Cool, creamy, and refreshing. All words to describe this tantalizing 6-ingredient vegan tzatziki sauce. It's so delectable, we promise you won't even know it's made without dairy!
Brace yourselves.
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📖 About
Believe it or not, Tzatziki has its roots in India where it's known as raita. After the Greeks found out about this creamy sauce, they made a few tweaks, and voila! Tzatziki was born.
Unfortunately, the traditional base ingredient for this condiment is Greek yogurt, which is definitely not vegan. But, fear not! There's a quick fix for that, and it goes by the name of coconut yogurt.
If you can find some thicker coconut yogurt at your local grocery store, that's amazing! Otherwise, you can easily make your own with just 2 simple ingredients: canned coconut milk and probiotics.
This style of plant-based yogurt makes the perfect base for an extra rich and creamy consistency. Mix in ingredients like grated cucumber, dill, garlic, lemon, olive oil, and salt. What are you left with? A herbaceous and refreshing dip.
Tzatziki is definitely one of our favorite sides. This yogurt sauce has got so many flavors and textures going on, but they all work extremely well together. It's the perfect sauce to spread on falafel wraps, dip pita bread in, or serve as a side with grilled veggies.
🍲 Key ingredients
- Coconut yogurt: while we always prefer coconut yogurt, you can use whatever brand or style of plant-based yogurt you personally enjoy. However, we are just obsessed with the thick and creamy texture of this wondrous food. Plus, it's full of plant-based fats to keep you satiated!
- Cucumber: when prepared appropriately, cucumber adds a refreshing and slightly crunchy element to tzatziki. To prevent a runny dip, we recommend deseeding and squeezing the excess water out, but to each their own. Eating cucumber is an excellent way to make sure you don't bleed out since it contains a healthy dose of vitamin K (verrrry important for blood clotting).
- Dill: this delicate herb carries notes of lemon and anise, which add a fresh, tangy aroma and taste. When dealing with fresh dill, make sure to wash and chop it just before using it in order to preserve the flavors.
- Garlic: while you may not want to breathe on anyone too closely after digging into this dip, it's completely worth it. Holy moly, garlic brings tzatziki from a 10/10 to an 11/10. It's incredible how much flavor can be contained in such a small package. And not only that, garlic is a powerhouse in terms of health benefits. It's been shown to increase the diversity of our beneficial gut bacteria, which means better digestion (whoop!).
🔪 Instructions
To start off, you'll partially peel then halve the cucumber (as shown above). Deseed each half with a small spoon. This step is optional, but it prevents the dip from ending up too runny.
Set ¼ of the cucumber aside (it's a great snack while you cook). Then, grate the cucumber and transfer pieces to a strainer. Add a pinch of salt and mix it around. Let that drain over a bowl while you prep the rest of the ingredients.
Add coconut yogurt, minced dill, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt & pepper to a mixing bowl. Once that's done, squeeze out as much excess water as you can from the grated cucumber. A cheesecloth works great for this step; however, you can also just use your hands or a thin towel!
Add the grated cucumber to your mixing bowl, and stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Add lemon juice for more tang, dill for more herbaceous flavor, or garlic for more of a bite.
Serve the tzatziki immediately, or transfer it to the fridge to chill and thicken up more. This dip pairs well with warm pita bread, or as a spread in falafel wraps!
🌡️ Storage
You can store this dip in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container or jar.
💭 Budget tips
We think everyone should be able to eat better for less, so here are a few tricks to make this recipe even more affordable:
- Swap out the lemon with a cheaper acid like apple cider vinegar
- You can always opt for dried dill to save a bit of cash
- Make your own yogurt so you don't have to buy it from the store
🍴 Tasting notes
We absolutely love this cool and refreshing condiment, and we know you will too! It's:
- Creamy
- Garlicky
- Tangy
- Fresh
If you try this dip, please rate it and leave us a comment below! Want to stay up-to-date with new recipes? Subscribe to our newsletter or connect with Broke Bank Vegan on social media. Happy eating!
📋 Recipe
Vegan Tzatziki Sauce
Equipment
- Peeler
- Grater
- Strainer
- Mixing bowl
- Cheesecloth
Ingredients
- ¾ medium cucumber ($0.31)
- 1 ¼ cups plain, unsweetened coconut yogurt ($1.64)
- 3 tablespoon fresh dill, minced ($0.27)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced ($0.08)
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice ($0.18)
- ½ tablespoon olive oil ($0.06)
- Sea salt & pepper to taste ($0.02)
Instructions
- To start, partially peel then halve the cucumber. Deseed it with a small spoon (this is optional, but will prevent the dip from ending up too runny).
- Then, grate the cucumber. Transfer grated cucumber pieces to a strainer, add a pinch of salt and set aside with a bowl underneath while you prep the rest of the ingredients.
- Add Greek-style yogurt alternative (we prefer coconut yogurt), minced dill, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt & pepper to a bowl.
- After all other ingredients are in the bowl, squeeze out as much excess water as you can from the grated cucumber. A cheesecloth works great for this step. However, if you don't have one, just squeeze it with your hands!
- Add grated cucumber to the bowl, and stir well. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Add lemon juice for more tang, dill for more herbaceous flavor, or garlic for more of a bite.
- Serve immediately, or transfer to the fridge (it will thicken more as it chills). This tzatziki dip pairs well with warm pita bread, or as a spread in falafel wraps!
Notes
- Recipe yields just about 2 cups in total.
- While we prefer coconut yogurt, you can use whatever brand or style of plant-based yogurt you personally enjoy.
- You can also make your own.
Nutrition
♻️ Similar recipes
For more dips, dressings, and spreads check out our:
- Vegan basil pesto and you'll never want another pesto again.
- Creamy vegan ranch dressing if you want the king of sauces to get even better.
- Homemade salsa fresca to experience what real fresh salsa should taste like.
- Creamy Moroccan hummus to spice up (literally) your everyday hummus.
💬 FAQ
If you don't have access to vegan yogurt, you can make your own coconut yogurt. Alternatively, you can try this recipe with equal parts cashew cream in place of the yogurt (but, we haven't tried this method, so we can't speak to the results).
While deseeding and draining the cucumber isn't 100% necessary, we think it yields the creamiest texture. If you don't mind a runnier tzatziki dip, you can omit this step.
Yes, you can definitely substitute dried dill for fresh. For best results, try to use fresh. However, if you can't get your hands on any, just remember to use about ⅓ as much dried herb as fresh.
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