Best Tzatziki Recipe (Greek Cucumber Sauce) (2024)

FAQs

What are the ingredients in tzatziki sauce? ›

Tzatziki is a creamy cucumber yogurt dip (or sauce) made from simple ingredients including strained yogurt (or Greek yogurt), cucumbers, garlic, and sometimes fresh herbs such as dill or mint. Traditionally, it is made from strained sheep or goat's milk yogurt, but a full-fat Greek yogurt works just fine in this dip.

You can thicken it by placing a piece of cheesecloth over the top of a wide mouthed jar and holding it in place with some rubber bands. Fill the cheesecloth with your sauce, cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. The excess water will drain out and the sauce will be thicker.

No matter what method you've chose above, you'll need to drain the cucumbers of excess water so the tzatziki isn't watery. The most effective way to do this is in a fine mesh sieve with a sprinkle of salt and not just squeezing with a paper towel.

Squeeze the cucumber a little bit to encourage the moisture to drain out. Let drain for at least 5 minutes. In a medium bowl, stir the cucumber into the yogurt, along with the garlic, herbs, lemon, and salt.

Tzatziki sauce should be kept in a sealed container and stored in the refrigerator when you're not using it. As long as it's stored properly, you can expect homemade tzatziki to last about three to four days. This will depend on how fresh the yogurt was when you made the sauce.

The main flavor component of Greek Tzatziki sauce is typically tangy yogurt, combined with garlic, cucumber, and often a hint of dill or mint.

How do you get the bitter taste out of tzatziki sauce? Your main ingredient – the cucumber – is often the culprit. To avoid this, make sure that you choose the right variety: English and Persian cucumbers have very little, or no, bitterness.

The watery sauce is due to the cucumbers, which hold lots of water. The best way to avoid a watery tzatziki sauce is to get the excess moisture out of the grated cucumber before it's added to the sauce mixture.

Some Greek yogurt brands are very tangy so you may wish to use less lemon juice. Also, some lemons can be very tart. Start with 1/2 a lemon and add more if needed. If your sauce is too tart, you can fix this by adding a little sweetener.

Tzatziki will last about four days in the fridge before it starts to go bad. While you can freeze it, it will change a bit in regards to texture and consistency when it comes time to thawing it out.

Is homemade tzatziki good for you? ›

Yes, tzatziki is considered a healthier dip than hummus and sour cream. It contains several vitamins, a good amount of protein, and fewer carbohydrates and calories. The fat content of tzatziki is low too, which is not the case with other dips. Thus, you can opt for tzatziki dips over other dips.

Tzatziki is a refreshing and good-for-you yogurt and cucumber dip. Serve it with pita, grilled meats, gyros, or just eat it with a spoon!

Cucumbers are often soaked in salt water to remove some of the naturally high water content. Cucumbers will otherwise give up water and dilute the salad dressing. Unpeeled cucumbers are higher in nutritional value as fiber and vitamin A are lost by peeling.

As for how long to drain the weighted cucumbers, we found that one to three hours worked best. Even at 12 hours, the cucumbers gave up no more water than they had after three hours. Peel, halve lengthwise, and scoop seeds from 3 medium cucumbers (about 8 ounces each).

Cucumber water offers many health benefits that include keeping you hydrated, aiding with weight loss, providing antioxidants, and possibly helping to prevent cancer. Cucumber water isn't just for spas anymore. More people are enjoying this healthy, refreshing drink at home, and why not?

The only difference is that a Tzatziki Sauce has a tablespoon of lemon juice and a couple of cloves of minced garlic added to these same ingredients I used below. The ingredients need for this Cucumber Dill Sauce for so simple. It's just cucumber, Greek yogurt, milk and chopped fresh dill.

Tzatziki is a cucumber and yogurt-based sauce or dip commonly served in Greek cuisine. It's thought to have been inspired by a similar Indian sauce called raita. Our plant-based version is similarly cool and creamy, but made without the dairy!

Health-wise, tzatziki contains only 54 calories per a 45 gram serving; it also comes with only 8 grams of carbohydrates and a negligible amount of sodium. Which to Pick? If you make your determination based on health concerns, then hummus is clearly the less healthy dip, with high sodium being a particular concern.

Two tablespoons of tzatziki contain 1 gram of carbohydrates and 1 gram of sugar; this allows the condiment to be considered both low-carb and low-sugar.