Tzatziki is a delicious salted cucumber and creamy dill yogurt dip. This authentic recipe is made with only 7 ingredients and is super easy to make! Use tzatziki not only for a delicious veggie and pita dip but as a sandwich spread or dip for grilled meats.
Start by peeling the cucumber. Then using a grater, grate the cucumber into a colander.
Squeeze as much water as you can out of the cucumber and then add a heavy pinch of salt (around ⅛ teaspoon to ¼ teaspoon). Mix the salt into the grated cucumber and then allow it to rest for 20 minutes.
As the cucumber sits, add the Greek yogurt, dill, olive oil, minced garlic and red wine vinegar to a bowl. Mix well and set aside.
Once the 20 minutes have gone by squeeze as much water as you can out of the cucumber before transferring it to the bowl with the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
Add the salt last and go by taste. I usually add around ¼ teaspoon.
Mix well and refrigerate 1 hour before serving.
For serving, I love to drizzle a little bit of olive oil on top and garnish with dill. In Greece, it was served with kalamata olives and a block of feta cheese!
Notes
Substitutions:
For red wine vinegar: substitute lemon juice or white vinegar
For dill: try substituting mint
Recommendations
Let the tzatziki sit for a bit before serving. The flavors become more enhanced with time.
I highly suggest using an English cucumber since it has a thin peel and small seeds.
This recipe is heavy on garlic! If you aren't a big garlic fan, I'd reduce it to 1 clove.
Make sure you get yogurt that has very little water. I love FAGE's whole milk Greek yogurt since most of the water is strained off it well. Otherwise, you can use a cheesecloth to help remove excess moisture from the yogurt.