Authentic Tzatziki: The Greek Recipe, the Technique That Keeps It Thick, and the Mistakes to Avoid

Tzatziki is the most-travelled dish made with Greek yogurt and the most often ruined. The version served in Greece is dense enough to stand on a fork, sharp with garlic and vinegar, and never watery. Every one of those qualities comes from two decisions: using properly strained yogurt, and getting the water out of the cucumber before it goes in.

The recipe

Makes about 500 g (serves 6–8 as a dip or side)

• 500 g strained Greek yogurt, 5% or 10% fat (sheep's milk strained yogurt if you can find it)

• 1 medium cucumber (about 300 g)

• 2–4 cloves garlic, to taste

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to serve

• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar or red wine vinegar

• ½ teaspoon fine salt, plus 1 teaspoon for the cucumber

• 1–2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill (or mint, or both)

• Freshly ground black pepper (optional)

Method

1. Prepare the cucumber. Peel it fully or in stripes. Grate on the coarse side of a box grater (or dice very finely for a more rustic texture). Put it in a sieve, mix with 1 teaspoon salt, and leave 10–15 minutes.

2. Squeeze. Take handfuls of the salted cucumber and wring them out hard, or twist in a clean tea towel, until you have a compact, almost dry mass. You should extract 100 ml or more of liquid. This is the step that separates tzatziki from cucumber soup.

3. Prepare the garlic. Crush the cloves to a paste with the ½ teaspoon of salt using the flat of a knife or a mortar. A paste distributes evenly; chopped garlic gives hot spots. For a milder dip, leave the crushed garlic in the vinegar for 10 minutes first.

4. Combine. In a bowl, mix the yogurt, garlic paste, vinegar and olive oil until smooth. Fold in the squeezed cucumber and dill. Taste; adjust salt, vinegar and garlic. Add pepper if you like.

5. Rest. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, ideally 3–4, for the garlic to mellow and the flavours to merge.

6. Serve cold, with a swirl of olive oil on top and, if you like, a few olives or a pinch of dill.

Why each step matters

• Strained yogurt only. Regular or "Greek-style" thickened yogurt releases whey when salt is added, and the dip loosens within the hour. If you only have regular yogurt, strain it through a cloth-lined sieve in the fridge for 4–6 hours first; see How to make Greek yogurt at home for the technique.

• Fat level. Tzatziki made with 0% yogurt is sharp and chalky. 5% is the household standard; 10% or sheep's milk is what good tavernas use.

• Salting the cucumber draws water out by osmosis so that squeezing removes it. Unsalted cucumber keeps releasing water into the dip for hours.

• Vinegar, not lemon, is traditional in most of Greece; lemon works but gives a different, fruitier dip and more liquid.

• Garlic quantity is personal and regional. Two cloves is polite; four is a Sunday lunch in Thessaly.

• Dill is the classic herb; mint appears in Cyprus and the islands; some families use neither.

Variations

• Without cucumber: a garlic-yogurt sauce for grilled meat; add a little more vinegar.

• With walnuts: a Macedonian variant adds finely chopped walnuts.

• Tirokafteri-style heat: not tzatziki, but a pinch of dried chilli is common in northern Greece.

• Vegan: not possible with the real ingredient; plant-based "Greek-style" yogurts will make a different, usually sweeter dip.

Serving

Tzatziki is a meze, a side and a sauce. With grilled meats (souvlaki, gyros, lamb chops), with fried vegetables (courgette and aubergine fritters), spread in pita, next to fried potatoes, on a baked potato, with fish, or simply with bread and olives. It is not a salad dressing; thinned with water it loses the point.

Storage

Covered in the fridge at 4 °C or below, tzatziki keeps 3 days. Some liquid will separate; stir it back in or pour it off. It does not freeze. Do not leave it out at a summer barbecue for more than 2 hours (1 hour above 30 °C).

Nutrition (per 60 g serving, approximate, made with 5% yogurt)

About 75 kcal, 4 g protein, 5 g fat, 3 g carbohydrate, 180 mg sodium. Made with 0% yogurt: about 45 kcal and 5 g protein.

Mistakes to avoid

1. Using un-strained or Greek-style yogurt.

2. Skipping the salt-and-squeeze.

3. Chopped rather than crushed garlic.

4. Serving it immediately; raw garlic needs an hour to settle.

5. Adding water, milk or lemon juice to "loosen" it.

6. Making it the day before a party and expecting it to taste the same; garlic intensifies overnight.

For more ways to use strained yogurt in savoury cooking, see Cooking and baking with Greek yogurt.

Recipe notes and safety. Quantities are guidelines; adjust to taste. Contains milk; some variations contain tree nuts. Keep tzatziki refrigerated at or below 4 °C and eat within 3 days; discard if left at room temperature for more than 2 hours. Raw garlic stored in oil can support the growth of Clostridium botulinum; keep garlic-and-oil mixtures refrigerated and short-lived, as in this recipe. Nutrition figures are estimates and not a substitute for a label or professional advice.

Sources

• Greek Food and Beverages Code, Article 82 (strained yogurt definition): aade.gr (PDF)

• USDA FoodData Central, Greek yogurt whole milk (FDC 2259794), basis for nutrition estimate: getfoodfacts.com

• US FDA, Food Safety: refrigerator storage and the 2-hour rule (Are You Storing Food Safely?): fda.gov

• US CDC, Botulism prevention (home-prepared garlic in oil): cdc.gov