This thick and creamy vegan tzatziki recipe is made with tangy yogurt and rich sour cream. It’s easy to make, tastes restaurant quality, and goes well with all your Mediterranean favorites from pita bread to falafel! Naturally gluten-free.

What’s your love language? For some, it’s words of affirmation, for others it’s quality time, and for gardeners, it’s endlessly showering your friends and family with produce that won’t fit in your refrigerator or your tummy. So, it’s safe to say that the love language of gardeners is sharing the fruits of their labors in the form of food.

I have just such a friend, Heather, and we speak the same language. She handed me the inspiration for this recipe in a basket. A basket filled to the brim with cucumbers. There were several garden varieties and also English cucumbers. I tested both in this vegan tzatziki recipe and found that English cucumbers work best because they have fewer seeds and are extra crisp. You can use garden cucumbers if that’s what you have on hand, keeping in mind that you’ll need to cut the seeds away.

What is tzatziki?

Tzatziki is a Greek or Middle East dip or sauce made from strained sheep or goat’s milk mixed with cucumbers and flavored with garlic, salt, vinegar, lemon juice, fresh herbs, and sometimes olive oil. It tastes amazing as a sauce for souvlaki and gyros sandwiches or as a dip alongside pita bread and crisp veggies.

Most of the ingredients are naturally vegan. So by substituting dairy-based yogurt with thick, plain, unsweetened vegan yogurt mixed with vegan sour cream, we can easily make this recipe dairy-free.

What’s in vegan tzatziki?

English cucumbers-

English or Persian cucumbers work best in this recipe because of their bright taste, thin skins, and few seeds. Garden cucumbers will work too if you peel away part of all of the thick skins and cut the seeds away.

Click here for a brief guide to types of cucumbers.

Vegan yogurt, thick or Greek style-

I actually haven’t found a vegan Greek-style plain, unsweetened, yogurt that I’ve fallen in love with yet, so I found that mixing 1-part sour cream to 1-part yogurt tempers the sourness of the yogurt while adding creamy thickness. Tzatziki is a savory recipe, so be sure to choose an unsweetened plain yogurt.

If you’ve found a plain vegan yogurt you love, please please let me know!

Here’s what I tested this recipe with:

Kite Hill Unsweetened Plain Greek Style Yogurt – I found is just a touch sour with a slightly chalky aftertaste, but it’s nice and thick. Blending half yogurt and half sour cream tempers the sourness and makes it extra creamy.

Forager Unsweetened Plain Yogurt – This brand has a balanced flavor but is a tad loose in texture. Blending half yogurt and half sour cream gives it enough body to make creamy vegan tzatziki.

Vegan Sour Cream-

Traditional tzatziki is made from strained sheep or goat’s milk yogurt. Today, the most common yogurt to use is full-fat Greek yogurt. To give our vegan tzatziki a realistic flavor and texture we mix half yogurt and half sour cream.

Here’s my favorite type: Tofutti Plain Better Than Sour Cream

Fresh Dill-

Fresh dill really makes this recipe come alive. It’s bright, citrusy, and full of herby flavor that dried dill can’t touch.

Red Wine Vinegar and Lemon Juice-

Combining two different acidic ingredients adds layers of flavor and balance to the richness of the creamy ingredients.

Garlic-

What Mediterranean sauce would be complete without garlic?! Start with one fat clove. You can always add more to suit your palate.

Salt and pepper-

Essential to bring out all the flavors and to add a little spicy kick.

Olive Oil-

This is an optional finishing ingredient. I feel it adds extra richness and looks impressive when swirled on the top.

Top tips for great vegan tzatziki

Drain the cucumbers- After shredding the cucumbers in a food processor or on the large holes of a box grater, place them on a thin kitchen towel and wring out as much extra water as you can. Watery cucumbers will make for sad watery tzatziki.
Mix half vegan yogurt and half vegan sour cream- Dairy-free products have come a looong way in the past few years. But the perfect Greek-style vegan yogurt is still on the horizon. For a realistic taste and texture, mix half vegan plain, unsweetened vegan yogurt, and half vegan sour cream.
Use fresh, not dried, dill. Nothing compares to the delicious, citrus-like taste of fresh dill. The subtle sweetness will bloom as the tzatziki sits.
Taste and adjust- Everyone has a different palate so adjust the salt, pepper, and garlic to suit yours. Start with the amounts listed in the recipe and then add more to your liking, keeping in mind the flavors will intensify over time.
Let it rest for 30+ minutes- to let the flavors incorporate and bloom. This is a great recipe for food prep or to make ahead for a potluck or gathering!

Here’s everything you need to make this recipe:

Ingredients / Makes 1½ cups

2 cups (227g) of unpeeled and grated English (or Persian) cucumber (about 1 cucumber)
½ cup (120 g) of dairy-free, plain, unsweetened, thick yogurt
½ cup (120 g) of dairy-free sour cream
¼ cup (10 g) of finely chopped fresh dill, plus more for garnish
2 teaspoons of red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 fat clove of garlic, pressed or finely minced
¾ teaspoon of Diamond Crystal kosher salt
⅛ teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil for finishing (optional)

Vegan Tzatziki Step-by-Step

1.Prepare your cucumbers- Grate an unpeeled English (or Persian) cucumber using the shredder attachment of a food processor or the large holes of a box grater. Then measure out 2 cups. Save any leftovers for another use. Spread a thin, clean dish towel on your work surface and plop the cucumber on top. Gather up the ends and then twist the cucumber into a tight ball. Continue to twist the ball until most of the water is wrung out. Watery cucumbers will make watery tzatziki. (See note 1)

2. Add the ingredients to a bowl- Scoop the yogurt and sour cream into a medium-sized mixing bowl. Whisk until smooth and creamy. Then spoon the cucumbers on top followed by the dill, vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper. Gently mix them together.

3. Taste and adjust- Give it a taste and add additional garlic, salt, or pepper to your liking. Keep in mind the flavors will bloom as the tzatziki rests. (See note 2)

4. Let rest- Cover and let it rest in the fridge for 30 minutes (longer if you have time) to let the flavors marry.

5. Serve and store- Scoop into a serving dish and garnish with a sprinkle of fresh dill and a drizzle of (optional) olive oil. Store any leftovers, covered, in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Notes:

1. We use seedless English (or Persian) cucumbers in this recipe. But you can use seasonal cucumbers such as Garden or Gherkins, keeping in mind that the skin is thicker, waxy, and sometimes prickly. So, you may need to peel off part of the skin. These cucumbers contain seeds that will need to be cut away as well.

2. Feel free to use 2 cloves of garlic if you really love garlic. Just remember raw garlic has a spicy bite that intensifies over time.

I still have an armful of cucumbers in my fridge, thanks to my friend Heather. The fresh-picked ones last for almost a month without getting suspicious and mushy which is great because I fully intend to make this vegan tzatziki recipe throughout the rest of the summer. It makes a killer lazy hot weather meal served with pita bread and fresh veggies.

So what’s my love language? That one’s easy…fooooood!

If you need me, follow the trail of cucumbers,

X,o,

Carol

More flavorful vegan dips:

Spicy Olive Tapenade

White Bean Sorrel Hummus

Cowboy Caviar with Quinoa and Zesty Lime Dressing

And if you love pesto, try my:

Vegan Sorrel and Garlic Scape Pesto

Stinging Nettle Pesto

Carrot Top Pesto

Vegan Tzatziki

What is tzatziki?