Greek Yogurt Tzatziki

Some people like ketchup. Some people like BBQ sauce. Me? I’m a tzatziki girl.

Have you ever gone to a Greek restaurant or ordered a gyro and seen the word tzatziki and thought “I’m not saying that out loud until someone else says it first”? Or maybe you didn’t even realize where the fresh bite of garlic and lemon was coming from until it was gone.

Tzatziki (or tadziki), is a tangy, yogurt-based sauce found in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine. It’s fresh and bright, full of citrus and fresh herbs and is about to become your new favorite sauce.

What’s in Tzatziki?

Yogurt

This sauce starts and ends with yogurt. I use full fat, plain Greek yogurt to get that amazing texture and tanginess that is the foundation of this traditional sauce.

Cucumber

If you’ve never grated cucumber before, this might feel a bit strange at first. But contrary to what side salads have taught you, cucumber can be more than just the third-and-final-ingredient in a side salad. The key to making cucumber work in tzatziki is to squeeze as much of the water out of the cucumber pre-tzatziki making as possible.

Garlic

Raw garlic is pungent and robust. It stands up well to the full-fat, creamy, tanginess of Greek yogurt. I use a hand grater to grate fresh garlic. I want that bold flavor but I don’t want to bite into a big chunk, so the grater works to finely pulverize the garlic so it mixes in well.

Citrus

Citrus transforms any dish it is added to and it certainly transform tzatziki. I never leave it out of this sauce. The bright, tangy citrus flavor cuts through the richness of tzatziki and balances the flavors nicely.

Fresh Herbs

Depending on where you look and what recipe you read, you’ll see fresh dill, parsley and mint added to tzatziki sauce. Herbs bring an amazing fresh, green flavor that brightens up this rich sauce so my take is: you don’t have to use all of the herbs, but use some.

How to Eat Tzatziki

Do you know what Tzatziki is good on? Everything.

Fish, chicken, beef, lamb, vegetables, bread. It doesn’t matter if you’re grilling, roasting, baking or simply chopping and serving — tzatziki goes with everything.

And it’s healthy.

Greek yogurt is one of my all-time favorite healthy food swaps (<< get the list of my top 5 healthy food swaps here). It’s a blank slate that lends itself to all sorts of flavor profiles for all sorts of cuisines. Greek yogurt is packed with protein (24 grams in just 1 cup), probiotics (good for gut health), and B12 (which is a plus for all of my vegetarians out there who might not get enough on the reg).

Making Tzatziki

A couple of tips from my kitchen to yours:

1. Use a micro-plane to grate your garlic. Raw garlic can be overpowering, especially in raw form. Tzatziki isn’t cooked so a little garlic goes a long way. By using a grater to get fine pieces instead of chopping it, you ensure that no one at the table gets a chunk of garlic that will overpower the rest of the dish (never mind the bad breath part).
   
2. If you like the smokiness of cumin, a pinch of this spice tastes delicious and earthy mixed in to this recipe.
   
3. Use a nice, finishing olive oil. Good quality, young olive oil is a bit more expensive but a little goes a long way. Young olive oils tend to have a green sweetness to them that really brighten creamy sauces like tzatziki.