Easy Tzatziki Sauce
Cool, creamy, and ready in five minutes. Greek yogurt, fresh cucumber, dill, garlic, and lemon juice — the classic Mediterranean sauce that makes everything it touches better. Use it as a dip, a sauce, a salad dressing, or a dollop alongside any grilled protein. Keep a jar in the fridge all week. You're done.
- 1 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- ¼ cucumber, grated & squeezed dry
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
- ¼ tsp dried dill (or ½ tsp fresh dill)
- ⅛ tsp salt
- — black pepper, to taste
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1
Prep the cucumber
Grate the cucumber on the large holes of a box grater. Place the grated cucumber in a clean kitchen towel or paper towels and squeeze firmly to remove as much moisture as possible — cucumbers hold a lot of water and skipping this step will make the tzatziki watery within minutes of mixing.
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2
Mix & taste
Add the Greek yogurt, squeezed cucumber, minced garlic, lemon juice, dill, salt, and a pinch of black pepper to a bowl. Stir until well combined. Taste and adjust — a little more lemon for brightness, a pinch more salt, or extra dill if you want a stronger herb flavor.
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3
You're done.
Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate until ready to use. The flavor actually improves after 30 minutes as the garlic and dill have time to infuse the yogurt — make it ahead when you can.
- Squeeze the cucumber dry: This is the single most important step — grated cucumber releases a significant amount of water. Squeeze it firmly in a towel until almost no more liquid comes out. This is what keeps your tzatziki thick and creamy rather than watery and thin.
- Fresh dill is better: Dried dill works perfectly well here, but if you can find fresh dill in the produce section it adds a noticeably brighter, more vibrant flavor. Use ½ teaspoon of fresh in place of ¼ teaspoon dried.
- Make it ahead: Tzatziki tastes significantly better after 30 minutes to an hour in the fridge — the garlic mellows and the dill infuses throughout the yogurt. Make it first and let it chill while you cook everything else.
- Use it everywhere: This sauce belongs alongside the Baked Salmon with Tzatziki, the Blackened Tilapia, any grilled chicken recipe in this collection, as a dip for raw vegetables, or as a dressing drizzled over a simple cucumber and tomato salad.
- Keeps for 3 days: Store covered in the fridge — give it a stir before each use as it may release a little liquid as it sits. Still thick, still delicious.