My love for tzatziki is relatively new. I only discovered I actually liked this absolutely delicious dip in 2018. We had moved to BC a few months before and finally got around to visiting the Greek restaurant nearby.
After trying the tzatziki the first time, every time we returned we always ordered the pita bread and tzatziki to start, even though our meals could easily feed us 3 times. We couldn’t resist!
That dip changed my life. It was bursting with flavour and so light and delicious. It started a love affair with Greek food. The deeply spiced meats with the light and refreshing sides and dips were game changing.
Many years went by and I refined my recipe to be exactly how I like it. This is one of those recipes that you make by tasting as you go and adjusting, so having it as a written recipe is weird for me. Sometimes your yogurt is tangier because it’s older, sometimes your lemon is weirdly sweet?
This recipe here is my standard, no-fail dip, but easily adjustable by modifying the amount of lemon juice, spices, and salt. Some love it with fresh mint. Taste it before you serve it.
Greek Yogurt or Regular Plain Yogurt
Always always always use Greek yogurt for dips. It’s so much thicker and richer in flavour than plain yogurt because it’s strained to remove extra water/whey in addition to some differences in production that affect the final product.
In a pinch, yes you could use regular plain yogurt. I’d recommend putting it in a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth for an hour or two to remove some of the extra liquid.
Full-Fat vs Non-Fat Greek Yogurt
This recipe is made using non-fat yogurt but don’t let that deter you! I use non-fat yogurt because I can buy in bulk from Costco and it lasts FOREVER in the fridge.
To make it richer, I add olive oil to my tzatziki to amp up the flavour.
Full-Fat greek yogurt is absolutely heavenly, but dangerous. It’s amazing to buy for making labneh, which I highly recommend finding and eating if you haven’t.
2% Greek yogurt is usually a good compromise for flavour and fat content. Use what you have on hand and don’t stress about it.
Raw Garlic vs Garlic Powder
If you value not tasting garlic for the next 48 hours, I recommend you mellow your garlic in lemon juice. It retains most of the flavour, but won’t overwhelm the dish! Before I knew that lemon juice was a magical device to make raw garlic tolerable in a dish, I would use garlic powder – which was fine, but not quite as good.
Raw garlic has incredible flavour, but must be mellowed out with an acid before you use it. If you fancy yourself using Russian garlic or another spicy garlic, stop. Use it somewhere else. You’ll thank me later.
Garlic powder is a safe alternative for those who are very sensitive to the flavour of raw garlic and don’t love the flavour.
To Make My Greek Tzatziki
1. Mellow the garlic
In a small bowl that will fit your dip, stir together the lemon juice and minced garlic. Let it sit and the flavours mellow for about 5 minutes. Set aside while you prepare everything else.
2. Shred the cucumber
Peeled or unpeeled (your choice), shred the cucumber on the fine grater edge of a box grater. Once its shredded, wrap the cucumber in a paper towel or kitchen cloth and squeeze out the liquid over the sink.
Be careful not to squeeze too aggressively and burst the paper towel – I’ve done that a few times when not paying attention.
3. Mix the tzatziki
To the bowl with the now mellow garlic and lemon juice, add the shredded and drained cucumber, yogurt, olive oil, dill weed, salt, and pepper. Stir well to combine. Taste for seasonings and adjust if necessary.
4. Enjoy!
Greek Tzatziki: Easy and Refreshing Dip
Ingredients
- 1 cup non-fat Greek yogurt*
- 1 small garlic clove, minced
- ½ lemon, juiced
- 1 persian/small cucumber, shredded and strained
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil*
- ½ tsp dried dill weed, or 2 tsp fresh, minced
- ⅛-¼ tsp fine sea salt
- black pepper to taste
Directions
- In a small bowl, add the lemon juice and garlic. Allow them to sit for a few minutes to mellow out the garlic. Prep the remaining ingredients while they sit.
- Peeled or unpeeled (your choice), shred the cucumber on the fine grater edge of a box grater. Once its shredded, wrap the cucumber in a paper towel or kitchen cloth and squeeze out the liquid over the sink.
- To the bowl with the now mellow garlic and lemon juice, add the shredded and drained cucumber, yogurt, olive oil, dill weed, salt, and pepper. Stir well to combine. Taste for seasonings and adjust if necessary.
- Enjoy!
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