This Healthy Tzatziki recipe is a simple, delicious sauce using authentic Greek ingredients like Greek yogurt, cucumber, and dill.

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healthy tzatziki sauce drizzled with olive oil and served with cucumber and pita slices

Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe:

Authentic Flavor – this healthy tzatziki is full of the authentic flavors found in traditional Greek tzatziki
Versatile – you can use it as a spread, a dip, a sauce, or even add to salad or grain bowls.
Super Fresh – all the bright flavors of lemon, dill, cucumber, and tangy Greek yogurt make for a deliciously fresh sauce.
Simple – all you need is a handful of ingredients and less than 30 minutes!
High Protein – because the base of tzatziki is Greek yogurt, it’s naturally higher in protein!

Is Tzatziki Healthy?

Healthy is subjective, but generally speaking – absolutely! As a registered dietitian, I wholeheartedly approve of the nourishing, fresh ingredients in tzatziki. Adding fresh ingredients like cucumber, lemon, garlic, and dill is a great way to add volume to a sauce or dip while keeping calories in check. Plus, the base of tzatziki is Greek yogurt, it’s naturally a lower calorie and higher in protein!

Ingredient Notes & Substitutions:

For a full ingredient list with quantities, please check out the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Greek Yogurt – you need plain Greek yogurt to make tzatziki. I personally prefer to use fat free Greek yogurt and then add some heart healthier fats in the form of extra virgin olive oil, but you can use 2% or full fat Greek yogurt, too.
Cucumber – I recommend English, Persian, or any seedless cucumber. You can also use any regular cucumber, but I’d recommend de-seeding it, first!
Extra Virgin Olive Oil – a great source of heart healthy fats, and a very common Greek ingredient.
Lemon Juice – adds a little extra brightness, freshness, and tang.
Dill – quintessential in tzatziki, in my opinion, but you could sub parsley or even a little mint, too.
Garlic – I prefer to grate it so the flavor really spreads throughout the tzatziki.
Ground White Pepper – white pepper is traditionally used in tzatziki, but you can use ground black pepper if that’s what you have.

How to Make Tzatziki

For complete instructions, please check out the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

stirring ingredients to make healthy tzatziki

Begin by grating the cucumber – I like to use a fine grate, but you can grate into thicker pieces if you prefer it a little chunkier.
Place cucumber in a large bowl or platter and sprinkle salt on top of it. Let the salt sit for 10-15 minutes, as this will help the cucumber release excess moisture so your tzatziki doesn’t become too watery.
Drain the grated cucumber – I like to use a cheesecloth bag, but you can even use a clean towel or paper towel (caution – it may rip!). Discard drained liquid.
Add the drained cucumber to a large bowl, along with all remaining ingredients and stir until evenly combined. Taste and adjust salt and pepper to your preferences.
Serve immediately, or transfer to an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.

Tips and Variations

Finely Dice Cucumber – if you don’t feel like grating cucumber, or if you prefer the texture of diced cucumber, you can finely dice the cucumber, then proceed with salting and draining it per the recipe. This is a great option if you’d prefer to use a veggie chopper!
Dairy-Free Tzatziki – swap Greek yogurt for your favorite soy, coconut, or other plant-based Greek-style yogurt alternative.
Make it Spicy – add a diced jalapeno pepper (seeds and membranes removed), and/ or some crushed red pepper flakes, or even hot sauce!
Change the Herbs – dill is pretty important in tzatziki, and admittedly I’m not the biggest dill lover, but it makes a big difference here! That said, you can try swapping in or even adding other herbs like fresh parsley and mint.
Lemon Zest – if you’re a lemon lover, try adding a teaspoon or two of lemon zest in addition to the juice!
Feta Tzatziki – feta is a super popular addition to tzatziki, so if a feta tzatziki is your thing, also stir in 1/4 to 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (depending on how cheesy you want it!).

What to Eat with Tzatziki:

Tzatziki is super versatile and you can enjoy it in many ways!

Enjoy it on a snacking or grazing board with fun dippers, like cucumber slices, carrot sticks, celery sticks or bell pepper strips. You can also use dippers like crackers, pita chips, pretzels, etc.
With warm pita – SO delicious to scoop with!
As a spread on sandwiches or wraps.
A sauce or dip for proteins (I love adding it to my Easy Air Fryer Salmon or Baked Thin Sliced Chicken Breast).
Add a scoop to salads or grain bowls.
With my delicious Chicken Gyro Bowls (perfect for meal prep!)

Storing Tzatziki

How should you store tzatziki?

Store tzatziki in an airtight container in the fridge.

How long does tzatziki last?

Homemade tzatziki can last 3-4 days when covered in an airtight container and refrigerated. If setting out as a dip, I recommend leaving it out for no more than two hours.

How do you know if tzatziki has gone bad?

Check for a foul odor, almost a bit reminiscent of ammonia. It also may have a slimy texture. If so — immediately toss!

Can you freeze tzatziki?

While you technically can freeze tzatziki (for up to 2-3 months), I really don’t recommend it because it does change the texture, making it a little more watery and sometimes even grainy. In my opinion, it’s best consumed fresh!

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