• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Happily Unprocessed

  • Recipe Index
  • FOOD VIDEOS
  • WHAT IS PROCESSED FOOD?
    • THE BASICS
      • WHAT DO LABELS ON FRUIT MEAN?
      • HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP
      • FLOUR FACTS
      • Food Label Definitions
      • REFINED OILS AND WHY YOU SHOULD NEVER EAT THEM
      • GMOs – WHAT ARE THEY?
      • WHY IT MATTERS
      • FOOD ADDITIVES
      • FOODS WITH NO HFCS
      • WHAT FOODS ARE GENETICALLY MODIFIED?
      • ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS
      • FOOD DYES & THE CONSEQUENCES
      • HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP
      • TRANS FATS
      • MSG – What you Need to Know
      • MSG?
      • CARAGEENAN?
        • Strawberry “flavoring”
      • THE DIRTY DOZEN
        • 5 PROCESSED FOODS TO AVOID – NOW!
  • About
    • DISCLAIMER, DISCLOSURE & PRIVACY POLICY
  • Navigation Menu: Social Icons

Happily Unprocessed / Recipes / CONDIMENTS, SAUCES AND DRESSINGS / How to Make the World’s Best Homemade Tzatziki Sauce

How to Make the World’s Best Homemade Tzatziki Sauce

Written by DebiLeave a Comment

Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe
Pin It

Tzatziki sauce is a beautifully refreshing Middle Eastern dip using Greek yogurt, fresh cucumbers, oil, vinegar, lemon and dill.  It is one of the most versatile sauces ever created.

WORLDS BEST TZATZIKI SAUCE #

WHAT IS TZATZIKI SAUCE?

For those of us who are not Middle Eastern, Greek or Lebanese and did not grow up in that kind of household, something called Tzatziki may be very unfamiliar to us.

But Tzatziki sauce is probably one of the most refreshing and versatile sauces ever created.  It is simply a cucumber based sauce made from yogurt, garlic and cucumbers.  Other ingredients such as lemon juice, mint, dill or parsley are often added.

It’s a healthy sauce you can serve with chicken, grilled veggies, pita chips, gyros and as a raw veggie dip.

It’s also very simple to make, and one of the only sauces I know of that uses cucumbers, which is what makes it really refreshing.

There is also a bit of garlic in tzatziki sauce, and one of my favorite ingredients, fresh dill.  This is really a very versatile sauce that is so light in flavor between the cucumber and the dill and I have fallen in love with it.

DO YOU HAVE TO USE GREEK YOGURT?

If I am to site my friend Maria, not only do you have to use Greek yogurt, you need to go to a specialty Greek store to buy it!  Yes, she’s 100% Greek.  But for our purposes, I used Fage.

However it won’t hurt to strain the yogurt using cheesecloth in a strainer for a minimum of 30 minutes.  You will get an even thicker yogurt.

Do you have to?  No.

HOW TO MAKE TZATZIKI SAUCE:

  1. Starting with the star of the dish, the cucumber, I recommend an English cucumber.  The cucumber is the main ingredient therefore it should be freshly bought, not mushy or gummy.  It is peeled first and FINELY diced.  Do you have to peel it?  No.  Some even recommend putting it in a small food processor for a few pulses.  Me?  I’m old school I just diced it VERY VERY small.
  2. Cucumbers hold a LOT of water which you will find especially true if you used a food processor.  All this excess water needs to be removed otherwise our Tzatziki sauce will be very watered down.  So simply place the cucumber on a paper towel and ring out the excess water.  You can leave it on a dry paper towel while you gather the rest of the ingredients.
  3. Mix the diced cucumber with the yogurt, oil, vinegar, garlic and lemon.  Season with a little salt and pepper and FRESH dill.

FRESH CHOPPED DILL

The next question is what to serve with our freshly made sauce.

Well why not really impress your friends?

Grill up some Greek Chicken Kebobs and make a quick Greek salad to go alongside.  Serve some fresh pita (or naan) bread and you have yourself a huge meal with minimal effort.

TZATZIKI SAUCE - Greek dinner platter with Greek Chicken Kebobs, layered hummus dip, Greek salad and pita bread #Greek #Tzatziki #hummus #tahini #healthy #happilyunprocessed

Print
WORLDS BEST TZATZIKI SAUCE #

How to Make the Worlds Best Tzatziki Sauce


  • Author: Debi
icon print - How to Make the World's Best Homemade Tzatziki SaucePrint Recipe
icon pinterest - How to Make the World's Best Homemade Tzatziki SaucePin Recipe

Description

Light, fresh cucumbers are finely diced and combined with Greek yogurt, garlic, lemon and fresh dill for one of the most refreshing and versatile sauces out there!


Scale

Ingredients

  • 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
  • 1/2 Tablespoon Vinegar
  • 1–2 Cloves Organic Garlic, minced
  • 2 Tablespoons Organic Lemon Juice
  • 1 1/2 Cups Whole Greek Yogurt, strained with cheese cloth if you have time
    1/2 Organic English Cucumber, diced very small, excess water rung out
  • 2 Tablespoons Fresh Dill, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt and fresh pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Begin by peeling the cucumber and either dicing by hand into very small pieces or put in a small food processor and pulse until there are little chunks.
  2. Strain the excess liquid from the cucumber in a paper towel by ringing dry and then place the cucumber on a dry paper towel until ready to combine with the rest of the ingreidents.
  3. Combine the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, lemon, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Mix until well combined. Using a whisk, blend in the yogurt.
  4. Finally, add the cucumber and chopped fresh dill.
  5. Chill for at least two hours before serving.

WHAT TO SERVE WITH THIS:
GREEK CHICKEN KEBOBS
HOMEMADE NAAN BREAD


Notes

Some recipes have substituted fresh parsley or mint in place of the dill while others have added about 1/4 Cup of Feta cheese as well.

LOOKING FOR MORE GREAT RECIPES?
Subscribe to our newsletter to get family friendly healthy recipes delivered to your inbox. You can also find us sharing more recipes on Pinterest.

 

pinit fg en rect red 28 - How to Make the World's Best Homemade Tzatziki Sauce

Other Posts you may like

  • Mediterranean Chickpea & Feta SaladMediterranean Chickpea & Feta Salad
  • Mediterranean Bowtie Pasta SaladMediterranean Bowtie Pasta Salad
  • Mediterranean ChickenMediterranean Chicken
  • Mediterranean Spinach, Cannellini Bean and Barley SoupMediterranean Spinach, Cannellini Bean and Barley Soup
  • Roasted Red Pepper HummusRoasted Red Pepper Hummus

Filed Under: APPETIZERS, CONDIMENTS, SAUCES AND DRESSINGS

Previous Post: « Delicious Greek Salad w/ Homemade Dressing
Next Post: Layered Hummus with Roasted Red Peppers and Feta Cheese »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

Primary Sidebar

About Me

Welcome to our newly updated website! Never did we imagine what we started in 2012 would explode into what it has become today! Thank you to all of you !!! Read More…

FIND YOUR FAVORITE RECIPE!

Follow Us!

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER

Our Most Popular Posts

  • GARLIC PARMESAN NOODLES - One pot side dish with buttery garlic noodles and angel hair pasta #sidedish #pasta #weeknight #easyrecipe #happilyunprocessed Parmesan Garlic Noodles
  • butter garlic cream sauce1 300x199 - How to Make the World's Best Homemade Tzatziki Sauce Butter & Garlic Cream Sau...
  • close up of cheey gooey tray of hot baked ziti How to Make a Killer Bake...
  • Spinach gruyere cheese quiche with hashbrown crust Spinach and Gruyere Chees...
  • 077pspic2 300x250 - How to Make the World's Best Homemade Tzatziki Sauce Best Grilled Chicken Mari...
  • Plate of creamy garlic orzo with parsley Creamy Garlic Parmesan Or...

Footer

FOLLOW US !!!

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest

© HappilyUnprocessed. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission.