Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups greek yoghurt
- 1 cucumber
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- sea salt, to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons mint or dill, chopped
Instructions
- Start by grating the cucumber.
- Place the grated cucumber in a mesh sieve over the kitchen sink and push out as much moisture from the cucumber as possible. You may find this easier to do in small batches
- Transfer the cucumber to a medium sized bowl. Add the garlic, yoghurt, lemon juice, oil and fresh herbs
- Stir to combine and season to taste with salt
- Cover the bowl with cling wrap and sit it in the fridge for 2-3 hours to firm up.
- Serve and enjoy.
This tzatziki is quite a simple dip, but don’t let its simplicity fool you into thinking it’s not going to impress guests if you serve it up. The combination of the simple flavors along with the use of fresh ingredients will leave you with a dip that’s moreish and versatile in its use.
Preparing the Tzatziki
The first thing you will need to do to prepare the dip is to grate the cucumber. I always go for a Lebanese cucumber for this, but any sort of cucumber will work here.
Transfer the grated cucumber to a colander placed over a bowl or the kitchen sink. Use your hands to push out as much moisture from the cucumber as possible and then leave to sit for 10 minutes to drain excess liquid. Removing the excess liquid is important or you will be left with a dip that’s too runny.
Transfer the grated cucumber to a large mixing bowl and add in the yoghurt, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic and dill. Season the dip with some salt and then stir, ensuring everything is thoroughly combined.
Take the finished dip and cover it with cling film. Transfer the dip to the fridge and allow to chill for at least 2-3 hours. The dip will become thicker as it chills. You may also want to transfer the dip to a serving bowl before chilling it too.
Serving the Tzatziki
The tzatziki dip is a versatile dip that can be used in many ways. Here are some of my favorite ways to use the tzatziki:
- Tzatziki serves great as a dip, try serving it at your next party accompanied with a bowl of Homemade Tortilla Chips and some cut up vegetables.
- Use the tzatziki as a sauce in a sandwhich, burger or wrap
- Try serving the dip as part of a Greek Chicken Kebabs platter.
Recipe Notes
- For a low FODMAP variation, omit the garlic and substitute the olive oil for a garlic infused oil instead.
- Mint can be substituted in to replace the dill if needed.
- If lemons aren’t in season, then you may substitute the lemon juice for a splash of white vinegar instead. The important thing is to have something acidic in the mix.
