Authentic Vegan Greek Tzatziki

This authentic vegan tzatziki is like no other. Creamy, garlicky, and perfect for dipping, smothering, or licking off your fingers!

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 Gyro.

I knew I needed this recipe on my blog, a vegan version of course, to remind me of the good old days of family, Greece and eating…lots and lots of eating. This vegan version definitely hit the nail on the head. It’s creamy, full of flavor, and tastes as good as I remember!

The many faces of vegan tzatziki

My first version of this authentic vegan tzatziki sauce was a tofu based one. This was at the beginning of my creative journey before I knew the magical power of cashews. Since we do not have nut allergies, cashews are my go to for ultimate creaminess. I have other players in the creamy game (see potatoes in action here and white beans in action here), but my core creaminess comes from my fave little cashew.

I left the original recipe in the notes, for all my nut free friends, but I have updated the main recipe to the version we make now. It’s creamy, it’s garlicky and has a nice little tang. And it goes perfect on my favorite vegan Greek gyros!

This recipe was originally published on 2/23/2014

Authentic Vegan Greek Tzatziki

Sophia DeSantis

This authentic vegan tzatziki is like no other. Creamy, garlicky, and perfect for dipping, smothering, or licking off your fingers!

4.84 from 31 votes

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Prep Time 10 mins

Total Time 10 mins

Course Sauce

Cuisine Greek

Servings 10

Calories 75 kcal

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• 1 cup cucumber , peeled and grated
• 1 cup raw cashews (see note)
• 3/4 cup water (add up to 1/4 more to thin out as desired)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 1/2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar
• 3 cloves garlic , medium size
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• pinch ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 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 1/2 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.

 

UPDATE: After much trial and error, I have updated this recipe to my favorite version using cashews instead of tofu. If you are nut free and want the tofu version, take out cashews and water and use 1 1/2 cups silken tofu instead. The original recipe also did not have lemon juice, which I use to cut the sweetness of the cashews, so take out the lemon juice as well if you prefer.

Recipe by Veggies Don’t Bite, visit our site for more great plant-based recipes.

Nutrition

Calories: 75kcalCarbohydrates: 4gProtein: 2gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 119mgPotassium: 106mgSugar: 1gVitamin A: 10IUVitamin C: 1.6mgCalcium: 8mgIron: 0.9mg

Nutrition and metric information should be considered an estimate.

Keyword healthy cream dressing, Vegan creamy dressing

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