Easiest way to make tzatziki sauce: with a kitchen hack!

What is Tzatziki Sauce?

You know that yogurt sauce that's always served with Greek food? Or perhaps you know it as the light, creamy sauce that’s in your gyros? That’s tzatziki! While tzatziki sauce is a staple in greek cuisine, it can compliment any meal you can think of. You can use it as a dip for carrots, bell peppers, asparagus and more, or dollop it into your sandwiches. I like to make it with my special rosemary and garlic grilled lamb chops, which you can learn how to make here. It will liven up any meal whether it’s snacktime, breakfast, lunch or dinner. It’s a healthy alternative to mayonnaise or ranch dressing, so use it liberally. And, it's super easy to make! 

How to Make Tzatziki Sauce?

To make tzatziki, all you need is yogurt, lemon juice, olive oil and cucumber. Some people add dill for an extra kick. I choose to add freshly pressed garlic for spice and the additional health benefits. It’s best when you squeeze your own lemons, too, because nothing is better than fresh lemon juice. For the cucumbers, I use my HuBee Mandoline Slicer Box because of its catch basket that makes it super easy to drain excess water from the cucumbers.

The Food Grater Technique

While you can use a normal cheese grater to grate the cucumber, I prefer to use Hubee’s Mandoline Slicer Box. The slicer box has a blade setting that cuts the cucumber into the perfect, match-stick size for tzatziki. The box functions just like a mandolin, with a handle to press the cucumbers onto the blade. The handle protects your hands from the blade so you can quickly and easily slice up your cucumber. My favorite part is that there is a catch with an added strainer. So, once all my cucumber is cut up I can simply press the cucumber against the basket to dry it out. This product helps me save a lot of time in the kitchen, it's definitely a must when it comes to making tzatziki!

Health Benefits of Tzatziki Sauce

Tzatziki sauce is very healthy. Since it's a yogurt base, it’s light and not high in calories. The cucumbers make it very healthy too! Cucumbers are high in Vitamin K, which is good for your bones, and Vitamin A, which is good for your eyes and your immune system. It can easily replace sauces or spreads like ranch dressing and mayonnaise that are high in fat and sodium. 

Recipe:

Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of whole milk greek yogurt
• ½ cup of grated cucumber
• 2 cloves garlic–pressed
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ½ tablespoon of olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon of salt

Instructions:

Grate the cucumber with a regular grater, or, if you have it, the HuBee Mandoline Slicer Box. The cucumber bits should be matchstick size. Once grated, press out excess water by squeezing the cucumbers between two paper towels. This will prevent the sauce from becoming too watery. Add the yogurt, grated cucumber, lemon juice and olive oil into a bowl, and press your garlic cloves directly into the mixture. Mix thoroughly–you can even use your HuBee Whisk & Tongs for this! Add salt for taste. Option to add dill, and mint into your sauce. Now, you're ready to enjoy your fresh tzatziki sauce!