This is hands down the best vegan tzatziki recipe ever! With glowing 5 star reviews it's an authentic recipe you can't miss!
This recipe was originally published on 2/23/2014
Growing up in a fully Greek household, my mom's tzatziki was a staple. We used it as a dip, a sauce for our meals, and most of all, it's the cherry on top of a delicious vegan gyro.
You can also scoop this plant based sauce up with pita chips, drizzle over vegan shawarma, or use as a dip for grilled veggie kabobs.
I knew I needed a dairy free tzatziki on my website, a vegan version of course, to remind me of the good old days of family, Greece and eating...lots and lots of eating. I nailed this one, it's creamy, full of flavor, and tastes as good as I remember!
How to Make Vegan Tzatziki
It's a good thing this recipe is so easy to make, becuase you are going to want to have it on hand at all times! The recipe uses simple whole food ingredients and comes together in just 10 minutes.
Ingredients
- Cucumber
- Raw cashews
- Fresh lemon juice
- Distilled white vinegar
- Garlic
- Dill
- Sea salt
- Ground black pepper
Step by Step Instructions
- Grate and drain the cucumber.
- Blend everything except the cucumber and dill.
- Pulse in the cucumber and dill.
- Refrigerate to thicken.
What to Serve with Vegan Tzatziki Sauce
Use this recipe for dipping or drizzling along with all your favorite foods! Here are some of our favorite ways to use it:
- Vegan Greek Gyros
- Vegan Shawarma
- Falafel Burger
- Falafel Sandwich
- Lentil Moussaka
- Grilled Veggie Kabobs
- Greek Farro Salad
- Roasted Greek Lemon Potatoes
- Broccoli Cauliflower Tots
- Oven Fries
- Eggplant Fries
- Pita bread or chips
- Fresh veggies like celery, carrots, and cucumber spears
Preparation Tips
- If you do not have a high speed blender you need to prepare the cashews. You can either soak them overnight, boil for 30 minutes, or grind into a fine powder using a coffee grinder.
- Use a cheese grater or a food processor with a grating attachment to cut the cucumber.
- To avoid a watery sauce remove as much of the liquid from the cucumber as possible using a paper towel or dish towel.
- The easiest way to chop the dill is to remove the thick stem, roll it up in a ball, and finely chop with a sharp knife.
- Seal the tzatziki in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
- The longer the dip rests in the refrigerator, the thicker it gets. To thin it out mix in a little more water.
Tofu Variation
Originally this recipe was developed using tofu. I've found that the cashew version is better, but if you can't have nuts this is a great alternative.
- Substitute the cashews for 1 ½ cups silken tofu.
- Omit the lemon juice if preferred.
Common Questions
There are some plant based store bought options, but it's so easy to make your own! Some recipes use vegan yogurt as a base, but I've found using cashews with fresh ingredients works even better to create a thick and creamy sauce.
Many of the same ingredients including cucumbers, dill, and garlic. However, instead of yogurt, this recipe uses cashews, water, and lemon juice to create the creamy base.
The options for vegan yogurt have greatly improved over the years. There are many store bought and homemade recipes that taste delicious.
More Vegan Sauce Recipes
Having so many options for plant based sauces and toppings allows you to add extra flavor to your food! Here are some of the most popular sauce recipes:
- Ranch Dressing
- Caramel Sauce
- Chocolate Syrup
- Cheese Sauce
- Passion Fruit Syrup
- BBQ Sauce
- Teriyaki Sauce
- Buffalo Sauce
The Best Authentic Vegan Tzatziki Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup cucumber , peeled and grated
- 1 cup raw cashews (see note)
- ¾ cup water (add up to ¼ more to thin out as desired)
- 1 ½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 ½ teaspoons distilled white vinegar
- 3 cloves garlic , medium size
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- pinch ground black pepper
- 1 ½ tablespoons fresh dill
Instructions
- Put the grated cucumber in a paper towel or dish towel, squeeze out the excess water until mostly dry. Set aside.
- Blend all ingredients, except the cucumber and dill, in a high-speed blender and puree until smooth.
- Add cucumber and pulse until well incorporated.
- Add dill, pulse until finely chopped.
- Refrigerate to thicken. The longer you leave it, the thicker it gets.
Notes
- Recipe makes about 2 ½ cups sauce.
- If you are not using a high speed blender you can either soak the cashews overnight or grind them into a fine powder using a coffee grinder. You can also boil them for 30 minutes.
Recipe by Veggies Don’t Bite, visit our site for more great plant-based recipes.
Nutrition
Nutrition and metric information should be considered an estimate.
Sarabi The Vegan
This is bloody amazing!!! I didn't have a good enough blender to make cashew based sauces for the longest time. Now I do and I'm amazed at what cashews do for dairy based sauces! I loved yogurt before going vegan and I would get the thickest most tangiest yogurt I could find to make my tzatziki, this recipe does not make me miss the real thing!!! It's tangy, it's thick, it delicious and I'm just stoked to have came across this recipe!! I love adding mint to mine! So good with the Moroccan Impossible beef kabobs I make!!! Literally eating it now while I write this haha!!! One happy vegan girl here!! Thank you a million times!!
veggiesdontbite
Ah! I am so happy you liked it! Thank you so much for the great review!
Sarabi the vegan
It's well deserved!!
Ritu
Love this recipe! Use it regularly and it always gets devoured. Have made this at least 20 times and it’s a hit!
veggiesdontbite
Awesome Ritu! I am so happy you liked it!
YOLANDA RUTH PAVEY
This was delicous and creamy! I have tried the tofu way, which is delicous as well, however the creaminess of this recipe with cashews is a winner.
Thank you for this recipe
veggiesdontbite
Thank you so much for the great review Yolanda! So happy you liked it!
danielle
My boyfriend (not vegan) and I used this on top of serían gyros this weekend and as an Arab he holds very, very high standards for yogurt sauce and he loved this! He demolished about half the jar in one sitting haha, and I loved it as well! We just added a pinch of fresh mint, as he said that's the way his culture always does yogurt sauce, and it gave it some nice added freshness. truly delicious, thank you!!!!
veggiesdontbite
I am so thrilled you guys liked it Danielle!! Yes, the mint is more of a middle Eastern addition but very yummy! Thanks so much for the great review!
Melissa Billetter
I could've cried- It was amazing!!! One of the things I've really missed since becoming vegan is Tzatziki sauce...I found this site and recipe online and I'm so glad I did! It is creamy (used the cashew version) and flavorful! I also made the falafels, but I'm still working on using the air fryer to cook them perfectly!
I hope you are as happy with it as I am! Thank you Sophia and team!!
veggiesdontbite
Haha!!! I am thrilled you loved it so much! Thank you so much for the great review!
Karen
I've made this several times and it is so so good. I made it when we had friends over for a falafel party. everyone liked it so much, they were putting it on their baked potatoes too! Which made my husband sad as there wasn't any left over. Lol. Usually, when it is the 2 of us, I'll make it with falafels. Then we put it on many other things during the week. I like to add a little extra lemon and use it as salad dressing. I never have the white vinegar so I use coconut vinegar. This sauce is so delicious! !
veggiesdontbite
Wow! I am so happy you all liked it! Thanks for the great review!
Cap'n Dave
I have been seriously craving a gyro for years now. Not just any old gyro, such as the "okay" one I had from the little corner cafe next to Pier 40 and AT&T Park in San Francisco, but the deliciously greasy authentic Greek ones you can only find in Chicago...but now I'm vegan. So, what to do???
Found your page...tzatziki sounds amazing, and your tempeh gyros are piquing my interest as well! This will be my dinner tomorrow night! After that? It will be time to try my own hand (again) at that flavor and texture that I can still remember all those years ago when I was craving one so badly, I ventured out in the middle of a Chicago winter for it (I don't recommend that, btw).
veggiesdontbite
I am so happy you found me! This is one of my favorite recipes and surely hits the craving of gyros! Thank you for being here!
Cap'n Dave
Didn't get to make the sauce OR the gyros on Dec. 21st like I wanted - cucumbers had begun to rot. So, it all just sort of sat on the back burner for a bit, but the tempeh is marinating and the pita is ready to go, so I'm having it tonight...and the sauce!!! OH MY GOODNESS, it's to DIE for!! This tastes just like the dairy version that I fell in love with in Chicago (and couldn't find anywhere else, even by my own hand)!!!
A definite keeper and something I'll be making a lot of - just even dipping toasted pita and snacking on it, or drizzling it over a salad, oh yeah! Thank you!! 5-stars!!!
veggiesdontbite
I am thrilled you liked it Dave!! Thank you so much for the wonderful review!
JONNI MONTGOMERY
Is there another vinegar which you’ve tried that works? Currently making this sauce and the distilled vinegar is sold out in the stores near me! I have white wine vinegar and apple cider vinegar handy!
veggiesdontbite
Hi Jonni! The white vinegar is what gives it the signature tang, so that really is the best to get the flavor of this recipe. If you want to sub with either of those others it will still work but the end result won't be the same. Let me know what you do and how it works out!
Justin
Apart from vegan Greek gyros, I want to try other dishes with TZATZIKI. Could you recommend some options? Thanks a lot!
veggiesdontbite
Hi Justin! There are so many ways!! I love to dip pita bread, crackers and veggies in it. I also love using it as a dressing for salads or a sauce for bowls. I spread it on sandwiches instead of mayo and put it in wraps too. The possibilities are endless!
Gayathri
I halved this recipe as that’s all I needed for my family!! Was soooo good! My non vegan family didn’t think it tasted ANY different! It was so delicious on my vegan seitan gyro wrap!!! Thank you!!!
veggiesdontbite
Wow!!! I am so happy you all liked it!! Thanks so much for the great review!!
Haley
I have made this twice now and it turns out great exactly as written. The second time I didn't have fresh dill so subbed a tsp of dried and that worked fine. I love this as a dip or with any Mediterranean recipes. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
veggiesdontbite
I'm so happy you liked it Haley!! I'm thrilled!!!
Ally
Even with lemon juice, it was way to sweet for me and my husband. We served it on top of seitan gyro pita which didn’t work with sweetness level. I think it might be okay as a vegetable dip.
veggiesdontbite
Hi Ally, we don't find it sweet at all. And I have had many people make it without finding it sweet. You can always try adding more vinegar to counteract any sweetness you may be tasting.
Steph K
perfect for dipping
veggiesdontbite
Thank you so much for the great review Steph!
Kaleb
This was an awesome recipe!!!!
veggiesdontbite
Thank you Kaleb!
Kaleb
This was an awesome recipe!