Learn how to make a small batch of tzatziki sauce in minutes! Made with cucumber, yogurt, herbs, and garlic. This easy recipe is perfect for dips and spreads.
Add salt and spoon the finely chopped cucumbers onto a thick, lint-free dishtowel or clean cheesecloth Pick up the sides of the cheesecloth or towel and make a tight bundle around the cucumber and squeeze out as much moisture as you can.Pro Tip: This step is very important because cucumbers are full of water. When you mix cucumbers with acidic ingredients like yogurt and lemon juice, the cucumber will start to release moisture which will make the yogurt-cucumber sauce watery.
Let the grated cucumber rest for a few minutes to continue to release any moisture. Add the grated garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, Greek yogurt, and chopped dill to a medium-sized bowl and stir to combine.Pro Tip: To grate garlic use a fine grater like a Microplane, a lemon zester, or the small side of a box grater.
Stir in the grated cucumber.
Enjoy tzatziki immediately or chill to use later.
Notes
Expert Tips
Tzatziki is so easy to whip together. The most important thing to remember is to properly drain the cucumber before mixing it into the yogurt.
If you want a thinner tzatziki sauce, add more yogurt. To thicken the tzatziki sauce, add less yogurt or a little more olive oil.
Use fresh dill for the very best flavor. If you only have dried dill you may use it instead but only use about ¼ teaspoon of dried.
If possible, let the sauce sit in the refrigerator for an hour before eating. This allows the flavors to come together beautifully.
Taste the sauce before eating to adjust for seasonings.
This sauce is garlic-heavy and because I love garlic, I prefer making my sauce with 2 cloves of garlic. You may find the garlic taste too strong, so you may want to start by using 1 clove of garlic and adding the second clove if you want a stronger taste.