Tzatziki
Thick yogurt dip with squeezed cucumber, garlic and dill, without any wateriness.
- Preparation
- 20 min
- Cook/bake time
- –
- Total
- 2 hr 20 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 121 kcal
- Servings
- 6
- Prep
- 20 min
- Resting
- 2 hr
Only 20 min of that is hands-on – the rest takes care of itself.
Thick yogurt dip with squeezed cucumber, garlic and dill, without any wateriness. The only reason for watery tzatziki is unsqueezed cucumber, which is why this step gets the space it deserves here. After two hours of resting time, the garlic is softly integrated and the dip is perfect.
Why this works
Cucumber consists of around 96 percent water, which it slowly releases into the yogurt. Salting and squeezing preempts this supply so that it does not end up in the dip later. The two hours of resting time have a second reason: crushing garlic produces allicin, which is initially pungent and sharp and transforms into milder sulfur compounds over time. Freshly mixed tzatziki therefore tastes raw, while the same tzatziki tastes well-rounded after two hours.
Step-by-step instructions
- 1
Drain the cucumber
Coarsely grate the unpeeled cucumber, mix it with the teaspoon of salt and let it stand in a sieve for twenty minutes. A surprising amount of water will escape, which would otherwise dilute the tzatziki later. You can leave the skin on, as it provides color and a bit of bite.
- 2
Squeeze vigorously
Take the grated cucumber in portions into your hands and squeeze it as firmly as you can, or wring it out in a clean kitchen towel. It should feel almost dry at the end. This step alone determines whether your tzatziki will still be thick after an hour or if it will be swimming.
- 3
Drain the yogurt
If your yogurt is very soft, let it drain for an additional twenty minutes in a sieve lined with paper towels. Greek yogurt with ten percent fat is usually thick enough already. Low-fat yogurt does not make good tzatziki, as the fat carries the flavor here.
- 4
Mix
Stir the yogurt with the squeezed cucumber, the very finely grated garlic, olive oil, vinegar and dill. Grate the garlic really finely, as small pieces taste sharp in spots and do not distribute well. Season with salt and white pepper, which fits better than black pepper.
- 5
Let it rest
Cover the tzatziki and chill it for at least two hours. During this time, the garlic loses its aggressive sharpness and forms a well-rounded connection with the yogurt. Stir once before serving and taste, as it usually needs a little more salt then.
Our best tips
- The cucumber must be squeezed really dry. This is the only crucial step in the whole recipe.
- Plan for two hours of resting time. Freshly mixed tzatziki tastes like raw garlic instead of tzatziki.
- No low-fat yogurt. Ten percent fat is not a waste here, but the foundation for consistency and flavor.
Tasty variations
With mint
Instead of dill, use two tablespoons of finely chopped mint, which is common in the eastern Mediterranean.
Milder
Soak the garlic in vinegar for five minutes before adding it, which takes away its sharpness.
Nutrition facts
| Calories | 121 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 8 g |
| Carbohydrates | 5 g |
| – of which sugar | 4 g |
| Fat | 8 g |
| Fiber | 1 g |
Where the 121 kcal come from
per serving
Calculated from the ingredients – how we do it
We add up reference values for every ingredient and divide by the number of servings. These assumptions are baked in:
- Reference values per 100 g – for the raw ingredient, exactly as listed.
- Tinned goods count at drained weight, bone-in meat at purchase weight: you eat about 70 per cent of a chicken thigh and leave the rest.
- Water evaporates as you cook. The energy stays in the pot, the weight does not – so the figure is per serving, not per 100 g of finished dish.
- Anything listed without a quantity – “salt and pepper” – is not counted.
A guide value, not a lab measurement: no two onions weigh the same, and fat content varies from pack to pack.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my tzatziki getting watery?
The cucumber was not squeezed out enough. Salt it, let it rest for twenty minutes and then really squeeze it out vigorously.
Does the cucumber need to be peeled?
No, the skin provides color and texture. For very thick-skinned cucumbers, you can peel them in strips.
How long does tzatziki keep?
Three days in the refrigerator. The garlic becomes more intense over time, so dose it rather conservatively at first.
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