Tzatziki is one of the most popular sauces for Mediterranean and Middle Eastern meals. But unlike other sauces from these regions, such as tahini sauce, this one is traditionally made out of yogurt, making it not vegan-friendly.
So, can you make tzatziki sauce vegan? Absolutely!
There are many ways to make this sauce dairy-free, but the easiest way is to use silken tofu as the base. You can also use vegan yogurts or soaked cashews as the base, but these can make the sauce more expensive and more difficult to make. I encourage you to give the tofu a try and then try out other bases.
Vegan Tzatziki Sauce Ingredients
- Extra-firm silken tofu (one block)
- lemon juice
- white vinegar
- olive oil
- fresh dill
- fresh mint
- garlic
- cucumber
- salt & pepper
How to Make Vegan Tzaziki Sauce
This sauce is one of the easiest because if you’re in a rush, you can literally just throw everything into a food processor and blend it together. However, if you have some time, I recommend doing it this way:
First, place all of the ingredients besides the cucumber in a food processor and blend together. Give the sauce a taste and adjust the seasonings to your liking. If you like how it tastes, it’s time to transfer it to a bowl and add in the cucumber.
You don’t have to peel your cucumber before adding it to the sauce, but I like to at least score it before I chop it up. The pieces of cucumber with skins are slightly harder to chew than the rest of the sauce, which is why I like to remove some (or all) of the skins before adding it.
After peeling or scoring your cucumber, remove the seeds with a spoon and then start chopping. You want the diced cucumber pieces to be small, but not completely shredded. This is why I recommend not using the food processor for this part — it might shred the cucumber a little too much.
Toss the cucumber in and stir. Because silken tofu is not refrigerated before you open it, refrigerate the vegan tzatziki sauce for at least an hour before serving.
Quick Version
If you want to do everything in a food processor and not have to chop anything by hand, you can! Just add everything besides the cucumber to the food processor and blend.
After everything is blended together, toss in the seeded cucumber and pulse a few times. You might have to scrape down the sides and pulse some more until the cucumber is chopped. Be careful not to pulse too much.
What to Serve with Tzatziki
- Pita fries (my favorite)
- Warm pita bread
- Falafel
- Raw vegetables (carrots, cucumber, celery, peppers, cherry tomatoes)
Vegan Tzatziki Sauce
Equipment
- food processor
Ingredients
- 1 block extra-firm silken tofu
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1-1/2 tsp white vinegar
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp fresh dill
- 1 tsp fresh mint
- 3 garlic cloves (about 3 tsp minced)
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- ½ cucumber scored & seeded (about ½ cup chopped)
Instructions
- Place all ingredients besides cucumber in a food processor and blend well. Transfer to a bowl.
- Peel (or score) half of a cucumber and remove seeds. Dice and then mix with the rest of the sauce.
- Chill in the refrigerator before serving. Store in an airtight container for 3–4 days.
Notes
- Tzatziki sauce is traditionally very light in flavor, but feel free to add more seasonings than recommended. I sometimes add in some more dill and garlic!