This delicious and easy tzatziki recipe is great to have for so many reasons! Perfect to serve with pita, grilled meat or as a dip, this recipe is my go-to any time of the year, but especially during the spring and summer months.
Looking for something refreshing to pair with this tzatziki sauce? Then check out my Rose Lemonade recipe, next!
Tzatziki Recipe
If you’ve been following me for some time, you know dips and sauces are my jam, and this tzatziki recipe is one of them.
This highly versatile sauce is made with herbs, cucumber, greek yogurt, sour cream, fennel and quality olive oil and is magically delicious!
While I love to add a dollop of this on just about everything, I oftentimes treat it as a dip, pairing it with toasted pita bread fresh veggies or crackers.
Why This Easy Tzatziki Sauce Works
- Simple and quick to make – Simple add all ingredients together, give it a good mix and voila!
- Versatile sauce – Grilled meats and tzatziki are like bffs but you can also pair this sauce with grilled vegetables, salads, sandwiches, falafel, or as a dip.
- Tastes better with time – Have leftover tzatziki? Store it in the fridge and you’ll notice how much the flavor enhances!
What is Tzatziki Sauce?
Tzatziki is a sauce of Greek origin, typically comprised of yogurt, cucumber, herbs. and olive oil. Also referred to as yogurt cucumber dip, tzatziki pairs incredibly well with gyros and grilled meats and also makes for a terrific appetizer.
Tzatziki Ingredients
Simple, fresh ingredients is what I love about this tzatziki recipe. Obviously the cucmber makes this dish, butI love to add a good amount of herbs to really enhance the flavor.
Speaking of flavor, I also love to add toasted fennel seeds and grind the seeds to add a depth of flavor. Toasting the seeds over low heat helps release the potent flavor of the spice that will only enhance the flavor of the tzatziki.
- Herbs – Dill and mint add a fresh layer to this tzatziki sauce.
- Cucumber – The heart of tzatziki. Once grated, you can either squeeze the excess liquid from the cucumber or place in a strainer, sprinkle with kosher salt and leave to sit for 25-30 minutes and give it a good squeeze.
- Fennel – That is toasted and ground using a mortar and pestle.
- Garlic – For an extra layer of flavor.
- Liquids/Oils– Lemon juice and good quality olive oil
- Greek Yogurt – Go for full-fat (whole milk) greek yogurt. Using low-fat or non-fat yogurt will lose a lot of flavor and mouthfeel and I do not recommend it.
- Sour cream – Yup, this tzatziki sauce is also made with sour cream. It adds a layer of creaminess and balances the tartness from the greek yogurt.
- Salt – I don’t give a measurement for this recipe as everyone’s salt preference is different. So salt to taste.
How to Make Tzatziki
Tzatziki is fairly simple to make. The trick is to make sure the cucumbers are properly drained or have have excess moisture squeezed out prior to mixing with the ingredients. Excess moisture can cause runny or watered down tzatziki.
To rid cucumber of excess moisture, squeeze grated cucumber to rid cucumber of excess liquid.
Another note worth mentioning is that while tzatziki sauce is ready to go once ingredients are mixed together, I find that the flavor gets better over time.
I usually make tzatziki sauce the night before or a few hours before serving. With time, the flavors have a chance to marry and trust, you can taste the difference!
Let’s get into the how-to:
- Grate cucumber and place in a bowl. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt, mix then set aside for 25-30 minutes to allow water to draws from the cucumber.
- Place a small saucepan on the stove over medium heat. Add fennel and toast until fennel are fragrant and begin turn deeper in color, about 1-2 minutes. Place toasted fennel in a mortar and pestle and grind to a powder.
- Add greek yogurt, sour cream, lemon juice, dill, mint, grated garlic, fennel, olive oil, and salt to a bowl. Add drained cucumber and mix well.
- If serving as a dip, top with chopped mint, dip and a glug of olive oil.
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Tzatziki Recipe
Equipment
- Small saucepan
- Mortar and pestle
- cheese grater
Ingredients
- 1 cup, packed hot house or English cucumber, grated about 1 medium
- 1¼ cup greek yogurt, full fat
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ½ tablespoon lemon juice
- 1½ tablespoons dill, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons mint, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon fennel seed, toasted, see below
- 2 garlic cloves, grated
- 1 tablespoon good quality extra virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt, to taste
Garnish if using as a Dip
- Za'atar
- 2 teaspoons dill, chopped
- 2 teaspoons mint, chopped
- Glug Extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
Cucumbers
- Grate cucumber and place in a bowl. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt, mix then set aside for 25-30 minutes to allow water to draws from the cucumber.
Toasted Fennel
- Place a small saucepan on the stove over medium heat. Add fennel and toast until fennel are fragrant and begin turn deeper in color, about 1-2 minutes. Place toasted fennel in a mortar and pestle and grind to a powder.
Tzatziki Sauce
- Add greek yogurt, sour cream, lemon juice, dill, mint, grated garlic, fennel, olive oil, and salt to a bowl. Add drained cucumber and mix well.
- If serving as a dip, top with chopped mint, dill, za'atar and a glug of olive oil. If serving with food, omit herbs and za'atar and just top with a glug of olive oil.