Tzatziki (Greek Yogurt Sauce)

$2.25 recipe / $0.38 serving
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I have a whole menu of Mediterranean food planned for this week so I decided to start with the Tzatziki, since it goes with just about everything. This cool, creamy sauce is great for dipping vegetables, bread, and dolmas or as a spread for sandwiches. This tzatziki was so easy to make and so good that I couldn’t stop eating it right off the spoon!

Tzadziki placed in bowl with pita slices and cucumber slices around it

What is Tzatziki?

Tzatziki is a delicious sauce made with a Greek Yogurt base, seasoned with garlic, cucumber and dill. It’s light, fresh, cool, and there’s absolutely nothing like it! Once you taste tzatziki you’ll want to slather it on everything. While the recipe below has been adapted for my kitchen, you can find some authentic tzatziki recipes here:

How Long Does it Stay Good?

The sauce should stay good in your refrigerator for 5-7 days and the flavor will intensify as it refrigerates. For that reason, I used minced garlic from a jar rather than fresh. I find that fresh garlic leaves me with the most unbearable breath for a good 24 hrs… no matter how many times I brush and gargle with mouthwash. Garlic from a jar is a little more subtle.

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5 from 7 votes

Tzatziki (Greek Yogurt Sauce)

Tzatziki is a Yogurt based Greek sauce with cucumber and garlic. It's great for dipping meat or pita, or using as a sandwich spread.
Total Cost: $2.25 recipe / $0.38 serving
Prep Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 10 mins
Servings: 6

Ingredients

  • 12 oz 1 1/2 cups greek style yogurt ($1.80)
  • 1/2 medium cucumber ($0.10)
  • 1 Tbsp minced garlic ($0.25)
  • 1/4 tsp dill ($0.05)
  • 1/4 tsp salt ($0.05)

Instructions

  • Peel and remove the seeds from half a cucumber (use a spoon to scrape out the seedy center). Using a cheese grater, grate the cucumber into the yogurt. Also add the dill, salt and garlic to the yogurt. Stir well.
  • Refrigerate the yogurt sauce for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to blend. Serve cold. If liquid separates out from the sauce during refrigeration, simply stir to reincorporate before serving.

Notes

Be sure to use thick Greek style yogurt for this recipe because the cucumber adds a lot of moisture and will cause regular yogurt to become too thin.
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Nutrition

Serving: 1Serving ・ Calories: 57.98kcal ・ Carbohydrates: 2.83g ・ Protein: 5.25g ・ Fat: 2.88g ・ Sodium: 118.6mg ・ Fiber: 0.15g
Nutritional values are estimates only. See our full nutrition disclaimer here.
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I was pleasantly surprised to find cucumbers on sale 7 for $1 (or $0.20 ea) at our produce market today so that really brought the price of this sauce down. Unfortunately, they are only this cheap for a short time during the summer.

Don’t let the rest of the cucumber go to waste. Slice it up for dipping into the Tzatziki, layering on sandwiches and salads or as a garnish!