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Home » Blog » Recipes » Tzatziki Sauce (Whole30, Keto)

Tzatziki Sauce (Whole30, Keto)

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Cut out dairy and missing Tzatziki, the creamy Mediterranean yogurt and cucumber sauce that tastes great slathered on everything? Then whip up this simple Whole30, vegan, and keto version with coconut yogurt and fresh herbs!

An overhead shot of a shallow beige bowl filled with dairy-free vegan, Whole30, keto, and paleo Tzatziki.

Coconut Milk Yogurt

In this delicious dairy-free version of tzatziki, I’ve replaced the cow milk yogurt with my favorite plain coconut milk yogurt. My two favorite brands are Coyo and Anita’s Yogurt because they’re thick and creamy and made with Whole30-compliant ingredients. Yes, the dip will taste slightly coconut-y, but just barely—even my coconut-hating kids don’t mind it. Plus, if you use a high quality extra virgin olive oil, the taste of coconut will be muted.

I’ve substituted other non-dairy yogurts in place of coconut in this recipe and the resulting texture isn’t as thick or tasty. However, if you hate coconut, you may want to experiment with alternatives that fit your palate.

Squeeze Your Cucumbers!

Although this recipe is pretty quick and easy to throw together, there’s one step you absolutely shouldn’t skip: squeezing the liquid out of the grated cucumbers. It’ll only add a couple of minutes to your prep, and you’ll save yourself from the misfortune of watery Tzatziki sauce.

Time to make Dairy-Free Tzatziki!

Makes 1½ cups (6 servings)

Ingredients:

  • 1 Persian cucumber or ½ English cucumber, peeled and seeded
  • 1 cup plain coconut yogurt (I like Coyo and Anita’s Yogurt brands the best)
  • 2 tablespoons minced fresh mint leaves or dill
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • Diamond Crystal brand kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Equipment:

  • All of my recommended kitchen tools are listed here.

Method:

Peel the cucumber and scoop out the seeds.

Using a metal teaspoon to scoop out the seeds from a peeled Persian cucumber.

Grate the cucumber on the large holes of a box grater or finely dice it. Place the grated cucumber in a clean dish towel and squeeze out the excess liquid.

Grating the peeled and seeded cucumber on the large holes on a box grater.

In a medium bowl, mix together the coconut yogurt, mint (or dill), garlic, 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, and lemon juice.

A bowl has coconut milk yogurt, herbs, diced cucumber, mint, and lemon juice to make Whole30 dairy-free tzatziki sauce.

Add the diced cucumbers and stir well.

Adding the drained and diced cucumbers to the vegan tzatziki base.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Someone adding freshly cracked pepper to a bowl of Whole30 and vegan tzatziki sauce.

Drizzle the remaining tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil on top of the dairy-free Tzatziki sauce. The sauce can be kept in the fridge for up to 2 days.

An overhead shot of a bowl of low carb and keto vegan tzatziki sauce.

Pair the Tzatziki with my easy Rack of Lamb!

A closeup shot of Whole30 rack of lamb with dairy-free Tzatziki Sauce.


Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPhone and iPad app, and in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2021).


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An overhead shot of a bowl of low carb and keto vegan tzatziki sauce.
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5 from 9 votes

Tzatziki Sauce

This simple Whole30, vegan, keto, and dairy-free Tzatziki Sauce made with coconut yogurt and fresh mint tastes great slathered on everything!
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time5 mins
Course: Condiment
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Keyword: Dairy-free, keto, low carb, nomnompaleo, paleo, Vegan, Whole30
Servings: 6
Calories: 158kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 Persian cucumber or ½ English cucumber, peeled and seeded
  • 1 cup plain coconut yogurt I like Coyo or Anita's brands
  • 2 tablespoon minced fresh mint leaves or dill
  • 1 small garlic clove minced
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil divided
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • Diamond Crystal kosher salt 
  • Freshly ground black pepper
US Customary - Metric

Instructions 

  • Peel the cucumber and scoop out the seeds. Grate the cucumber on the large holes of a box grater or finely dice it. Place the grated cucumber in a clean dish towel and squeeze out the excess liquid.
  • In a medium bowl, mix together the coconut yogurt, mint (or dill), garlic, 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, and lemon juice.
  • Add the diced cucumbers and stir well. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  • Drizzle the remaining tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil on top of the dairy-free Tzatziki sauce.

Notes

The sauce can be kept in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Tried this recipe?Mention @nomnompaleo or tag #nomnompaleo!

Nutrition

Calories: 158kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 17g | Fiber: 1g
30

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Coo Nellie says

    August 11, 2020 at 2:30 pm

    As a Greek wife, I have made whole 30 tzatziki, but no mint. If you want to make a delicious Macedonian version, then put in crushed walnuts. But, not mint…we put in dill. I agree with Coyo, but also Forager.

    Reply
  2. holly drouillard says

    August 11, 2020 at 2:30 pm

    This looks delish! I miss condiments so this goes on my “must try” list! If I had all the ingredients today I’d be busting this out!

    Reply
  3. Tina says

    September 16, 2021 at 11:53 pm

    What brand do you recommend for a high end olive oil?

    Reply
    • Michelle Tam says

      September 17, 2021 at 3:10 pm

      I actually buy the Italian EVOO at Costco. I was told by an Italian exporter of olive oil that the one sold at Costco is high quality.

      Reply
  4. Cathy says

    December 14, 2022 at 2:05 am

    5 stars
    I can’t believe I have never commented, but I love this stuff! I make it when we marinate chicken with a Greek marinade. I put it on the chicken. I make it my salad dressing and I really like it on smoked salmon. Thanks Michelle!

    Reply

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