This Easy Homemade Tzatziki Dip is a cool, fresh, thick-and-creamy dip made with Greek yogurt, cucumbers, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and dill. It’s got tons of flavor and is perfect for dipping pita chips, veggies, or anything you want!
Today we’re taking a quick food trip to Greece for some tzatziki! It might be a little hard to spell and pronounce (zat-zee-key), but it’s super simple to make, and there’s nothing better than whipping up a batch at home with fresh ingredients.
It’s incredibly delicious and totally addicting (and you may just find yourself wanting to put it on everything)!
Tzatziki sauce is a classic of Greek cuisine, and variations of it are also popular in other Mediterranean and Middle Eastern countries. It is most often served as an appetizer along with some pita bread or as a condiment for grilled meats and vegetables, kebabs, gyros, souvlaki, pita sandwiches, falafel, and more.
Now, I’m not claiming that this is a 100% authentic recipe for tzatziki, which is often made with goat’s milk or sheep’s milk yogurt (which most of us probably can’t readily get), but it’s got all the flavors and, most importantly, it’s SO GOOD!
I enjoy tzatziki most as a dip, and for me, the perfect dipper is pita chips. The thick, creamy, tangy, lemony, garlicky, dilly dip is perfect with the crunchy, salty chips. I could easily eat myself silly with this amazing combination of flavors!
But you can dip just about anything you want: warm pita bread, raw veggies, grilled veggies, deep-fried veggies (super yum!), crackers, bagel chips, potato chips, pretzels, or even potato pancakes.
If you’re looking for a change-up to your same-old chip or veggie dip, you’ve got to give tzatziki a try!
Ingredients you need:
- Cucumber (I use English cucumber)
- Plain Greek yogurt (I use whole milk)
- Olive oil
- Fresh lemon juice
- Garlic
- Fresh dill
- Salt and pepper
Here’s how to make Easy Homemade Tzatziki Dip:
Tips & Tidbits:
- English cucumbers work really well here because they have little to no seeds. They are the ones in the grocery store that are long and thin and usually individually wrapped in plastic.
- If you use regular cucumbers, scrape out the seeds before grating.
- Whatever you do, don’t skip the step of salting and draining the grated cucumbers (the salt helps draw out the liquid). There is quite a bit of water that will come out of them, and you don’t want to end up with a watery dip.
- You need to use Greek yogurt in this dip for its thicker consistency. Regular yogurt will be too loose.
- I prefer the flavor and creaminess of whole milk Greek yogurt, but you can absolutely use low-fat or non-fat.
- Fresh dill is so good in this dip. One of those little herb packs you can find in the produce section of the grocery store should be plenty for this recipe.
- If you can’t get fresh dill, you can use dried (reduce the amount to 1 to 1½ teaspoons). I think freeze-dried dill has the best flavor. You can usually find freeze-dried herbs in bottles in the produce aisle.
- Some people put fresh mint in their tzatziki, either with the dill or instead of the dill. Go ahead and add some if you’d like.
- You need to let it chill out for a bit – at least an hour – before serving. Those flavors need a little time to blend together and get super yummy. It really makes a big difference!
- Tzatziki can last up to 5 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator, but it’s most definitely at its freshest, thickest, creamiest best within that first day or two (the cucumbers will continue to release liquid, which can make the dip a little watery after a few days).
Stay tuned, because coming up next, I’m sharing the recipe for the homemade baked pita chips you see me dipping into my tzatziki right there in that photo!
I hope you try this recipe for Easy Homemade Tzatziki Dip and love it as much as I do. Thanks for visiting today!
Easy Homemade Tzatziki Dip
Ingredients
- 1 English cucumber, about 12 ounces
- 2 cups plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 teaspoons total)
- 1½ tablespoons chopped fresh dill
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Peel the cucumber and grate it (I use the smaller holes on my box grater).
- Place the grated cucumber in a mesh sieve over a bowl. Sprinkle with about ¼ teaspoon of salt; stir. Let sit for 10 minutes to draw out the liquid from the cucumbers. Using the back of a spoon or your hand, press out as much of the remaining liquid from the cucumbers as you can.
- Place the Greek yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and dill in a large bowl. Stir until well-combined.
- Add the cucumbers; stir until well-combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Cover and place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour to allow the flavors to blend.
Notes
- I use an English cucumber for this recipe because they have little to no seeds. You can use regular cucumber; just be sure to scrape out the seeds before you grate it.
- I prefer the taste and creaminess of whole milk Greek yogurt, but you can use low-fat or non-fat.
- If you can’t get fresh dill, you can use 1 to 1½ teaspoons of dried dill.
- Tzatziki can last up to 5 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator, but it’s most definitely at its freshest, thickest, creamiest best within that first day or two (the cucumbers will continue to release liquid, which can make the dip a little watery after a few days).
- Estimated calories is based on a serving size of about ¼ cup.
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