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Home » Recipes » Appetizers

Easy Greek Tzatziki Sauce without Dill

Modified: Jan 24, 2023 · Published Jan 23, 2023 · by Jacqueline Piper · 6 Comments · This post may contain affiliate links. Read our privacy policy.

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Greek tzatziki sauce in a bowl beside fries with a text title.
Greek tzatziki sauce in a bowl beside fries with a text title.
Ingredients for tzatziki sauce on a white marble counter.
Greek tzatziki sauce in a bowl.
Greek tzatziki sauce in a bowl.
Greek tzatziki sauce in a bowl beside fries with a text title.

This easy Tzatziki Sauce without dill is a tangy, delicious yogurt dip with cucumber, lemon juice, garlic, and olive oil. You can make this simple sauce in just 10-15 minutes and you can eat it in a bunch of different ways. Tzatziki sauce is perfect in a gyro, on a Greek burger, or on the side of loaded Greek fries. 

Greek tzatziki sauce in a bowl.
Jump to:
  • What is Tzatziki Sauce?
  • Does Tzatziki sauce contain dill?
  • Ingredients
  • Substitutions
  • Instructions
  • Tips for making Tzatziki sauce
  • What to serve Tzatziki sauce with
  • Storage
  • Frequently asked questions
  • Recipe

Tzatziki sauce takes a little prep work but it's easy prep work. You need to remove water from the cucumber so it doesn't make your sauce watery.

Did you know cucumbers are 96% water? That's a lot! To drain out the water you can finely grate the cucumber in the small holes of a cheese grater and then salt it and let it sit for a few minutes - like 10.  A lot of excess water will drip out and then you can squeeze out the rest!

What is Tzatziki Sauce?

Tzatziki sauce is a Greek dip or sauce made with thick Greek yogurt, cucumber, and garlic.

Does Tzatziki sauce contain dill?

Traditional Tzatziki sauce typically does not contain dill. Outside of Greece, it's common to add dill but I don't add it in mine.

Ingredients for tzatziki sauce on a white marble counter.

Ingredients

  • plain Greek yogurt: Use the thickest Greek yogurt available so your final sauce is thick.
  • olive oil: I use Greek olive oil.
  • lemon juice: I like fresh lemon juice when I have lemons on hand but I use the bottled stuff occasionally. Lemon juice gives a brighter flavor and helps bring out the rest of the flavors.
  • garlic: you'll need a few cloves. Use 1-2 for a less garlicky dip and 3-4 for more garlic.
  • cucumber: I use a regular English cucumber. I grate mine on the small holes of a cheese grater for a fine texture. I feel like this allows me to get more water out of the cucumber and the sauce is smoother in texture than using coarsely grated cucumbers. English cucumbers have a thin skin so I don't bother peeling them.

Substitutions

What can you substitute for dill? I don't add dill to my recipe. If you want to add fresh herbs, try finely chopped parsley or chives.

Instructions

Grated cucumber in a strainer.

First, prepare the cucumber by finely grating it. Set it in a sieve over a bowl. Sprinkle kosher salt on top and let it sit for about 10 minutes.

Mixing olive oil into yogurt.

Next, add the olive oil and lemon juice to the yogurt. Use a Microplane to finely grate the garlic in and season everything with salt and pepper.

A bowl of drained cucumber water.

After ten minutes a lot of water will have drained out of the cucumber.

Squeezing cucumber water into a seive.

Squeeze the remaining water out of the cucumber using your hands.

Mixing cucumber into yogurt.

Add the drained cucumber to the yogurt mix and stir to combine.

A spoon of Tzatziki sauce.

You'll have a thick, creamy, and delicious sauce.

RECIPE TIP: Don't skip draining the cucumber - look at all of the water it's holding!

Greek tzatziki sauce in a bowl.

Tips for making Tzatziki sauce

  • Microplane the garlic: finely grate or mince your garlic or use a Microplane. The garlic needs to be finely grated so that it isn't lumpy in your nice smooth sauce and so that you don't bite down on a large piece of raw garlic. Spicy!
  • strain the cucumber: this is the most important step of making Tzatziki - preparing the cucumber. You must salt it and let it sit to drain after. If you don't do this step the cucumber will let out all of its water right into your sauce, leaving you with a watery mess.
  • let it sit: this is another good tip - make the Tzatziki sauce a while before you need it. This sauce's flavors mingle together and soften into each other as it sits. You can eat it the same day but a few hours in the fridge does this sauce well.
  • use thick yogurt: if you use a thin yogurt you'll have a thin sauce. Get the thickest Greek yogurt you can.

What to serve Tzatziki sauce with

Tzatziki sauce is a versatile dip and can be served in many ways. I use Tzatziki sauce on my Greek Burger recipe, on the side of my lemon potatoes, and for dipping my Greek fries recipe. Tzatziki sauce goes well with appetizers, from pita triangles to fresh sliced vegetables to breaded portobello fries.

Greek tzatziki sauce in a bowl.

Storage

Store Tzatziki sauce in the fridge in a container with a lid for about 3 days.

Frequently asked questions

What does Tzatziki sauce taste like?

Tzatziki sauce is tangy, garlicky, and refreshing.

Can you make Tzatziki sauce without dill?

Yes, Tzatziki sauce is typically made without dill so my recipe doesn't include it.

Recipe

Greek tzatziki sauce in a bowl.
5 from 4 votes

Tzatziki Sauce Without Dill

Author : Jacqueline Piper
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes minutes
Servings: 16
A tangy, delicious yogurt dip with cucumber, lemon, garlic, and oil. Perfect with a pita, in a gyro, a burger, or on the side of Greek fries.
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Ingredients
 
 

  • 1 ½ cups plain Greek yogurt
  • ½ large cucumber I use an English cucumber
  • 1-2 large cloves garlic microplaned
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • salt and pepper to taste
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Instructions

  • Finely grate the cucumber into a mesh sieve. Place the sieve over a bowl and sprinkle the cucumber with salt. Let sit for 10 minutes or so until a lot of water drains out. Squeeze any remaining water out by hand.
  • In a small bowl, add the cucumber and the remaining ingredients and mix with a spoon. Refrigerate until needed.
    This dip is best if you let sit in the fridge for a few hours before serving.

Equipment

  • Microplane for the garlic

Video

Notes

Use thick Greek yogurt for the best results.
Microplane the garlic or mince it very finely so you don't eat a large bite of raw garlic. Use more or less garlic, to your preference.
Don't skip draining the cucumber or your sauce will turn thin and watery.
This recipe makes about 2 cups of sauce. (Equal to 32 tablespoons. Nutrition information is for 2 tablespoons.)
Store this recipe in the fridge for up to about 3 days. 
If you can, make this recipe a few hours before you need it so the flavors have a chance to mingle together.

Nutrition

Serving: 2tablespoons | Calories: 21kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 1g | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 1g | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 0.05mg

Nutritional information is an estimate. Values vary based on products used. Read our full Nutrition Disclaimer.

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Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you.

This post was originally posted on January 17, 2018, and updated on January 23 2023.

Greek tzatziki sauce in a bowl beside fries with a text title.

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Greek Tzatziki Sauce recipe from Pipercooks.com

A photo from the original blog post.

Greek Tzatziki Sauce recipe from Pipercooks.com
Greek Tzatziki Sauce recipe from Pipercooks.com
Greek Tzatziki Sauce recipe from Pipercooks.com
Greek Tzatziki Sauce recipe from Pipercooks.com

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349 shares

Comments

    5 from 4 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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  1. Albert Bevia says

    February 03, 2018 at 11:45 am

    I am a HUGE fan of Tzatziki, it is one of the greatest sauces ever created, and your version sounds so good!

    Reply
    • pipercooks says

      February 03, 2018 at 3:01 pm

      I love it too! Thanks Albert 🙂

      Reply
  2. Julie Pawlacyk says

    June 05, 2024 at 8:17 am

    Love this! The dill takes over so bad in the normal recipe and I am not a fan. Thank you so much for sharing an alternate version!

    Reply
    • Jacqueline Piper says

      June 05, 2024 at 10:28 am

      Yes, I prefer the garlicky tangy flavors of Tzatziki without dill also. Glad you like this recipe, Julie! Thanks for commenting.

      Jacqueline

      Reply
  3. Becca says

    May 16, 2025 at 8:03 pm

    I was so happy to find this recipe as I forgot to buy dill. It’s delicious!

    Reply
    • Jacqueline Piper says

      May 17, 2025 at 8:05 am

      Glad you found it and loved it Becca, thanks for taking the time to comment!

      Reply
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