This easy dairy free tzatziki comes together in one bowl making the perfect sauce or dip. Using a plant-based yoghurt as the base, combined with cooling cucumber, lemon, garlic, and fresh dill, this is the perfect addition to any Greek-style dish. Try it with these lamb pitas!
Tzatziki is a super popular sauce or dip made with a yoghurt base and fresh cucumber, most commonly found in Greek cuisine. It’s light and fresh and really delicious, and is actually really easy to adapt to being dairy free with a simple swap to a plant-based yoghurt.
I’ve been making this dairy free tzatziki for so long now, I actually had to take a second to write down the ingredients and ratios because most of the time I just eyeball it! I’m most commonly serving it up alongside some pita bread (store bought or homemade depending on the day), and some grilled chicken.
My second favourtie way to eat it is again on a pita bread topped with a runny fried egg. It’s the best breakfast and I highly recommend it!
So if you love the cool and creamy flavours of tzatziki but are also dairy free or vegan, then give this recipe a try – I know you’re going to love it!
Key Ingredients
There are going to be a few essential ingredients needed to make this dairy free tzatziki, and you can always adjust and customise the quantities to get the perfect balance of flavour for you.
Note all ingredients and their quantities are laid out in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Dairy free yoghurt – for the best results, look for a thick, Greek-style yoghurt. I personally prefer oat or soy based yoghurt but coconut yoghurt works well. Just make sure to get a plain, unsweetened one for this recipe.
- Cucumber – you want roughly half of a large cucumber. You can use a continental or Lebanese cucumber. I don’t find too much difference in the flavour, but keep in mind the continental (which is what I use) will have a higher water content so just make sure to really squeeze that out before adding to the yoghurt for the best consistency.
- Lemon juice – a big squeeze of fresh lemon juice is essential, and you can adjust depending on how tangy you want the sauce.
- Garlic – I love the addition of raw garlic for that kick, but if you prefer a more subtle flavour you can always use garlic powder instead.
- Olive oil – you can skip if you want, but the olive oil adds flavour and richness to the tzatziki.
- Fresh dill – I love the fresh flavour of dill in this tzatziki but you can also use parsley or mint, or a combination of fresh herbs depending on what you have and like.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Making dairy free tzatziki is really super easy and everything comes together in the one bowl.
The first step is to grate the cucumber using a box grater. From here, we want to get rid of all the excess water so place the grated cucumber into a clean tea towel or paper towel and then squeeze over the sink. You want to get out as much excess water as possible.
From here, you can add the cucumber into a small bowl with your dairy free yoghurt of choice.
Add in the lemon juice, garlic, olive oil and chopped fresh dill. Mix everything together well to combine.
You can use the tzatziki straight away, but it will taste better if you leave it in the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes.
Recipe FAQs
You want to use a thick, unsweetened, plain yoghurt with a mild flavour. Coconut yoghurt is a popular choice because it’s rich and creamy, but look for a brand that’s not too sweet or strongly coconut-flavoured. My preference is for a more neutral tasting yoghurt so I like unsweetened soy or oat milk based yoghurts, but really just use one that you like the taste of.
Yes! This dairy free tzatziki actually tastes even better after it sits in the fridge for a bit so it’s great to prepare a day ahead of when you plan to serve it. Just give it a mix up again before using.
Any leftovers will keep stored in an airtight container in the fridge for about 3 days. Always give it a stir to mix it up again before using.
If you do make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below! And tag any of your creations on Instagram with @eightforestlane as I would love to see.
More dairy free sauce recipes:
Dairy Free Ranch Dressing
Lemony Garlic Sauce (Whole30, Dairy-free)
Homemade Vegan Basil Pesto
Easy Peanut Sauce
Dairy Free Tzatziki
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ large cucumber
- 1 cup 250 grams unsweetened dairy free yoghurt thick Greek-style coconut, oat, or soy yoghurt is best
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Grate the cucumber using a box grater. Place it in a clean tea towel or paper towel and squeeze out as much excess moisture as you can. This keeps the tzatziki from becoming watery.
- In a medium bowl, combine the dairy free yoghurt, grated cucumber, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, and chopped dill. Stir well until smooth and well combined.
- Add salt and pepper to taste. Adjust lemon juice if needed.
- For best flavour, let it chill in the fridge for 15–30 minutes before serving as a dip or sauce.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a guide only and is calculated using automated online tools, therefore we cannot guarantee the accuracy. We encourage you to make your own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe.
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