Easy Homemade Tzatziki

an overhead of a bowl of dill tzatziki surrounded by cucumbers, carrots, peppers, and tomatoes.

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5 from 12 votes

It's easy to make this creamy tangy Greek dip/sauce at home!

Course Appetizer, sauce, sides

Cuisine Greek

Diet Diabetic, Gluten Free, Vegetarian

Prep Time 10

Straining/Sweating Time 1

Total Time 1 10

Servings

Calories 27kcal

Author Tracy

Equipment

Ingredients

2 cups Greek yogurt 16 oz
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt divided
1/2 cup cucumber shredded
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon fresh dill minced
1/2 tablespoon fresh mint minced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Strain Yogurt: Line a sieve or colander with a cheesecloth and set over a bowl to collect liquid. Add yogurt to a medium-sized bowl and add 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt. Mix well and then add the yogurt to cheesecloth-lined sieve. Loosely cover with a towel or plastic and store in the fridge. Let strain for as little as 15 minutes and as much as 12. 1 hr is best.
Sweat Cucumber: Peel cucumber and slice in half. Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds. With a box grater, finely grate cucumber. Line a colendar with a cheesecloth or paper towel (or just line a rimmed baking tray) and add cucumber. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt and set aside. Let sweat for 15 min - 1 hr.
Drain and Mix: Once you have strained the yogurt as much as you'd like, gently squeeze out any excess liquid with the cheesecloth and add yogurt to a medium-sized bowl. Add cucumber, olive oil, dill, mint, garlic, pepper, and lemon juice. Mix well. Taste and add more salt if desired or finish with olive oil and garnish with fresh dill.
Serve and Enjoy!

Notes

Yield: This recipe makes a little less than 2 1/2 cups. Nutritional value is per 1/4 cup.

Storage

Fridge: Store in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Substitutions

Yogurt: You can use another plain yogurt, but the creaminess of the Greek yogurt is best. You can also use a lower-fat Greek yogurt.

Cucumber: English cucumbers are easiest for the fewer seeds and firmer flesh, but you can use whatever cucumbers you have.

Dill and Mint: You can sub 1 teaspoon of dried dill and 1/2 teaspoon of dried mint for fresh.

Straining Notes

A cheesecloth is totally optional, you can just use a fine mesh sieve for the yogurt. If straining for only 15 minutes, no need to put it all in the fridge, but for anything more than 15 minutes, set up the straining in your fridge and just gently cover it.

For the cucumber, you can also use a cheesecloth to be able to squeeze out liquid, but a paper towel also works fine.

Make Ahead

Strain your yogurt and sweat the cucumber in advance and store until you're ready to assemble!

Nutrition