Cool Tzatziki
The most refreshing thing you can spoon onto anything.
Mediterranean Lore
Tzatziki was already the health-food hero of the sauce world — until the restaurants started cutting whole-milk yogurt with olive oil until it drank like a milkshake. Ours goes back to the honest version: cool, garlicky, cucumber-flecked, and 25g of protein in the batch. (Extracted from the Chicken Shawarma page — it belongs anywhere, not just on shawarma.)
Portion Matrix
Cool Tzatziki
Tap a portion size. Watch the numbers move. That’s the whole book.
Macros: USDA FoodData Central + House Pantry yogurt standard (0% Greek, 130 cal/24g protein per cup) • as written.
The Numbers Up Front
Yield: ~11 oz / 310 g (about 1⅓ cups)
Default Portion: 2 tbsp
Per 2 tbsp: 15 cal • 2g protein • <1g fat • 1g carbs
✂️ Trim Trim Trim
Almost nothing to cut — that's the point. Building on nonfat Greek yogurt instead of the full-fat-plus-olive-oil restaurant version saves about 30 calories and 3g of fat per 2 tbsp, and the honest win is the protein density: this is a dip that actually feeds you.
Ingredients
Use-what-you’ve-got friendly.
Sorted by dish, with the spices you probably already own kept separate.
- ◆1 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
- ◆½ cucumber, grated and squeezed bone dry (this is the whole ballgame)
- ◆1 garlic clove, grated
- ◆1 tbsp lemon juice
- ◆1 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
- ◆Salt to taste
Instructions
- 1
Grate the cucumber, then wring it out in a clean towel until no more water comes — wet cucumber is watery tzatziki.
- 2
Stir everything together.
- 3
Chill 30 min so the garlic mellows and the flavors set.
🧠 Why This Works
Restaurant tzatziki gets its silkiness from fat — whole-milk yogurt and a heavy pour of olive oil. Nonfat Greek yogurt is already thick and creamy on its own, so you don't need the oil to get the texture; the squeezed-dry cucumber keeps it from weeping, and the lemon and garlic do the flavor lifting. You end up with the same cool, tangy dip and a genuinely high-protein one.
🌶️ Flavor Boosters
Extra dill • a pinch of chili flakes • grated lemon zest • a little grated red onion • a drizzle of good olive oil on top at serving (costs a few calories, looks the part)
🔄 Use What You’ve Got
- —No fresh dill? Dried, about a third the amount
- —No fresh garlic? ¼ tsp garlic powder
- —Want it thicker for a dip vs. thinner for a drizzle? Squeeze the cucumber harder or add a splash of its juice back
📦 Meal Prep Notes
Keeps 3 days refrigerated — squeeze that cucumber DRY and it holds much better • Weeps a little over time; just stir it back together • Great on shawarma, kebabs, grilled chicken, roasted veg, or as a veggie dip
📊 Before & After(per 2 tbsp)
| Calories | Protein | Fat | Carbs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Restaurant Tzatziki (whole-milk yogurt + olive oil) | 45 | 1g | 4g | 2g |
| ⭐ Cool Tzatziki | 15 | 2g | <1g | 1g |
| You Saved / Gained | −30 cal | +1g protein | −3g fat | −1g carb |
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