Tzatziki is a light refreshing Greek dip that is traditionally made with cucumber. Zucchini tzatziki though is a fantastic alternative and I find I prefer the flavour and texture a lot more. Also if you have allergies to cucumber or you find it hard to eat then this is a great recipe for you.
This post contains affiliate links that I earn a small commission from at no cost to you. See my full disclaimer, here.
Ingredients for the zucchini tzatziki
Zucchini, this is one of your main ingredients. Make sure you don’t use an over grown large zucchini these tend to be quite woody and not a juicy and tasty. Try to get one that is medium in size, it doesn’t matter which variety you use I have found they all work really well.
Full fat plain yogurt. This can be plain Greek style yogurt or plain yogurt I have found that the fat content is the most important part. It needs to have over 10% MF, if you can find a yogurt with 15% MF then this is the ideal. The higher the fat the creamier and thicker the tzatziki.
Garlic, try to use fresh garlic not the variety you find in a jar.
Lemon juice, again I always say fresh is best so if you can try and use the juice from an actual lemon. The bottled juice will work just fine though if that is all you have.
Dill, this dip is all about fresh and that goes for the herbs as well. Dill adds that sweet citrusy grassy element to the dip, with such a distinct flavour that pairs really well with garlic and mint.
Mint adds a wonderful cooling refreshing effect to the zucchini tzatziki.
Tools required
Cotton tea towels, these are fantastic for squeezing out any excess juice in the squash or yogurt. Click here.
Cheese grater, click here.
Lemon squeezer, love this one
Garlic crusher. I love my crusher from ikea I think its the best but if you can’t get to ikea then this is a great alternative crusher.
Small mixing bowl and spoon.
Knife or optionally you can use a food chopper, now, this isn’t an essential kitchen item but I use mine all the time for chopping herbs, garlic and ginger. It chops them so finely, it makes life so easy. Click here.
How to make the zucchini tzatziki
Lay out a cotton tea towel with the cheese grater on top of it. Grate the zucchini into the tea towel, wrap it up and squeeze any juice out. Give it a really good squeeze you want as much juice out as you can get out.
Place the zucchini into the mixing bowl.
Add in your full fat yogurt, if you weren’t able to find one with a 10% milk fat or higher then you will need to squeeze some of the liquid out of the yogurt in the same way you just did for the zucchini. Although don’t squeeze the towel as hard this time.
Add the rest of the zucchini tzatziki ingredients to the bowl and give it all a really good mix.
Technically the dip is now ready to serve which you absolutely can do, but i recommend an extra step. That is to refrigerate the dip for at least 2 hours preferably over night this allows all of the flavours to settle and marinate making it so much more favourful.
Serving suggestions
A simple pairing would be using as a dip for vegetables like carrots, cucumbers, bell peppers and tomatoes. It also makes a great dip for pitta chips.
If you are using it as a dip mix in some crumbled feta cheese to make it a little extra special.
My favourite pairing is having it with chicken gyros. Fresh pitta breads stuffed with this zucchini tzatziki, chicken, chopped vegetables, hummus and feta, amazing highly recommend.
Paired with falafel also works well they cool down the spiciness of the falafels making it a perfect pairing.
Zucchini Tzatziki
Zucchinis are a fantastic substitute for cucumber in tzatziki, they are light and refreshing. Great for any one with cucumber allergies.
Ingredients
- Medium sized zucchini (aka courgette) around 300g-350g
- 1 Cup (225g) Full fat yogurt (at least 10% MF)
- 2 cloves Garlic
- !/2 Lemon, juice only
- 1 tbsp Fresh Dill finely chopped
- 1 tsp Fresh Mint finely chopped
- Pinch of sea salt
Instructions
- Lay out a cotton tea towel with the cheese grater on top of it. Grate the zucchini into the tea towel, wrap it up and squeeze any juice out. Give it a really good squeeze you want as much juice out as you can get out.
- Place the zucchini into the mixing bowl.
- Add in your full fat yogurt, if you weren't able to find one with a 10% milk fat or higher then you will need to squeeze some of the liquid out of the yogurt in the same way you just did for the zucchini. Although don't squeeze the towel as hard this time.
- Add the rest of the zucchini tzatziki ingredients to the bowl and give it all a really good mix.
Technically the dip is now ready to serve which you absolutely can do, but i recommend an extra step. That is to refrigerate the dip for at least 2 hours preferably over night this allows all of the flavours to settle and marinate making it so much more favourful.
Notes
See my serving suggestions above.
They include sides for the dip, gyros and falafel
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 15Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 32mgCarbohydrates: 2gFiber: 0gSugar: 2gProtein: 1g
Leave a Comment