Vegan Tzatziki
42 Comments
Updated Apr 28, 2023
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Vegan tzatziki is a cashew-based, dairy-free tzatziki that tastes amazingly similar to the traditional version. It’s light, creamy, fresh, and filled with cucumber and dill. And believe me when I say, it’s so good it will easily fool non-vegans as well.
Tzatziki has been a long time favorite of mine. It’s an ultra refreshing dip that’s a staple in Mediterranean cuisine. But if you’re vegan or looking for a dairy-free option, you’re in luck. With the help of raw cashews, this vegan tzatziki comes together in a snap.
What’s In Vegan Tzatziki?
If you’ve been following Downshiftology for a while, you’ve probably noticed my love for cashews. They’ve got this magical ability to transform into creamy, dairy-like recipes such as my vegan caramel cheesecake or vegan alfredo sauce.
In this recipe, we’re swapping greek yogurt for cashews. But don’t worry, it won’t taste like a puddle of blended cashews. In fact, I’d say it tastes just like traditional tzatziki but just a smidge lighter. Here’s what you’ll need to make it.
- Cashews – Make sure to use raw cashews and not roasted and salted.
- Water – To blend with the cashews for the ultimate creaminess.
- Lemon Juice – For that bright pop fresh flavor.
- Cucumber – The star ingredient in tzatziki.
- Garlic – Just one garlic clove creates a lot of flavor when it’s blended.
- Dill – Chopped dill adds herb-y goodness.
- Salt – A small amount for seasoning.
Vegan Tzatziki Couldn’t Be Any Easier To Make
All you need for this recipe is a blender, sieve, and a little time to chill.
- Soak. Make sure to soak your cashews overnight. Then drain and rinse well the day of.
- Blend. Add the cashews, water, lemon juice, and garlic to a blender and blend for 1-2 minutes, until it’s nice and creamy.
- Squeeze. Place the shredded cucumber in a fine mesh sieve and press it down to remove the liquid. You can also use a nut milk bag.
- Stir. In a mixing bowl, add the cashew mixture, drained cucumber, dill and salt. Then give everything a stir.
- Chill. Let the mixture chill for about 30 minutes before serving. This will allow the flavors to meld together beautifully.
Ways To Use This Dip
This dip is perfect as a fresh and easy snack. But you can use it for just about anything and any meal.
- Appetizer: Spread it onto my falafel flatbread, or serve with tabbouleh.
- Snack: Dip it with fresh veggies, seed crackers, plantain chips, or cassava flour tortilla chips.
- Main Meal: Drizzle on falafels, Buddha bowls, or roasted vegetables, like broccoli.
Storing and Make Ahead Options
For the best texture and flavor, let this chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes to an hour before serving. This gives it time to cool after blending and lets the flavors meld together.
Have leftovers? Just store it in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days in the fridge.
More Healthy Vegan Snacks
Don’t look past a few of these tasty, plant-based snacks. They’re filling, have tons of flavor, and will please any crowd.
Vegan Tzatziki Recipe
Description
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked 4-6 hours (or overnight)
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 medium cucumber, peeled and shredded
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Soak your cashews overnight. Then drain and thoroughly rinse them.
- Blend the cashews, water, lemon juice and garlic in a high-powered blender for 1-2 minutes, or until creamy.
- Place the shredded cucumber in a fine mesh sieve over a bowl and press down to remove excess liquid. Alternatively, you could use a nut milk bag to sqeeze out the liquid.
- Pour the cashew mixture into a mixing bowl. Add the drained cucumber, dill and salt, then stir together to combine.
- Chill for 30 minutes before serving.
Lisa’s Tips
- Note that the mixture will thicken a bit after it’s fully cooled.
- These are the raw cashews I buy in bulk for all of my vegan sauce recipes.
Nutrition
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Can this be frozen?
Hi Brooke – It’s best not to store this in the freezer as it can change the texture.
Thanks for the reply. I made it with celery instead of cucumber – it was fine when I pulled it out of the freezer the next week for the Academy Awards party! Everyone LOVED it :)
Hi Brooke – Wonderful! Glad to hear that.
Perfect vegan tzatziki. Thank you for using dill! Everyone I know uses mint, but I find dill sooooo much better.
I think dill is a must for tzatziki!
Will this recipe survive the freezer?
Yes, it will!
How much is “half a cucumber?” there are a ton of cucumbers out there. English, watery, persian, etc.
Use an English cucumber for this recipe.
This is so delicious! Thank you Lisa! I like i =t even more than the normal dairy version!!
WOW this is an awesome recipe it tastes just like a dairy based tzatziki. I let it sit overnight so the flavours could blend together. Thank you so much my dinner guests never knew lol!
Glad everyone enjoyed this tzatziki recipe Victoria!
Delicious! Easy. Thank you!
Just tried it.
Super duper.
Very similar tasting as the tzatziki with the Greek yogurt, which i cannot eat anymore.
Thank you
Glad you enjoyed this vegan version!
AMAZING! So much better than the recipes that use coconut milk. I didn’t have fresh dill so used about 3/4 T of dried dill. I have a Vitamix blender so dumped the cup of cashews into the blender, covered with just-boiled water, waited 10 min (while dealing with the cucumber), drained, rinsed in cold water, drained again and threw back into the blender with other ingredients as outlined. This recipe is a treasure, as are many of Lisa’s recipes. Thanks for sharing Lisa!
Glad this recipe came together with dried dill instead!
Made this for the first time last night to go over a lentil greens rice bowl. It was delicious! Cashews make such good vegan dip/sauce substitutes. I added a small amount of lemon peel and mint on a whim and it seemed to work. Will definitely be making again.
Sounds so delicious over a lentil green bowl Molly! Glad you enjoyed this vegan tzatziki :)
Made this while on Whole 30… so tasty and refreshing!
Wonderful! Glad you enjoyed this recipe Jordan :)
Made this last night with the Vitamix food processor. Since I had already dirtied it to finely shred the cucumber (which it did perfectly), I decided I might as well make the whole thing in the food processor. It was not perfectly creamy like yours appears (still great), so I think the blender would have done a better job. I’ll try that next time. This was delicious and the best part is that I don’t have to worry about being doubled over with cramps from lactose. Ate it with cucumber and carrot spears, and it refrigerated well and is just as good today, did not separate at all.
Glad this turned out perfectly in the Vitamix Jen!
I made this vegan tzatziki sauce to pair with Lisa’s falafel recipe. Such a great combo. I always prefer tzatziki with falafel over tahini. This was my first time trying vegan tzatziki and I thought it turned out very well. It’s creamy and delicious. I did bump up the garlic because I can never have too much garlic but that’s the only thing I modified. Will definitely be making this again!
You can never have too much garlic in my opinion! Happy to hear you enjoyed this vegan version :)
This truly is the BEST vegan tzatziki ever! I am not vegan, but I cannot eat dairy due to food intolerances and this was SO delicious! My husband (who can eat dairy) absolutely LOVED this! Thank you so much for yet another amazing recipe, Lisa!
Thrilled to hear you finally found a dairy-free tzatziki that’s a win Andrea!
I put this on my spiralized zucchini & carrots as I had some of it frozen but no fresh cucumbers or avocados. It was spectacular- Thank you
Wonderful! Sounds great over spiralized zucchini and carrots :)
I tried this today, turned out so delicious and my family loved it to the core. The cashew and the lemon juice replicated the original version. Thanks, sharing.
Wonderful! I agree, this definitely almost tastes like the real thing :)
I LOVE tzatziki, so this is definitely something I’ll be trying out. Your recipe looks super fresh! Love it!
Thanks Jeannette! Can’t wait for you to try this one :)
How cool and refreshing is that? I can’t wait to share with my friends and family who are vegan.
Hi Pam- This is the perfect dip or sauce for any of your vegan friends and family :)
This dip sounds amazingly delicious! I think I will double the recipe once I make it :)
Hi Irina- Definitely worth doubling up and keeping in the fridge to use for multiple meals!
Love how easy this looks to make and that you made it with raw cashews! So good!
Hi Suzy- Raw cashews work wonders for creamy recipes! Glad you enjoyed this one.
FWIW, the voiceover in the YouTube video says to add grated zucchini to this recipe. Thought you’d want to know.
Love the new video!
Thanks Theresa! Yes, sorry about that – I must have had zucchini on the brain. Lol. I did add a correction note on the video, but I’ll add it here as well. :)