This authentic tzatziki recipe makes a thick, creamy cucumber sauce, packed with garlic flavor. Make it for a gyro sauce, to serve with grilled meats or poultry, or for an addictive dip!

If you can’t imagine enjoying a gyro or Greek souvlaki without a topping of fresh tzatziki sauce, you are not alone. As dips and sauces are concerned, it’s a favorite staple condiment found on dining tables in Greece and around the world.

Creamy and thick, the base of the sauce is strained Greek yogurt, cucumbers and plenty of garlic. Of course, it’s commonly used as a gyro sauce, like my Lebanese garlic sauce (toum) recipe, but there are so many other ways to serve the delicious, addictive dip!

Beyond the Gyro Sauce: Uses for Tzatziki

As a sauce, it’s fantastic with grilled lamb, beef, or chicken. Try it on koobideh kabobs– it’s SO good! I also like to serve it as a dip with Briam (Greek roasted vegetables) and cauliflower fritters.

You can spread some onto pita bread, naan, Barbari bread or lavash and then top it with fresh slices of tomato or cucumber.

Or, serve it with some grilled or pan fried halloumi and veggies and crackers for dipping. It’s the perfect no-cook summer meal!

What makes this an authentic tzatziki recipe?

I am not the type of person who takes the word “authentic” lightly. If I’m going to make an authentic version of a recipe, I typically do some research to find out exactly what should and shouldn’t be included.

This being said, chefs and home cooks often change and adapt recipes, suiting them to their individual tastes, to make them allergy-friendly, and/or to take advantage of locally sourced ingredients. This is why you’ll sometimes find “Americanized” versions of ethnic recipes.

There are a few “requirements” for it to be a “real deal” Greek recipe, and these items are why this is an authentic tzatziki recipe.

1. Make tzatziki with mint, not dill.
   Sure, cucumbers and dill are a delicious combination, but you will rarely, if ever, find fresh dill in an authentic version of the cucumber sauce.
   
2. The recipe calls for vinegar, not lemon juice.
   It can be plain distilled white vinegar or wine vinegar, but skip the lemon.
   
3. Use full fat, plain Greek yogurt, not sour cream.
   An authentic tzatziki recipe will never include sour cream, mostly because sour cream isn’t found in most Greek grocery stores.

If you love cucumbers, make some mast o khiar; it’s a delicious Persian cucumber yogurt salad! Or use fresh summer cucumbers for a chopped veggie salad with creamy lemon vinaigrette.

4. Heavy on the garlic.
   There should be a strong garlic flavor. Use at least 2 cloves of garlic, and more if you want to! Also, be sure to finely grate or mince the garlic cloves; don’t chop them. You want the flavor but not the texture.
   
5. It should have an ultra thick, creamy consistency.
   The goal is to make tzatziki sauce so thick that it needs to be spread on with a knife rather than poured like a dressing. It should also be very creamy, with finely grated cucumbers rather than diced or sliced pieces.
   
   The way to create the thickest consistency is to use full-fat Greek yogurt, and be sure to strain it in a fine mesh colander for several minutes to remove any excess water.
   
   Also, use seedless cucumbers, or if you can’t find seedless, remove the seeds from whatever cucumbers you use.
   Cucumber seeds contain a lot of water, so if you leave them in, they’ll thin out your tzatziki.

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