Name: Easy Homemade Tzatziki Sauce
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Ingredients: 1/4 medium cucumber; 1 cup plain Greek yogurt; 2 cloves garlic, finely minced; 2 tbsp chopped fresh dill; Juice of 1/2 lemon; 1/8 tsp salt; Pinch black pepper (optional)

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This easy tzatziki sauce with Greek yogurt, cucumber, and fresh dill is a healthy topping for all of your Mediterranean inspired favorites, from gyros to salmon. In just 5 minutes, you can elevate your dinner with an addicting homemade sauce. (gluten-free)

Are you still buying tzatziki sauce at the store? Stop! It's so easy to make at home, and is so much more delicious! And you don't need anything fancy to make it. All it takes is a grater, and a few simple ingredients to take your meals from average to amazing in just 5 minutes.

What is Tzatziki?

Tzatziki sauce (pronounced zzah-zzee-kee, where the -zz is like that in 'pizza') is the most delicious dip on Earth. It's a Greek dip or sauce made from super thick yogurt, cucumber, dill, garlic, lemon and sometimes mint or olive oil. It's traditionally served as an appetizer or on foods such as a gyro or souvlaki.

Is Tzatziki Sauce Healthy?

I make my tzatziki from Greek yogurt, and add just a few fresh herbs and spices. So yes, it's a healthy way to add tons of flavor to dishes! It is gluten-free, if that matters to you, and vegetarian, but not dairy-free or vegan.

How To Make Homemade Tzatziki Sauce

If you'd like to, peel the cucumber. I don't ever peel it. Then use a large-holed grater to grate the cucumber into a fine mesh strainer, cheesecloth, or paper towels. Squeeze out as much of the water as you can.
Add the cucumber to a bowl with the yogurt, lemon, garlic, dill, salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
Refrigerate until you're ready to use it.

Tips For Making Tzatziki

Many think tzatziki tastes best when the flavors have had a little time to meld, so you can make it a couple hours ahead of time and let it hang out in the refrigerator if you'd like. But if you don't have the time, don't let that stop you!
As with any simple recipe, the quality of your ingredients matters! Use fresh ingredients for the best tasting results.
Not removing the water from the cucumber can cause your sauce to separate or be watery. Don't skip this step.
You can grate the garlic with your grater if it's easier than chopping for you.
Adjust the amount of dill to suit your taste. I really like dill so I add a lot.
Leftovers can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Ingredient Substitutions

If you don't have fresh dill, dried dill may be used. Use 1-2 teaspoon and try to make it ahead of time if possible to let the flavors come out.
Tzatziki is also delicious with fresh mint.
Some people add olive oil to tzatziki. If you want to add it, 1-2 tablespoon of a high quality olive oil should do the trick.

What To Use Tzatziki Sauce On

Besides everything? Here are a few of my favorites:

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating in the comments!

Easy Homemade Tzatziki Sauce

overhead view of homemade tzatziki sauce surrounded by dill, lemon and garlic.

Print Recipe

Author: Kaleigh
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Yield: about 1 ½ cups 1x
Category: sauce
Method: no cook
Cuisine: Mediterranean

Ingredients

Scale

¼ medium cucumber
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tbsp chopped fresh dill
Juice of ½ lemon
⅛ tsp salt
Pinch black pepper (optional)

Instructions

Peel the cucumber if you prefer (I don't). Grate the cucumber onto a mesh strainer or paper towel. Squeeze out as much liquid as you can.
Add the grated cucumber to a bowl with the remaining ingredients.
Stir to combine and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Notes

Many think tzatziki tastes best when the flavors have had a little time to meld, so you can make it a couple hours ahead of time and let it hang out in the refrigerator if you'd like. But if you don't have the time, don't let that stop you!
As with any simple recipe, the quality of your ingredients matters! Use fresh ingredients for the best tasting results.
Not removing the water from the cucumber can cause your sauce to separate or be watery. Don't skip this step.
You can grate the garlic with your grater if it's easier than chopping for you.
Adjust the amount of dill to suit your taste. I really like dill so I add a lot.
Leftovers can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Keywords: easy tzatziki sauce, how to make tzatziki sauce, tzatziki sauce with Greek yogurt