Greek Yogurt Dip (Tzatziki Sauce)
Quick, easy and refreshingly cool, Greek Yogurt Dip, also known as “Tzatziki Sauce,” is perfect for hot summer days and is ready in 10-minutes. Greek yogurt, cucumbers, fresh dill and seasonings bring this tangy dip to life!
This healthy Tzatziki sauce recipe hails from the Middle East and is a perfect dip with Naan bread, Pita bread or chips, crisp veggies or crackers, and you can also use it as a sauce for fish, chicken, beef, lamb.
You’ll typically find this yogurt-based dip served in Greek restaurants – usually served with dolmas and hummus.
Ingredients
This Mediterranean yogurt dip comes together in no time with a few simple ingredients! You’ll need a food processor or a very sharp knife. I’ve found a seedless cucumber, also known as an “English cucumber” works best, but you can use a regular cucumber as well.
For the best and most authentic cucumber yogurt sauce, you’ll want to stick with whole fat plain Greek yogurt.
- Cucumber (use 1 regular cucumber or 1/2 of a long English cucumber); remember to squeeze out any excess moisture first!
- Minced garlic – I used about 4 medium garlic cloves
- Olive oil– high-quality olive oil
- Fresh dill weed– fresh herbs are best, but you can use dried dill weed; if you use dried, use a third less than fresh dill
- Fresh lemon juice and a little lemon zest for garnish
- Salt and pepper to taste
How to make Greek Yogurt Dip
- Peel and slice cucumber and place into food processor. Pulse 5-6 times; remove and strain in a paper towel or kitchen towel to remove any extra moisture.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine chopped/drained cucumber, Greek yogurt, fresh dill weed, garlic powder and lemon juice; combine well and place mixture in food processor.
- Pulse the food processor a few times, until the cucumbers have broken down into small pieces. While pulsing the mixture, drizzle in a teaspoon of olive oil; add more or less to get the desired consistency; place in serving bowl, taste for salt
- Garnish with a few sprigs of fresh dill weed and lemon zest. Serve with pita chips, pita bread, Naan bread or tortilla chips.
Recipe tips
This recipe yields about 1 cup of dip and uses 1/2 of an English cucumber; if you can’t find a seedless English cucumber, use a whole regular one…
- I’ve found the best way to peel a cucumber is with a potato peeler
- A food processor makes this Greek yogurt dip recipe quick and easy!
- Dried herbs are stronger than fresh. If you use dried dill weed, use about 1 tablespoon instead of 3 tablespoons of fresh dill weed
- Make this cucumber-dill dip as creamy or chunky as you like
- Greek yogurt is thicker than traditional yogurt; if you use traditional, start with 3/4 cup of yogurt; add more until you get the consistency you like. I do not recommend using nonfat yogurt.
Variations
- Want a spicy Greek yogurt sauce? Add a splash of Louisiana hot sauce, sriracha sauce or a hint of cayenne pepper or chili powder
- Want a tangy yogurt sauce? Add more fresh lemon juice, a hint of lime juice or white vinegar
- Want a Greek salad dressing? Thin with a little water and serve over a crisp Greek salad with red onion, fresh mint and chopped Kalamata olives!
- This easy Tzatziki sauce is great for “cucumber tea sandwiches”! Remove the crust from white bread, cut the bread into quarters, place a teaspoon or so of the sauce on the bread; garnish with a little fresh dill and enjoy!
Storage
Greek Yogurt Dip will hold up well in the fridge for about up to a week, provided it’s covered well and in an airtight container. Freezing is not recommended.
You’ll find a great Tzatziki sauce with just about every Greek meal. It also pairs beautifully with lamb.
Related recipes:
- Dill Shrimp Salad
- Vermicelli Summer Salad
- How to Create the Ultimate Hot Dog Bar
- Marinated Cucumber Onion Salad
- Buttermilk Dill Ranch Dressing
- Seafood Cobb Salad
- Savory Pumpkin Hummus
- Mediterranean Gnocchi
- Shrimp Saganaki (Baked Shrimp with Tomatoes and Feta)
- Mediterranean Sun Dried Tomato Dip
If you make this recipe, please scroll down and leave a comment and rating. I love to hear from you!
Greek Yogurt Dip (Tzatziki Sauce)
Ingredients
- 1½ cups Greek yogurt plain, whole fat ; 12 ounces)
- 1 large cucumber peeled, pulsed in food processor); or 1/2 an English cucumber; strain the cucumber in a paper towel
- 3 tablespoons fresh dill weed see recipe notes
- 4 minced garlic cloves see recipe notes
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon olive oil high quality
- salt and pepper to taste see recipe notes
Instructions
- Peel cucumber; slice and place slices in food processor; pulse 5-6 times1 large cucumber
- Remove cucumber from processor and place in paper towel; squeeze out excess water
- Add strained, chopped cucumber and remaining ingredients to medium mixing bowl; combine well1½ cups Greek yogurt, 3 tablespoons fresh dill weed, 4 minced garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- Return cucumber mixture to food processor; drizzle in 1 teaspoon olive oil; pulse until well combined; taste for salt and pepper (see recipe notes about pepper)1 teaspoon olive oil, salt and pepper to taste
- Pulse to desired consistency; give it 2-3 quick pulses, if you want it thinner, pulse it a few more times; cover and refrigerate until ready to serve
Notes
- This recipe uses 1/2 of an English cucumber; if you don’t have an English cucumber, use a whole “regular” cucumber; try to remove most of the seeds
Cool! Oh yes, I mean cool dip for summer!!
Delicious!!! Very lite and refreshing! Definitely will be making this for my family this holiday season💛
Glad you liked the Tzatziki sauce! Thank you!