Homemade Tzatziki Sauce

This quintessential Greek sauce is actually super simple to make yourself… especially if you have an abundance of cucumbers from that cucumber plant you planted earlier this year. Tzatziki Sauce is that creamy cucumber and lemon sauce that’s loaded with garlic and Dill that you love on all your favorite Greek foods. And my Homemade Tzatziki Sauce is easier to make than you think.

To prepare the cucumbers, you will need to peel them, seed them, and grate them. I do this by peeling with a vegetable peeler, then slicing in half. I then scoop out the seeds and run them over a grater. Be careful when grating, as they grate very easily, and your fingers will end up very close to the cutting surface quickly. Also do not skip the step of gently squeezing out the grated cucumber. If you leave in all that extra liquid, your sauce will be too runny and loose.

Be absolutely sure that you are using PLAIN Greek yogurt. I have had more than one person mistakenly use Vanilla Greek yogurt for this recipe and be very unhappy with the result. You need to have plain plain plain Greek yogurt. I, especially, prefer Fage 0% for this sauce, though the 5% works as well (this is about preferred fat content). Whatever brand you use, just make sure it’s PLAIN. Also make sure that you are using GREEK yogurt and not regular. The biggest difference is the tangy taste. Since Greek Yogurt has the whey removed, it is not as inherently sweet as regular yogurt. It also tends to have a higher protein quality but slightly less calcium.

You can use this sauce on your Gyros or with kebab. You can use it on your Greek rice bowl or a Mediterranean burger. It’s great on Greek Nachos or as a dip on your antipasti platter. One thing to absolutely not skip – use fresh lemon and zest it with a microplaner! The fresh lemon is so much better.

Now Let’s Get Cookin’!

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Homemade Tzatziki Sauce

A creamy cucumber lemon sauce filled with dill and garlic.

Course Condiment, Sauce

Cuisine American, Greek

Keyword cucumber, greek, greek yogurt, homemade tzatziki sauce, lemon, tzatziki sauce

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 3 cups

Ingredients

• 16 oz PLAIN Greek Yogurt
• 2 cups Grated Cucumber peeled, seeded, grated and drained
• 1 Larger Lemon juice and zest
• 1 tbsp Oil
• 1 tbsp Fresh Garlic minced
• 1 tbsp Fresh Dill finely chopped
• 2 tsps Fresh Parsley finely chopped
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Pepper

Instructions

• Cucumbers need to peeled and seeded before you grate them. You can also chop them, but this will result in a much chunkier sauce. Also remember to squeeze out excess liquid from the cucumbers before adding to the bow.
• In a mixing bowl, add all of the ingredients, including the cucumber. Stir to thoroughly combine. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving.
• Can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.