How Can I Thicken Up My Tzatziki?

Use thick yogurt to prepare a creamy tzatziki.

Tzatziki is a refreshing Greek appetizer that is a tasty accompaniment with several foods. This cucumber-yogurt dish can be served on its own as a salad, as a spread over sandwiches and pita bread, or as a dip for grilled meats and vegetables. To prevent tzatziki from being watery you should thicken the yogurt and sweat the cucumbers to drain out excess water. Using these preparation techniques you will have a delicious thick and creamy tzatziki.

Things You'll Need

• 2 cups Greek yogurt
• Strainer
• Cheesecloth
• 2 cucumbers
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 finely chopped garlic clove
• 1 tbsp. shredded mint leaves

Instructions

1. Strain and thicken the yogurt using 2 cups of thick Greek yogurt to prepare the tzatziki. Line a strainer with cheesecloth and set over a bowl. Pour the yogurt in the strainer and let the liquid whey drain into the bowl. Place in the refrigerator for two hours, or until all the liquid has separated from the yogurt.

2. Sweat the cucumbers. Peel and grate two cucumbers. Set the grated cucumbers in a bowl and sprinkle 1/4 tsp. of salt over them. Place the bowl in the refrigerator for an hour to sweat out the excess liquid. Drain the excess water from the grated cucumbers.

3. Combine the thickened yogurt and grated cucumber together in a large bowl. Add 2 tbsp. lemon juice, 1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil, one finely chopped garlic clove and 1 tbsp. of shredded mint leaves. Mix well and refrigerate for an hour before serving.

Tips & Warnings

• Add 1/2 tsp. of paprika or red chili flakes to add a hot flavor to your tzatziki.

References

• Food & Wine; Cool Cucumber-Yogurt Dip (Tzatziki); Nicola Kotsoni; March 1997
• The Observer; Nigel Slater's Classic Tzatziki Recipe; Nigel Slater; May 2010
• BBC; Food Recipes: Tzatziki
• Chicago Sun-Times; Greek Islands Tzatziki; July 2006
• Kalyn's Kitchen; World's Best Tzatziki Sauce Recipe - Greek Yogurt And Cucumber Sauce; August 2009
• Ecomii; Tzatziki; Jeff Cox

Resources

• Waitrose: Tzatziki
• Cook's Illustrated; Tzatziki Sauce; August 2007
• Destination Healthy Foods: Greek Appetizers And A Tzatziki Recipe
• Well Preserved; Tzatziki, Thickening Yogurt And Other Favourites...; Joel; February 2010
• Nicola Galloway; Taztziki -- Greek Yogurt Dip