I think Australians might be more familiar with Greek yoghurt tzatziki as a dip than as a sauce for meat. For me, a creamy tzatziki sauce is the only sauce I pair with a summertime leg of lamb. This cucumber yoghurt sauce does double duty when boiled potatoes or a simply dressed potato salad is served with the lamb.
This is a make-ahead recipe in two parts. The full fat Greek yoghurt needs to be strained overnight, and once the homemade tzatziki is mixed, it’s best finished and refrigerated for 4–6 hours before serving. That window the flavours to develop, the garlic to soften a little, and the whole cucumber yoghurt sauce to firm up into something that behaves properly next to warm lamb and potatoes.
Because this is a tzatziki sauce for lamb, it needs to stay pretty homogeneous when it hits warm lamb and hot potatoes on your plate. To guarantee that, my easy tzatziki recipe starts with a tub of full fat Greek yoghurt that’s been strained overnight. This is no place for low fat yoghurts. They’ll disappoint as they run all over your plate, mocking your ‘healthy’ decision making.
I’ve also tweaked the traditional ingredient list a bit. I use both dill and mint to lift the freshness, plus spring onion for a little savoury bite. And while a classic homemade tzatziki might specify vinegar, I swap in lemon and add a teaspoon or two of honey to soften the acidity.
Let me step it out my Creamy Greek tzatziki sauce recipe for you.
Tzatziki ingredients
This recipe makes approximately 750ml of Creamy Greek tzatziki sauce.
- 1kg full fat Greek yoghurt
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 large continental or telegraph cucumbers
- 2 spring onions
- Small bunch fresh mint
- Small bunch fresh dill
- 1 large lemon
- 2 large garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons full fat mayonnaise
- 1-2 teaspoons honey
- 1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (extra to serve)
- White pepper
This is not a job for low fat yoghurt!
For a tzatziki sauce for lamb, full fat Greek yoghurt isn’t a nice-to-have, it’s the whole point. Jalna is my preferred choice, and once it’s strained overnight it has the body to stay cohesive when it meets warm lamb and hot potatoes — with a small lift from the mayonnaise to keep everything creamy and homogeneous. Low fat yoghurts don’t just taste thinner—they behave thinner, loosening the minute they hit heat and then running all over your plate.
If you want a cucumber yoghurt sauce that stays spoonable, start with proper full fat yoghurt, then build your homemade tzatziki from there.
Straining the Greek yoghurt
While opinions may vary, I think the make-ahead element is one of the strengths of this easy tzatziki recipe. Start the day before you’re serving this mint and dill tzatziki by straining the yoghurt—it’s the simplest way to guarantee a Greek yoghurt tzatziki that stays thick, creamy, and cohesive once it hits warm lamb and potatoes.
To strain 1kg Greek yoghurt overnight: set a large sieve over a mixing bowl and line it with three layers of cheesecloth (or a large nut bag), making sure there is plenty of overhang. Spoon in the salted 1kg yoghurt, level it gently with a spatula, then fold the excess cloth over the top to cover. Transfer the whole setup to the fridge and leave it to strain overnight.
In the morning, lift the sieve out, tip the collected whey into a jar, and scrape the thickened yoghurt into a container. Cover with a lid and keep refrigerated until you’re ready to make your tzatziki. Keep the whey in the fridge as well—you can use a spoonful or two to thin out the creamy tzatziki sauce if it ends up a bit too thick.
Rinse out the cheesecloth well, squeeze it out, and set it aside in a clean spot – we’re going to recycle it for the cucumber prep work.
Prep the cucumbers
Cut the ends off the cucumbers and cut them into halves crosswise. We are not using the seeds in this Greek tzatziki recipe; the result will be too watery with the seeds. But we are using the skin – I have specified continental or telegraph cucumbers as they are usually served with the skin intact.
Using a medium sized grater, grate the flesh of the cucumber, rotating the section as you start to get close to the seeds. Keep rotating until you are left with a block of seeds and very little flesh, discard that block and continue with the remaining cucumber sections.
Once the grating is completed, sprinkle the cucumber with 1 teaspoon of sea salt and toss through.
Once again, as we are aiming for a homogenous creamy tzatziki sauce that can standup to a little heat, we need to squeeze the excess liquid out of the grated cucumber. The salt will have encouraged the cucumber to release some fluid.
Line a mixing bowl with the reserved rinsed cheesecloth (or a large nut bag), making sure there is plenty of overhang. Scoop the grated cucumber into the cheesecloth and gather up the corners and twist the cucumber into a ball. Twist the ends and squeeze the grated cucumber over the bowl to remove the excess liquid. You don’t want to be too thorough as you are losing some flavour with the fluid.
My net weight of the drained grated cucumber for this Greek tzatziki recipe is around 500g. But there is no need for precision in this regard – anything over or under will just slightly alter the flavour and amount of cucumber yoghurt sauce you end up with.
Finish the creamy Greek tzatziki sauce
Add the strained yoghurt and prepared grated cucumber to a medium mixing bowl. Then prep the remaining ingredients for this delicious tzatziki sauce for lamb.
Zest and juice the lemon, then add the zest to the bowl and set the lemon juice aside for later. Peel the 2 garlic cloves and crush them into the bowl with a garlic crusher (or chop them finely). Finely slice the spring onions, stopping where they turn dark green, then add the white and light green sections to the bowl. Finely chop the dill and mint and add them as well.
Add 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon reserved lemon juice, 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, and 1 teaspoon honey, then mix the cucumber yoghurt sauce well.
To finish this Greek tzatziki recipe, adjust the seasoning to taste with white pepper and additional sea salt, then fine-tune the balance with a little more honey, lemon juice, and extra virgin olive oil if needed. You’re aiming for a cucumber yoghurt sauce that tastes cool and creamy first, with clean lemon brightness, a gentle garlic bite, and a savoury lift from the dill, mint, and spring onion. The honey shouldn’t read as “sweet”—it’s just there to round off the acidity and keep the whole thing tasting smooth and cohesive.
Perfect for butterflied leg of lamb summer roast dinner
Finish the creamy tzatziki sauce with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of crushed dried Greek oregano before serving.
As I said, this cucumber yoghurt sauce can pull double duty alongside my roast butterflied leg of lamb with Greek-style finishing sauce and a simple French-style potato salad (no mayo) with lemon and garlic. At my family table, we insist each forkful contains an equal amount of lamb, potato and homemade tzatziki.
Creamy Greek Tzatziki Sauce
Equipment
- Large sieve
- Cheesecloth or nut bag
- Medium mixing bowl
- Medium grater
- Microplane (optional)
Ingredients
- 1 kg full fat Greek yoghurt
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 large continental (telegraph cucumbers)
- 2 spring onions
- Small bunch fresh mint
- Small bunch fresh dill
- 1 large lemon
- 2 large garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons full fat mayonnaise
- 1-2 teaspoons honey
- 1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (extra to serve)
- White pepper
Instructions
Get ahead:
- Start the day before serving by straining the 1kg full fat Greek yoghurt overnight in the fridge. This easy tzatziki recipe is best finished and refrigerated for 4–6 hours before serving.
Strain the yoghurt:
- Set a large sieve over a bowl and line it with three layers of cheesecloth (or use a nut bag).
- Spoon in the 1kg Greek yoghurt, fold the cloth over to cover, and refrigerate overnight.
- In the morning, scrape the thickened yoghurt into a medium mixing bowl and set aside.
- Tip the collected whey into a jar and keep it in the fridge in case you want to loosen the sauce later.
Prep the cucumbers:
- Cut the ends off the 2 large continental (telegraph) cucumbers and cut them in half.
- For this Greek tzatziki recipe, grate the cucumber flesh on a medium grater, rotating each piece as you get close to the seeded centre so you avoid the seeds.
- Discard the seeded core blocks. Sprinkle the grated cucumber with 1 teaspoon sea salt and toss through.
Drain the cucumbers:
- Tip the salted cucumber into the reserved cheesecloth (or nut bag) set over a bowl.
- Gather the corners, twist into a ball, then squeeze firmly to remove excess liquid, but don’t overdo it. You want it drained, not dry.
- You should end up with around 500g drained grated cucumber.
Finish the creamy Greek tzatziki sauce:
- Add the strained yoghurt and drained cucumber to a medium mixing bowl.
- Zest and juice 1 large lemon, adding the zest to the bowl and setting the juice aside.
- Add 2 crushed garlic cloves, the sliced white and light green parts of the 2 spring onions, and the finely chopped mint and dill.
- Add 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon honey, 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, and 1 tablespoon lemon juice, then mix until homogeneous.
Adjust and serve:
- Taste and adjust with white pepper, more sea salt, honey, lemon juice, and extra virgin olive oil as needed.
- You’re aiming for a cucumber yoghurt sauce that tastes cool and creamy first, with clean lemon brightness, a gentle garlic bite, and a savoury lift from the herbs.
- Refrigerate for 4–6 hours before serving.
- To serve, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil (and a pinch of crushed dried Greek oregano – if available).
