World’s Best Tzatziki
This may just be the best tzatziki recipe ever! Refreshing cucumber, creamy Greek yogurt, and zingy lemon make it the perfect condiment for just about everything.
Greece is pretty far up there in my list of favorite countries, and this is probably largely due to it being the home of the best sauce known to man, TZATZIKI! And while I’d like to begin a business of importing Greek tzatziki to then redistribute across all of America so everyone might bask in its glory, I will instead just give you the secrets to the World’s Best Tzatziki recipe.
How to make tzatziki video (1 min)
What yogurt do you use for tzatziki?
Get yourself some good, plain Greek yogurt. For best results, strain the moisture from the yogurt by spooning it into a cheesecloth (or a few layer of paper towels), setting it into a mesh sieve, and letting the excess moisture drip out.
Do you peel cucumber to make tzatziki?
Short answer: you don’t have to! To make the World’s Best Tzatziki recipe you’ll need a cup of cucumber (1 big or 2 small, you can guestimate). If yours has seeds, get those outa there before anything. I like to leave the peel on for more nutrients and fiber (it doesn’t compromise the flavor)!
Sprinkle with a touch of salt then lay the cucumber out flat on a few layers of paper towels and let sit while you prepare the other ingredients. The salt helps to draw out moisture from the cucumber!
How do you make Greek tzatziki?
After you have your thick Greek yogurt and shredded cucumber, the rest is pretty simple. Finely chop 1 tablespoons of dill, mince 2 cloves of garlic, and measure out 2 tablespoons of lemon juice or white wine vinegar. You can let the yogurt sit for a few hours, or half an hour if you’re like me and want tzatziki NOW! Mix it all together and voila!
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World’s Best Tzatziki Recipe
This is the best tzatziki recipe! Refreshing cucumber, creamy Greek yogurt, and zingy lemon make it the perfect condiment for just about everything.
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RatePrep: 5 mins
Total: 5 mins
Servings: 3 cups
Calories: 40kcal
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups plain Greek yogurt 480 g, can use dairy-free
- 1 cup shredded or diced cucumber 200 g
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice or white wine vinegar 30 mL
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 Tbsp chopped dill
- Salt and pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
- Thicken yogurt: Strain yogurt using a cheesecloth or paper towel for 30 minutes to 3 hours to remove excess moisture (can skip this step if you’re in a hurry).
- Prep cucumber: Meanwhile, sprinkle a pinch of salt onto shredded or diced cucumber and spoon into cheesecloth or paper towels. Let sit for a few minutes then wring it out to draw out moisture.
- Mix: Mix together yogurt, cucumber, dill, garlic, and lemon. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
NOTES
- Add a touch of extra-virgin olive oil for flavor and shine.
- Serve with pita, veggies, on Roasted Chickpea Gyros, or really anything!
- The flavors become less tangy as you let them sit, so your tzatziki might just be best the next day. The gift that keeps on giving.
NUTRITION
Serving: 0.25cups | Calories: 40kcal | Carbohydrates: 3.2g | Protein: 1.7g | Fat: 2.4g | Saturated Fat: 1.5g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 50mg | Potassium: 103mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 2.7g | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 0.2mg
Some photos from when this recipe was originally published (fun fact: it was the very first recipe posted on Live Eat Learn!) Thanks so much for stopping by and for making easy recipes like the World’s Best Tzatziki possible.
Published: 02.02.15 Updated: 09.11.19
Hi, I’m Sarah!
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Can’t wait to try it.
Let me know how it goes, Sherry! 🙂
Made this just now along with the roasted chickpea gyros! So delicious! You can enjoy this with just about anything, 🙂
I always make extra so I can put it on salads and use it as a dip for the whole week 🙂 Plus the flavors get better after a day or two. So happy to hear you liked it!
I made these over the weekend and they were fabulous! I used smoked spanish paprika, so the chickpeas had a nice smokey flavor. I will definitely make these again.
Oh sounds delicious! I bet the smokey flavor paired well with the tzatziki. So happy you enjoyed it!
NOT MY USUAL KIND OF MEAL, BUT HAVE BEEN WNATING TO TRY GYROS. EVEN HUBBY LIKED THEM! VERY GOOD AND INTERESTING FLAVOR
Happy to hear, Laurie! 🙂
Making these tonight with the roasted chick pea Gyros and fresh pitas 🙂 the only thing that rubs me wrong is the suggestion to buy low-fat yogurt- noted that it’s good for you, as if the whole milk version is a less healthy choice. Not true! To each their own but from my own research I choose to buy the whole milk yogurt. This tzaziki will be delicious regardless and I look forward to the meal!
Hi Casey, thanks so much for dropping by and I hope your gyros turned out tasty! Regarding the fat content of the yogurt, I tend to go for low fat yogurts as the whole milk yogurts are high in saturated fat, but the other macros aren’t actually all that affected. Let’s look at the nutrition for Fage’s Total yogurt:
1 cup of full fat yogurt has 220 calories, 11 g fat, 9 g carbs, and 20 g protein.
1 cup 0% fat yogurt has 130 calories, 0 g fat, 9 g carbs, and 23 g protein.
While I’m not the type to go replacing everything with a low fat alternative (low fat mayonnaise should be against the law it’s so awful), looking at the macros and comparing the ingredients leads me to choose the low fat yogurts.
But yes, to each their own! This recipe is great with whichever variety of Greek yogurt suits you! 🙂
Hi how long can I store this until it starts going bad?
Hi Jessica, I try to eat mine within 5 to 7 or so days. (But the flavor is BEST on the second day, after all the flavors have really blended together)
I buy the giant tub of Fage 0% at Costco, and just recently got on a cottage cheese and fruit kick instead, so I had lots of yogurt on hand. Hubby LOVES tzatziki, and usually buys that at Costco as well. Long story short, I thought we had plenty, and after we came home from Costco, realized I was wrong. Whipped this up and it’s TITS! So delicious and much tastier than the one we thought we liked. Stupid easy too! Thanks so much:)
Hahah so happy to hear, Joelle! If you’re like me you probably put it on EVERYTHING, so the batches never last long 😉 Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting!
Made this for dinner, the whole family loved it. Since I have meat eaters I cooked a turkey tenderloin and sliced it up, just as delicious without.
So happy to hear, Shaila! Did you put the tzatziki on the turkey as well? Sounds like that would be a good flavor combo as well!
We did and it was just as delicious!
Amaziiiing, and so easy to do once you find the cheesecloth! (used a triangular gauze I had hidden in my medikit and worked perfectly)
Haha I love your outside the box thinking, Dani! I usually use a paper towel if I don’t have cheesecloth, but medical gauze works well too! 🙂
I had to substitute lemon for lime (note *it does not take quite as much) because that’s what I had on hand. My husband was skeptical about it, but he really liked it!!
Your recipes look delish. Can’t wait to try the gyro. Tzatziki looks good too. A little secret for our Tzatziki in Greece is to add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil to it. Not only does it make it more tasty but adds all the benefits of olive oil too.
Thanks so much, Billie! And you’re so right about the olive oil. I drizzle a little bit in sometimes and definitely adds a boost of flavor (and healthy fats!) 🙂
I noticed in your directions, you call for 2 tbs. chopped dill. The ingredients say 1 tbs. chopped dill. Just thought i’d mention it.
Hey Bill, thanks so much for catching that! It should be 1 Tbsp 🙂
Made this with the gyro recipe for lunch today and it was excellent!!! Thanks for sharing!
So happy to hear, Sherry!! 🙂
I made this with 4 cloves of garlic and instead of vinegar or lemon juice, used the liquid from Kosher dill pickles but also cut up dill sprigs and used a little lemon juice. It is fantastic. Got the recipe from a Greek restaurant that makes it’s own tatziki and pita bread and it was the best I’ve ever tasted. I do drain the yogurt and cucumbers and it stays thick and creamy.
Oh that sounds great! I’m not particularly fond of pickles, but I bet the acidity would be great in this! And I LOVE homemade pita. Have you tried it?
Hi Sarah,
Can I use dill seasoning (dry) instead of fresh dill?
Hi Livia! Absolutely! Just substitute fresh dill with 1/3 dry (so 1 teaspoon of dry dill)
Here’s another tip for a promising youthful cook – Never use artificial lemon juice!
Especially if you’re going through the trouble to make your own Tzatsiki sauce. Always fresh!
Thanks for the tip! 😀 I use real lemons much more often nowadays.
Just made, yummy right from the bowl, but have no fresh dill, I have some mint in garden???? Thoughts?
Hey James! I haven’t tried it with mint before but another reader did and said it was tasty! Perhaps mix the mint into half of it and taste. Otherwise, I make it without dill quite often and it’s still tasty 😀
This is perfect thank you! Delicious~
Happy to hear, Angela! 😀
Re leaving the cucumber unpeeled: Supermarket cucumbers have a coating as a preservative, and most people don’t realize it. I do–it’s wax., and it’s awful.
If you don’t believe me, buy a cucumber at a supermarket and another at a farmer’s market and see how long each lasts in the fridge.
Thanks for the tip, Juana! 😀
Sounds good. Mine is very similar but I add a touch of Olive Oil and a bit of sour cream to make it richer.
Sounds nice, John! I also tend to add some good olive oil (when I remember to), but haven’t tried the sour cream before!
Like John, always use our cream and olive oil. Both make a noticeable difference.
Thanks for posting this recipe.
Sounds like I’ll have to try it out next time! It’s hard to find sour cream here in the Netherlands, so perhaps I’ll try with crème freche.
I grew up with this stuff in Germany. We make it half Greek yoghurt and half sour cream or even creme fraiche. Using low-fat or even fat-free versions is an absolute no-no.
I like the crème fraiche idea! I’ll have to try it next time 😀
I had to buy the cuke’s cause they are not ready yet but the garden gave me dill and the tips of the garlic plants. Using vegan yogurt. Anyone know how to make vegan yogurt?
I’ll let you know how it goes…big fireworks party tonight!!!
Minimalist Baker has a great tutorial on how to make vegan coconut yogurt here. Hope you had a fun fireworks party! 😀
Please – try not to use Dill in tzatziki. everything else looks fine.
Hi Dan, do you not like dill? You can easily omit it from this recipe (but it is an ingredient in traditional tzatziki, so I’ve included it). 😀
I was thinking of making this but I can’t get past the bottled, fake lemon juice. I don’t understand why someone would use this when buying and prepping other fresh ingredients. Slicing and squeezing a fresh lemon is so simple and inexpensive. Bottled lemon tastes horrible, is more costly, not to mention entirely Eco-unfriendly.
Hi Cate! I actually agree, but made this recipe long ago when I didn’t entirely know the difference (it’s actually the first recipe on the blog!) Will be remaking the post soon with updated ingredients and photos 😀 Thanks for pointing that out!
You can use cheap cotton dish towels to drain the liquids. Just set the towel on a sieve or colander and the juice should drain. The towels are also strong enough to squeeze out if you are in a hurry.
Thanks for the tip William! 😀
Doubled the garlic 😃,and added a TOUCH of fresh mint….can’t WAIT to try it in a few hours….so far so FABULOUS!!
No shame in more garlic! And I love the mint idea, will have to try it next time 😀
Sarah, it looks perfect and tasty! Can’t wait to have this anytime of the day, love it!
Thanks so much, Olga! 😀
We’re making this today for Mediterranean lunch boxes & can’t wait!! Such a good call to strain the moisture out of the yogurt & cucumber!
Yumm enjoy, Brooke!! 😀 Straining does WONDERS for this tzatziki!
I love the recipe can I continue getting a recipe and emails thank you very much
Thanks Allison! You can subscribe to email recipes here if you’re interested 😀
This was seriously amazing! The best tzatziki I’ve ever eaten! Super easy too. I used mint and dill, and it was wonderful!
Yay, so happy to hear Jenny!! 😀 The mint sounds like a tasty addition!
Very good right out of the mixing. We didn’t dry the yogurt or the cucumber because we were hungry and it was late. Put in the chick pea gyros and went to town. It was delicious as it was. Looking forward to having it tomorrow after it sits for a bit!
I do this often too! Sometimes you just can’t wait 😀 Happy you liked it and the gyros!
This looks so yummy gonna try and make it tonight fingers crossed it tastes as good as it looks
I hope you’ll love it as much as we do, Jessica! 😀
Except for the dill, this is Alton Brown’s recipe for Tzatziki with the same directions to remove moisture from both yogurt and cucumbers.
I believe he also uses mint and red wine vinegar, which I’m not a huge fan of in my tzatziki. But generally the principles are the same!
So freaking good! Loved this recipe!
Yay! Glad you enjoyed it, Jane! 😀
Dang it!! I’m all set to make this, but I forgot the dill!!!!! Any way I could possibly use a dash of dill pickle juice instead?? I do have cilantro, but that’s not dilly lol
Ah that’s always the worst missing just 1 ingredient! Fortunately in this case the recipe us fine without the dill 😀
I actually did put about a tablespoon of dill pickle juice along with the lemon juice, cukes and some chopped cilantro. It was delish but next time I will make it per recipe lol
Haha, always good to experiment though! 😀
Delicious
Everyone loved it
So happy to hear, Brenda! 😀