Easy Vegan Tzatziki

What to expect?

When you taste our vegan tzatziki sauce, you can expect a refreshing and tangy flavor with a creamy texture. The vegan yogurt gives it a cool and crisp taste. The vegan sour cream and olive oil help to give it a rich and velvety consistency, while the grated cucumber adds a bit of crunch. Garlic, dill, and vinegar cause subtle zing and brightness to the flavor. The overall taste is light and refreshing, making it a perfect condiment for warm weather.

Ingredients

The vegan tzatziki sauce is a must-have condiment generously drizzled over vegan gyros or falafel gyros. What do you need to make them at home?

• English cucumber → While Persian cucumber is the best, they are not easy to come by. Therefore, I usually make it with English cucumber. American cucumbers can be bitter, with large seeds and thicker peel.
• Garlic
• Fresh or dried dill
• Vegan yogurt → Choose a type of yogurt with a thicker consistency to have a velvety, creamy texture at the end. We prefer soy yogurt over coconut yogurt, as it has a neutral taste.
• Vegan sour cream → You can use store-bought, or try our homemade vegan sour cream without cashews recipe
• White wine vinegar
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and black pepper

Instructions

1. Wash the cucumber and use a large hole cheese grater to make a grated cucumber. No need to peel it.
2. Take a bowl and transfer the cucumber to it. Sprinkle it with salt and wait 5-10 minutes for the cucumber to release water.
3. When you see excess water, squeeze the grated cucumber between your palms as much as possible. Alternatively, you can use a cheesecloth or kitchen towel.
4. Take another bowl and add all sauce ingredients (yogurt, sour cream, white wine vinegar, olive oil, finely chopped garlic, dill, salt, and black pepper). Stir well.
5. Finally, mix the sauce with the grated cucumber. It is best to be served after a bit of waiting time so that you can taste the flavor of the dill and garlic better.

Cooking tips

• Don’t skip salting and squeezing. This will help the cucumber release as much moisture as possible. After a few minutes, take handfuls of the grated cucumber and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. The cucumber should be almost dry after this step. If you skip this step, the cucumber will release the excess moisture directly into the sauce, making your vegan tzatziki thin and runny instead of creamy.
• Don’t grate it too finely. We recommend using a large hole cheese grater or a food processor with a shredding blade attachment. You want to have crunch in the sauce.

Variations

This vegan tzatziki recipe is close to the classic version. However, if you feel like experimenting, here are some ideas. Start with a small amount and taste before going further with the ingredients below.

1. Herbs: Add freshly chopped parsley or mint to give the sauce a unique twist.
2. Spices: To add an extra flavor, add a bit of cumin, sweet paprika powder, or sumac. The latest has a citrus aroma. How about a dash of harissa? We sure love it in harissa tofu and harissa pasta.
3. Other vegetables: Grated carrots or radishes can work great next to cucumber.
4. Nuts and seeds: Top the tzatziki with pine nuts or sesame seeds for a bit of crunch.
5. Avocado: For a creamier and more decadent tzatziki sauce, try adding some mashed avocado to the mix.
6. Lemon zest: If you love citrus flavors, use lemon zest. Remember to buy lemons where the peel is not treated for chemicals for storage purposes.

Serving ideas

We love to make tzatziki in the summer to accompany various dishes. Here are some of our favorites:

• Shredded oyster mushroom makes the perfect vegan gyros. Crispy and flavorful. Spread vegan tzatziki sauce on top of the pita before adding your fillings.
• Do you love vegan falafel? They often served as a falafel sandwich with tahini. But those crunchy green balls are perfect to make falafel gyros with tzatziki.
• Use tzatziki sauce as a spread or topping for veggie wraps, along with your choice of vegetables, grains, and legumes.
• This sauce can be a great condiment for grain bowls next to vegetables, grains, and other protein sources.
• For us, tzatziki is a must-have item on any falafel platter or vegan grazing board.
• It also pairs well with various grilled vegetables, such as eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers, and tomatoes. Try our grilled vegetable kabobs to combine all of the above.

Equipment

• Cheesecloth or kitchen towel: Squeezing the cucumber with your hands can work too. However, if you want perfect dry grated cucumber, use a cheesecloth, or similar towel. I often use the cheapest ever nylon nut milk bag from Ali Express (similar to this one on Amazon), carefully washed after making homemade cashew milk.
• Large hole cheese grater: Refrain from grating the cucumber too finely. You need to be able to feel the crunchy texture within the sauce.
• Shredding blade of the food processor: This is the quickest method to prepare a large batch.

Storing tips

• To store vegan tzatziki sauce, transfer it to an airtight container and place it in the refrigerator. It will keep for about 2-3 days in the fridge. Even if you squeeze the cucumber thoroughly, it might still release water as the days go by. Expect to have a thinner sauce after 2-3 days.
• We don’t recommend storing it in the freezer, as freezing can cause the ingredients to separate. The consistency after thawing will highly depend on the type of vegan yogurt and sour cream you use.