This vegan tzatziki sauce has all the flavor of a classic tzatziki but is made without dairy. This creamy sauce is flavored with lemon, garlic, dill, and mint and is the perfect addition to a vegan gyro or served as a dip with pita bread.

Someone dipping a pita bread triangle into a bowl of vegan tzatziki sauce.

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Why make this recipe

Bursting with freshness and tanginess this creamy dairy-free tzatziki will transport your taste buds to the sunny Mediterranean.

Vegan tzatziki can be hard to find premade in grocery stores, but it’s super easy to make your own. It’s great as a dip for pita chips or for drizzling on your vegan gyros or vegan falafel wraps.

Ingredients and substitutions

  • Cucumber – English cucumbers or seedless cucumbers work best since you will have to shred it, you don’t want large cucumber seeds.
  • Vegan Cream Base – you have a few choices for your creamy base. I usually use vegan sour cream since it has the thickest consistency and is the easiest to find, but you can also use plain vegan yogurt or cashew cream. If you can find vegan Greek-style yogurt, that will give the most authentic flavor, but vegan sour cream is a great alternative.
  • Fresh Dill – you want to use fresh if possible, but you can swap it for dry if needed. You can also add fresh mint if you choose, but my family likes to leave it out.
  • Fresh Lemon Juice – you can also use canned lemon juice.
  • Fresh Garlic – fresh garlic is best, but you can use garlic powder.
  • Salt – for flavor
  • White Pepper – This provides a ton of authentic flavor, but if you don’t have any you can use black pepper.

Helpful tools

  • A cheese grater or a food processor to chop up the cucumber into small pieces.

How to make vegan tzatziki sauce

A full printable version of this recipe with ingredient measurements is available at the bottom of this post.

Step 1 – Grate the cucumber into small pieces. Place 1 cup of the grated cucumber in a bowl and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and let it sit for a few minutes.

Step 2 – Place the shredded cucumber in a tea towel or cheesecloth and squeeze out the excess liquid.

An English cucumber shredded on a cutting board with a grater behind it.
Shred the cucumber.
Squeezing out the liquid from shredded cucumbers with a tea towel.
Squeeze out the excess liquid.

Step 3 – Add 2 cups of vegan sour cream (or vegan yogurt or cashew cream) in a medium-sized mixing bowl.

Step 4 – Add the drained shredded cucumber, fresh dill, lemon juice, minced garlic, salt, and white pepper to the cream and stir until combined.

Vegan tzatziki sauce ingredients in a blue bowl before mixing.
Tzatziki sauce ingredients in a bowl.
A top view of a bowl of dairy-free tzatziki sauce.
Tzatziki sauce mixed.

Step 5 – Store in the refrigerator and use as a dip or spread.

Use this plant-based tzatziki on tofu wraps, vegan gyros, or falafel gyros.

Pro Tips

  • Vegan sour cream or a very thick cashew cream gives you the best consistency.
  • Fresh lemon, garlic, and herbs will give you the freshest most authentic flavor.
  • White pepper also contributes to the classic tzatziki flavor and is highly recommended.
Abowl of vegan tzatziki sauce in a blue bowl with lemon and herbs around it.

Storage

Refrigerate: This vegan tzatziki sauce will keep well in the fridge for 3 – 5 days in an airtight container.

Freeze: Dairy-free tzatziki freezes well and can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Someone scooping up vegan tzatziki sauce with a piece of pita bread out of a bowl.

More dips and sauces

Vegan tzatziki recipe

Someone dipping a pita bread triangle into a bowl of vegan tzatziki sauce.
Diet
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5 from 2 rating

Vegan Tzatziki Sauce

Yield: 16
Prep: 10 minutes
Total: 10 minutes
Author: Monica Davis
A plant-based twist on a Mediterranean classic. A fresh tasting creamy sauce flavored with lemon, garlic and dill
Print Leave a Review Pin Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 cup cucumber, shredded
  • 2 cups vegan sour cream, or plain vegan yogurt or cashew cream
  • 1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped (or 1 tbsp dry dill)
  • 2 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon salt, divided
  • 1/8 teaspoon white pepper, or black pepper

Equipment

  • cheese grater or food processor for grating the cucumber

Instructions
 

  • Grate the cucumber into small pieces. Place 1 cup of the grated cucumber in a bowl and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and let it sit for a few minutes.
  • Place the shredded cucumber in a tea towel or cheesecloth and squeeze out the excess liquid.
  • Add 2 cups of vegan sour cream (or vegan yogurt or cashew cream) in a medium-sized mixing bowl.
  • Add the drained shredded cucumber, fresh dill, lemon juice, minced garlic, salt, and white pepper to the cream and stir until combined.
  • Store in the refrigerator and use as a dip or spread.

Notes

  • Vegan sour cream or a very thick cashew cream with give you the best consistency.
  • Using fresh lemon, garlic, and herbs will give you the freshest most authentic flavor.
  • White pepper also contributes to the classic tzatziki flavor and is highly recommended.
Serving: 2tbsp, Calories: 83kcal, Carbohydrates: 9g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 0.01g, Sodium: 287mg, Potassium: 22mg, Fiber: 0.1g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 63IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 4mg, Iron: 0.1mg
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