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Tzatziki Yogurt Dressing

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This fresh Tzatziki yogurt dressing is the perfect greek sauce for your charcuterie boards. With black olives, cucumber and mint it will transform your party food.

Who doesn’t love creamy and flavourful stuff? I might be suspicious to say but this is one of my favourite dressings of all time.

tzatziki yogurt dressing served in a bowl

I tested many times this simple recipe and decided to swap the classic green olives for the black ones and dill for mint – It works perfectly!

What does tzatziki sauce go with?

Try serving this delicious sauce with crackers, pita bread, grilled meat, kebabs, fish tacos and lamb.

Looking for more appetizers and party recipes? Here are some suggestions:

5-Minute Apple & Ginger Ale Spritzer

Italian Style Garlic Bread

Antipasto Charcuterie Board

Chicken BBQ Sliders

Cooking Time

  • Preparation: 15 minutes
  • Total time: 15 minutes

Servings

  • 4 servings

Equipment

  • Mortar
  • Sieve

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Ingredients list

  • 1 1/2 cups full-fat or light greek yoghurt, plain 
  • 1 medium cucumber or 1 cup, thinly sliced
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 brunches of mint, chopped
  • 1/4 cup black olives, chopped

ingredients to prepare a tzatziki yogurt dressing

How to make a Tzatziki Yogurt Dressing

  1. Slice the cucumbers, olives and mint to the desired size.
  2. Add the cucumber slices to a sieve and add a pinch of salt. Leave to drip for 10 minutes, the salt will dehydrate the cucumbers, and they will taste much better.
  3. Mince the garlic with ½ teaspoon of salt to form a paste. You can do this on a mortar or with a knife.
  4. After 10 minutes, press gently the cucumber with a spoon to remove the excess liquids, transfer them to a serving bowl along with the yoghurt, salty garlic paste, olive oil, mint leaves, and black olives. Whisk together and serve.

Notes

Yogurt: Full-fat greek yogurt works best, but you will also get great results with the light version.

Slicing the cucumber: feel free to cut the cucumber and olives in other ways, slicing thinly works well for me, but you might want to have smaller pieces if serving with bread or crackers.

Olives: I personally prefer black olives but any type works just as fine.

Storage

Store the tzatziki sauce inside an airtight pot in the fridge for up to 4 days. 

Freeze for up to 3 months.

tzatziki yogurt dressing served in a bowl

FAQs

These tips below will help you to make the most successful dressing ever.

Any sauce containing yogurt and cucumbers tends to have extra water and turn runny easily. 

How do you squeeze the liquid out of a grated cucumber?

Place the cucumber pieces in a sieve, add a pinch of salt and leave for 10 minutes over a bowl to drip and release the liquids, then press with a spoon.

How to shred or slice cucumbers for tzatziki

A rule of thumb for cucumbers to taste better is thinly sliced in a mandolin or cut in ½-inch cubes for tzatzikis.

However, there isn’t a rule, feel free to cut cucumbers in other ways, if you are serving the sauce with crackers or on a charcuterie board, for example, try to cut in half-moons, cubes, or even grate to make it easier to spoon it with crackers.

How to thicken up a tzatziki dressing

If your sauce turned runny, add more drained cucumbers.

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tzatziki yogurt dressing served in a bowl

Tzatziki Yogurt Dressing

This fresh Tzatziki yogurt dressing is the perfect greek sauce for your charcuterie boards. With black olives, cucumber and mint it will transform your party food.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Course Appetizer, dip, dressing, sauce
Cuisine greek
Servings 4 servings

Equipment

  • Sieve
  • Mortar

Ingredients
  

  • 1 1/2 cups 1 1/2 cups full-fat or light greek yoghurt plain
  • 1 cup cucumber or 1 cup
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
  • 2 brunches of mint chopped
  • 1/4 cup black olives chopped

Instructions
 

  • Slice the cucumbers, olives and mint to the desired size.
  • Add the cucumber slices to a sieve and add a pinch of salt. Leave to drip for 10 minutes, the salt will dehydrate the cucumbers, and they will taste much better.
  • Mince the garlic with ½ teaspoon of salt to form a paste. You can do this on a mortar or with a knife.
  • After 10 minutes, press gently the cucumber with a spoon to remove the excess liquids, transfer them to a serving bowl along with the yoghurt, salty garlic paste, olive oil, mint leaves, and black olives. Whisk together and serve.

Notes

Yogurt: Full-fat greek yogurt works best, but you will also get great results with the light version.
Slicing the cucumber: feel free to cut the cucumber and olives in other ways, slicing thinly works well for me, but you might want to have smaller pieces if serving with bread or crackers.
Olives: I personally prefer black olives but any type works just as fine.
How to thicken up a tzatziki dressing: If your sauce turned runny, add more drained cucumbers.
Keyword appetizer, cucumber, dip, dressing, greek, mint, olive oil, sauce, yoghurt

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