Chef John's Tzatziki Sauce

OH. MY. GOD!!! So, I don't measure ingredients ever. I just go by my own personal measuring system, but I stayed within the limits of this recipe and I nearly ate half of the sauce before I even refrigerated it! Hahaha... I've never wanted to attempt to make this because I've had it at tons of Greek restaurants and it was ALWAYS phenomenal. This is by far one of the best tzatziki sauces I've ever had. And I made it! *doing happy dance*

Excellent recipe!! The only thing I do different, and it works well, when I grate my cucumber I use 4 layers of papper towel and absorb the moisture out of the cucumber in this way. The mint and real greek yoghurt is what makes this recipe!! We are such big fans at home, we use it on everything. I make a fresh batch every week, and sometimes 2. I can't believe I'm only the 2nd person testing and at least rating this recipe from Chef John. You must try it!!

I am a first timer to this recipe, but because chief John is at the helm and the fact that I love him and would follow him anywhere I took the plunge. As usual an excellent and fun recipe. It will become a frequent dish at my house. Thank you so much for sharing chief John, take care and God bless.

I made this exact, only substituting almost a full tablespoon of dried dill weed for the fresh and I omitted the mint only because I didn't have any. I made this early in the morning so it could chill in the fridge all day. Not ashamed at all to admit I ate the whole thing with Stacy's Pita Chips. We'll...........kind of. But it was absolutely delicious.

I am a hero to my family in the kitchen because of this recipe. I followed it to a "T" the first batch but really didn't care much for the cayenne pepper, it wasn't bad but not the best and just like Chef John said make it your own feel free to change it up to your likening. The next batch was out of this world good!!! The trick is to really, really dry the cucumber and add the lemon and salt a little at a time to your likening. Thanks Chef John great job! I love your videos!

I have made other Tzatziki sauces and this is by far the WORST. It had an over powering garlic taste, a very spicy aftertaste because of the cayenne pepper(I wouldn't use it), and it was too sour from too much lemon and I only used half as much as it asked for.

Just made this. I used English cucumbers, unpeeled for a little more color. I also zested the lemon to add a little more zing & pressed the garlic. I like Fage 5% Greek Yogurt, it adds more richness & better mouth feel. Just have to wait for the flavors to meld, but I know this one will be a winner.

I made the recipe according to his directions, wow it was WAY too sour from the lemon and entirely too much garlic.

Chef John is a delight to watch in his video. I really wanted to love his recipe too, but it had a terribly sour aftertaste. After letting it sit, I tried adding sugar, salt, even blue cheese to bring out a richer flavor, but nothing could cover up that taste. Having had tzatziki sauce many times, including in Greece, it did not compare.

The texture was nice, but way to much garlic and I didn't like the cayenne with it.

Eh, a little too lemony for me. The cuke flavor just didn't dominate, nor did the mint or dill. I'll tell you what saved this. I made it again using dill pickle juice instead of the lemon (straight from the pickle jar). Much better!

So some say this is the authentic tzatiki sauce, well it's not what my family is use too so while it was ok it was different. I followed the recipe exactly. The difference was it was to tangy sour. The greek yogurt just overwhelmed the whole dish. We couldn't taste the mint at all. I let it rest in the fridge overnight but it only made the aftertaste more sour tasting. Think I will try another recipe for this sauce to compare.

I will never buy tzatziki sauce from the store again! This recipe is delicious and very easy, as long as you can plan ahead and let it chill for a few hours. I swapped the cayenne pepper for paprika and used three quarters yogurt, one quarter sour cream. Also, I used the nonfat store brand yogurt from my local supermarket, and it turned out great. I can't get enough of this stuff when I go to Greek restaurants, and was always disappointed with anything I found at the supermarket. This recipe solves that! Thanks again Chef John!

This sauce is excellent. Once you start eating it, you can't get enough of it. And it definitely is better the second day. I followed the recipe exactly and it tastes very authentic.

This is the best tzatziki sauce ever! I am a Greek food lover, and am not able to find any other recipe that compares to this one! It's delicious!!

Delicious, refreshing and simple to make.

It was okay, but I wasn't really impressed.

Tried this recipe and mine turned out a tad too lemony. I take full responsibility though for not tasting as I went along. I will be making this again, but with less lemon.

My husband and I really loved this sauce. The kids thought the garlic was a bit overpowering. So, now I make the recipe with a little less garlic to start with, scoop half of the sauce into another bowl, and add extra garlic to the original bowl. That way the kids get what they want, and the adults can enjoy it, too. Great recipe!

Love it! The longer it sits to marinate the better. Didn't really use exact measurements, just eye balled everything and tasted along the way. My Greek family will be impressed when I make this for family get-togethers.

So good and so easy!! Made it exactly to the recipe and would not change anything except perhaps halving it as it made a LOT for just me and my husband (however, it all got eaten)... Thanks for another awesome recipe!!!

there is a authentic greek resturant in town and this recipe tasts JUST LIKE IT ! this is the best and would be a hit at any party or get together :D !!

I made this as directed but it was extremely tart and very garlicly. I've had this many times and did everything as directed including squeezing the heck out of the cucumbers! Nothing like the thick and creamy tzatziki I get at Mythlos. Chef John must not get the same garlic I get at my store because 4 cloves was TOO much! And how do you mellow the tanginess of the yogurt?

i think i must have just had very pungent garlic.. but loved everything else about this recipe.. used dried dill and mint.. enjoyed this but like i said.. the garlic was a little over the top.. wish i would have used dried.. ty for the recipe either way

Chef John does not specify which Greek yogurt to use. I've made this a few times and it is consistently better if you use the full fat yogurt. I think the fat content smooths out that unpleasant, sour, almost chalky element. Take caution with the garlic and lemon....not all are the same. Always add gradually, tasting all along the way, to find what proportions suit your palate.

Delicious and so easy, nobody could tell the difference between a good restaurant recipe and this one. My family loves it.

Thank you Chef John!! It was requested that I serve lamb breast for dinner. I thought couscous and tzatziki sauce on the side and found this a wonderfully simple recipe. The only problem was I had no Greek Yogurt left and no way to get to the store to purchase any. Thus I had to use light sour cream. It was delicious(I can't wait to make this with the Greek Yogurt!!)

This is fantastic! I followed the recipe except I left out the mint, just don't like it. The texture is thick and creamy and it tastes wonderful. I already ate half of it, and I need the rest for the falafel I"m making tomorrow! Thank you Chef John for another great recipe :-)

great on salads

This was amazing! My mother is lactose intolerant so for her I prepared some with mayonnaise instead of yogurt. It turned out great as well. This is very Simple to prepare and will definitely become a staple condiment in my house.

I'd give it 10 stars if I could. Served this with Rosemary Ranch Chicken from this site and homemade pita bread. Thanks Chef John, for another 5 star recipe!!!

Tastes great and authentic.

Can't get any better than this, and so easy to make this sauce

This was fabulous!!! Grate Cucumber and let Greek yogurt drain, how long depends on your liking I let mine drain over night and make it in the morning. This was when I add all ingredients to yogurt it has time to sit and marinate and Oh boy it’s so Good!! Made it one time and hubby went wild now it’s a RePita!!! Thank you Chef John!

This is the second recipe I tried for tzatziki and it is the best. I also made Chef John's pita bread with it. Fabulous as always. Thank you Chef John.

Great recipe. Easy and adaptable. I will be making again, probably sooner rather than later. Was a little shy on yogurt so made up the difference with 1/2 cup of sour cream and it worked out just fine. Grating the cuke and squeezing out the liquid (which I then diluted with water and a couple of ice cubes for a tasty drink ... waste not) is a great strategy. The small amount that is left today is still very creamy. My sister said it was the best tzatziki she has ever had. Seasoning and chopped herb amounts were perfect for us. Just watch the amount of lemon juice. Half a lemon might be a bit too much if the lemon is large or really juicy. Four hours in the fridge to set up was perfect. Served with grilled rib lamb chops, baked red potatoes, greek salad and naan. Perfect!!

Followed recipe to the letter- easy to make and was delicious!

Fantastic! I cut down to 3 cloves of garlic and it was absolutely perfect! I'll be making this again no doubt.

loved it, was very easy to make.

This is by far the best tzatziki recipe ever. Absolutely delish. Will never use my other recipe (which was good). I used the dill....didn't have mint but if i did, i would've used it. Used everything else as stated. Thanks chef John for a great recipe as always.

I made this exactly as written. Excellent sauce. Just as good as you'd get in the most authentic Greek restaurant. The longer it sits, the better the flavors come together. Paired it with a Gyro style turkey burger on pita. Definitely will make again.

Wonderful!! I will not buy Tzatziki again as homemade is so much better.

This turned out good. I have never had Tzatziki sauce before, so I'm not sure how it is supposed to taste, but we liked it. I would make this again.

Terrific! I loved it. Will make over and over again. I love eating as a dip with flat pretzels or goes great with chicken pit a

Very good! I did add about half a cup of sour cream to it to tone it down a bit. I had a little too much garlic in it for me so next time I'm going to try half garlic and half a cucumber. I let it sit in the fridge over night and it was great! I also left out the mint.

Make as written. Absolutely imperative to use great quality yogurt and fresh herbs.

very nice :)

Fantastic! It is even better with Chef John's pita bread!

Awesome! Loved it! Definitely will make it again. Used clean dishcloth to squeeze out the excess juice from the cucumber. You must like garlic and lemon! I even added slightly extra garlic!

Thanks everyone for the garlic warning. I omitted it entirely and this is still delicious.

I thought this was really good with the perfect balance of flavors. Will make again!

I was just looking for a measurement guide, as I've made tzatziki before, but couldn't remember the specifics. One thing I did remember is that I like the version with both dill and mint so much better than either one alone. I did follow the recipe to the teaspoon, though. I think that's a wise way to start before messing around with it, so you know which direction to step in. Next time I will make 2 changes because of my family's tastes and what we use the sauce for. I will use a teaspoon of lemon zest instead of lemon juice to keep it thicker. And I will use only 3 cloves of garlic. Mine was a little too potent. This is the recipe I will save and share forever, though.

I didn't have fresh mint so omitted it and used dry dill instead since it was all I had at hand. The flavor was good combined with greek style chicken recipe from this site and chef johns pita bread recipe. You have to use it right away because it becomes watery if refrigerated for more than 24 hrs.

I followed the recipe . Simply not what I expected; based on having this sauce at a number of Greek restaurants, not ver flavorful.

Not the best Ive had but still really good. I suggest only using 1 cut of Greek yogurt (2 cups is way too much yogurt)

Great tzatziki, perfect with pita and grilled chicken or falafel. Added 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne . Will make it again and again.

Easy and delicious!!!

This sauce paired perfectly with my falafels!! Great flavor!

This is amazing! I love almost all of Chef John's recipes and I also get a kick from his quirky comments in his videos! This recipe is amazing the way it is but the more garlic, the better!!

My husband said this was the best tzatziki I had ever made! It is much better after 24 hours, though. Next time I'll make it a lot more in advance.

Delicious

I thought I had removed all of the water the cucumber makes but I had not. So it was watery but the cucumber was just too intrusive. I didn't care for it

This was fantastic sauce with the Greek Lemon Chicken and Potato Bake. Just be careful with the size of your lemon! I ended up with too much lemon juice in it and had to add more cucumber and yogurt. But it was so very good. Even my cucumber hating husband asked for seconds of the sauce for left-overs the next day when I forgot to put it out.

Really good! I used full fat coconut milk (1 can) instead of the yogurt to make it dairy free. I added a bit of mayo to make it a little less watery. I also put it all in a food processor because I don't like the sauce to have chunks. It was very tasty.

Rave reviews from my husband on this one. I chose to leave out the cayenne. Had to use dried dill and mint in adjusted proportions for using dried herbs because my grocery store was out of the fresh option. Still tasted great! Will definitely be making this again in the future.

Definitely will be making this again! I wouldn't change a thing seeing that I LOVE garlic!

Very easy and quick to make, and it tastes delicious!

I try to make recipes as written before adjusting, even if I am skeptical about certain ingredients. In this case, I was worried about the amount of garlic but I gave it a shot anyways. It was definitely too much for me, but I could see how garlic lovers or those used to cuisines heavy with garlic would really enjoy this recipe. I used the juice of half of a small lemon and it was the perfect amount, in my opinion. The taste was there, but faint. The whole milk Greek yogurt in an amount around 16 oz. was hard to find in my small town store so when I found the only real option, it was expensive. I am glad I splurged, but it will be a long while before I try again.

It was very good. I have been looking for this recipe for years. Thank you Chef John

I was looking for a Tzatziki recipe that did not use oil and Chef John’s did the trick! This is an excellent, bright sauce for gyros or really any dish. I made it per directions only without mint (I didn’t have any). I can’t wait to make another batch with the mint.

I recommend using Fage brand yogurt because it’s the least watery. I’ve made this a few times in the last 2 months since discovering it.

Thank you, Chef John!!! You made another culinary masterpiece - easy, healthy and tremendously delicious. Recently I made very similar recipe: https://www.akitchenadvisor.com/how-to-make-tzatziki-sauce/ You know we as private chefs apply our creativity and try everything:-) Thanks again and I am waiting for new inspirational recipes from the Grand Master.

I made it as is and it was awesome! Proportions were perfect!

I followed the recipe with no changes. It was easy and the best I have made.

the hardest part was grating the cucumber... It was SSOO EEAASSYY and so good!

It was delicious I did not make ny changes.

My husband and I choose Mediterranean cuisine restaurants based on whether or not we like their tzatziki sauce. We like it that much. It’s been hard for me to figure out what makes it to our liking. This recipe is spot on for us. I always enjoy watching Chef John’s videos. They are helpful and entertaining! He has such a pleasant and humorous manner and personality.

I followed the suggestion to add sour cream, added about 1/4 cup and was very happy with the results. I served this as a dip with pita chips and received compliments from a friend who is an excellent cook. Will definitely make this again!

It was absolutely delicious! My sister-in-law, who had never had it before, couldn't stop eating it. It accompanied the Greek chicken and potatoes sheet pan recipe also on the site. Easy and delicious dinner that went down a treat!

Love it. I didn't have Greek Yogurt so substituted no fat yogurt that I let drain overnight. Was excellent!

Made per recipe. Delicious!

Excellent!! Made it exactly as recipe called for and loved it. Will certainly make again

Love it! Simple to make and delicious! Used it as a topping for roasted cauliflower tacos

This is so addictive! I actually used a food processor to grate the cucumber, and used dill spice as well. After tasting, I added about 1 1/4 tsps of salt and decided to exclude the mint. I will be serving this with some spanakopita, greek salad, and more for Easter!

Loved this versatile sauce. I just added more garlic

I initially chose another recipe, but it didn't work out. I was about to throw it out until I remembered that I saved this one, and I'M GLAD I DID! I didn't add the dill or mint, but it was delicious! Family loved it!

my go-to tzatziki recipe. the result is incredibly delicious and goes with everything.

It hurts to give it only 3 stars because I really love Chef John's recipes but I had to. It wasn't the worst but it was far from the best sauce I've had. Something was missing and I can't put my finger on it. My family liked it well enough but I thought it was just Ok. I don't know if it was the use of Greek yogurt but it was just meh. I'll try it again later on in the year.

I liked this recipe, but I feel like it is missing something. I will make it a few more times to see what it is that I am missing.

Made it exactly as written. Delicious. Even better the next day. Easy to do and I will make it again.

This was WAY better than the tzatziki I've had at any Greek restaurant, and it was really easy! I like the idea of grating the cucumbers because my husband doesn't really like them. He loved this tzatziki. We ate it on Chef John's falafel. It was a great combination!

Loved it. Made it 100% per the recipe and will make it exactly the same way next time. Thanks!!

This made my day! I love this stuff and plowed my way through a variety of raw veggies.

This is actually a 5 but since I altered just a bit, I rated it a 4. I combined Molly's Mouthwatering Tzatzki recipe from this site with Chef Johns - they are similar but Chef John adds more flavors. Instead of 2 cups Greek (make sure it's Greek) yogurt, I used 1.5 cups, 1/2 cup of Sour Cream, 1/4 Cup of Mayo. Also, 4 cloves of garlic is correct. I started out with 2 (easier to add then take away) but ended up using 4. Also used about 3 TBSP of fresh dill and no mint (don't like it). The cayenne pepper adds a nice depth. Everyone loved it - will definitely make again.

This was fairly bland as written, but with a little extra dry dill, salt, garlic powder, and cayenne this is FABULOUS!

That was annoying. I was reviewing this and my review just sent in the middle of me typing. Anyway, this make a lot and we use it on falafel, as a veggie & pita chip dip, and as a salad dressing. Very good and it’s become a staple at my house.

Yum. Goes perfect with Greek Spinach Feta Turkey Burger. Best with fresh lemon and fresh dill BUT dry/bottle subs are fine. Old dried dill does not taste good in anything.

Very good. Ensure the cucumber is very finely chopped and the moisture removed. Very tasty!

Fantastic! Thanks Chef John!