Greek cuisine is synonymous with fresh and flavoursome dishes, where green herbs, zesty citrus fruits, and high-quality olive oil are staple ingredients. Tzatziki includes all of these, plus creamy yoghurt and cucumber, among other spices. It’s easy to make in a few minutes if you have the simple list of ingredients, but a Greek food enthusiast says nothing beats her authentic family recipe.
Food writer Georgina Hayden said, “It’s cooling, punchy, and addictive…for Greeks and Cypriots, there aren’t many meals where a bowl of tzatziki doesn’t make a welcome appearance.” The creamy dip is most commonly served with gyros, kebabs, or as part of a meze, but that’s irrelevant to the recipe, notes Georgina. She explained that, however you choose to serve it, it must be thicker than most recipes suggest, as per her mum’s authentic Greek recipe.
Georgina said that growing up, her yiayia (grandmother), Martha, made a tub of taramosalata, and her mum made tzatiki.
“Those were the rules. Both ladies are famous for their dips. Make this for your friends and family, and you too can be famous for your tzatziki. It’s a good accolade to have”, she noted.
Making the “best of the best tzatziki” is simple. You need the right ingredients (full-fat Greek yoghurt, cucumber, garlic, dried mint, black pepper, flaky salt, olive oil, fresh lemon juice), and a spare 15 minutes to drain the yoghurt before anything else.
Georgina’s family recipe follows a simple rule: salt the yoghurt with a couple of big pinches of flaky sea salt, then spoon it into a fine-mesh sieve set over the bowl.
The yoghurt should be left to drain for at least 15 minutes or in the fridge overnight.
The Bon Appétit food writer said, “The longer you leave it, the creamier your tzatziki will be.” When the strained yoghurt is ready, spoon it into a large mixing bowl and rinse the sieve. For extra creaminess, you can line the sieve with a cheesecloth before sieving the yoghurt.
A similar rule applies to the cucumber, which is naturally very watery. Slice one cucumber down the centre and scoop out the seeds, then grate the cucumber on a box grater and spoon into the sieve.
Stir in half a teaspoon more of flaky sea salt and leave for one hour to drain, stirring occasionally to encourage excess water out.
Best Greek tzatziki recipe
Ingredients
- 454-500g container of full-fat Greek yoghurt
- One garlic clove, peeled and grated
- Flaky sea salt
- One cucumber
- One tsp dried mint
- Black pepper
- Two tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- Juice 1/2 lemon
- Fresh mint to serve (optional)
Method
- Add half a teaspoon of flaky salt to the yoghurt and strain as instructed.
- Slice the cucumber and scoop out the seeds, then grate, add half a teaspoon of salt and drain as instructed.
- Stir the cucumber into the yoghurt, then peel and finely grate one garlic clove into the mixture.
- Add one teaspoon of dried mint and a generous grinding of black pepper.
- Drizzle in two tablespoons of olive oil and add the lemon juice.
- Stir everything to combine and season to taste before serving with an extra drizzle of oil and some mint.
- Keep in a container in the fridge for up to three days.
