How do I make authentic Greek tzatziki?

By Mark Debson · June 25, 2026 · 7 min read · Food & Drink

Watery tzatziki is the most common mistake home cooks make. Here is the cucumber squeezing method that fixes it.

Quick Answer

Real Greek tzatziki is full fat strained Greek yogurt mixed with grated cucumber that has been salted and squeezed bone dry, plus grated garlic, fresh dill, olive oil and lemon juice. Skip the salt-and-squeeze step on the cucumber and your tzatziki will be a thin puddle within an hour.

You can have a serving bowl ready in 30 minutes (most of which is the cucumber draining itself), but the flavour is best after a couple of hours in the fridge.

The ingredients

500 g (2 cups) full fat Greek strained yogurt, ideally 5 percent or 10 percent
1 large English (hothouse) cucumber
3 cloves garlic, finely grated on a microplane
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill (or mint)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, plus more to finish
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt for the cucumber, plus more to taste

Why full fat strained yogurt matters

Greek strained yogurt has about 10 percent fat in the full version, compared with 0 to 2 percent in low fat or regular natural yogurt. That fat is what carries the garlic and dill flavour and what keeps the dip stable instead of weeping liquid.

Low fat yogurts usually contain stabilisers and gums that break down when raw garlic and lemon hit them. The result is grainy, weepy tzatziki. If full fat Greek yogurt is unavailable, line a sieve with kitchen paper and strain regular yogurt overnight in the fridge.

Why English cucumber

English cucumbers (also called hothouse or seedless) have thin skin, very few seeds and less water than ridge cucumbers. They grate cleanly and produce a dip with crunch instead of mush. Standard slicing cucumbers work but peel them and scrape the seeds out first.

Step 1: salt and squeeze the cucumber

Grate the whole cucumber on the large holes of a box grater straight into a colander. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of salt over the shreds, toss, and leave to drain for 15 minutes. The salt pulls out the cucumber's water through osmosis.

Shredded cucumber being squeezed inside a white cheesecloth over a glass bowl with water dripping out — Wrapping the salted cucumber in cheesecloth and squeezing hard is the single biggest step in stopping a watery dip.

Tip the cucumber into the centre of a clean tea towel or a double layer of cheesecloth. Gather the corners up, twist into a tight ball over the sink, and squeeze with as much force as you can. A surprising volume of water comes out. Keep squeezing until no more drips. You should be left with a dense, almost dry mat of green shreds.

Step 2: mix the dip

Empty the yogurt into a bowl. Add the squeezed cucumber, the grated garlic, the dill, olive oil and lemon juice. Stir gently with a spoon until just combined. Over mixing thins the yogurt.

Step 3: rest in the fridge

Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes, ideally 2 hours. The garlic mellows from harsh to fragrant during that rest and the dill flavour spreads through the dip. Taste, add salt as needed, and finish with another drizzle of olive oil and a tiny grind of black pepper at the table.

Dill or mint?

Both are traditional. Dill is the most common pairing in mainland Greece, mint shows up more on Crete and across the Aegean islands. Some recipes use both. Whichever you choose, use it fresh and add it shortly before serving so it stays bright green.

Garlic strength

Raw garlic in dairy gets stronger over time, not milder. A tzatziki that tastes balanced when you make it can taste fiery a day later. If you are making it ahead, start with 2 cloves instead of 3 and adjust at the table.

What to serve it with

The classic pairings are warm pita with grilled lamb souvlaki or chicken gyros. It also works beautifully as a sauce for grilled fish, a dip for raw vegetables, a sandwich spread on a leftover roast lamb roll, or thinned with a spoon of water and used as a cold soup base on a hot day.

Storage

Sealed in the fridge, tzatziki keeps for 3 days. After that the garlic dominates and the cucumber starts to weep a little water even when squeezed. Always stir before serving and taste for salt again, as cold mutes the seasoning.

Common mistakes

Not squeezing the cucumber hard enough. The single biggest cause of watery tzatziki.

Using minced garlic from a jar. The flavour is metallic and harsher than fresh grated cloves.

Using low fat yogurt. It separates, weeps and tastes thin.

Adding the herbs hours ahead. They go grey and lose perfume. Stir them in close to serving.

The takeaway

Authentic tzatziki is full fat Greek yogurt, salted and squeezed cucumber, freshly grated garlic, dill, olive oil and lemon. Spend two minutes squeezing the cucumber properly and the rest of the dip practically makes itself.