A vegan take on the classic made in a Vitamix

Tzatziki is one of those sauces that you crave. There are times when asked what I want for dinner my only thought is tzatziki. Not Greek food, but tzatziki specifically.

Traditionally this sauce (that moonlights as a dip) is made with a yogurt base. And that just doesn’t jive with our vegan lifestyle. So we veganized it!

We threw the traditional ingredients into our Vitamix with some substitutions and recreated this classic tangy Greek dip. It’ a Vitamix recipe we really love.

It’s vegan tzatziki.

Go make some. Opa!

This sauce/dip is good on everything

In college, my friends and I took bets on how long it would take someone to guess my nationality on nights out. Without fail, Greek would be one of the first two guesses.

Since then, I have fully embraced my fabricated identity and Greek food is among one of my favorites.

When I traveled to Greece I had been a vegetarian for more than a decade. I was worried about my dining options in a meat-heavy country (especially during Easter goat roast season). I had tried and loved tzatziki sauce before so decided to stick with that. I must have eaten tzatziki and pita as a meal 10+ times over the course of a week.

Did I get sick of it?

No!

I would happily have taken a bath in the stuff (too much information?)

My love affair with tzatziki is still strong, but doesn’t fit with our weekday vegan lifestyle (we still indulge occasionally on weekends).

But we didn’t want to live without it (because life is just not worth living without tzatziki sauce?) So we messed around in our kitchen until we came up with a comparable substitution.

Luckily it was super easy to make in our Vitamix and is equally as tasty as the original!

Recipe

Vegan Tzatziki

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• Yield: 3 cups (700 mL)
• You're needed for: 5 minutes
• Until it's done: 01h 05min
• 5 out of 5 based on 2 user ratings
• Shalva Gale

A vegan take on the classic tangy Greek dip/sauce.

Ingredients:

• olive oil or red wine vinegar - 2 tbsp (30 mL)
• tofu - third of a pack or 5 oz. (140 g)
• cashews (soaked) - 1 cup (150 g)
• lemon - 1/4 whole with peel
• garlic - 4-6 cloves
• cucumber - 1 whole with skin
• dill - 1 1/2 Tbsp. (22 g)
• salt & pepper - to taste
• OPTIONAL
• mint - 8-10 leaves

Instructions:

PREP

1. Soak cashews overnight if possible
2. If not, soak in hot water for 10-15 min

BLEND

1. Add ingredients in order listed above using just half of the cucumber
2. Blend on high for 30 seconds
3. Add the other half of the cucumber (and mint if you’re using it)
4. Pulse on high 5 times, you want to leave some texture

SERVE

1. Refrigerate for an hour before serving (if possible)
2. Use as a sauce or dip
3. Keep refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week
4. Snap a picture and tag #lifeisNOYOKE
5. Enjoy!

Useful tips for Vegan Tzatziki

I wanted to make a small batch, so I used our 32-ounce container on top of our Vitamix Pro 750.

The only prep necessary is to soak the cashews. If you have the foresight, do it overnight. If not, soak them in hot water for 10-15 minutes.

You can use either olive oil or red wine vinegar as your liquid base depending on how tart you like your tzatziki (use red wine vinegar if you’re watching your calories).

The traditional dip does not have mint, but if you’re able to find some fresh we suggest using it.

Making this for a Mediterranean dinner party? Might as well make some Sun Dried Tomato Basil Hummus too!