Tzatziki (Cucumber Sauce) - Two Peas & Their Pod (2024)

Today, we are talking about Tzatziki! If you aren’t sure how to pronounce tzatziki, let me help you out, all of those Zs are a little tricky. Tzatziki is pronounced tuh-zee-kee. It comes from a Persian word that means “herb mixture.”

Tzatziki is a dip (sauce) that originated in the Middle East. It has a light, fresh flavor that brightens up savory dishes! Tzatziki is made with creamy yogurt, cucumber, dill, garlic, olive oil, and lemon for a really refreshing taste.

It is one of my all time favorite sauces. I always order extra tzatziki at my favorite Greek restaurant because you can never have too much.

Did you know it’s easy to make at home? Yep! It only requires a couple ingredients and a couple minutes of prep. I love having it in the fridge for an easy veggie dip or to serve with our favorite Greek and Middle Eastern dishes.

Grating the Cucumber

The most important thing to remember about preparing cucumber for mixing into tzatziki is getting all the moisture out! This will keep your dip thick and creamy rather than loose and watery.

I recommend using an English cucumber because you don’t notice the seeds. The skin is also pretty thin so you don’t have to peel it. If the skin still bothers you, you can peel it first.

Grate fresh cucumber (I use the larger holes on a box grater), then place it on paper towels and squeeze out the excess water. You might want to repeat this a second time with fresh paper towels to get out as much as possible!

Alternatively, you can place the grated cucumber in a small strainer over a bowl. Sprinkle each layer with a little kosher salt cover and refrigerate overnight to remove the water. This obviously takes longer, so I always use the quick squeezing method. I think it works well and it’s super quick!

How to Make Tzatziki Sauce

Once your cucumber is prepared, making tzatziki is as simple as measuring out ingredients and mixing!

• In a bowl, combine plain Greek yogurt, the grated cucumber, garlic, fresh lemon juice, olive oil, fresh dill, salt and pepper. It’s really that simple.
• It’s traditionally made with sheep or goat yogurt, but I use plain Greek yogurt because it is easy to find and we always have it in the fridge.
• I recommend using a good quality plain Greek yogurt. You can use whole milk, low fat, or fat-free yogurt. Obviously, the higher the fat content, the creamier your tzatziki will be. Use your favorite!
• If you want to add more herbs, fresh mint and/or parsley can be stirred in as well.
• I recommend giving your tzatziki around 20 minutes to chill in the refrigerator before serving to let the flavors meld and come to life.
• You can store the tzatziki sauce in an airtight glass container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

What to Serve with Tzatziki

There are so many ways to use a fresh batch of tzatziki, you just might find yourself wanting a batch on hand all the time! We drizzle it over our favorite Greek meals or use it as a dip. Here are a few ideas for serving:

• Pita bread or Homemade Pita Chips
• Sliced vegetables, grilled vegetables, or Roasted Vegetables
• Chopped Greek Salad
• Grilled meats or fish
• Gyros
• Falafel
• Chickpea Shawarma Bowls
• Greek Grilled Vegetable Bowls
• Greek Chicken Bowls
• Greek Turkey Meatballs
• Greek Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
• Roasted Vegetable Pita Sandwich

More Dip Recipes

• Avocado Ranch Dip
• Avocado Tzatziki
• Best Bean Dip
• Queso Dip
• Chipotle Hummus
• Caramelized Onion Dip

Photos by Laura from Growing Up in Cali