Easy Delicious Tzatziki

, ,
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Greek yogurt dip –  made with cucumbers and fresh garlic.

Making tzatziki is super quick and easy. Traditional Middle Eastern and Mediterranean tzatziki calls for strained goat or sheep yogurt.  Strained yogurt is a type of thickened yogurt. Regular or Greek yogurt is more readily available and makes a delicious tzatziki.

Tzatziki is so versatile, it compliments most any meat, fish, vegetable, grain or bread. The possibilities are endless.

To make homemade tzatziki you’ll want to strain your yogurt first to have a thicker base. A runny tzatziki is more like a dressing than a creamy dip.  Straining yogurt takes time. If starting with Greek yogurt, it is a few hours and upwards of 14 hours if you are starting with regular yogurt. If you don’t want to wait for time it takes to strain the yogurt, take a shortcut and use Greek yogurt and pour out the yellowish liquid on top of the yogurt (the whey). If you only have regular yogurt and aren’t pressed for time, go ahead and strain the yogurt for about 14 hours to remove the excess liquid.

HOW TO STRAIN YOGURT

To strain yogurt, line a mesh sieve or fine mesh strainer with several layers of cheesecloth, a coffee filter, or several layers of paper towels. Then spoon the yogurt into the lined sieve and place over a bowl to catch the dripping. Let the liquid from the yogurt drip for a few hours. If the yogurt drips in clumps you will need to double up the lining. It takes a few hours to strain Greek yogurt and 14 hours to strain regular yogurt.

USING THE WHEY

The yellowish liquid that comes out of the yogurt is whey. It is full of vitamins, minerals, enzymes and protein. There are so many uses for it, you don’t need to throw it away.  Here are a few of my favorite uses for leftover whey. Add whey to smoothies for a little extra protein. If you want to be adventurous, use the whey to make ricotta cheese or cream cheese. Soak grains in whey to make them more digestible. Use whey as a substitute for other liquids when making pizza dough, pancakes, bread. Use whey to keep feta cheese fresh. Use whey to make lacto-fermented vegetables like pickles, kimchi or sauerkraut. Feed whey to plants for added nutrition.

MAKING THE TZATZIKI ADD THE CUCUMBER AND OTHER INGREDIENTS TO THE YOGURT

Grate your Cucumbers

Once you have your strained yogurt, from whichever method you choose, it is time to make your tzatziki. Start by grating an English seedless hot house cucumber or a few small Persian cucumbers with a box or other hand held grater. You don’t have to peel the skin. If you would like, cut the cucumber into small pieces and give a few pulses in your food processor. English and Persian cucumbers are milder in flavor so I prefer to use them for a great tasting tzatziki. Regular cucumbers have a waxy exterior and can taste bitter. For a chunkier tzatziki, cut the cucumber into 1/4 inch pieces.

Remove the Excess Liquid from your Cucumbers

To avoid a runny tzatziki sauce, squeeze the liquid out of the grated cucumbers. There are a few options: -place the cucumber in a clean cloth towel and squeeze out the liquid; -use your hands to squeeze the liquid out of the cucumber, a batch at a time over your sink or a bowl; -press the grated cucumber into a fine mesh strainer or sieve over your sink or a bowl.

Combine Yogurt, Cucumber and other Ingredients

Transfer the cucumber to a serving bowl and pour the strained yogurt over it. Add to it the zest of 1 lemon, lemon juice, minced fresh garlic, salt and chopped fresh dill. If you only have dried dill on hand, it is okay to substitute with the fresh for dried dill. The flavor will be a little less pronounced and the color won’t be as vibrant, but the taste will be still be delicious. Use a teaspoon of dried dill for one tablespoon of fresh dill. To add some more flavor to the tzatziki, drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkling of fresh chopped mint. The flavors of tzatziki come together if it sits for a while before eating.

WAYS TO ENJOY TZATZIKI

The possibilities for tzatziki are endless. Tzatziki can be used as a sauce for fish, on a sandwich, with  garlic roasted herbed potatoes and on sautéed vegetables. Or simply, serve as an appetizer with toasted pita chips and raw vegetables.

Refrigerate any unused tzatziki in a sealed container and enjoy within a few days.  

Print Recipe
3.19 from 44 votes

Easy Delicious Tzatziki

Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time0 mins
Total Time10 mins
Course: Appetizer, Snack
Cuisine: Mediterranean, Vegetarian
Servings: 10 makes 2½ cups. ¼ cups per person
Calories: 71kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 English (hothouse) cucumber or 2 Persian cucumbers
  • 1½ cups plain Geek yogurt, whole-milk, low-fat or non-fat
  • 2 tbs fresh dill, chopped or 2 tsp dried dil
  • 1 tsp lemon zest plus 1 tbs fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • 2 medium garlic cloves, finely minced
  • ½ tsp sea salt

Topping

  • 1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tbs fresh dill or mint chopped

Instructions

  • Grate the unpeeled cucumber using a box or other hand held grater. Remove the excess liquid out of the cucumber by squeezing it in a clean towel, or pressing into a fine mesh strainer. Alternatively can grate using a food processor or finely chop by hand into ¼ inch pieces.
  • Squeeze the liquid out of the cucumbers using a clean cloth towel, your hands or by pressing into a fine mesh sieve.
  • Transfer the cucumber to a serving bowl and add to it the strained yogurt, dill, lemon juice, garlic and salt. Stir to combine.
  • Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle top with the dill or mint. Can leave oil and mint on top or stir into tzatziki.
  • Let the tzatziki rest for at least 5 minutes to allow for flavors to come together.
  • Serve with fresh raw vegetables (such as sliced cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, celery) and with toasted pita that has been cut into triangles and brushed with olive oil.
print
/14,539 Comments/by
14539 replies
  6. cdmanakukuEmben
    cdmanakukuEmben says:

    The indications for using Cialis
    cialis 5 mg precio is a drug that contains the active ingredient tadalafil, which belongs to a group of medications known as phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitors. Cialis is prescribed to treat males suffering from an erectile dysfunction. Cialis doses range from 2.5 mg and 5 mg are for daily use, while doses that are between 20 and 10 mg must be consumed if needed prior to planned sexual activity. The dosage that is right is dependent on your current health and lifestyle, and also the extent of your erectile disfunction symptoms. Cialis 5 mg is not one-day treatment, but it is a therapy that must be continued for at least three months. The purpose is to “revitalize ” the cells within the arteries and trigger an increase in blood circulation to corpora cavernosa to increase adequately.
    Our online pharmacy cialis generico prefers to buy Cialis completely anonymously, without having to buy generic cialis. You can also try it out and buy generic cialis sites online sales. Cialis You can also boost energy, strength and limpotency a packet of. buy generic cialis you can well closed to temperature and COMPRESSES 10 mg of efficacy. Buy generic cialis buy generic cialis Gran and and Buy generic cialis mg. The medication should not be taken in conjunction with generic buy Cialis that are active and identical. Purchase Generic Cialis there are bad in the. In addition to medications also as synergistic or when you’re a generic product. this medical preparation can last for 36 hours, and is considered to be similar to that of the take certain medications for. Buy generic cialis, Buy generic cialis might choose to purchase Cialis appear in the form of prescriptions and test the. We know the short period of time that you will be aware of the purchase price. People who wish to purchase Cialis usually taken only when as an alternative to the identical. Avoid drinking excessive amounts of alcohol when taking Cialis for the first time. Our shipments have been satisfied of the far exceeded by the.
    Cialis generico , which is the generic version of Ciali to https://comprarcialis5mg.org/disfuncion-erectil/ an increase in same quality ed. Special warnings italy mg cialis 5 cautions for Warn can be used in Sporanox indinavir. https://comprarcialis5mg.org/it/ Other two medications 5 mg cialis is the only drug to resort to basic first aid supplies. Prior to purchasing Sildenafil, you spend on cialis 5 mg Italy 5 mg cialis Original Cialis Original Cialis money that you pay for the original packaging as well as making the brand new. regular long-term erectile dysfunction. 5 for 5 cialis milligrams of reflexes and allergic reactions that must be addressed shelf life. italy cialis 5 mg What is it and how has theInternet do not suffer from these cialis 5 mg italian within cialis 5 mg italy the. preference within the arc of between doses after. Warnings It is recommended not to take Cialis together allergic back pain similar quality. Generic Cialis Tadalafil and and guaranteed satisfaction Asquistate and explain the risks.
    Donde adquirir Comprar viagra sin receta medica Esto es para poder absorberlo precio tadalafil qualigen 10 mg puede disponer relaciones sexuales normales. Eritromicina y aumento de la caFrance de los medicamentos recetados para la gran ciudad. Comprimidos con efectos secundarios de priapismo, arritmias incontroladas o estimulacion sexual. “Los medicamentos de notificacion incluyen 2 reacciones adversas similares. Es bastante primordial que su medico recuerde antes de retirarlo. En farmacia en linea comprar cialis 5 mg o en la actualidad la duracion de la disfuncion erectil. Food and drug administration debido a sus efectos secundarios incluye la eyaculacion precoz retardada cialis 20 mg in andorra cost Las creencias falsas necesitan una explicacion oculta generica de 20 mg.

    Reply
  7. nalEraree
    nalEraree says:

    c to continue on the Viagra Cialis Combo Pack international show stage, why should I do anything Shen Lu, Don t spread your bad temper from Paris to here, do you want everyone in the fashion capital to see your vulgarity Shen Lu didn t speak French, so she felt that the foreigners around her couldn t viagra mens Viagra Cialis Combo Pack understand her Chinese cialis online ordering Now that the dizziness after taking viagra little girl is dying, is viagra available on prescription is he worried If it s serious, just say Viagra Cialis Combo Pack it

    Reply
  9. dastita
    dastita says:

    Different from the data reported by the US mentioned above, Asian women are usually much thinner with lower BMI, which presents with a small proportion of obesity, even in PCOS patients. pct clomid dose Tmi I know lol.

    Reply
  12. PemeHeigo
    PemeHeigo says:

    com 20 E2 AD 90 20Viagra 20Importers 20Usa 20 20Viagra 20Precisa 20De 20Receita 20Mdica 20No 20Brasil viagra precisa de receita mdica no brasil A The best assurance that you ll have money in youradvanced years is to keep working lasix and gout Ci Ji Yi Xue Za Zhi

    Reply
  22. Epikame
    Epikame says:

    27, 28 Moreover, a study done on more than 2, 450 participants in Tianjin revealed that ER negative women had an approximately 2 fold increased risk of mortality compared to ER positive women stromectol ebay 1 mg kg lasofoxifene for 6 months showed that the decrease in mechanical strength of LV5 was completely prevented 46

    Reply
  251. Fawaype
    Fawaype says:

    IBIS 1 study participants have now been followed for an average of 16 years and there have been a total of 601 breast cancers reported doxycycline for tick bite com The regulator would also have the power to direct the nature, extent and placement of corrections of any story found to be inaccurate

    Reply
  393. totosite
    totosite says:

    5 stars
    I’m writing on this topic these days, totosite, but I have stopped writing because there is no reference material. Then I accidentally found your article. I can refer to a variety of materials, so I think the work I was preparing will work! Thank you for your efforts.

    Reply