How to make vegan Tzatziki? (with a Pita recipe) (2024)

September 19, 2019Melanie

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How to make vegan Tzatziki? (with a Pita recipe) (1)

I have been a vegetarian since 2009 and have not eaten a single Greek dish since. I thought it is not possible because the Greek cuisine is very meat-heavy. Since I had wanted to try Tzatziki for a long time I decided to make a complete traditional Greek dish vegan and this is no longer a problem today. Thanks to the meat substitute products, there is such a large choice and possibility to recreate most dishes with meat. I personally think it’s really helpful with these products to switch to a vegetarian or vegan diet if you’ve eaten meat before (which was definitely the case with me) and I’ve found the transformation with meat substitutes so much easier. Nowadays I don’t use them so often because after a while you don’t need them anymore. You already know some recipes without meat or how to use Tofu/Tempeh. I’m a big Tofu fan btw. My focus is on a healthy diet and the meat substitutes aren’t quite as beneficial. But it is all about balance. I think it’s ok to occasionally use meat substitutes.

Now I get back to the recipe. Tzatziki is one of the most famous Greek dishes worldwide and you can buy it in almost every supermarket. But why not make it yourself? This vegan Tzatziki recipe is very simple and with only 6 ingredients very quick to make. It is also a good way to make a simple dip. I think Tzatziki could also be called cucumber garlic dip and who doesn’t love a garlic dip?! In any case, I can’t get enough of it 😀 In addition to the Tzatziki, I have a vegetable gyros mix with a pita recipe for you.

How to make vegan tzatziki?

Vegan Tzatziki is really quick and easy to make. You only need a few ingredients which you often already have at home. That’s why it’s worth preparing Tzatziki at home whether it’s vegan or not. For the non-vegan version, you can use Natural yogurt or Skyr yogurt. I made two versions because my boyfriend has a soy allergy. So I made Tzatziki with Skyr for him. You can also use Greek yogurt.

What’s the difference between Skyr and Natural yogurt? Skyr is from the consistency more like curd. This makes it creamier and tastes a bit sourer. Skyr contains almost no fat as it is made from skimmed milk and is also high in protein. The same goes for vegan skyr which is also rich in protein and is not made from milk but from soybeans.

Since vegan skyr is not everywhere available you can simply use natural soy yogurt. Dill and garlic are important for the flavor. The cucumber shouldn’t be forgotten either. For the cucumber, you need a grater because it has to be shredded. Then you should squeeze the water out of the grated cucumber (by hand). Otherwise, your Tzatziki becomes too watery. You can grind dill and garlic cloves with a mortar or use a garlic press for the garlic. Apart from that you only need a bit of lemon juice, olive oil and season your Tzatziki with salt & pepper.

How to make vegan Tzatziki? (with a Pita recipe) (2)

Stuffed pita bread with vegan tzatziki

So what goes best with Tzatziki especially if you want to create a complete Greek dish? Definitely pita bread with gyros 🙂 This dish is also very quick to make as I bought gyros as a meat substitute and this one is already very well seasoned. We fried it with onions. Since we still had Jalapenos at home, we added green and red to it. You can also add red and/or green pepper instead. Finally, we added fresh avocado. This dish is healthy, delicious and ready in 10 minutes. So you should definitely give it a try 🙂

You´ll definitely have some leftovers, so you can store Tzatziki in the fridge for up to 5 days. Preferably in a food container.

How to make vegan Tzatziki? (with a Pita recipe) (3)

What foods taste good with Tzatziki?

  • Definitely everything with potatoes
    – fried potatoes, boiled potatoes, baked potatoes
  • Oven Roasted Vegetables
  • Zucchini Fritters
  • Pita Bread
  • Couscous Salad
  • Samosas
  • French fries/Nachos
  • Falafel
How to make vegan Tzatziki? (with a Pita recipe) (4)

Are you looking for more dinner ideas? Then check out following recipes:

  • Healthy Vegetable Gyoza
  • Healthy Vegan Tacos with Salsa Verde
  • Easy Roasted Red Pepper Pesto
  • Green Coconut Thai Curry
  • Vegan Cheesy Potato Casserole
How do you like this recipe?

I would be very happy to get feedback from you! If you try this vegan Tzatziki recipe, please leave me a comment with a ⭐️ rating. Are you active on Instagram or Facebook? If you post a picture of this Tzatziki, please link to me with @plantiful.heart so I can see your creation! ?

Vegan Tzatziki with Pita

How to make vegan Tzatziki? (with a Pita recipe) (5)

Course Appetizer, dinner, lunch, Side Dish

Cuisine Greek

Keyword Gyros, Pita, Tzatziki, Vegetables, Yogurt

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time10 minutes mins

Total Time20 minutes mins

Servings: 4 Portionen

Print Recipe

Ingredients

Tzatziki

  • 400 gr Skyr Soy Yogurt Alternative: Natural Soy Yogurt
  • 1/2 Cucumber
  • 2-3 Garlic Cloves
  • 2 Dill Stems
  • 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
  • 2 tbsp Olive Oil
  • Salt & Pepper

Stuffed Pita

  • 1 pack Gyros meat-free alternative
  • 1 Onion
  • 1 Garlic Clove
  • 1 Red or Green Pepper
  • 1/2 Cucumber
  • 1 Avocado
  • Salt & Pepper

Instructions

  • Peel garlic cloves, cut them into small pieces and grind with dill in a mortar, grate cucumber -> squeeze cucumber shreds out so that you don't have too much liquid in your Tzatziki.

  • Put yogurt in a small bowl, add garlic and dill. Stir well.

  • Now add cucumber to the yogurt and stir it in. Then press lemon juice into your yogurt mixture and add oil. Mix everything again.

  • Let your Tzatziki rest a little so that the flavor can unfold. Season your Tzatziki with salt and pepper.

Stuffed Pita

  • Peel onion and garlic clove, then chop into small pieces. Heat some olive oil in a pan. Add onions and garlic and fry a little.

  • Then add your vegan gyros and peppers. Fry everything until your gyros is crispy. Season your dish with salt and pepper.

  • Toast your pita bread or briefly heat them in a pan.

Are you active on Pinterest? and do you like this recipe? Then you can pin the following picture ? You can find the Pinterest Button under the picture.

How to make vegan Tzatziki? (with a Pita recipe) (6)
How to make vegan Tzatziki? (with a Pita recipe) (2024)

FAQs

How to make vegan Tzatziki? (with a Pita recipe)? ›

Vegan Tzatziki with Pita

What is vegan tzatziki made of? ›

How to Make Vegan Tzatziki. It all starts with my 2-Ingredient Coconut Yogurt, which creates the perfect creamy base for this dip. Next comes a finely grated cucumber, garlic, lemon juice, salt, and pepper! Last but not least is dill, which adds some much-needed herby flavor – serious swoon!

How can I thin out my tzatziki sauce? ›

Salt has a way of thinning out sauces so it is important to add it in to start with the cucumber. Once you add the Greek yogurt and other ingredients, it makes a nice creamy sauce that is ready to go in just a few minutes. This particular tzatziki sauce is on the thinner side as far as sauce goes.

Is A Pita Vegan? ›

Yes, pita bread is suitable for vegans. Its two main ingredients are flour and yeast, both of which are plant-based. Usually, salt is added for flavour, but it is very unlikely that any animal products or byproducts will be used. However, it is always worth checking ingredients labels to make sure.

Can you heat up tzatziki sauce? ›

Can you heat up Tzatziki sauce? Yes, you can serve this sauce warm. Again, I'd leave the cucumbers out after straining to let them get up to room temperature. Meanwhile, add the rest of the sauce ingredients to a saucepan and warm up over medium-low heat until it's warmed all the way through.

What are the main ingredients in tzatziki? ›

Tzatziki is a salted yogurt and cucumber dip that's made of strained yogurt, shredded cucumber, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, salt, and herbs. Authentic Greek tzatziki is most often made with sheep or goat yogurt, but my tzatziki recipe calls for regular full-fat Greek yogurt.

Which Greek yogurt is vegan? ›

Alpro Greek Style Oat/Coconut/Soy

The oat Greek yogurt is fortified with pea protein, while the coconut doubles down on the fruit, using coconut milk (45%) and coconut water (20%). Unlike the soy-based version, these two yogurts have no added sugars, while the oat one is the only variant that is not gluten-free.

How do you thicken yogurt for tzatziki? ›

You can thicken it by placing a piece of cheesecloth over the top of a wide mouthed jar and holding it in place with some rubber bands. Fill the cheesecloth with your sauce, cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. The excess water will drain out and the sauce will be thicker.

Why does tzatziki get watery? ›

The watery sauce is due to the cucumbers, which hold lots of water. The best way to avoid a watery tzatziki sauce is to get the excess moisture out of the grated cucumber before it's added to the sauce mixture.

How long does homemade tzatziki last? ›

Tzatziki will last about four days in the fridge before it starts to go bad. While you can freeze it, it will change a bit in regards to texture and consistency when it comes time to thawing it out.

Why is pita not vegan? ›

A flatbread made from a simple mixture of flour, water, yeast, and salt. Though often vegan, some varieties may add milk, eggs, or honey for flavor.

What bread is good for vegans? ›

Vegans can eat bread that does not contain animal products or byproducts. This includes breads that only use some variation on flour, water, yeast, and salt including ciabatta, baguette, focaccia, sourdough, pita, and ezekiel breads.

What goes good with tzatziki? ›

Tzatziki is good friends with grilled and roasted meats, especially juicy lamb chops. Serve it up with a crunchy fattoush salad – a combination of torn pitta, cooling cucumber, ripe tomatoes, sweet lettuce and refreshing mint – for a bonus hit of fresh, summer flavour.

Why is my tzatziki sour? ›

Some Greek yogurt brands are very tangy so you may wish to use less lemon juice. Also, some lemons can be very tart. Start with 1/2 a lemon and add more if needed. If your sauce is too tart, you can fix this by adding a little sweetener.

Is it OK to eat tzatziki? ›

Yes, Tzatziki sauce can very safely be consumed by itself as it is merely a combination of Greek yogurt with cucumber, lemon, garlic, olive oil, and a variety of aromatic and crunchy herbs.

What are the ingredients in store bought tzatziki? ›

Ingredients: yogurt (milk ingredients, bacterial culture), sour cream(milk ingredients, bacterial culture, microbial enzyme), water,cucumber, canola oil, white vinegar, sea salt, garlic purée (garlic,canola oil), modified corn starch, garlic powder, citric acid.

Does tzatziki have dairy in it? ›

Tzatziki sauce is typically yogurt-based with flavors such as mint and cucumber. But in this recipe, you will not find any dairy. Instead, I use my four-ingredient homemade mayonnaise recipe as the base and add refreshing lemon, cool mint, and crisp cucumber.

Why is tzatziki not vegetarian? ›

Traditionally speaking, no, tzatziki isn't vegan-friendly as it has historically been made with dairy yoghurt, however, it's just as simple to make a plant-based version with all the same flavours and textures.

Is tzatziki healthier than hummus? ›

Yes, tzatziki is considered a healthier dip than hummus and sour cream. It contains several vitamins, a good amount of protein, and fewer carbohydrates and calories. The fat content of tzatziki is low too, which is not the case with other dips.

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