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Tzatziki! Tsaht-ZEE-kee! Otherwise known as that yogurt and cucumber sauce you love at Greek restaurants but worry about mispronouncing (hear the correct pronunciation here).
Tzatziki is made simply with yogurt, drained cucumber, olive oil, fresh herbs (usually mint or dill), garlic, lemon juice and salt. It’s a refreshing chilled sauce, dip or spread.
I traveled to Greece last fall and ordered tzatziki at every restaurant. I’m serious. I enjoyed tzatziki with every single meal, even breakfast. This recipe tastes just like authentic tzatziki.
I tend to associate tzatziki with Greek food, but you’ll find it served across the Mediterranean and Middle East, sometimes under different names or in slightly different forms.
Tzatziki is often served with grilled meats and gyros, but I can’t think of a grilled or roasted vegetable it wouldn’t play nicely with. You can also serve up some tzatziki with your next appetizer spread. Let’s make some already!
Uses for Tzatziki
Grilled Vegetables
- Bell peppers
- Mushrooms
- Carrots
- Asparagus
- Green beans
- Corn on the cob
Appetizer Spreads
- Toasted pita wedges
- Crisp raw vegetables
- Olives
- Cheese and crackers
- Hummus
- Zhoug or Shatta (Middle-Eastern hot sauces)
Falafel, Sandwiches and Salads
- Falafel
- Pita sandwiches (you could use it instead of the avocado in that recipe)
- Tabbouleh
- Lentil salad
- Chickpea salad
My Tzatziki Technique
Fortunately, tzatziki is super easy to whip together. The only trick is to properly drain the cucumber before mixing it into the yogurt. Otherwise, cucumber waters down the sauce too much. Salting the grated cucumber and letting the excess moisture drip out takes a while.
The easiest and most efficient way to get rid of the excess moisture is to lightly squeeze the grated cucumber over the sink. The only wait required in my recipe is to let the tzatziki rest for five minutes after you mix it all together, to let the flavors meld. At that point, you can serve it right away or chill it for later.
Tzatziki Nutrition & Yogurt Notes
Nutritionally speaking, tzatziki is a creamy but light sauce. You can dollop it generously on your food without adding a lot of calories (unlike, say, mayonnaise or ranch dressing). It’s made mostly with Greek yogurt and cucumber, after all.
I haven’t found a noticeable difference in texture whether I use whole-milk yogurt, low-fat or non-fat, so any of those will work. Traditional Greek tzatziki is made with strained goat or sheep’s yogurt, but it’s hard to find those here. The Greek yogurt sold here in the U.S. is strained yogurt (that’s why it’s thicker and higher in protein than regular yogurt), so I use that.
As always, please let me know how you like this recipe in the comments! I’m excited to hear how it turns out for you and how you serve it.
Watch How to Make Tzatziki Sauce
Best Tzatziki
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- Author: Cookie and Kate
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 2 ½ cups 1x
- Category: Sauce
- Method: By hand
- Cuisine: Greek
5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 Star
4.9 from 381 reviews
Learn how to make tzatziki, a traditional Greek yogurt and cucumber sauce with fresh herbs. Tzatziki is a refreshing sauce or dip, and it’s so easy to make! This basic recipe yields about 2 ½ cups; multiply if necessary.
Scale
Ingredients
- 2 cups grated cucumber (from about 1 medium 10-ounce cucumber, no need to peel or seed the cucumber first, grate on the large holes of your box grater)
- 1 ½ cups plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint and/or dill
- 1 tablespoonlemon juice
- 1 medium clove garlic, pressed or minced
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- Working with one big handful at a time, lightly squeeze the grated cucumber between your palms over the sink to remove excess moisture. Transfer the squeezed cucumber to a serving bowl, and repeat with the remaining cucumber.
- Add the yogurt, olive oil, herbs, lemon juice, garlic, and salt to the bowl, and stir to blend. Let the mixture rest for 5 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. Taste and add additional chopped fresh herbs, lemon juice, and/or salt, if necessary (I thought this batch was just right as-is).
- Serve tzatziki immediately or chill for later. Leftover tzatziki keeps well, chilled, for about 4 days.
Notes
Recipe adapted from my cookbook, Love Real Food.
Make it dairy free/vegan: Substitute an equal amount of cashew sour cream for the yogurt, and thin the tzatziki with a small splash of water if necessary.
▸ Nutrition Information
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #cookieandkate.
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Reader Interactions
Comments
Sharon
YUM YUM YUM! I just made this for tonight’s chicken kabobs and I hope I don’t eat it all before dinner! Followed exact recipe and it’s the best I’ve ever tasted!
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Mary Ann
Perfect!! Thank you for taking the time to share this wonderful sauce (tzatziki) with all of us It is so delicious!
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Michelle
I made this with dill since it grows in my yard. It was delicious. I am going to use on some sandwiches instead of mayo. I even had done on toast in the morning. I was wortied about the cucumber moisture, so after swueezing over the sink, I set it on a paper towel for a minute to take out any extra moisture. Thank you.
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Candace
Awesome recipe. Didn’t have fresh mint so I used dried mint (from tea bags!), or fresh lemon juice and used crystallized lemon and still came out beautifully. Will not purchase tzatziki again, thank you!
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Kate
That’s a great idea! I’m happy it worked out for you. Thank you for your review, Candace.
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Bridget Dono
Superb recipe, as usual. Another commenter admitted to sampling it ahead of the meal, to the point that she hoped there’d be enough for the meal itself. Before I made this, I couldn’t imagine a yogurt sauce having that kind of pull. Now I get it.
I can’t wait to make it again.
PS I did use 2 extra garlic cloves per others’ recommendations. We are garlic lovers.Reply
Kate
I’m excited you enjoyed it, Bridget! I appreciate your review.
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Susan
Excellent! My friends loved it!
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Kate
Great to hear, Susan!
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Sue
Wow, made this today to go with home made yoghurt Naan bread and rump done on the braai. Best Tzatziki Recipe ever❤️. I’ve tried a few but this is by far the best. Thank you This is 1000% a keeper, loved, loved, loved.
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Gloria Pleiman
I roll cucumber in a paper towel after squeezing.
Exactly my recipe that I use! I mix this into shredded chicken and broccoli slaw to make a wonderful chicken salad! Very low calorie!
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Marty B.
NOT BAD BUT NOT GOOD.
I made this because of the ratings and wonder what is amiss. I tried it on veggies and also grilled chicken.The texture was very good but it had a boring flavor. I would not make it again.
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Kate
Hi Marty, I’m sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy this recipe. I appreciate your feedback.
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Kim Kwietniak
This is my go to recipe for Tzatziki Sauce. I’ve made it in the past with non fat yogurt and it is not as thick as Greek Yogurt. Spend the extra money on Greek Yogurt. I follow the recipe exactly as written and use fresh chopped dill. I always make Homemade Gyros with leftover cooked lamb. You could also use cooked beef or chicken. I dislike feta cheese so I make my pitas with lamb, cut up cucumber, bleu cheese crumbles and this fabulous sauce. Delicious!
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Kathy
This is a very good tzatziki recipe. I did half Greek yogurt and half sour cream as I’m not all that crazy about yogurt. Delicious! Will make it agin.
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Kieran
Delicious recipe. First time I’ve made it and it turned out amazing. Next time I’ll probably add more garlic as others have recommended.
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Serenity
Delicious, thank you!
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Kate
You’re welcome, Serentiy! Thank you for your review.
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Shell Van
Can’t believe I’ve been eating store bought all this time! Well that’s over now cuz this recipe is FIRE- just like so many recipes on this site. I had no fresh mint or dill so I had to use dried dill. I can’t imagine how good it would have been with fresh dill!!! I’m Using it on my lamb kebabs tonight but I’ve already eaten an entire pita with this alone lol.
Thank u for the recipe (and so many others). U have truly made a positive impact in my family’s food life and we (our tummies) r very grateful yum yum!!!
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Kate
I love to hear that, Shell! Thank you for your review.
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Kaylee
I didn’t have fresh mint or Dill so I used half as much dry. It sat for an hour while the dried herbs soaked and I mixed it again and the flavors blended wonderfully. Very yum, thank you!
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Jean
So I read 2 cucumbers, not 2 cups of cucumbers. Promptly doubled the recipe and it was still deeeeeeelicious! Squeezed half a lemon and tsp of salt. Will definitely make again!!
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Kate
I love to hear that!
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Erin
This was completely liquid for me, and a huge waste of money and time. ‘Lightly squeeze’ doesn’t cut it, you need a cheesecloth and a lot of paper towels to get all the moisture out. Tried to dump a full extra cup of yogurt in and it made no difference. Still liquid. I squeezed with my hands for 10 minutes, hand squeezing isn’t enough.
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Kate
Hi Erin, I’m sorry to hear that was your experience. It sounds like you had a very watery cucumber.
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Stephanie
I didn’t even squeeze mine out, didn’t use mint, didnt measure out anything and it still turned out smelling and tasting just like the store bought tzatiki.
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Peg
If you didn’t squeeze enough of the liquid out by hand, try putting it between several layers of paper towels over top and bottom of cukes after the initial squeeze & then queezing/pressing and replacing the paper towels as needed. That might help. The comments seem to be very positive so it’s worth another try. I liked it very much.
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Megan
Delicious, refreshing, authentic tzatziki that is SO easy, and SO good! Like all the other recipes of yours I’ve tried, this one is a keeper!
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Kimmi
So similar to Indian Raita. Lovely & fresh.
Really love your simple recipe and additional information, delicious
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Kate
Great to hear, Kimmi!
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Bonnie Dorazio
Oh my goodness! Kate this was the best Tzakziki sauce ever. So delicious & fresh. My husband and I both fell in love with it. We had it over Greek marinated chicken.
Thanks for the recipe. Hugs to you, Bonnie & JohnReply
Melonie
Does it matter what kind of cucumber you use? Seems like English cucumbers would have less seeds & liquid.
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Kate
You can use either. I hope you enjoy it!
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Justin Kelleher
Wonderful recipe thank you, will go well with Greek smoked chicken on the Traeger this evening!
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Kate
Great to hear, Justin!
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Jane
Can’t wait to try this. I bought some ready-made from the store, just to try and love the flavor. But it was expensive. This looks perfect. I see in the comments that someone used with chicken. Try on fish as well. Sooooooo good.
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Lindsay
Delicious! This was my first time making tzatziki at home and it was easy. A great recipe that I will definitely make again.
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Kate
Great to hear, Lindsay!
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Carolina Harris
I prefer my Tzatziki a little thinner than most so I rough chopped my cucumber and did not squeeze. I’m also a big fan of dill so I added fresh and dried. Turned out great. I used mine to make a turkey pita. Thanks for a great base recipe that I could tweak to my liking.
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Kate
Thank you for sharing, Carolina!
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Joanna Jennings
My little girl of 11 made this to have with chilli con carne yesterday. It tasted great! It was fantastic to see her take ownership and create something we usually tend to buy at the supermarket.
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Hannah F
Definitely the best tzatziki ever!! I’ve made it many times and it’s always delicious. But do not, I repeat, do NOT accidentally use vanilla yogurt as I did this evening… it’s awful, hahaha!
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Kate
Oh no! I’m glad you have liked it previous times, Hannah.
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Dara
I’ve made this 3x. Recipe is perfect exactly the way it’s written (I use 1tbsp. each of dill and mint since I grow my own.) Who knew it was so easy to make your own Tzatziki?! Not this girl. I’m addicted now. So good.
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Tracey
How long will it keep in the fridge? Wondering if I can make it in advance? TIA Tracey
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Kate
Hi Tracy! Leftover tzatziki keeps well, chilled, for about 4 days.
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Patricia C Smith
I made this recipe with goat yogurt and this was well balanced with the rest of the ingredients. Another substitution was garlic scapes in place of the garlic cloves. I will gather some mint tomorrow and add it. So far it is delicious!
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Kate
That’s great to hear, Patricia!
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Kathy Elson-Baker
I made this and served it with homemade domadas delicious!
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Kate
Great to hear you enjoyed it, Kathy!
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Pez
After you grate the cucumber, sprinkle it with salt and wait 30 mins. Drain the excess water( salt will help) and you’re good to go with the rest of the recipe
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Donna Clark
Don’t waste all that yummy cuke juice! Squeeze it into a cup and use it for a cucumber mojito!
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Kate
That’s a great idea! Thank you for sharing, Donna.
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Michelle
My new favorite Tziku sauce! Wanting to expand my kefir usage, I prepared the night before by adding half and half to the kefir grains and let them sit out overnight and all day. I used this in place of the yogurt. While the benefits died off in the chicken I marinated, it was tender and delicious. The majority of it was left as a chilled, uncooked sauce for a Mediterranean salad with some fresh ground black pepper. Definitely adding to my favorites page!
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Kate
I love to hear that, Michelle! Thank you for sharing.
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Regina Neven
I just made this tonight to have on our souvlaki’s while out camping near Lake Mountain for the weekend, if any left will use while having cheese and biscuits tomorrow. I did have taste test and was yummy, just like I use to make at school over 30 years ago.
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kim
Easy and delicious. Subbed grated, squeezed zucchini as my cuke had gone by and it was just fine! Thank you for the recipe.
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Kate
You’re welcome, Kim! I appreciate your review.
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Bob
the recipe came out very well
i added some sour cream for a bit more tanginess
thanks so much
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Anne Stockwell
Great stuff. I use extra twice as much garlic as my family loves it. And, I mix the salt into the grated cucumber, put it in a sieve over a big measuring cup, weight it with a Ziploc sandwich bag full of water, and let it drain for 3 hours or so. Then I squeeze as much of the remaining liquid out as I possibly can, using my hands. That makes a big difference with the consistency of the finished product. Some of the salt goes out with the liquid, but you can taste and add more after mixing it all up, if necessary. Also, different brands of Greek yogurt seem to have different consistencies. I’ve been using Zoi and that works for me.
Thanks for the great recipe!Reply
Kris P
This is my go to recipe for tzatziki. I’ve tried a few, but this one is the best!
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Chuck Stone
Plan on whipping some up this coming weekend as my lovely bride is going to attempt her first try at making Dolma! Can’t wait….and I will let you know how all goes…
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Barbara Bereznicki
Store bought tzatziki tastes like toothpaste with garlic. Only bogans would think it is nutritious. Extra garlic for me. Otherwise very nice.
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Serena
So delicious. Made it with oyster mushrooms and red peppers. Soooo good! I used lactose free dairy because of I have an intolerance. But delicious
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PM
Great recipe Kate! So true regarding draining the cucumbers. Taste buds are different, but for me four or even five garlic cloves gives it the right fullness and zing.
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Angela
I literally just finished making this. It is very tasty. I had a really watery cucumber that I salted and strained before squeezing and that really helped. I also used dried dill because the dill at the market was moldy.
I think I’m more used to it made with mint so I will try that the next time I make it.
Thanks so much for the tasty recipe. Definitely will make again and again.
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Kate
That’s great to hear, Angela! I appreciate your review.
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Dianetg
I have been making this repeatedly since finding the recipe a year ago. It is delicious – our favorite is mixing it with roasted sweet potatoes. But it is good on many other things as well. Enjoy!
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Eric
I love this recipe and all your other ones too! Yum. Yum. Yum. Thank you Cookie and Kate!
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Kate
You’re welcome, Eric!
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Sharon Stewart
Oh my goodness..just made this to go with naan bread for Superbowl Sunday..I can’t find my dill but honestly it’s delicious without it..Definitely a keeper!!
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Kate
Great to hear, Sharon!
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Danielle
Great recipe!! Made it for some turkey burgers because I couldn’t find the recipe I usually use, and was not disappointed! I like to save the cucumber juice and add it to my water with some mint
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Kate
Happy to hear you enjoyed it, Danielle! I appreciate your review.
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Betsy
I made this recipe over the weekend. We really liked it! I had to go buy some gyros to put it on. I asked for their sauce on the side and did a taste comparison. This recipe blew the restaurant’s tzatziki away. It was also good with baked pita chips. I will definitely be making it again soon.
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Stela
Hello there! As a greek I approve! That’s the authentic version of tzatziki but I wanna mention that traditionally we put dill not mint! And vinegar instead of lemon! Well done! <3
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Tim R.
I made this for Mother’s Day but subbed in a coconut based yogurt substitute for my DF mother. Not one of the non-DF people around the table even seemed to notice. I probably went overboard on the fresh dill, but it was spot on Tzatziki!!!
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Kate
I’m happy to hear it turned out, Tim! Thank you for your review.
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Tania
Perfect to address my falafel, so yummy!
Thank you.Reply
Kate
Great to hear, Tania!
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Kami
Thanks for the recipe! So easy and tasty!
Also, I saved the cucumber water/juice, mixed it with some cold coconut water and got a refreshing drink!
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Kate
Thank you for sharing, Kami!
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Dafni
This is an American tzatziki. Not greek. You peel the cucumbers and if they have seeds you take them out. You always press the garlic, not minced it. And we definitely not use mint. Maybe that’s why some people don’t like it because mint has a specific taste like bitter.
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Ronald Minks
I use an English cucumber they have less liquid inside and seed it also before making this. It is wonderful to eat with smoked salmon. Just Love this recipe I now make it when ever it gets eaten up
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Mark
Simple and delicious. Had all ingredients on hand including mint growing outside the back door. We love it with salmon.
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Kathy
Made this with lamb burgers and sauteed onions all I can say is wonderful.
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Kate
That’s great to hear, Kathy!
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Patti
what would be the nutrition facts calories and serving & per size I just started dieting I didn’t see this in the recipe
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Kate
Hi Patti! The nutrition information is below the notes section of the recipe. You will need to click the header to expand.
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Kim T
This is my go to tzatziki recipe. It is awesome and easy. I use granulated garlic to ease the garlic bite. I cut it in half because there are only 3 of us. Thanks! It is delicious!
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Kate
You’re welcome, Kim!
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Cathy
Great recipe! Yes squeeze as much as you can out of the cucumber, and you won’t have any issues , I use 1.5 cloves garlic and I like to make it night before or several hours before so the flavours are much more pronounced. Also a go to for me, as I have all the ingredients on hand always
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Elaine Todd
Love Love Love
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Kate
Great to hear, Elaine!
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Kim C
I’ve successfully made this recipe more than once.
An English cucumber (long, thin skin, virtually no seeds) seemed to work/taste better to me than all other types of cucumbers.
Using the big holes on a box grater for the cucumber makes a huge difference in texture. Using the small holes on a box/hand grater, or a rasp grater, or a food chopper makes the tzatziki really unpleasantly gritty. (I’ve tried. Several times.)
I found using both dill and mint together better than either one alone.
When tweaking at the end, I’ve found adding a *little* extra salt to help. Adding just a little more lemon juice somehow made it a lot worse.Reply
Tim
Too many cucumbers in the garden so made using 7. Followed recipe with addition of 1scotch bonnet pepper… Delicious
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Chris Hamilton
Love it! I’ve been making this version since I first saw it years ago. I like to add a little more fresh garlic and lemon. I also go with dried dill out of convenience, but it’s a good quality dill. Don’t skimp on the fresh lemon too if you like tangy!
This recipe goes perfectly with falafel and also as a dressing on fresh greens. Don’t forget to add the homemade pickled radish and onion if you’re doing falafel!
Thank you Cookie (and Kate )
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Jessica
Even having to make some substitutions and omissions, this was soooo good, oh my gosh. My husband was trying to talk to me while I was tasting it and I didn’t hear a WORD he was saying. I had to use what was on hand and used whole fat yogurt (not Greek) dried dill, and fresh peppermint. I don’t have lemon and can’t find vinegar. I might cave and go to the store for the lemon because I’m sure it’s not complete without it, but even without the lemon it is soooo good!!
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Joyce Rea
My first time making tzatziki and it did not disappoint! As delicious as they serve at my favorite restaurant!
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Kate
Hooray! I’m excited you loved it, Joyce.
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