Greece · Side · Easy
Tzatziki
Rome's most famous pasta. Silky egg and Pecorino sauce clinging to every strand, studded with crisp guanciale. No cream, ever.
The whole recipe in 60 seconds
Tzatziki, in 5 ideas
- Full-fat yogurt only. Nonfat yogurt is thin and tangy in the wrong way. The fat is what makes it rich and spoonable.
- Rest it before serving. Freshly mixed tzatziki tastes harsh from the raw garlic. An hour in the fridge rounds everything out.
- Mince the garlic fine. Big chunks of raw garlic are aggressive. A fine mince distributes evenly.
- Dill is classic, mint works too. Purists use dill. Mint is common in some regions. Do not use both.
- Serve it cold. Room temperature tzatziki loses its refreshing snap. Keep it chilled until the moment it hits the table.
What you need
Ingredients
- 2 cups full-fat Greek yogurt
- 1 large cucumber
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more to serve
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh dill
- 1 tsp salt
How to make it
Directions
- Grate the cucumber on the large holes of a box grater. Toss with half the salt and rest 10 minutes in a colander.
- Squeeze the cucumber completely dry in a clean kitchen towel, wringing hard. You want it almost powdery. This is the most important step.
- Stir the yogurt, cucumber, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, dill, and remaining salt together in a bowl.
- Taste and adjust. It should be tangy, garlicky, and well salted. Add more lemon or salt until it tastes bright.
- Rest at least 1 hour in the fridge. The garlic mellows and the flavors marry.
- Serve cold with a thread of olive oil and a pinch of dill on top.
Wring the cucumber like you mean it. Watery cucumber makes watery tzatziki. Squeeze until nothing more comes out, then squeeze again.