Herbed Yogurt Sauce
Thick whole-milk Greek yogurt stirred with garlic, lemon, and fresh herbs, with the dill, mint, garlic, and lemon versions that go with four RESET360 recipes.
Why you'll love Herbed Yogurt Sauce
A bowl of thick yogurt with a little garlic, lemon, and fresh herbs is one of the most useful sauces in a whole-foods kitchen. It is cool and tangy against anything hot and charred, it takes five minutes, and it brings protein and a real fat to whatever it goes on, from lamb to roasted carrots to eggs.
The base here is a balanced herbed sauce, and the variations are the four yogurt sauces from the RESET360 recipes, each written at the parent recipe's amounts: the Dill Cream under the Trout Cucumber Boats, the Mint Yogurt beside the Za'atar Lamb Poppers, the Garlic Yogurt under the Turkish Eggs, and the Lemon Yogurt beneath the Caramelized Carrots with Dukkah. Learn one and you can make all five.
Greek yogurt is the key. It has been strained of much of its whey, so it stays thick when you stir lemon juice into it and holds its shape on a plate, where a thinner yogurt would run.
Quick overview: This Herbed Yogurt Sauce comes together in 15 min and makes 8 servings, each 2 tablespoons.
Ingredients
- 1 cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt
- 1 small clove garlic, finely grated
- 1/2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
- 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh dill
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh mint
Instructions
- Zest, then juice: Grate the zest from the lemon first, then cut it and squeeze the juice. Zesting a whole lemon is easy; zesting a squeezed half is nearly impossible.
- Mellow the garlic: Grate the garlic into a medium bowl and stir in the lemon juice, zest, and salt. A minute in the lemon softens the garlic's raw heat, and the salt dissolves so it seasons the yogurt evenly.
- Chop the herbs: Pull the dill fronds and mint leaves from their stems and chop them finely with a sharp, dry knife. A dull or wet knife bruises soft herbs and turns them dark.
- Stir it together: Add the yogurt and herbs to the bowl and stir until smooth and evenly flecked with green. Stir gently and only until combined, since vigorous beating thins Greek yogurt.
- Rest and taste: Let the sauce sit for 10 minutes so the herbs and garlic flavor the whole bowl. Taste and add a pinch more salt or a squeeze more lemon. If you want it looser for drizzling, stir in cold water a teaspoon at a time.
Storage and leftovers
Keep herbed yogurt sauce in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The herbs darken and the garlic grows stronger the longer it sits, so it is brightest the day it is made.
Stir it before serving, since a little whey may separate on top. Yogurt sauces turn grainy when frozen and thawed, so make them fresh.
Variations
- Dill Cream, for the Trout Cucumber Boats: Stir 1/2 cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt with 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest, 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, 1 teaspoon prepared horseradish if you like a little heat, and a pinch of fine sea salt until smooth. Keep it cold, spoon it into the hollowed cucumbers, and pile the trout on top. It makes enough for 8 boat halves.
- Mint Yogurt, for the Za'atar Lamb Poppers: Stir 1 cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt with 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint, 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, 1 clove garlic, minced, and 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt. Spread it in a shallow bowl, dust the top with 1 teaspoon ground sumac, and serve it beside the hot poppers for dipping.
- Garlic Yogurt, for the Turkish Eggs: Stir 1 1/2 cups plain whole-milk Greek yogurt with 2 cloves garlic, finely grated, and 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt. Spread it into four shallow bowls and let it come to room temperature while you poach the eggs, so the hot eggs and warm Aleppo butter land on yogurt that is mild rather than cold.
- Lemon Yogurt, for the Caramelized Carrots with Dukkah: Stir 3/4 cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt with 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest until smooth. Spread it across a platter, lay the hot carrots over it, and scatter the dukkah and parsley over everything.
- Parsley and chive: Use 2 tablespoons chopped parsley and 1 tablespoon chopped chives in place of the dill and mint for a milder, greener sauce for salmon or chicken.
Notes and tips
- Choose real Greek yogurt: Look for plain whole-milk Greek yogurt with a label of milk and live cultures. Some thick yogurts get their body from added starch or gelatin, which changes the texture.
- Match the yogurt to the dish: Serve it cold under cold food, like the trout boats, and at room temperature under hot food, like the Turkish Eggs, so it does not chill the dish.
- Add herbs close to serving: If you make the base ahead, stir in the herbs within a few hours of serving for the brightest color.
- Grate garlic finely: A fine grater turns garlic into a paste that spreads evenly through the yogurt. Use a little less if your garlic is very fresh and sharp.
Nutrition and mindful eating
- Greek yogurt is a fermented food, and its live cultures are what give it its tang. Straining concentrates it, so a few spoonfuls bring real protein to a vegetable side or a plate of eggs.
- Whole-milk yogurt carries its own fat, which makes the sauce satisfying and helps your body take up fat-soluble nutrients from the vegetables it sits under, like the beta-carotene in roasted carrots.
- Fresh dill, mint, and lemon add a lot of flavor in small amounts, which keeps a yogurt sauce interesting enough to reach for at every meal.
- As you eat, notice how the cool, tangy yogurt changes each bite of the hot or rich food beside it, softening the char on lamb or the sweetness of carrots, and check in later whether the protein and fat it added helped the meal carry you longer.
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this Herbed Yogurt Sauce? Start here, with the questions people ask most.
Can I use regular plain yogurt?
Yes, if you strain it first. Set a sieve lined with a coffee filter or cheesecloth over a bowl, add plain whole-milk yogurt, and refrigerate it for 1 to 2 hours, until it is as thick as Greek yogurt. Pour off the whey and use the yogurt as written.
Why whole-milk yogurt?
The fat in whole-milk yogurt is what makes the sauce creamy and keeps it from tasting thin or sharp. RESET360 uses full-fat dairy, and in a sauce you can taste the difference.
Can I use dried herbs?
Dried mint works well, and it is common in Turkish and Middle Eastern yogurt sauces. Use about 1 teaspoon of dried mint for each tablespoon of fresh, crumbled between your fingers, and let the sauce sit 15 minutes so it softens. Fresh dill is worth seeking out, since dried dill tastes faint.
Which version should I make?
Make the version that goes with your dish: Dill Cream for trout or salmon, Mint Yogurt for lamb, Garlic Yogurt for eggs, and Lemon Yogurt for roasted vegetables. The herbed base goes with all of them and with grilled chicken and fish.
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