Thick and Creamy Restaurant-Style Tzatziki Dip - Peas and Crayons (2024)

5 from 14 votes

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Servings: 8 servings

Author: Jenn Laughlin – Peas and Crayons

• 1 cup full-fat yogurt (I used Noosa – YUM!)
• ¼ cup packed, freshly grated English cucumber, skin on
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• a pinch of salt

TASTY EXTRAS

• fresh garlic (mashed into a paste and salted)
• fresh minced parsley, dill, and/or mint
• fresh lemon juice and/or zest
• olive oil

DELISH DIPPERS

• cucumber, carrots, bell pepper slices, celery
• pita bread
• pita chips

• Grab an English cucumber (the skin on these is extra tasty and the seeds are minimal)and, using a box grater or food processor, shred the cucumber until you have about 1/4 cup packed in your measuring cup.

• Press out the extra moisture with a paper towel and feel free to grab a knife and chop the shreds into smaller pieces to help it blend seamlessly into your yogurt.

• Next mix the ‘gurt and the cuke with your salt and garlic powder and get ready to thicken!

• To make impossibly-thick yogurt all you have to do is strain it! My favorite method is pretty no-fuss, no-muss and involves topping a large bowl [or a pot!] with a mesh strainer and several layers of cheesecloth. Typically the cheesecloth comes in a giant roll so just fold it over itself a bunch of times, slap it in the sieve, and pour in your yogurt.

• To make it air-tight and keep things fresh, wrap the top of the bowl with plastic wrap and place in your refrigerator for a few hours.

• Though it will begin to thicken within 2-3 hours I will typically leave mine in overnight to achieve cream-cheeseesque consistency. Pretend that’s a word.

• Once it’s ready re-season to taste if needed and garnish however you’d like! I grabbed a little parsley from the garden to green it up a bit!

• If you’re adding any of the extras I listed above, you can add the fresh herbs and garlic at any time, but if you’re using lemon juice and/or olive oil, I would add the olive oil at the very end, drizzled over the final product and add the lemon juice before straining so it doesn’t dilute the dip. You can also serve the dip up with lemon wedges on the side as an edible garnish or add a little zest to the top of the dip along with a sprinkling of fresh or dried herbs. Customize to your heart’s content! I make it with whatever is on hand in my kitchen/pantry that day so it’s a little different each time; however, I will forever be straining my own full-fat yogurt to make it from here on out. It’s just so flipping rich and tasty and lacks the dry mouthfeel that plain low-fat and fat-free yogurts have.

• This was a ridiculously long recipe description for a ridiculously simple dip, but hopefully now you’re armed with all the info you need to make a rockin’ tzatziki dip!

Recipe yields 1 heaping cup of dip.

The recipe above is a copy-cat of my local Greek restaurantand I quickly learned that they have a small obsession with garlic powder. If you happen to have the fresh stuff on hand and prefer it, go for it!

Depending on what’s in my kitchen on a given day, the tasty extras from the list above usually find their way into my Tzatziki sauces and dips.

tools needed: a mesh strainer or colander,cheesecloth, a grater or processor, and plastic wrap

Nutrition Facts below are estimated for 2 TBSP of dip using an online recipe nutrition calculator. Adjust as needed based on dippers and extras added and enjoy!