Greek Tzatziki Sauce
Greek Tzatziki sauce is a fresh, creamy dip or dressing made with yogurt and cucumbers. This is a traditional dressing that is common in Greece. They use it similarly to how we use something like ranch dressing here in America. It’s often eaten as a dip with pita chips or as a dressing on gyros or even just as a side to a typical meal.
For our cultural cuisine in our homeschool this week, we used this tzatziki sauce as a dressing for Greek lamb gyros. It was amazingly refreshing! Made with dill and cucumber and topped over warm cooked lamb, it was the perfect complement to the gyros. This recipe is perfect for summertime and would make an excellent addition to an outdoor barbecue!
ingredients for greek tzatziki sauce:
- Greek yogurt
- English cucumber
- Sour cream
- Garlic cloves
- Fresh dill
- Salt
- Pepper
- Olive oil for drizzling
How to make Tzatziki:
First you’ll need to grate the cucumber. You can choose to peel it or not. We prefer it peeled.
Then you’ll sprinkle some salt over it and let it rest for 10-15 minutes in a mesh strainer placed over a bowl. The salt will help to release excess liquid from the cucumber.
In the meantime, to prepare the rest of the tzatziki sauce, mix together the yogurt, sour cream, garlic, salt, pepper, and dill into a medium sized bowl.
Now, you’ll want to squeeze out the excess liquid from the cucumber either with your hands or a cloth sieve and discard the liquid. Place the grated cucumber in the bowl with yogurt mixture and combine.
Drizzle with olive oil if you prefer and your tzatziki sauce is ready!
You can serve this as a dip with pita chips or bread. Or use it as a dressing on Greek gyros or your favorite sandwich!
I hope you enjoy this deliciously fresh recipe!
Please let me know in the comments below if you try it!
Greek Tzatziki Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/2 cups Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 English cucumber peeled
- 2-3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 2 tsp chopped fresh dill
- olive oil for drizzling
Instructions
- First, grate the cucumber into small strands.
- Then place shredded cucumber into a mesh strainer place over a bowl. Allow to sit for about 10-15 minutes. The salt will help to release excess liquid from the cucumber.
- In the meantime, prepare the rest of the tzatziki sauce by combining the yogurt, sour cream, garlic, salt, pepper, and dill into a medium sized bowl.
- Now squeeze out any excess liquid from the grated cucumber either with your hands or using a cloth sieve.
- Place the grated cucumber into the yogurt mixture and stir to combine.
- Drizzle with olive oil if you prefer and your tzatziki sauce is ready!
- Serve as a dip with pita chips or as a dressing to gyros or your favorite sandwich! Or enjoy as a side with potatoes at your next outdoor barbecue!
- Enjoy!
