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tzatziki dip with pita bread
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4.84 from 6 votes

Easy Greek Tzatziki Sauce Recipe

Thick, creamy, and refreshing Greek tzatziki sauce! Tzatziki is delicious in souvlaki and with pita bread.
Prep Time4 hours
Cook Time5 minutes
Additional Time2 hours
Total Time6 hours
Course: Greek Appetizers
Cuisine: Greek
Keyword: greek cold dips, homemade tzatziki sauce, tzatziki sauce
Servings: 1 cup
Calories: 144kcal
Author: Ria Mavrikos

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups full fat plain Greek yogurt at least 5% M.F. or higher
  • 1 English or Persian cucumber 3/4 cup shredded - leave the skin on
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 garlic cloves grated or finely diced
  • 1/4 cup fresh dill finely chopped
  • 1 ½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice remove the seeds
  • 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

  • Strain the Yogurt: Place a mesh strainer over a bowl and line the strainer with a cheesecloth. Spoon in 1 ½ cups of Greek yogurt, wrap it loosely in the cheesecloth and cover with saran wrap. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours to remove excess liquid.
  • Prepare the Cucumber: Slice the cucumber length-wise to expose the seeds. Use a spoon to scoop out and discard the seeds. Shred the cucumber and place it on a cheesecloth-lined strainer set over a bowl. Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon of salt and let it sit at room temperature for 30-45 minutes to release moisture. This step will release a lot of moisture from the cucumbers. Squeeze the shredded cucumber to remove the excess water using the cheese cloth.
  • Chop and Grate: Finely dice fresh dill and set aside. Peel and grate two garlic cloves.
  • Mix the Ingredients: In a medium bowl, combine the strained yogurt, shredded cucumber, dill, garlic, fresh lemon juice, white wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, and a pinch of salt. Stir everything together until smooth and well combined.
  • Chill for the Best Flavour: Cover the bowl with saran wrap and refrigerate the tzatziki for at least two hours, but ideally overnight to let the flavours come together.

Notes

  1. When straining the Greek yogurt and shredded cucumber, make sure there's enough space for the liquid to gather at the bottom of the bowl so that it doesn't touch the yogurt or cucumbers.
  2. Even though Greek yogurt is thick, straining the yogurt for a few hours is an important step to make tzatziki sauce that is thick and not runny.
  3. If you don't have a cheese cloth, you can use a mesh strainer.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 144kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 388mg | Sugar: 4g