This fresh tzatziki recipe will liven up any summer meal! Rich, creamy & full of fresh herbs, it's delicious on pita, grilled veggies, sandwiches, and more!
Break out the pita, it’s tzatziki time! On Monday, I posted my favorite Greek salad, and now I’m following it up with another Greek essential: this cool, refreshing cucumber tzatziki sauce.
One of the best parts of summer is that dinner suddenly becomes easy. My favorite ingredients – fresh fruits and veggies – are at their peak. Tomatoes are sweeter and juicier, berries are plumper, peppers are snappier, and our backyard herbs are at their most potent.
Sometimes, when I want to put these peak-season veggies front and center, making dinner just means prepping a sauce to dress them up. This tzatziki sauce is a great recipe for showcasing summer produce – it’s rich & creamy, bright, and packed with fresh herbs. So mix it up, serve it with a big platter of pita and your favorite summer veggies, and call it dinner!
What is tzatziki?
Tzatziki is a salted yogurt and cucumber dip that’s made of strained yogurt, shredded cucumber, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, salt, and herbs. Authentic Greek tzatziki is most often made with sheep or goat yogurt, but my tzatziki recipe calls for regular full-fat Greek yogurt. It’s easier to find in the store, and it still has the creamy, thick consistency you want in tzatziki sauce. Along with the other traditional ingredients, I stir in fresh mint and dill for a bright, summery finish.
How to Make Tzatziki Sauce
I first started eating tzatziki sauce at Greek restaurants, but I’ve since learned that it’s incredibly easy to whip up at home. Now, along with pesto, it’s one of my must-make summer sauces. Here’s how you do it:
- Start by grating the cucumber. I use the largest holes on a box grater to give my final sauce texture and plenty of green flecks.
- Next, squeeze the water out of the grated cucumber. This step is essential for making a creamy tzatziki – if you skip it, the water from the cucumber will cause your sauce to separate. Squeeze the cucumber directly over the sink, or press it lightly between kitchen or paper towels.
- Then, stir everything together! Mix the squeezed cucumber with the yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, salt, and herbs, and chill until you’re ready to use.
That’s it!
How to Use Tzatziki Sauce
Once you’ve mixed your tzatziki sauce together, there are endless ways to use it. Most simply, I enjoy it as a snack with fresh veggies and pita or crackers. Try it this way, or add it to your next crudité platter. Your guests will love it!
You could also slather it onto sandwiches like these pita wraps, serve it alongside a Mediterranean salad like tabbouleh or couscous salad, or top it onto falafel, falafel burgers, or a flatbread.
And last but not least, serve it with pita and lots of grilled veggies for a delicious, easy summer dinner.
If you love this tzatziki recipe…
Try my hummus, tahini sauce, chipotle sauce, cilantro lime dressing, pico de gallo, tomatillo salsa, or guacamole next!
For more appetizer ideas, check out this post with 50 easy appetizers.
Tzatziki Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup finely grated cucumber
- 1 cup thick whole milk Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ½ tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, grated
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint, optional
Instructions
- Place the cucumber on a towel and gently squeeze out a bit of the excess water.
- In a medium bowl, combine the cucumber, yogurt, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, dill, and mint, if using. Chill until ready to use.
Y-U-M! I am so excited to now have a perfect recipe for tzatziki! I made it vegan with homemade cashew yogurt and it is so delicious!
Hi Aly, so glad you love it!
Could I use 2% Greek yogurt instead?
I’ve now done it with whole, fat free and 2%. They are all excellent! Whole is the best lol
So good! First tzatziki ever and super good! I didn’t even have cucumber to add to it and it was amazing anyways
I’m so glad you liked the recipe!
Question – do you use fresh dill or dried? This looks so good. I will come back and comment after I make it.
Hi Holly, fresh dill. If you want to use dried, I’d use around 1/2 teaspoon.
This was really easy to make and turned out great.
best recipe for tzatziki i have found!
I’m so happy to hear!
Just made this recipe and was so impressed cos it tasted so good and sooo much better than the ones I had at greek restaurants!
I’m so glad you loved it!
This recipe is delicious! Just made some fresh & added it to a fresh hot baked potato!
I also love adding some scallions, to give it more crunch, on a salad!
oh yum! I’m so glad you enjoyed.
Tried this recipe with chopped cucumbers and it didn’t nearly come out as well than when I used grated cucumbers. I also subbed sour cream for Greek yogurt and loved the results.
So good! How long will this last in the fridge?
Hi Sarah, about 5 days.
Easy and delicious. Full-time working mother of five school-age children here. I was easily able to throw this together before I made soup for dinner so the kids could have a healthy snack of veggies and pretzel crisps. It was very yummy!
Absolutely delicious !! It came out perfect !! Definitely a great recipe !! A keeper for me !!
I’m so glad you loved it!
Oh my goodness! I made it and thought, it probably needs to sit and meld. After putting in a small container, I licked the spoon. Perfection right away! Don’t change one thing
Hi Stacey, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
This is my go to recipe when I make tzatziki. I really is good. I use a cheesecloth to squeeze the cucumber juice into a pitcher for refreshing cucumber water!
It came out so delicious and I’ll definitely make it again! ?
I meant to give this five stars!!! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Just added about a TBLSP or less of mayo to mellow the tang of the yogurt
How long does it typically keep in the fridge? Thanks 🙂
This recipe is easy and delish! I did just add a tiny bit of honey and it’s all I can do not to just eat it with a spoon!
I’m so glad you loved it!
Tried it with coconut kefir for a dairy free variety – turned out great! LOVE the fresh dill. Smells amazing.
Falafel without tzatziki are sawdusty. Must have tzatziki. I made the falafel but forgot to buy the tzatziki. Yikes! Quick Google to see if I can make it, and your recipe, with all its marvelous stars, came up. It is so star-worthy! (Even without the cucumbers, which I also forgot to buy, can you believe?) And I used dried herbs. No more store-bought tzatziki for me!