The best tzatziki in the world (the real thing)!
Okay, let’s settle this once and for all: Tzatziki is not a sauce. I repeat — not a sauce. Sure, you can pour it over everything (and honestly, I wouldn’t blame you — it’s delicious on just about anything). But in reality, tzatziki is a dip. You dip things in it — bread, pita, meatballs (keftedakia), fried zucchini and eggplants, zucchini fritters (kolokithokeftedes), even dolmades. So, rule number one: dip, don’t pour.
Rule number two: no lemon. For the love of God, no lemon juice, no zest, no “just a drop for freshness.” The acidity you taste in real tzatziki comes from vinegar, not lemon.
And rule number three — the most important one — as with most Greek recipes, there’s no single “correct” version. I’ll give you the ingredients, of course, but you have to taste it. Maybe you like it saltier, or with more garlic, or with less vinegar. That’s fine. Adjust it until it feels perfect to you — just don’t add lemon, ok?
Hence we said that tzatziki is easy, so what do you have to do in order to make the best tzatziki ever (yes besides not using lemon)? Buy good and fresh ingredients. Try to find the best Greek yogurt possible (my favorite one is FAGE), preferably full fat, fresh dill and fresh garlic. Use extra virgin olive oil, good vinegar, fresh ground pepper and sea salt. And now you can taste the best tzatziki in the world. If you want to taste more Greek vegetarian dishes, explore all our vegetarian Greek recipes here .
At CookinAthens, we’ve heard the “tzatziki sauce” line from guests more times than we can count — and we smile every time. But between us? It’s a dip. A very Greek, very garlicky dip. And we wouldn’t have it any other way.
Tips for making the best tzatziki in the world.
- Drain the cucumber. This is not optional. It’s the difference between perfect creamy tzatziki and sad, watery tzatziki soup. To drain: grate the cucumber, salt it, let it sit, and then squeeze it like you mean it — until almost no water comes out.
- Use full-fat Greek yogurt — ideally strained and thick (my favorite is FAGE Total 5%).
- Buy fresh ingredients: fresh dill, fresh garlic, good sea salt, and extra virgin olive oil.
- Taste as you go. If it needs more garlic, vinegar, or salt — add it.
- Mix gently but thoroughly — tzatziki should be smooth, not whipped.
- Chill it for at least 15 minutes before serving so the flavors come together.
Storage & Make-Ahead
- Fridge: Keeps for 2–3 days, tightly covered.
- Garlic flavour intensifies as it sits — adjust before storing.
- If it becomes watery: Stir and add a spoon of yogurt.
- Not suitable for freezing — yogurt splits.
The best tzatziki in the world
It wont take more than 15 minutes of your time and it’s gonna be one of your favorite recipes. You can serve this dip with almost everything, from crudites and pita bread to roast lamb and dolmades.
- Prep Time: 20
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 2 1x
- Category: Dips
- Cuisine: Greek
Ingredients
- 70 g full fat Greek yogurt
- 100 g cucumber
- 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp white wine vinegar
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 tsp fresh dill
- 1 tsp sea salt
- freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- First prepare the cucumber.
- Using the large holes of a grater grate the cucumber.
- Put the grated cucumber in a strainer on top of a bowl.
- Add 1 tsp of salt, mix it with the cucumber and let it sit for about 10 minutes.
- With your hands start squishing to drain the cucumber until almost no water comes out of the cucumber.
- Now make the tzatziki. In a bowl add the yogurt, the cucumber, the extra virgin olive oil, the vinegar, the dill and the pepper.
- Stir, taste and add salt if needed.
- Adjust the taste to your likings by adding more garlic, pepper, vinegar etc
