Tzatziki Sauce from Scratch

Name: Tzatziki Sauce from Scratch
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 1 English cucumber; 1 tsp salt; 4 cloves garlic (minced); 1 tsp vinegar; 1 tbsp olive oil; 16 oz greek yogurt; 1 tsp dill

Use a few easy ingredients to make your own Tzatziki Sauce from scratch and add some homemade flavor to your next Mediterranean meal.

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So, I’m going to be up-front with you on this recipe post. This one is all Justin. He found out quickly when he was making Tzatziki sauce just how much I can not stand cucumbers! I don’t like the smell. I don’t like the taste. And our whole house smelled of cucumbers for a while after he made this. He has used cucumbers before to make homemade pickles, but the smell didn’t permeate the entire house with that recipe. Maybe you remember, in the late 90s and early 200s when the scent Cucumber Melon was so popular from Bath and Body Works? I had to be the only girl who didn’t like it.

Last year, we had Harry Potter Club once a month. Our friends would come over, we would make yummy food and watch a Harry Potter movie. Well, at the end of the year, once we watched all of the movies, we decided to rename it to Movie Club and we pick a different movie each month. Really, it’s an excuse and reason to get together, but we base it around a movie. Last month, when we were trying to think of what food to make, Justin decided he wanted to “go Greek” even though it had nothing to do with the movie we were watching (Princess Bride).

I don’t care for much Greek food since I don’t like olives, feta cheese, and especially cucumbers. Therefore, I left last month’s movie night cooking completely up to him. I helped out with a few things, but he decided on the menu, found recipes, did the grocery shopping, and prepped most of the food.

One of the things he wanted to do was make homemade Tzatziki sauce to go with everything else. He found a recipe online (here) but then we made some changes to it, as we always do.

Step by Step

Start by partially peeling the cucumber. Basically, you want to give it stripes. Use a peeler to make lines on the cucumber. This allows you to get a good amount of the peel in the sauce, but not too much to make it bitter.

Cucumber peeled in strips next to a glass mixing bowl on a granite surface

Slice the cucumber into pieces about 1/4″ thick. The size doesn’t need to be precise because you are going to shred it, but enough that it will shred easily.

Cucumber peeled in strips and cut into slices on a granite surface

Place the cucumber in a food processor and pulse until the cucumber is well-grated. If you don’t have a food processor, you can use a box grater (such as one used for cheese) to grate the cucumber as well.

Sprinkle the salt on the cucumber and give it a quick stir. Drain the moisture from the cucumber in one of two ways:

Place the cucumber in a mesh sieve over a bowl to let the moisture drain (pictured below)
Use a clean dish towel or cheesecloth to squeeze the moisture out of the cucumber

Diced cucumber in a mesh strainer over a stainless steel mixing bowl on a granite surface

Meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl, combine the garlic, vinegar, and olive oil.

Minced garlic, vinegar, and olive oil in a glass mixing bowl on a granite surface

Add the grated cucumber to the garlic and stir to combine. Cover and store in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve the sauce.

About 10 minutes before serving, remove the cucumber mixture from the refrigerator and stir in the yogurt. Sprinkle with fresh dill to garnish and serve immediately.

Tzatziki Sauce from Scratch garnished with dill in a large white bowl next to a partially sliced cucumber and slices of pita bread on a bamboo surface (vertical)

Recipe

Originally Published On: April 15, 2019

Last Updated On: March 11, 2020