Tzatziki
Greek yogurt with salted, squeezed cucumber, garlic, dill, and a little lemon, thick enough to hold its shape on the plate.
Why you'll love Tzatziki
Tzatziki is the cool, garlicky yogurt sauce served all over Greece with grilled lamb, souvlaki, and vegetables. It is simple, but one step decides whether it is thick and creamy or watery by the next day, and that step is salting and squeezing the cucumber.
Cucumber is mostly water. Grated and tossed with salt, it releases that water over ten minutes, and a hard squeeze in a towel takes it away, leaving crisp shreds of cucumber that flavor the yogurt without thinning it. Thick whole-milk Greek yogurt, a little raw garlic, plenty of dill, and a touch of lemon do the rest.
This is the tzatziki on the Greek Lamb Bowl, at the same proportions. It also makes a dip for raw vegetables and a sauce for chicken, fish, and eggs.
Quick overview: This Tzatziki comes together in 20 min and makes 6 servings, each 1/4 cup.
Ingredients
- 1/2 English cucumber
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh dill
- 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Grate the cucumber: Grate the cucumber, skin and all, on the large holes of a box grater. The large holes give you shreds with some bite, and the thin skin of an English cucumber adds color and texture.
- Salt and wait: Toss the grated cucumber with the salt in a bowl and let it sit for 10 minutes. The salt draws water out of the cucumber's cells, and you will see a pool of liquid gather in the bowl.
- Squeeze hard: Pile the cucumber into the center of a clean kitchen towel, gather the corners, and twist and squeeze over the sink until almost no more liquid drips out. This is the step that keeps the tzatziki thick, so squeeze harder than seems necessary.
- Stir it together: Stir the squeezed cucumber into the yogurt with the garlic, dill, and lemon juice until evenly mixed. The salt from the cucumber seasons the whole sauce, so taste before adding any more.
- Chill: Cover and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes, or up to a day, so the garlic and dill flavor the yogurt. Stir before serving.
Storage and leftovers
Keep tzatziki in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The garlic gets stronger each day.
A little liquid may collect on top as the cucumber keeps releasing water. Pour it off or stir it back in. Frozen and thawed, the yogurt turns grainy and the cucumber goes limp, so make tzatziki fresh.
Variations
- Mint tzatziki: Use mint in place of half the dill, the way the Greek Lamb Bowl suggests, for a fresher, cooler sauce with lamb.
- With olive oil: Spread the tzatziki on a plate and finish it with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of dried oregano, the way it is often served in Greece.
- Persian cucumbers: Use 2 Persian cucumbers in place of the English cucumber. They are smaller, crisper, and have fewer seeds.
- Extra garlic: Use 3 cloves of garlic for a bolder sauce, and make it a few hours ahead so the garlic has time to soften into the yogurt.
Notes and tips
- Squeeze the cucumber: Squeezing is the whole secret. Unsqueezed cucumber keeps weeping into the yogurt and turns the sauce runny.
- Mince the garlic fine: Small garlic spreads evenly. If raw garlic tastes too sharp to you, let it sit in the lemon juice for a few minutes before stirring it in.
- Use Greek yogurt: Its thickness is what lets the sauce hold its shape. Look for a label of milk and live cultures.
- Make it the morning of: Tzatziki made a few hours ahead tastes more rounded than tzatziki made at the last minute.
Nutrition and mindful eating
- Greek yogurt is a fermented food with live cultures, and it brings protein and its own fat to the plate, which is what makes a spoonful of tzatziki filling as well as cooling.
- Cucumber adds crunch and freshness, and the dill and garlic bring a lot of flavor in a small amount.
- Served with grilled meat and a salad, a cool, creamy sauce balances charred, salty, and rich flavors so the plate feels complete.
- As you eat, notice how the cool yogurt and dill soften the char and richness of the lamb, and check in a few hours after the meal whether you feel steady and satisfied.
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this Tzatziki? Start here, with the questions people ask most.
Why do I have to salt the cucumber?
Salt pulls water out of the cucumber's cells. Removing that water before the cucumber meets the yogurt is what keeps tzatziki thick for days instead of going watery overnight.
Is tzatziki the same as Turkish cacık?
They are close relatives. Cacık is usually thinner, often made with dried mint, and sometimes eaten with a spoon like a cold soup. Tzatziki is thicker and made for dipping and spooning.
Can I make it ahead?
Yes. Make it up to a day ahead and keep it covered in the refrigerator. The garlic flavor grows stronger as it sits.
What else can I serve it with?
Grilled chicken, salmon, lamb chops, kofta, hard-boiled eggs, or a plate of raw cucumber, peppers, and radishes for dipping.
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