Tzatziki is an awesome Middle Eastern mezze that compliments many dishes. It’s a fragrant and luscious dip-slash-condiment-slash-sauce. The Greeks put it on lamb gyros (not kosher, but tasty!). I usually serve it with meatless meals or as an accompaniment to fish. Tzatziki goes great with flatbread, pita bread, falafel, grilled veggies, stuffed grape leaves, grilled fish, or as a fresh vegetable dip. There are many, many more possibilities. It adds a lot of flavor to whatever you put it on, and it’s really healthy too! Healthy and yummy? You bet!
Tzatziki is often served with a sort of soupy texture– runny, if you will. That’s not the way I like it. Nope, I need a tzatziki with texture… something so thick and rich that you can eat it with a fork. What the secret to creating the perfect tzatziki texture? Strained yogurt! In yesterday’s blog, I shared the technique of how to strain yogurt to make thickened Greek yogurt and labneh. You’ll use the technique when you make this tzatizi. See? There’s a method to my madness. 
I usually start the process with Greek yogurt, since it takes less time to strain than regular yogurt. If you’ve got the time, you can use plain yogurt, but you’ll need to strain it for 14-15 hours to get the thickened texture you’ll need for my tzatziki.
Make sure you use fresh herbs and lemon juice. I like using Persian cucumbers (the small, thin ones) in this dish because they have a nice flavor and they don’t have many seeds. If you can’t find Persian cucumbers, you may substitute English cucumbers—those are the long thin ones wrapped tightly in plastic. Avoid using regular fat cucumbers, they are coated with wax and prone to bitterness. Nobody wants a bitter tzatziki. Finally, if you’re a garlic fiend you can totally add more than the recipe calls for. I’m sensitive to garlic, so I don’t add very much, but this dip could easily stand 2 more cloves.
This dish is vegetarian, gluten free, heart healthy, high protein, low carb, lowfat, and totally delicious. Enjoy!
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Tzatziki
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups plain lowfat Greek yogurt
- 1 lb Persian or English cucumbers, peeled and seeded
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp fresh chopped mint or dill
- 1 clove garlic, crushed (or more to taste)
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice (or more to taste)
- 1/4 tsp salt (or more to taste)
- Fresh mint sprig for garnish (optional)
You will also need
- Cheesecloth or clean dishtowel, colander, bowl
- Strain the Greek yogurt for 2-3 hours in the refrigerator. If you'd prefer to use plain yogurt and not Greek, you'll need to strain it for 14-15 hours to get the right consistency. If you don't know how to strain yogurt, you can find instructions here: How to Strain Yogurt
Pulse the cucumbers in the food processor or hand chop to desired texture. I like them chopped small, but not minced. Bigger chunks will result in chunkier tzatziki. It’s a matter of preference. You can also grate them, if you prefer.
Cut out an 18-inch rectangle of cheesecloth and fold into two layers. Place chopped cucumbers in the center of the double-layered cloth. Gather up the cheesecloth and twist at the top to form a bundle. Squeeze the bundle several times over the sink, twisting the bundle tightly to get rid of as much liquid as possible. If you don't have cheesecloth, use a thin dishtowel instead.
Place strained yogurt in a medium mixing bowl. 
Add the drained cucumber pieces from the cheesecloth to the bowl along with the olive oil, chopped fresh mint or dill, crushed garlic, lemon juice, and salt. 
Use a fork or whisk to blend the ingredients together. Taste the tzatziki; add more garlic, lemon juice, or salt to taste if desired. Serve cold. Store in the refrigerator.
Oh Yeah! That’s what I’m Talkin ’bout!!!!! Yum!!!
Hit it right ion the Barrel head Hun…
.. Balanced Flavors… I like it.. Sometimes I use both.. Dill and Mint..:)… If I don’t see ya.. Shabbat Shalom…:)
yummy looking tzatziki a favourite dip wonderfully done
Tori – this is GREAT! I was hoping you’d post this recipe soon! I have to say, I agree – I can’t imagine using anything but fresh lemon and it’s definitely worth noting!
I love tzatziki and there’s a Greek restaurant a hop, skip and a jump from my house that makes home-made pitas. Their tzatziki isn’t awesome, so guess what I’m gonna do?
I am in love with this one Tori. I have been craving this for days. Now I can make my own instead of buying it. I love this stuff. Used to work at a place that did their own gyro and tzatziki eons ago when I was a teeny bopper. Have loved it ever since. Thanks so much for sharing with us.
This stuff is awesome and that is coming from someone who doesn’t eat cucumbers! It is so addicting, I always scale down the recipe, otherwise I would eat too much. Have a great day!
I love this an would eat it like soup. Now I would not have realized how long you need to strain the yogurt.. Great info
I love Tzatziki! You did a great job demonstrating the step by step process. Thanks for sharing this great recipe with us. : )
Looks fresh and delicious!
wow..this sounds so good! You did incredable job!!
Mmm… gorgeous recipe! I love fresh ingredients as well and tzatziki is one of my favourite dips – delicious, light and versatile. You illustrate it so well.
I love this stuff, I could sit down and eat it with a spoon.
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Lovely! I love the Persian cucumber, you are right, regular big ones are bitter.
I like this dip, we make it more soupy and eat with spoon, mostly with rice. But next time will serve the dip!
Mmm the next time I have a craving for some falafel now I’ll have the perfect tzatziki sauce to accommodate it!
I love that you gave this more texture. That is always my one complaint with tzatziki. And those pita chips look amazing too!
I love tzatziki. I love to keep some around for snacking and dipping. I’m going to have to make some soon because I’m craving it now! I’ve skipped the straining process in the past, but I think I’ll give it a try one of these days. I bet it makes a big difference.
A little tip to share about garlic in this recipe: blanche the garlic briefly so that the flavor of the garlic is present without leaving your breath too garlicky.
This is one of my favorite sauces to serve with lamb. I can’t wait to try this!
We made this tonight, amazingly delicious! We cut the recipe in half as is just two of us, big mistake! As we fought to lick the bowl. Thank you for the recipe!
Picked up honey flavored Greek God yogurt by mistake. Didn’t realize until cukes already in mix. OMG! The flavor is very contradictory, but delicious, none the less. Love your recipe.
Whoops! Haha glad you enjoyed the recipe anyway!
I have made this a couple of times. Everyone who tries it says that I make the best Tzatziki. Thank you for the recipe!