Tzatziki sauce recipe + 9 flavor variations (2024)

Tzatziki is a cucumber-yogurt sauce that uses only a handful of ingredients. But the quality of those ingredients can really impact the flavor and consistency. The basic sauce is also a great candidate for endless customization (like an avocado version or one with sun-dried tomatoes).

How to make a good tzatziki sauce:

• Pick the right type of cucumber (and squeeze out the water)
• Use a good-tasting, thick yogurt (like greek yogurt)
• Add in other flavors a little at a time, tasting as you go, until it's perfect

In this post...

• Tzatziki sauce recipe (below)
• Best cucumbers to use
• How to drain cucumbers
• Variations
• Substitutions

Recipe

What's the best cucumber for tzatziki sauce?

English cucumbers are the best choice, although pretty much any cucumber will work. But if you don't like bitter cucumbers, avoid the American slicing variety. If that's all you have, check out "."

Hot house cucumbers are the best option for several reasons:

• Almost never bitter
• Sold wrapped in plastic, avoiding the waxy coating from regular slicing cucumbers
• Very few seeds
• Decent price

Persian cucumbers have a slightly stronger cucumber flavor and are delicious in tzatziki. However, they tend to be much more expensive so it is best saved for fresh uses (like salads or in gin & tonics). If price is of no concern, or you have a bunch to use up, I encourage you to do so.

The seasonal cucumber guide covers even more varietal information.

The secret to squeezing water out from veggies: bamboo paper towels

I don't like squeezing watery vegetables out in a tea towel, and find regular paper towels just fall apart. Bamboo paper towels are perfect. They are very sturdy and I use them exclusively for removing water from vegetables (like cucumbers and zucchini).

They also work well for drying lettuce and herbs. Especially if you find yourself going through a ton of paper towels just to dry these things. Get a roll, you won't be disappointed. This is the most popular brand on Amazon and the one I use.

You can also let it set over a colander or try to squeeze it with a cheesecloth or through a coffee filter.

Other tzatziki recipe ideas

As with any recipe, I encourage you to customize it to your liking. Some variations are subtle, while others push the definition of tzatziki.

• Extra lemon dill: add even more lemon flavor with the zest of 1 lemon and be sure to use lemon juice (not vinegar in the recipe). You could also use lemon-flavored yogurt (which will be strong, but wonderful if that is what you are looking for)/ Adding ¼ teaspoon of sumac if you have it in your pantry (a lemony flavored spice) would be interesting too.
• Minty fresh: replace the dill with equal amounts of mint. Great for use with lamb or spicy dishes. For example, dip your bread of choice in a minty tzatziki (or raita) with a spicy Indian curry.
• Mexican: replace the dill with equal amounts of cilantro, and lemon with equal amounts of lime. Great with tacos, taco salad, or burritos. Also try adding avocado (see avocado version below).
• Italian: add ¼ cup of oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, chopped. Add 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano along with the dill, OR 2 tablespoon oregano and no dill. Use on burgers or with focaccia.
• Sour cream & onion: replace ¼ cup of yogurt with sour cream and add chopped green onions or chives (along with the dill).
• Ranch: replace ¼ cup of the yogurt with ranch dressing. The ranch dressing with make it thinner.
• Avocado: add 1 avocado to the recipe for an incredible flavor and texture. See Half Baked Harvest's avocado tzatziki recipe.
• Smoky: add ½ teaspoon paprika for a smoky, slightly spicy flavor. Note this won't have a smoked bbq flavor, just some added paprika characteristics. Try it with grilled veggies and meat.
• Spicy: add up to 1 tablespoon harissa (chile paste) or a pinch (or more) of cayenne. Spicy pairs with the cooling cucumber for a fun take on tzatziki. Great for dipping veggies into.

Herb flavors come through really well in tzatziki sauce. If you're growing your own herbs, definitely use those. You can also try growing interesting varieties like Citrus Kitchen Mint from Richters (read my review).

Even more recipes

• Greek lamb souvlaki with avocado tzatziki by Half Baked Harvest
• Grilled zucchini gyros with sun-dried tomato tzatziki by Half Baked Harvest
• Ina Garten's Tzatziki with sour cream, from Make It Ahead cookbook (a great cookbook, by the way).
• A very minty version that also lets garlic steep before removing it, by Bon Appetit.
• Greek feta burgers with sun-dried tomato tzatziki by Burger Base

Substitutions

Make gyro meat at home

A classic use for tzatziki sauce: gryos. It's hard to replicate the restaurant style meat, since most of us don't have a rotisserie running all day to slowly shave meat from. Instead, forming it into a flat, dense loaf works better at home.

Get the gyro meat recipe and the best grocery store alternative (hint: look no further than Trader Joes).