A delicious addition to a summer meal! It’s especially good with Greek Grilled Chicken, by itself, or in Gyros. I like it best when begun at least 12 hours before dinner. That allows the yogurt and shredded cucumber to strain for several hours so that the tzatziki can be nice and thick. But if you don’t have time to wait, it’s still delicious if you eat it right away.

You’ll find a printer-friendly version of the recipe at the bottom of this page.

Ingredients:

1½ cups plain, unsweetened, fat-free Greek yogurt

2 cucumbers

¼ + ⅛ tsp salt

2 tsp white wine vinegar

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

½ garlic clove, minced

1 Tbsp chopped dill

1 heaping Tbsp chopped fresh mint

¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

1.) For thicker tzatziki, strain yogurt for a few hours in the fridge before beginning the recipe. I used a wire mesh strainer lined with a coffee filter.

2.) If I’ve bought my cucumbers at the grocery store, I like to peel them first. They usually have rather thick, tough skins, having been bred to withstand shipping. Slice the cukes lengthwise, then scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Pat dry.

3.) Grate the cukes on a box grater or in a food processor fitted with a shredding blade. Spread the cucumber out on several layers of paper towels and sprinkle with ⅛ tsp of the salt. Let stand at least 30 minutes. If you want really thick tzatziki, move the cucumber to a strainer with a fresh paper towel, refrigerate, and mix in just before serving.

4.) Mix the strained yogurt with the last ¼ tsp salt and all of the remaining ingredients. Refrigerate.

5.) When ready to assemble, gather the paper towels up around the shredded cucumber and squeeze out as much juice as you can. Stir the shredded cucumber into the yogurt mixture.

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