Use a few easy ingredients to make your own Tzatziki Sauce from scratch and add some homemade flavor to your next Mediterranean meal.
Jump to RecipeSo, 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.
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.
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
Meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl, combine the garlic, vinegar, and olive oil.
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.
Recipe
Originally Published On: April 15, 2019
Last Updated On: March 11, 2020
Tzatziki Sauce from Scratch
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
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Start by partially peeling the cucumber making stripes on it
- Slice the cucumber into pieces about 1/4″ thick
- Place the cucumber in a food processor and pulse until the cucumber is well-grated
- Sprinkle the salt on the cucumber and give it a quick stir
- Drain the moisture from the cucumber in one of two ways: Either place the cucumber in a mesh sieve over a bowl to let the moisture drain OR use a clean dish towel or cheesecloth to squeeze the moisture out of the cucumber
- Meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl, combine the garlic, vinegar, and olive oil
- 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
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutrition content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
This is a completely new recipe for me. I was going to make another dip for our book club meeting this afternoon, I will surprise them with this Tzatziki sauce. Thanks for sharing the recipe, Stephanie and I will share some pic on my FB page.
It’s always fun to try something new! How did they like it?
😀 Since I love cucumbers I will be trying out this Tzatziki Sauce. We have a lot of stock of cucumbers in the kitchen. Gotta start making some. 🙂
It’s a great way to use up some of those cucumbers!
Ooh, this sounds like a delicious Tzatziki recipe – I love Greek food (although we don’t have it that often for some reason). I will definitely have to give this recipe a try!
We don’t have it often either, so it’s great for a treat sometimes.
I’ve never had tzatziki before – I need to try and make it dairy free so I can get in on this action!
Me neither, but as I said I hate cucumbers! I’d love to know if you make a good dairy-free version. I have a good friend who is severely allergic to dairy so was sad she couldn’t try this out.
I love that sauce. Anytime I am having Mediterranean food, I have to have it. Just looks so amazing. I’m not sure what I would serve it with at home, but I’m sure I could find something.
You could do a lot with it. I’ve heard of people using it for a salad dressing or as a dip or as a sauce to go on some cooked/grilled chicken.
I love tzatziki sauce!! MMMM so yummy. I’m in desperate need of greek food now!
You could try to make some at home! Even though I didn’t make/eat this, I watched my husband and it seemed pretty easy to make.
Tzatziki sauce is one of my absolute favorite additions to a meal. When I was completely vegetarian I ate it constantly. I never thought to make it myself. I have to try this recipe!
Oh, I bet this was a great way to add flavor to meals when eating vegetarian. You should give it a go on making yourself.
Yum! I have all the ingredients in my fridge right now….and I so want to whip this up! We love this sauce!
Don’t you love when it works out that way?! I’d love to know how you liked it if you had a chance to make the sauce.
I can’t wait to try this Thursday night with my greek stuffed peppers. I’m always looking for new taziki recipes.
Perfect! And Greek stuffed peppers sounds like something my husband would absolutely love.
I love cucumber and I will definitely try to make this Tzatziki Sauce I’m sure that taste delicious.
If you love cucumbers then this is definitely the sauce to make!
I absolutely love most Mediterranean food and I love tzatziki. In fact, sometimes I even use this sauce as a dressing for some of my salads 🙂
That’s such a great idea. I’ll have to tell my husband because it sounds like something he would like, too.
Omg can we say yum?!?! Who knew Tzatziki Sauce was this easy to make? So need to give your recipe a try. Delicious
I know, it’s one of those things that seems complicated but isn’t too hard once you start making it!
This looks super delicious! I defined need to try making this. I haven’t had tzatziki sauce!
Give it a try! If you like Greek food and cucumbers, then you’ll probably enjoy the sauce.
I’ve never had Tzatziki sauce before, but this sounds delicious! I really like yoghurt based dip sauces and I like cucumbers!
Then it sounds like a perfect combination for you! I don’t like cucumbers, but my husband said this was some of the best Tzatziki he’s had since we had control over the ingredients.