Traditional tzatziki

July 22, 2026 - Written by Gogo

Ingredients

Preparation time : 20 min - Resting time : 2 hours (at least) This is a best and most traditional recipe. You can keep your tzatziki in the fridge 3 to 4 days.

Instructions

Grate the cucumber in relatively thick slices.
Ideally with a clean dish towel or with a thin strainer, squeeze it to remove the water and let it rest a few min and repeat the process 3 times in total.
In a metal or rock mortar, squash the garlic with 1/2 table spoon of olive oil and 1/2 of the salt. Squeeze it until it becomes a puree.
In a big bowl you can mix all the ingredients together.
Stir for at least 5 minutes to mix the flavors a compact texture.
Finally cover the bowl with cooking film and let it rest for at least 2 hours.

You can use it as a dip with pita bread (see the other recipe), or as a sauce for red meat or in sandwich as a substitue of mayonnaise.