Lighten up your summer meals and snacks with a fresh and tasty Tzatziki Sauce that is perfect with your favorite veggies, bread, and meats!
When you’re ready to eat light and you’re looking for simple but incredibly delicious ideas, then know that this Tzatziki Sauce is exactly what you’re craving! This simple sauce is quick and easy to make, using yogurt, cucumbers, fresh herbs, lemon juice, and olive oil, and is sure to become your summer go-to dip!
Cool as a Cucumber
There is nothing more refreshing in the summer than cucumbers. And watermelon, but let’s stick to cucumbers right now. Thankfully, cucumbers are crazy abundant in the summer and I feel like I’m picking a bushel every day! After making a ton of refrigerator pickles, I get to make some of my favorite cucumber dishes, especially Tzatziki Sauce.
This light, creamy dip has subtle cucumber and dill flavors so it’s exactly what I need in the summer since it goes on practically everything. Making the sauce is a breeze and then we’re free to dip all of our veggies and bread and even slather it on our Greek-inspired burgers! Tzatziki is like a vegetable’s best friend and makes eating light in the summer so easy.
Other Recipes to Serve with Tzatziki Sauce
- Super Simple Grilled Summer Veggies are simply screaming for Tzatziki Sauce! Grill up all your favorite veggies to have with this delicious sauce.
- Greek Turkey Burgers are light and healthy and they would be pretty amazing with some Tzatziki since you’re looking for a rock star dinner idea.
Ingredients
Yogurt: For the ideal Tzatziki you will want to use plain Greek yogurt, rather than regular plain yogurt so that your sauce is thick and not runny.
Produce: You will need one English cucumber, garlic, and lemon, or you can use bottled lemon juice.
Oil: You will need olive oil for this sauce.
Seasoning: Fresh dill gives this sauce an herby freshness and you will need a bit of salt.
How to Make Tzatziki Sauce
STEP ONE: Grate the cucumber and then using a sieve or even a thin towel/cheesecloth, squeeze ALL the excess moisture from the cucumber.
STEP TWO: In a medium bowl, combine the cucumber, yogurt, minced garlic, olive oil, dill, lemon juice, and salt and stir until everything is well mixed.
STEP THREE: Cover the sauce and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, but the longer you can refrigerate it the better, so it has time for the flavors to really meld.
Tips for Success
- You can use an English cucumber or a regular cucumber. An English cucumber has a thinner peel and no seeds so it’s really easy to grate and toss into the bowl. A regular, waxy cucumber must be peeled and the seeds removed before it can be grated. Both work perfectly for the sauce and it just comes down to what is available and your preference. You also really want to make sure you squeeze out the moisture from the cucumber so there is no water in your Tzatziki.
- Fresh dill is also ideal for this sauce but if you have to use dried then allowing the sauce time to sit and let the flavors develop will be more important. You can also add fresh mint, which is more traditional in this sauce and both are delicious.
- One of the things that makes Tzatziki Sauce so great is its thickness. Instead of a runny sauce, you get a sauce with body so it holds up well on gyros, falafel and veggies. The key to this thickness is the Greek yogurt so you can not substitute this for regular yogurt. Using Greek yogurt also makes this sauce pretty healthy and protein-packed!
What is the difference between Tzatziki and Tahini?
Tzatziki Sauce is a yogurt and cucumber dish, while tahini is ground sesame seeds that resemble nut butter. The two are eaten differently as well- tzatziki is traditionally used as a dip or a condiment on gyros or pita bread and tahini is paste-like and used to make hummus and give dressings a thickness along with a bit of saltiness.
How long does Tzatziki last?
Tzatziki sauce will last 4-5 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. If you have successfully squeezed out almost all of the water from the cucumbers then you will notice that your dip does not become watery the next day and this is why it is so important to do this step. The less water in your sauce, the longer it will be good and thick.
More light Summer fare to enjoy
- Grilled Veggie Kabobs
- Cucumber Yogurt Dill Salad
- Hummus Chicken Salad
- Mediterranean Tomato Salad
- Cucumber Punch
Ingredients
- 1 large English cucumber
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 3 tablespoons fresh dill chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon salt plus more to taste
Instructions
- Use the large holes of a grater to shred the cucumber. Then using a fine mesh sieve, squeeze out as much moisture as you can from the cucumber. (see ntoe)
- Add the cucumber to a large bowl with the greek yogurt, dill, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and salt, and stir to combine. Check the seasoning and add more salt to your taste.
- Cover and refrigerate this sauce for at least 30 minutes. (The longer it sits the better it tastes!)
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