It’s easy to eat well when you’ve got a good sauce. In this post, you’ll learn how easy it is to make healthy (and Dairy-Free) Tzatziki sauce. And the many ways you can enjoy it!
If you’re anything like me, you understand that sauce can either make or break a dish.
But many people tend to shy away from it in their diets or a clean eating lifestyle. Sauces can seem daunting to make and may look like unnecessary calories, too.
But guess what? Clean sauces make all the difference. They’ll help you enjoy your healthy food, can be very easy to make, and are additional sources of beneficial nutrients!
This healthy Tzatziki sauce recipe is light, refreshing, and tangy (which makes it perfect for both savory proteins and veggies). Oh yeah, it’s also dairy-free!
Whether it’s added to oven-baked asparagus fries or grilled chicken wings, think of this dip as a transformative caress of flavor. Too poetic? Well, that’s just what happens when I meet a sauce this delicious!
Oh yeah. It’s also weight loss-friendly. So let’s get to it, shall we?
What Is Tzatziki Sauce?
Some call it “Greek ranch dressing” because it has that familiar sour cream taste you find in a typical ranch sauce.
However, Tzatziki steps things up a notch. It’s a Greek/Mediterranean sauce made from yogurt mixed with cucumbers, garlic, salt, and lemon juice. It also uses herbs such as dill, parsley, and mint. Aromatics are on point!
It’s very refreshing and very creamy. If you’re looking for a light-tasting sauce to balance out savory recipes, this sauce delivers a fresh lift. Because we’re making it dairy-free, we use blended cashers and tahini to replace the yogurt in this special recipe.
Serve it with some fresh veggies and pita chips. Or as a sauce for grilled meat. Tzatziki is versatile!
What Is In Healthy Tzatziki Sauce?
This creamy and refreshing sauce is easy, simple, and quick to make! The base is mainly cashews, tahini, almond milk, and cucumbers. The other ingredients add plenty of zest and flavor.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Cucumbers: High in antioxidants but low in calories, cucumber is an amazing weight loss and healthy food. It also promotes hydration and adds a wonderfully refreshing flavor to any dish.
- Raw cashews: Wonderful source of fiber, healthy fats, and more plant protein!
- Tahini: A highly nutritious source of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents, Tahini has been shown helpful for the kidneys and liver.
- Lemon juice: This brightens up the sauce even more! Lemon juice is great for digestion, better skin, regulating blood sugar, and links to cancer-fighting properties.
- Garlic (whole clove): For this Tzatziki recipe, garlic adds a savory balance to the zest and tanginess of the lemon juice, dill, and Greek yogurt.
- Fresh dill: This herb’s flavor stands out when combined with garlic and lemon. Love me some dill.
- Black pepper: Helps add extra flavor (and proper seasoning, of course) plus antioxidants!
- Sea salt: To bring out all the flavors even more.
- Hemp seeds: Get an additional protein boost from this plant-based source!
- Unsweetened almond milk: I love using almond milk in my recipes. It’s loaded with Vitamin E and enriched with protein, calcium, plus vitamin D.
- Italian parsley: For extra beautiful flecks of green.
Is Tzatziki Healthier Than Ranch?
Yes, Tzatziki is healthier than ranch dressing and here’s why:
- This recipe is not processed: Ranch is a processed food and we do our best to avoid those around here.
- You’re using healthy fats: This Tzatziki’s cashew base contains healthy fats compared to the mayo and sour cream of ranch, which is high in saturated fat and calories.
- You’re using clean ingredients: Tzatziki uses nutritionally beneficial ingredients like lemon juice, herbs, cucumbers, and almond milk. Ranch dressing uses highly processed mayonnaise and high-fat sour cream.
Psst – You’ll be motivated to cut processed foods after reading this post: What Happens When You Stop Eating Processed Food? | 10 Things You’ll Notice.
Is Tzatziki Sauce Good For Weight Loss?
Yes, this healthy version of Tzatziki sauce is good for weight loss. And an excellent choice for a low-calorie and nutritionally dense dip.
It’s also a creamy and low-calorie option that’s filling, so it helps keep you from reaching for less healthy snacks.
Want more good snacks for weight loss? check out this post: My Fave High Protein Snacks For Weight Loss
What Goes Well With Healthy Tzatziki Sauce?
Lots of things go well with Tzatziki sauce! It can serve as a refreshing dip, a sandwich spread, and/or a sauce for proteins!
The light and tangy flavor lends itself well to balancing out rich entrees. That’s why it’s paired with grilled meats so often. And let’s be real…Tzatziki is fun to say and looks great on a veggie platter! Serve it up with some of my homemade crispy pita chips.
Here are some great pairing options:
- Rack of Lamb
- Spinach and Feta Burgers
- Healthy Chicken Meatballs With Sautéed Zucchini
- Baked Carrot Fries | No Sugar!
- Baked Almond Chicken Strips
How Long Does Tzatziki Last In The Fridge?
Tzatziki sauce can last for around 3-4 days in the fridge. Store it in an airtight container to keep it fresh. When freezing, you can keep your Tzatziki sauce in the freezer for up to 3 months. Just know that its texture can begin to change the longer it’s frozen.
More Healthy Sauce Recipes
For those of you that like to keep things saucy, here are some of my other favorite recipes.
- 4 Ingredient Homemade Alfredo Sauce (That You’d Never Guess Was Healthy!)
- Healthy Pesto Sauce | Ready in Less Than 5 Minutes!
- Healthy Black Bean Hummus Recipe
- Beet Hummus (So Colorful and Nutritious!)
- The Best Healthy Teriyaki Sauce | 7 Simple Ingredients
- Cauliflower Cheese Sauce
- How to Make Roasted Tomato Sauce
- Sweet BBQ Sauce
This post contains affiliate links for products I use regularly and highly recommend.
Light, refreshing, tangy, and ultra-healthy. In this post, you'll learn how easy it is to make Tzatziki sauce and the many ways you can enjoy it. See how this clean and delicious recipe can level up your sauce game!
- 1/2 cup raw cashews soaked in water
- 1 tbsp tahini
- 1 clove garlic whole
- 3/4 cups cucumber (1/2 large), diced
- 1 tbsp hemp seeds
- 2 tbsp unsweetened almond milk, plus more as needed
- 2 tsp fresh dill
- 2 tsp Italian parsley
- 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
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In a food processor, combine the soaked cashews, tahini, garlic, cucumber, hemp seeds, almond milk, fresh dill, Italian parsley, lemon juice, sea salt, and black pepper and process until smooth.
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the mixture should we thick, but pourable.
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To loosen, add more milk, as needed.
Your written recipe is missing the greek yogurt?
Hi Lisa, thank you for your comment! One of the things Lacey wanted to focus on here was that it is a dairy-free Tzatziki Sauce. We realize that the blog content mentioned Greek Yogurt quite a bit so we just updated that. Sorry for any confusion and thank you again for pointing this out!
(That being said, you are welcome to add in a little Greek Yogurt if that suits you!)