How to make Tzatziki Sauce (Authentic Greek Recipe)

5 from 4 votes

How to make Tzatziki Sauce (Authentic Greek Recipe)

Truly authentic Tzatziki (Tsaht-ZEE-kee) Sauce takes a little time to prep. While you could slap all the ingredients together at once and call it a day, taking the time to freshly make garlic and strain excess moisture out of the Greek Yogurt makes all the difference in a traditional, delicious, and Greek approved Tzatziki sauce.

Prep Time30

Cook Time30

Additional Time1

Course: Appetizer Recipes, Dip Recipes

Cuisine: Greek

Servings: cups

Calories: 69kcal

Author: Trisha Haas - Salty Side Dish

Ingredients

16 ounces Greek yogurt
1/2 of an English cucumber diced
2 tablespoons roasted garlic puree
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill weed
salt

Instructions

Straining Yogurt

In some cases, yogurts that you buy from the store are watery and will in turn make your sauce watery. There is a very simple step to getting out the excess moisture and will help with the thickness and creaminess of your recipe. If you use a already strained and thick Greek Yogurt, you can skip this step.
Simply strain yogurt for 24 hours before making. Add cheesecloth or coffee filters to a strainer and add yogurt on top of the strainer.
Place a bowl or plate under the strainer and refrigerate, covering the top with plastic wrap, for 24 hours.
Drain excess water and scoop out the yogurt into a mixing bowl.

Oven Roasting Garlic

Alternatively, you can use already pre-roasted garlic or minced garlic to skip this step.
Peel 1 bulb of garlic and separate all the cloves.
Cut each end of the clove and remove the peel from the cloves.
Place cloves into a small piece of foil and fold the foil over the garlic to close.
The foil will not be tight but will contain all of the garlic.
Toss into the oven on 350 for 30-35 minutes or until garlic is soft.
Remove from oven and let cool completely. Mash garlic.

Excess Moisture in Cucumber

Cucumber retains a ton of moisture and this is an important step in getting rid of the excess so your sauce doesn't water down.
Place cucumber into 2 coffee filters.
Fold up the coffee filter and gently squeeze the water out of the cucumbers.
If you use gently squeezing over a sink, you should be able to squeeze most of the water out of the vegetable, without ripping the filter.
You can also use cheesecloth to drain excess moisture.

Combining Ingredients

Add yogurt, cucumber, garlic, lemon juice, oil and dill weed to a mixing bowl and mix well.
Season with salt.
Serve with sliced pita bread. gyros, roasted vegetables, raw vegetables, or even chips!

Nutrition