Easy and Healthy Tzatziki Recipe
By Marnie Kunz,
NASM-certified trainer, USATF- RRCA-certified run coach
This healthy tzatziki recipe is easy to make and is perfect for a healthy, high-protein snack or sandwich dressing. The recipe only takes about 10 minutes to make and is refreshing and tasty. The Greek yogurt gives it a big protein boost, which helps with muscle recovery and building lean muscle. Tzatziki requires no cooking and you can mix it together quickly for a post-workout snack.
Related Post: Easy and Healthy Hummus Recipe
What Is Tzatziki Sauce?
You may be wondering what is tzatziki sauce exactly. You may have had it at a Middle Eastern or Greek restaurant without realizing it. Tzaziki sauce is a tasty, creamy yogurt-based dip that includes cucumbers and garlic. The sauce has a twist of lemon and some dill, and all the flavors combine to make it a tasty, slightly tangy, salty dip with a rich savory taste.
Tzaziki comes from the Middle East and southern Europe, and it’s a staple sauce that can be used on sandwiches as well as a dip for pita bread, pita chips, or fresh veggies. It’s also a great dressing for veggie burgers and burgers and makes an excellent dipping sauce for chicken kebabs and gyros. You can also put tzatziki sauce on your salads for a healthy, high-protein dressing.
Health Benefits of Tzatziki
There are quite a few health benefits of tzatziki sauce. The tasty dip offer anti-inflammatory antioxidants from the cucumbers. Cucumbers are packed with nutrients, including magnesium, potassium, manganese, vitamin K, vitamin C, and fiber. The antioxidants in cucumbers help combat the effects of pollutants and free radicals in the environment which can cause cancer, heart and lung disease, and autoimmune disease. Cucumbers reduce the effects of these harmful free radicals, helping your body stay healthy.
The Greek yogurt in this tzatziki recipe packs a high-protein punch. Protein is the essential building block of muscles and helps promote muscle recovery and new muscle growth, and makes you feel more full than eating carbs or fats. Whether you’re trying to maintain a healthy weight or you want to recover better from your tough workouts, eating enough protein is essential.
The American Council on Exercise recommends consuming 20 to 30 grams of protein either before or after a workout for the best fitness benefits. You can experiment with what works for you but I find post-workout protein intake the most helpful. This recipe includes about 17 grams of protein (the exact amount depends on the Greek yogurt you use. You can check the label for the amount of protein in 1 cup of your Greek yogurt). It’s perfect for a post-workout snack with another protein-rich food like a hard-boiled egg, some nuts, or a protein shake.
For more post-workout high-protein snack ideas, check out my post on Post-Workout Snack Ideas.
For extra health benefits, use extra-virgin olive oil, which is less processed than regular olive oil. Extra virgin olive oil can help lower blood pressure and LDL cholesterol while boosting protective HDL levels. Pairing your tzatziki with fresh vegetables is another way to add nutrients to your diet.
Tzatziki is naturally gluten-free. For a dairy-free healthy tzatziki recipe, you can substitute Greek style vegan yogurt for regular yogurt.
How to Eat Tzatziki
This healthy tzatziki recipe is easy to make and will give you enough tzatziki to enjoy as a sauce or sandwich dressing. Keep the tzatziki sauce in the fridge to chill and preserve the yogurt. When you’re ready to eat, use the tzatziki sauce as a healthy, high-protein dip for whole wheat pita bread or pita chips, or use a dip with fresh veggies like carrots, broccoli, and bell peppers.
I also like to add tzatziki sauce to sandwiches and veggie burgers as a dressing. You can spread some on a cheese, veggie, or lean meat sandwich for a creamy, moist addition to your sandwich. It’s also a great sauce for kebobs - veggie, seafood, or meat - and you can add it to your veggie burger, salmon burger, or turkey burger for a healthy spread.
Another way you can use tzatziki sauce is as a dressing for your salads. Many salad dressings contain unhealthy, calorie-dense oils and fats, and tzatziki sauce offers a refreshing and tasty alternative to traditional salad dressings. Pair it with a Greek salad, chef’s salad, or your own healthy salad concoction, and enjoy!
Healthy Tzatziki Recipe
Ingredients
1 cup Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup grated cucumber
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 garlic clove minced
1 tablespoon chopped dill
Salt and pepper to taste
Mint for garnish
Directions
Chop, mince and grate your ingredients.
In a large bowl, mix together the Greek yogurt, lemon juice, cucumber, garlic, olive oil, and dill. Stir until well mixed. You can add more lemon juice to make the sauce thinner or more yogurt to add thickness to suit your preferences. Sprinkle a a dash of salt and black pepper for an extra kick.
Serves 2. Enjoy as a dip with whole wheat pita bread, pita chips, or fresh veggies like carrots and peppers. You can also slather tzatziki sauce on sandwiches for a refreshing twist, or drizzle it on salad for a healthy, high-protein salad dressing.
Total Time: 10 Minutes
Tzatziki Sauce Tips and Variations
When you make your tzatziki sauce, if you can swing it, use organic cucumbers. Some fruits and veggies hold more chemicals and pesticides than others in the skins, and cucumbers are one of them. You don’t have to get everything organic, but if you can get organic cucumbers, that will minimize your exposure to pesticides fror this recipe. Check out my guide to organic food for more details on the benefits of organic food and which foods to get organic.
When you follow this healthy tzatziki sauce recipe, you can personalize it to make the sauce thicker or more watery. For a thicker sauce, use more yogurt. For a thinner sauce that you may want to use as a salad dressing, use more lemon juice and less yogurt.
Use fresh dill for an extra boost of flavor. The mint garnish is optional and a nice touch if you are serving this homemade tzatziki sauce as a dip for other people.
For another healthy dip with a quick prep time that goes well with this tzatziki sauce, try my easy hummus recipe. Pair the tzatziki and hummus recipes to make a healthy snack platter with fresh veggies and whole-wheat pita bread.
Let me know if you try this recipe! Follow and tag me on Instagram at @Runstreet. Happy eating to you.😊
Related Posts: Post-Workout Snack Ideas, Guide to Nutrition for Runners, Blueberry Protein Pancake Recipe, Benefits of Whey Protein ad How to Use It
Marnie Kunz is a NASM-certified trainer and USATF- and RRCA-certified running coach based in Brooklyn, NY. Marnie likes helping people get and stay active to enjoy a better quality of life. When she’s not doing fitness things, Marnie enjoys exploring with her dog, a mischievous rescue Akita.
