Tzatziki Sauce with Sour Cream Recipe: Brighten Up Your Meals

Mediterranean food has always been a favorite of many. Hummus chicken, Greek meatballs, and baked falafel are only some of the most well-loved dishes that spice up meal times.

If you want to feel like you are in one of the Mediterranean islands, you’d want to try this Tzatziki sauce with sour cream recipe!

Unlike a regular Tzatziki sauce, this one has a unique kick to it. Sour cream adds unique flavors that pair well with your favorite dishes. Do you want to know the good news? You can easily make it at your own home!

The ingredients you’ll need should already be in your pantry. It only takes around 10 minutes to prepare and a few days to enjoy!

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Substitutions
• Variations
• Equipment
• Storage
• Pro Tips
• Tzatziki Sauce with Sour Cream Recipe
• Comments

Ingredients

• Sour cream — ¼ cup
• Greek yogurt — ¼ cup
• Cucumber (seeded and unpeeled) — 1 
• Fresh dill (chopped or minced) — 1 tbsp.
• Lemon juice — 1 to 2 tbsp.
• Garlic clove (minced or dried) — 1 
• Sea salt — ¼ tsp.
• Ground black pepper — ¼ tsp.
• Olive oil — ⅓ tsp.

Instructions

1. Prepare the cucumber

• First, soak the cucumber in hot water for a few minutes. This is to remove the waxy coating on its skin.
• After that, grate the cucumber over a bamboo paper towel or cheesecloth.
• Wrap the grated cucumber, and remove as much water as possible by squeezing it.
• Next, mince or grate the garlic before adding it to the olive oil. Combining the two will create a garlic oil, which will also soften the taste of the garlic while adding flavor to the oil.
• Chop or mince the fresh dill.

2. Prepare the mixture

• Before starting, add ingredients gradually and taste the mixture as you go.
• Combine equal parts of Greek yogurt and sour cream in a bowl. Mix well.
• Once the water has been taken out of the cucumber, add it to the mixture.
• Add the lemon juice, dill, and equal parts salt and pepper. Stir the sauce and taste.
• Add half of the garlic oil to the sauce. Stir and taste it as you go. If the taste is not yet up to your liking, add more garlic oil gradually to taste.
• Take note that refrigerating the sauce may bring out the garlic flavor. While adding garlic, gradually do it according to your preferred taste.

3. Before serving

• We recommend that you refrigerate the sauce before serving. In most cases, the oils and water may separate due to temperature changes. If this happens, simply stir the sauce before serving.

Substitutions

To spice up the mixture or if some ingredients are unavailable, here are possible substitutes to make Tzatziki sauce:

• Dried dill — Fresh dill is the preferred ingredient for a Tzatziki sauce, but dried dill will also do the job. However, it’s best to start small and add more if needed as dried herbs tend to have more concentrated tastes.

• Regular yogurt — Greek yogurt is the main ingredient of a regular Tzatziki sauce. Instead of using this, you can substitute it with regular yogurt. However, to make it thicker, use a mesh strainer to strain the regular yogurt over a bowl.

Variations

Tzatziki sauce is customizable, and you can adjust it according to your preferred taste and current craving for a sauce:

• Minty fresh — If you want a unique taste in the sauce, replace the dill with the same amount of mint. This can be an excellent pair for lamb and other spicy Mediterranean dishes. This particular variation is also suitable for bread dipping. 

• Extra lemon dill — Adding lemon zest to the sauce can increase its lemon flavor. Lemon-flavored yogurt is also a good alternative, but it will be stronger. People who prefer a stronger lemon flavor will love this version.

• Mexican — This sauce can be great alongside a taco salad, burrito, and tacos by replacing the dill with cilantro and lemon with lime. Some people may also add avocado to enhance the blend of flavors.

• Italian — Add ¼ cup of chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes and 1 tbsp. of chopped oregano with dill (or 2 tbsp. of chopped oregano with no dill) to make it Italian.

• Ranch — Instead of using yogurt, add ¼ cup of ranch to the mixture. This will make the sauce thinner than it should be.

• Avocado — Add one avocado to the Tzatziki sauce mixture to enhance its texture and flavor.

• Spicy — If you are into spicy sauces, add 1 tbsp. of chili paste or a pinch of cayenne. This is great when paired with cucumber, and the hints of added spices can bring out the flavors of the Tzatziki sauce.

• Smokey — For an added smokey flavor, add ½ teaspoon of paprika to the mixture. It won’t have a smoked barbeque flavor, but it will add extra flavor that pairs great with meat and veggies.

Equipment

• Fine mesh strainer
• Large mixing bowl
• Measuring cups
• Spatula
• Cheesecloth (or a coffee filter or paper towel)

Storage

• Store any leftover Tzatziki sauce in an airtight container to prevent it from spoiling, and keep it refrigerated. Usually, it can last for up to 5 days as long as it is stored properly.

• Keep in mind that the longer you keep it in the refrigerator, the thinner the texture of the sauce might become due to the release of moisture from the cucumber.

Pro Tips

• Make sure to remove excess water from the cucumber before adding it to the mixture to prevent a watery sauce.

• Using a lemon concentrate is not recommended for this sauce. Instead, use freshly squeezed lemon juice for the best taste.

• Always use fresh dill when making a Tzatziki sauce, as it can give a better flavor to the mixture.

• Using fresh dill instead of dried dill can add better flavors to the mixture.

• Instead of only using sour cream for people who don’t want to use Greek yogurt, add a hint of mayonnaise to the mixture to soften the taste of the sour cream.

• Always refrigerate the sauce for a minimum of an hour before serving with other dishes. The resting time will allow the flavors to blend, creating a more harmonious taste.