Tzatziki Salad Dressing

This tzatziki salad dressing is a tasty, salad dressing version of classic tzatziki sauce. It tastes just as good as tzatziki but it is smooth and slightly more runny so it pours well over salad.

This tzatziki dressing is a creamy salad dressing recipe that clings well to greens and works with a variety of different types of salad. 

If you enjoy creamy salads, you will also like this Creamy Chickpea Salad.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Perfect Consistency — Regular tzatziki dip is too thick to use as a dressing as it is hard to pour. This recipe uses the same ingredients, but forms a more liquid tzatziki so it is easy to pour. It is also strained to remove any small chunks for a smooth dressing. 
• Healthy — The base of this dressing is Greek yogurt, which is healthy and packed with protein. Other oil based dressings contain a lot more calories compared to Greek yogurt based ones. 
• Easy to Make — This is a simple recipe to whip up in 10 minutes. Plus it stores well in the fridge so it is easy to make a day in advance.

Ingredients & Substitutions

• Greek Yogurt: Greek yogurt is essential for this recipe. Use plain yogurt without any flavoring. You can use regular yogurt as a substitute, but it doesn’t add as much protein and will have a thinner texture than Greek yogurt.
• Cucumber: Use fresh cucumber that has been peeled and roughly chopped. The dressing will be blended and strained, so you don’t need to remove all the seeds since they’ll be strained out anyway. 
• Olive Oil: Only a little dash of olive oil is used in tzatziki. Use a high quality extra virgin olive oil. Olive oil is a classic flavor in tzatziki, but you can substitute it with another type of oil, such as avocado oil or sunflower oil. 
• Lemon Juice: Use freshly squeezed lemon juice. Bottled lemon juice will give an artificial flavor. 
• Garlic: You need a clove or two of freshly minced garlic. If you don’t like garlic, you can leave it out.
• Dill (optional): Fresh dill is the best option if it is in season. If not, you can use dried dill. Not all versions of tzatziki contain dill. If you like the flavor of dill, add it in, otherwise it is fine to omit. Some people like to replace the dill with mint, which you can do, but this isn’t “classic” tzatziki.

How To Make Tzatziki Salad Dressing

Step 1: Add the Greek yogurt, cucumber, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and dill to a food processor.

Step 2: Blend for 20 to 30 seconds until smooth.

Step 3: Pass the dressing through a fine mesh strainer and discard any strained chunks.

Serving Suggestions

I find this tzatziki dressing works best with classic, simple salads. Similar to the types of salad you would use with other creamy dressings, such as Caesar or Ranch. 

Here are some ideas for ingredients to use to build your salad around this tzatziki dressing:

• romaine lettuce, iceberg lettuce or boston lettuce
• tomatoes
• cucumbers
• avocadoes
• red onions or white onions
• black olives
• feta cheese

Expert Tips

• Adjust the consistency. If you want to adjust the thickness of the dressing, adjust how much Greek yogurt you add. For a thicker dressing, add in an extra spoonful or two of yogurt. For a thinner dressing, use a bit less yogurt. 
• Storage: Store dressing in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days. Stir or shake the dressing well before pouring over your salad.
• Skip the strainer. If you don’t mind having a bit of a chunkier dressing, you don’t have to strain the dressing through a fine mesh sieve. It will still be mostly smooth, but skipping the strainer will save you time.

Recipe FAQs

Print

📖 Recipe