How to make tzatziki: the only recipe you need

Your guests have had ketchup. They have had mustard. They have had that supermarket garlic sauce that tastes of nothing. This summer, put a bowl of homemade tzatziki on the table next to your BBQ burgers and watch what happens. People will ask you for the recipe before they finish eating. Learn how to make tzatziki from scratch and turn your next BBQ into the one nobody forgets.

Tzatziki is one of those sauces that feels exotic the first time you make it and completely indispensable every time after. It costs almost nothing, takes 15 minutes, and transforms a good burger into something that tastes as if it came off a grill in Mykonos. Here is everything you need to know.

Where does tzatziki come from?

Tzatziki is a Greek sauce, and the Greeks will tell you it belongs to them with complete conviction. They are largely right. The word comes from the Turkish ‘cacik’, which itself derives from the Persian ‘zhazh’, meaning a herb mixture. The same sauce, in slightly different forms, appears across Turkish, Balkan, and Levantine cuisines under various names.

In Greece, tzatziki is not a dip. It is a condiment, a side dish, and a sauce simultaneously. It appears at every mezze table, alongside souvlaki, inside gyros, and next to grilled fish. The core ingredients have remained unchanged for centuries: strained yoghurt, cucumber, garlic, olive oil, and fresh dill or mint.

A few things you probably did not know about tzatziki

• The name is pronounced ‘dzadziki’, not ‘tzatziki’ as written. The ‘tz’ in Greek makes a ‘dz’ sound.
• In Turkey, the same sauce (cacik) is served much thinner, almost as a cold soup, diluted with water and extra mint. Greeks consider this a travesty.
• Greek yoghurt gets its thickness from straining out the whey, a process that also concentrates the protein. A 200 g serving of strained Greek yoghurt contains roughly 20 g of protein, more than most protein shakes.
• Tzatziki has been eaten in the Eastern Mediterranean for at least 2,000 years. It is one of the oldest recorded condiments in continuous use.

The tzatziki recipe: ingredients and method

This makes enough for four to six people as a burger condiment. Double it if you are feeding a crowd or if you know your guests well enough to know they will keep going back for more.

Ingredients

• 500 g full-fat Greek yoghurt (strained; not low-fat, not natural yoghurt)
• 1 large cucumber (approximately 300 g)
• 2 garlic cloves (see tips below on managing the intensity)
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar or fresh lemon juice
• Small bunch of fresh dill or mint, finely chopped (approximately 2 tablespoons)
• Salt and white pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Prepare the cucumber. Grate the cucumber coarsely. Spread it on a clean kitchen towel or cheesecloth, sprinkle with half a teaspoon of salt, and leave for 10 minutes. Then wring it out firmly over the sink. You will extract a surprising amount of water. This step is not optional. Skip it, and your tzatziki will be a puddle within 30 minutes.
2. Prepare the garlic. Peel and mince the garlic finely, or use a microplane grater. Finely grated garlic distributes more evenly and gives a smoother result than chopped.
3. Combine. Mix the strained yoghurt, drained cucumber, garlic, olive oil, and vinegar or lemon juice in a bowl. Fold in the fresh herbs. Season with salt and white pepper.
4. Rest. Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving. This is not a suggestion. The flavours need time to develop; tzatziki made five minutes before serving tastes good. Tzatziki made two hours before serving tastes exceptional.
5. Serve. Spoon into a bowl, drizzle with extra olive oil, and finish with a pinch of dried oregano or a few fresh dill fronds.

The sauce is ready. Now it needs a burger worthy of it. See the full range of BBQ’s Algarve grills.

Why tzatziki works so well with BBQ burgers

Tzatziki does three things to a burger that ketchup and mayo cannot. First, the acidity from the lemon or vinegar cuts through the fat of a beef patty and resets your palate between bites. Second, the cool temperature of the sauce contrasts with the heat of the meat, which is why it feels so satisfying. Third, the cucumber and herb freshness lifts a heavy burger and makes it feel lighter without reducing the portion.

The combination is not unusual in the Eastern Mediterranean, where grilled lamb and beef patties have been served with yoghurt sauces for centuries. It is unusual in British and northern European BBQ culture, which is exactly why your guests will react the way they do. It is familiar enough to trust and different enough to surprise.

The burger setup to serve with tzatziki

• Use a brioche bun, not a standard sesame bun. The slight sweetness of brioche pairs better with the tartness of the yoghurt.
• Keep the patty simple: beef mince at 20% fat, seasoned with salt and black pepper only. The sauce does the flavour work.
• Add sliced tomato and a few leaves of baby gem lettuce. Avoid gherkins, which compete with the acidity already in the tzatziki.
• Spread tzatziki generously on both cut faces of the bun, not just one.

How to make tzatziki without the digestive side effects

Garlic and cucumber both contain compounds that cause bloating and gas for people with sensitive digestion. The good news is that both issues are easily managed without removing the ingredients.

For garlic

• Use one clove instead of two. The flavour impact is smaller than you expect. Tzatziki with one well-prepared garlic clove tastes close to tzatziki with two.
• Roast the garlic first. Roasting converts the fructans in garlic (the compound responsible for bloating) into sugars that are easier to digest. Wrap a whole bulb in foil, roast at 180°C for 45 minutes, then squeeze out the soft paste. The flavour becomes sweeter and milder.
• Use garlic-infused olive oil instead of raw garlic. The flavour compounds dissolve into oil, but the fructans do not, so you get the taste without the digestive effect. This is the low-FODMAP approach used by nutritionists for IBS patients.

For cucumber

• Remove the seeds. This step is essential. The seed cavity of a cucumber contains the highest concentration of cucurbitacin, the compound linked to bitterness and gas. Cut the cucumber lengthwise and scoop out the seeds with a spoon before grating.
• Peel the cucumber. The skin is harder to digest than the flesh. For tzatziki, you do not need the skin; peeling it removes a layer of the problem.
• Salt and drain thoroughly. The salting step already described does double duty: it removes excess water and begins to break down the fibres that cause digestive irritation.

Tzatziki made two hours before serving tastes exceptional. This is not advice. It is the rule.

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Frequently asked questions:

Can I make tzatziki the day before?

Yes, and you should. Tzatziki made 12 to 24 hours in advance is noticeably better than freshly made. The garlic mellows, the herbs infuse, and the texture tightens. Store it in a sealed container in the refrigerator and stir before serving. It keeps well for up to three days.

What is the difference between tzatziki and raita?

Both use yoghurt and cucumber, but raita is an Indian condiment made with thinner, unfermented yoghurt and typically includes cumin, coriander, and chilli. Tzatziki uses thicker Greek yoghurt and relies on garlic, dill or mint, and olive oil. Raita cools spicy food. Tzatziki adds flavour and richness to grilled meat: different jobs, different sauces.

What other BBQ foods go well with tzatziki?

Beyond burgers: lamb skewers and kofta are the classic pairing, where the sauce originated. Grilled chicken thighs, whole sea bass, and halloumi all benefit significantly. It also works as a dip for flatbreads alongside a spread of grilled vegetables, which makes it one of the most versatile sauces you can have on a BBQ table.

Can I use regular yoghurt instead of Greek yoghurt?

You can, but the result will be significantly thinner and less flavourful. Regular yoghurt contains more whey and less protein than strained Greek yoghurt. If Greek yoghurt is unavailable, strain regular yoghurt through a muslin cloth or clean kitchen towel in the refrigerator for two to four hours before using. The result is close enough to work.

Want to learn more sauce or dip recipes? Visit our articles 5 Essential Sauces for Grilled Meat at your BBQ Party and The Tastiest Homemade BBQ Sauce Recipe.

Already have the sauce sorted? Shop BBQ’s Algarve for Weber, Napoleon, Broil King and premium BBQ accessories, delivered across Portugal.