra tangy and creamy flavor and texture.
Yes, tzatziki is considered a healthier dip than hummus and sour cream. the gyro sauce recipe contains vitamins, protein, and fewer carbohydrates and calories.
READ MORE: 35+ Easy Family Dinner Ideas
It’s All Greek To Me
If you’re into the Greek flavor that pairs so well with Tzatziki sauce, you should check out some of these other Greek-inspired dishes.
- Greek Lemon Chicken Foil Packets with Vegetables. They’re such a great summer time meal with practically no clean up.
- Light Greek Pasta Salad is another delicious warm-weather option.
- Greek Side Salad with Greek Dressing is another light, healthy way to enjoy a variety of flavors. It works as a perfect side dish with almost any meal.
- Mediterranean Bowls combine all of your favorite Greek flavors into one bowl. Perfect as a quick lunch.
How To Make Tzatziki Sauce
The Easiest Tzatziki Sauce
Equipment
- Food Processor
Ingredients
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup cucumber peeled, seeded, and diced
- 1 teaspoon dill dried or fresh
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Process until well combined. If you want a more chunky sauce (great for gyros), just stir to combine instead of processing.
- Serve with grilled or fresh vegetables or with gyros.
Notes
- Use this sauce for kebabs with lemon-marinated chicken and veggies.
- Serve with appetizers like pork, beef kabobs, Greek meatballs, or falafel.
- Use as a dip for veggies, pita bread or crackers.
- Spread on sandwiches
- Use as a dip for French fries.
Nutrition Information
I loved it! The only thing I did different is I grated the cucumber and squeezed the liquid out unsing a cheesecloth.
My family loved it. Better than store bought!
This is absolutely delicious! I love that it’s such a crowd pleaser for the whole family
I love homemade tzatziki! I can’t wait to try your version!
Thank you – great recipes and easy too. Have a good week!
Followed instructions and it’s so runny.. Now what do I do
If it is really runny, drain some of it off and add more yogurt to thicken. Let me know if that helps!
Turned out great! I didn’t put it in the food processor and used dried herbs and it was delicious. I also added a little sour cream because we had a little left and I wanted to use it up… soo yummy and easy glad you shared this.
I’m so glad you liked the recipe! Thank you for your tips!
DO NOT try this recipe. Instead, look for the one on this website with the grilled chicken gyros. This “easiest” recipe needs more like a TBSP each of dill and lemon juice(maybe a little lemon zest too), plus I added a couple large gloves of garlic. Also, it lacks the instructions to drain the cucumber, so if you blend, it will turn out more watery than salad dressing.
*cloves*
I guess with a toddler running circles in the kitchen, I missed the part to seed the cucumber — that would have cut down on the water content. However, this recipe was still too bland for me.
Haha! Toddlers can make following a recipe a challenge! To spice up the recipe, you could try adding more dill and lemon. I’ve also added minced garlic or garlic powder to give it more flavor.
Yes indeed
Mine watery as well!
I’m excited to try this. So many recipes I’ve tried have an extremely overpowering raw garlic taste. Your recipe sounds perfect. I’ll come back and comment again when I’ve tried it.
definitely let us know! Thanks for commenting!