This spread/dip is fantastic to have on hand at all times, for Pita sandwiches, as a dip for Greek style pork or chicken, roast potatoes, or with veggies as a quick snack! This is an absolute favourite of mine, and can almost always be found in my fridge, especially in the summer months.
I found most of the quick tzatziki recipes resulted in watery tzatziki and it just wouldn’t hit the spot, that’s why I developed this thick tzatziki that is just as easy to make, and made better with just a bit of planning ahead to allow time to remove the liquids from the yogurt and cucumber, don’t worry this is idle time (not hands on), set it & forget it!
Strain the Yogurt
At least an hour before you want to make the Tzatziki (I typically due this the day before), place the sieve lined with the straining cloth (milk bag or cheese cloth) on top of a bowl. Scoop the full container of yogurt into the lined sieve. Let sit in the fridge for at least an hour or overnight. If letting this sit longer, I typically cover it with the ends of the cloth to avoid any drying out. The purpose of this is to drain the excess liquid from the yogurt to ensure a thick and creamy consistency for the tzatziki.
Prep the Cucumber
Put the strained yogurt into a fresh bowl so and dump the liquid so we can reuse the lined sieve. Over the lined sieve, grate the cucumber. Once it has all been grated you can pick up the cloth and squeeze out all of the excess liquid from the cucumbers. Add the cucumbers to the yogurt (dump the excess liquid).
Add Flavour
Use the microplane to grate the garlic into the bowl with the yogurt & cucumber (this insures no large chunks of garlic and enhances the garlic flavour). Squeeze half a lemon’s juice into the bowl as well. Add the olive oil, salt and chopped herbs to the bowl. Mix well and enjoy!
Tzatziki keeps incredibly well in the fridge always ready for use! Allowing it time to rest in the fridge gives all the flavours a chance to enhance and develop together, making it an excellent make ahead option.
Baby-Led Weaning Tip: Omit the salt if needed!
Quick & Easy Tzatziki (Thick & Creamy)
Equipment
- 1 Nut Milk Bag or cheese cloth
- 1 Fine Mesh Strainer/Sieve
- 1 Grater optional
- 1 Microplane optional
Ingredients
- 750 g Plain Yogurt I prefer a higher fat option
- 1/2 Cucumber or 2 mini cucumbers
- 4 Cloves Garlic
- 1/2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1/2 Lemon juiced
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 tbsp Fresh Dill minced (optional)
Instructions
- Strain the yogurt: At least an hour before you want to make the Tzatziki (I typically due this the day before), place the sieve lined with the straining cloth (milk bag or cheese cloth) on top of a bowl. Scoop the full container of yogurt into the lined sieve. Let sit in the fridge for at least an hour or overnight. If letting this sit longer, I typically cover it with the ends of the cloth to avoid any drying out. The purpose of this is to drain the excess liquid from the yogurt to ensure a thick and creamy consistency for the tzatziki.
- Prep the cucumber: Put the strained yogurt into a fresh bowl so and dump the liquid so we can reuse the lined sieve. Over the lined sieve, grate the cucumber. Once it has all been grated you can pick up the cloth and squeeze out all of the excess liquid from the cucumbers. Add the cucumbers to the yogurt (dump the excess liquid).
- Add the Flavour: Use the microplane to grate the garlic into the bowl with the yogurt & cucumber (this insures no large chunks of garlic and enhances the garlic flavour). Squeeze half a lemon's juice into the bowl as well. Add the olive oil, salt and chopped herbs to the bowl. Mix well and enjoy!
- Keeps very well in the fridge, I typically store it back in the yogurt container and have it always ready for use!
- It is great to make ahead as giving it time to rest in the fridge gives all the flavours a chance to enhance and develop together.
- ENJOY!