Tzatziki Sauce | Cucumber and Yogurt Sauce

A simple Tzatziki – cucumber yogurt sauce recipe! Pair it with your appetizer spread or serve it as a side for the main course, this versatile sauce or dip is super creamy and yummy and easy to make as well.

As I mentioned in my hummus post, I love all the condiments served along with the Meditteranean food, and this Tzatziki sauce is among them. This sauce or dip is quite popular in Greece, Turkey, the Middle East, and some other countries.

Wikipedia has all the details, and I don’t want to repeat it! I just wanted to say that this sauce is so versatile. You can use it as a dip for your roasted vegetables, pita chips, and falafels. Serve it as a side for pilaf or rice bowl. Spread on bread and make a delicious sandwich as well. Great right?

The sauce name might be a tongue-twister, but folks it is like our Indian cucumber raita. We add more herbs, though. I add dill and mint, and the addition of dill adds more flavor to it. In Tamil, we call it Sada Kuppi, but I had never used it back in India. I started using dill only after coming to the US.

While you can make this without dill, I recommend you to try it with dill. It’s amazing, folks, trust me.

Like any other raita recipe, there is no set measure for this as well. You can adjust it according to your preference. Now without further ado, let see how to make this tzatziki sauce. It’s a no-cook or no stovetop recipe. All you need to do is peel, grate, chop, and mix.

How to make Tzatziki Sauce-

• Wash the cucumber and trim the edges. You can either peel and grate, or if you like the skin, just leave it and grate the cucumber. I used 2 Persian cucumbers of this size, which was approx 170grams.

• In a mixing bowl, add the grated cucumber, chopped mint leaves, dill (1.5 tsp) salt, ground black pepper, and lemon juice.

• Then add the yogurt and mix it well. Check for seasonings and adjust accordingly.
• Chill it for 30 minutes and garnish it with the remaining ½ tsp of dill leaves and olive oil and serve.

Recipe Notes-

• I usually don’t squeeze out the water from the cucumber. If you are planning to refrigerate it for a longer time, the sauce might thin down. You can add little extra yogurt and salt again.
• Instead of dill and mint, you can add parsley. Parsely is not a replacement for mint and dill but is optional. Adjust the herbs according to your choice.
• The same goes for seasonings and lemon juice.
• A generous drizzle of good quality olive oil intensifies the flavor of this sauce, but you can skip it to keep it oil-free.
• Persian cucumbers are best for this recipe. If you can’t source them, then try the available ones. But make sure to check the bitterness of the cucumbers. Some cucumber varieties are bitter. Taste a small piece for bitterness while chopping.

PS: Follow me on Instagram or join my Facebook Group for more gardening and recipe updates. If you try this cucumber dip recipe, please don’t forget to comment and rate this recipe. If you have any questions, please leave a comment, and I will get to it asap.  Make sure to follow me on my Pinterest for more healthy and delicious ideas!

Other sauces and spreads from my archives-

• South Indian style cucumber raita
• Mango Jam
• Hummus
• Lemon curd
• Italian red sauce

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Tzatziki Sauce | Cucumber and Yogurt Sauce

A simple Tzatziki - cucumber yogurt sauce recipe! Pair it with your appetizer spread or serve it as a side for the main course, this versatile sauce or dip is super creamy and yummy and easy to make as well.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time5 mins

Total Time15 mins

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Middle Eastern

Servings: 4

Calories: 45kcal

Author: Srividhya G

Equipment

• Grater & Mixing bowl

Ingredients

Measurement Details: 1 cup=240ml;1tsp=5ml;1tbsp=15ml;

• ▢ 2 Persian cucumbers approx 170grams
• ▢ 10 mint leaves roughly chopped
• ▢ 2 tsp dill leaves finely chopped (divided 1.5 tsp + ½ tsp to garnish)
• ▢ ¾ tsp salt or to taste
• ▢ ½ tsp ground black pepper
• ▢ 1 tsp lemon juice or to taste
• ▢ ½ tsp olive oil to garnish (optional)
• ▢ 1 cup yogurt preferably Greek yogurt, plain

Instructions

• Wash the cucumber and trim the edges. You can either peel and grate, or if you like the skin, just leave it and grate the cucumber.
• In a mixing bowl, add the grated cucumber, chopped mint leaves, dill (1.5 tsp) salt, ground black pepper, and lemon juice.
• Then add the yogurt and mix it well. Check for seasonings and adjust accordingly.
• Chill it for 30 minutes and garnish it with the remaining ½ tsp of dill leaves and olive oil and serve.

Notes

• I usually don't squeeze out the water from the cucumber. If you are planning to refrigerate it for a longer time, the sauce might thin down. You can add little extra yogurt and salt again.
• Instead of dill and mint, you can add parsley. PArsely is not a replacement for mint and dill but is optional. Adjust the herbs according to your choice.
• The same goes for seasonings and lemon juice.
• A generous drizzle of good quality olive oil intensifies the flavor of this sauce, but you can skip it to keep it oil-free.
• Persian cucumbers are best for this recipe. If you can't source them, then try the available ones. But make sure to check the bitterness of the cucumbers. Some cucumber varieties are bitter. Taste a small piece for bitterness while chopping.

Nutrition

Calories: 45kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 475mg | Potassium: 150mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 196IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 85mg | Iron: 1mg

I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.

Tried this recipe?Mention @vidhyasvegetariankitchen or tag #vidhyasvegkitchen

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Update Notes: This recipe was originally posted in 2015 but now updated with new pics and recipe cards.