This Vegan Tzatziki sauce combines almond yogurt with zesty lemon juice, mint, dill, pungent garlic and lots of fresh cucumber. It's so easy to prepare, done under 10 minutes and makes for a perfect simple dip for pita bread or raw vegetables.
There is no doubt that I love having a good sauce to generously pour over my food.
I mean, how sad is a Mac and Cheese without its buffalo sauce? Or a vegetable pasta dish without its creamy pesto sauce?
I'm so in love with everything filled with fresh dill and after making this chickpea dill salad on repeat, I thought I would find another dill-packed recipe to obsess over!
So here is my new favorite sauce: Vegan Tzatziki. All I think about is to smother my food with this creamy sauce. And you should try it too, you don't want to miss out!
What you will love about this vegan Tzatziki
- Super easy to make
- Dairy-free, but as creamy and rich as the classic recipe
- Deliciously herby-garlicky-lemony-tangy
- Healthy plant-based version
- Highly dollop-able on everything!
This sauce adds so much freshness when combined to heavier meals and the contrast of its cold nature with warm dishes is simply irresistible.
What is a Tzatziki sauce?
This sauce is typically made with dairy yogurt that has been strained to reach a thicker consistency and combined with fresh herbs (dill, mint, parsley and thyme), garlic, olive oil, salt, lemon and chopped cucumber. The result is a very tasty, savory and fresh thick sauce used as a dip or topping.
You will find this thick savory yogurt sauce in abundance in the South-East and Middle European regions. Not a specific recipe makes for the Tzatziki sauce as each countries and regions will have their own adaptations. One of the most common ways to serve this sauce in Europe is as a Meze (small plate) where everyone can dip bread, zucchini or other vegetables.
How to make a Greek style Tzatziki sauce quick and without dairy?
Thick yogurt makes for the base of a typical Tzatziki sauce. To reach this texture, the yogurt (usually made with goat or sheep milk) is first strained, allowing extra water to be discarded before mixing in the other ingredients.
In this recipe, 2 modifications were made from a more authentic recipe to make it vegan and more convenient.
- Use non-dairy yogurt: The almond yogurt has a subtle tangy flavor similar to regular dairy yogurt, which is perfect when making this sauce. I love the almond yogurt from the brand 365, but use the one you can find as long as it is sugar free and plain. You can even make your own vegan yogurt!
- Skip the yogurt straining step: straining the yogurt first helps reach a thicker final texture, but it can take a little while for the water to drain. I prefer to skip this step and compensate with adding more cucumber than a typical recipe. This recipe will give you a chunkier and thicker dip with a great consistency.
What you will have to drain though is the shredded cucumber, but this step takes about 20 seconds!
What you will need to make it
- Vegan yogurt
- Cucumber
- Fresh dill
- Fresh mint
- Fresh garlic
- Lemon juice
- Salt
Prepare this Vegan Tzatziki sauce in 10 minutes
You will first have to shred the cucumber with a regular grater. Then, measure the packed cup you need for this recipe and remove as much water as possible from the shredded veggie. This will help to reach a thicker dip without ending up with a watery consistency.
To remove the water from the cucumber: place the measured cup of shredded cucumber on a clean towel, lift the 4 corners of the towel up, twist, and squeeze the cucumber to remove as much water as you can.
Once the shredded cucumber is drained, simply combine it with the almond yogurt, fresh mint, fresh dill, salt, lemon juice and garlic. Then, stir everything together and the sauce is ready!
Watch how to prepare it
Tips when preparing this sauce
- I did noticed a significant enhancement in the flavors when resting the sauce in the fridge for 1-2 hour. So if you have extra time, let the ingredients infuse together before eating.
- I love using mini cucumbers for this recipe. They have less seed filling and I simply love their flavor. If using larger cucumbers, be sure to first remove their watery interior filled with seeds before shredding them.
- You can easily customize this sauce to your taste by adjusting the amount of lemon juice, garlic and fresh herbs.
Best ways to eat this creamy Vegan tzatziki sauce
This sauce shines when combined with other mediterranean style dishes. Just to name a few, use this tzatziki when eating any bowls with roasted vegetables and beans or add a good dollop on your plate to dip your falafels in. Or use it as a dip when serving a Greek themed platter of pita bread, cucumbers, raw veggies and kalamata olives.
Try using this yogurt dip as a spread for a sandwich, then add roasted sliced zucchinis, sliced fresh tomatoes, jarred roasted red pepper and crunchy romaine.
Make a wrap using pita bread and stuff it with roasted tofu, cucumbers, tomatoes and top generously with this tzatziki sauce.
Make yourself an easy Greek meal by combining this sauce with a side of pita bread and a quick salad. To make the Greek salad, simply combine cubed cucumber, halved cherry tomatoes, chopped red pepper and pitted kalamata olives. Just sprinkle with a little salt and drizzle fresh lemon juice on top. Add more fresh herbs (parsley, dill, mint) if desired.
Also, check out this Spinach falafel bowl recipe, it's my favorite way to eat this sauce!
Storage tips
This sauce can be kept in the fridge for up to 5 days in a air-tight container. Give it a good stir before serving.
I do not recommend to freeze this sauce, the water from the cucumber can change the texture of the sauce after thawing.
Other sauces you might like
- Vegan ranch dressing
- Sesame soy dressing
- Vegan buffalo sauce
- Creamy pesto sauce
- Vegan white queso
- Homemade BBQ Ketchup
- Thai peanut butter sauce
- Sweet and Spicy orange sauce
- Vegan bechamel
I hope you will love this Vegan Tzatziki sauce as much as we do! If you try it, please leave a comment below and rate the recipe to let us know how it was.
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Vegan Tzatziki (Easy Cucumber Yogurt Sauce)
Ingredients
- 1 cup dairy-free plain yogurt - unsweetened
- 1 cup unpeeled cucumber - seeds removed and shredded
- 2 tbsp fresh dill - stems removed and chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh mint - minced
- 1 ½ tbsp fresh lemon juice
- ½ tsp garlic - crushed
- ½ tsp salt - or to taste
Instructions
- Start by cleaning and shredding the cucumber with a grater. If you use larger cucumber, you might also want to remove its seeds. Then, measure the cup of cucumber you need, place it on a clean towel and fold the towel on top. Lift the 4 corners of the towel up, twist, and squeeze the cucumber to remove as much water as you can.
- Transfer the cucumber to a medium bowl and add all the other ingredients. Stir well.
- Eat cold simply with pita bread or use as a dip for raw vegetables. This sauce is also perfect to top falafel.
Video
Notes
- I use the almond yogurt from the brand 365.
- I did noticed a significant enhancement in the flavors when resting the sauce in the fridge for 1-2 hour. So if you have extra time, let the ingredients infuse together before eating.
- I love using mini cucumbers for this recipe. They have less seed filling and I simply love their flavor. If using larger cucumber, be sure to first remove their watery interior filled with seeds before shredding them.
- You can easily customize this sauce to your taste by adjusting the amount of lemon juice, garlic and fresh herbs.
- This sauce can be kept in the fridge for up to 5 days in a air-tight container. Give it a good stir before serving.
- I do not recommend to freeze this sauce, the water from the cucumber can change the texture of the sauce after thawing.
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