This vegan tzatziki is creamy, saucy and ideal as a sauce, dip or spread. It’s made with cashews and refreshing cucumber for the most divine tzatziki ever!
This vegan tzatziki is my new favorite thing!
Jaye was testing the heck out of this recipe so we have been eating it for weeks now and I have no complaints at all. What a time it’s been! ????
It makes a wonderful dip or sauce and it has such a deliciously fresh taste from the cucumber that you’ll just fall in love with it.
Traditional tzatziki uses greek yogurt as the base. We considered using a vegan coconut yogurt for this but decided on cashews instead. The reason being, cashews are simply wonderful, and pretty much wherever you are in the world, you can probably get cashews. Vegan yogurt….perhaps not.
We tried a version using only pickled cucumbers, which was delicious, but that ended up getting completely knocked out of the park once we tried it with fresh cucumbers.
The fresh cucumbers are combined with cashews, dried dill, fresh mint, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil and some salt and pepper and this creates the most delicious vegan tzatziki!
How to make Vegan Tzatziki
You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
- Add cashews, water, olive oil, lemon juice and garlic to your blender and blend until smooth.
- Add half a cup of peeled grated cucumber and do a quick pulse of the blender so that it’s mixed in but still chunky.
- Pour this out into a bowl and add another half cup of peeled grated cucumber, dried dill, chopped fresh mint, salt and pepper and stir in.
- And your tzatziki is ready to go! You can let it sit in the fridge for an hour or so to let the flavors really blend before serving.
How to serve It
You can enjoy it on pretty much everything! Sandwiches, toast, pita breads, wraps, shawarmas, gyros or as a dip for your veggies or pita breads or over salads.
It’s also amazing served with vegan falafel or with a delicious vegan chickpea burger!
Storing and Freezing
It stays fresh for up to 5 days in the fridge. Some separation may occur, don’t worry this is normal, just stir it up again and enjoy.
It’s not ideal for freezing because the cucumbers in the tzatziki can cause it to become watery once thawed.
More delicious Vegan Dips and Sauces!
- Vegan Spinach Dip
- Vegan Onion Dip
- Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip
- Vegan Tahini Sauce
- Vegan Nacho Cheese
- Vegan Queso
Vegan Tzatziki
Ingredients
- 1 cup Raw Cashews (150g)
- ¾ cup Water (180ml)
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
- 2 tsp Crushed Garlic
- 1 cup Peeled Grated Cucumber Divided
- 1 Tbsp Dried Dill
- ¼ cup Fresh Mint chopped
- ½ tsp Salt
- ¼ tsp Ground Black Pepper
Instructions
- Peel and grate the cucumber and chop the mint. Squeeze the grated cucumber to remove excess water. You can squeeze it with your hands or with a paper towel or dish towel. Set aside.
- Place the cashews, water, olive oil, lemon juice and garlic into your blender and blend until smooth.
- Add in half the grated cucumber and pulse the blender once or twice so that it's mixed in but still chunky.
- Pour it out into a bowl and add the remaining cucumber, dried dill and chopped fresh mint, salt and pepper and stir it in.
- Now it's ready to serve or you can place it into the fridge for an hour for the flavors to blend and get even better!
- Serve it with a sprinkle of dried dill, sliced cucumber and fresh mint leaves.
Video
Notes
- It's not necessary to soak your cashews first unless you know your blender will have a hard time with them. If you need to soak them first, then place into a bowl and pour boiling water over the top and let them soak for 5-10 minutes just to soften up a bit and make them easier to blend.
- Keep leftovers stored in the fridge where they will last for around 5 days. Separation may occur, but this is normal, just stir it. It's not suitable for freezing.
- This recipe was first published in March 2018 and has been updated with new photos and improved method.
I just made the Tzatziki. It’s outstanding! My roommate couldn’t believe there’s no dairy. The problem is, I made too much! I know you said it won’t freeze well, but I guess I have no other option? Thank you so much for a great recipe!
Hi Margo, it might just get a bit watery when thawed because of the cucumber, but that’s not terrible! So definitely freeze it rather than let it go to waste. So happy it came out great! 🙂
If I was to use vegan yogurt as a sub(I have slight nut allergy) how much would I use?
I would go with around 1 and 1/2 cups.
Hi Alison, i’m looking to make this tomorrow to have with some Beyond Mince Kebabs. Is it ok to leave out the garlic (as I don’t eat that or onions) or to substitute with something else? Also, I was just wondering on the amount of dill needed if I was going to be using fresh rather than dried? Thanks in advance. Rik 🙂
Hi Rik, you can definitely leave out the garlic if you prefer, no need to substitute it. And then with fresh dill you can use the same amount (1 Tbsp) or add more to taste. All the best! 🙂
Amazing! Made it yesterday and asked my husband: “What do you think it’s made from”. He says “Cucumber and garlic” (I didn’t have mint available). I say “yes, but what’s the base” He: “How should I know, just some sort of cream”
He had no clue it was made from cashews, and was very surprised to hear it was from nuts.
It was delicious. Thanks for sharing all those great ideas.
Awesome Illona! Thanks for the great review!
Made recipe as stated but added some 1 tablespoon of a mild Apple Cider Vinegar to lessen the sweetness of the cashews. Plan to use tonight on wraps or pitta breads. Yum! ????Thank you for the recipe.
Used fresh dill and prob a little more garlic than the recipe called for, incredible!
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
This is absolutely delicious! Thank you soooooo much.
Yay! Thanks Leanne!
Would dried mint work in this? I live in South Korea and fresh herbs cost an arm and a leg. 🙁
Hi Amanda, I think it would work fine, but you’d need less as it’s more concentrated. Alternatively you can just leave out the mint altogether. 🙂
Another awesome recipe from you, I can always trust you amounts of spices and ingredients. thanks for this recipe, I didn’t have enough cucumbers, so I add zucchini … It’s getting to be that time of year. And just for my tastes I used about half the dill – but that just me. thanks again!
So glad you enjoyed it Diana! Thanks for sharing!
Love this! I can’t eat onion and garlic (and others in that family) so substituted with a tsp of cumin. I think I need to add some chilli to get that bite in place of onion too. Used it as a sauce for wraps with sliced cabbage, cherry tomatoes, fried cubed nut roast and a tahini dressing only I swapped out the garlic and maple syrup for 2 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes.
I have roasted salted cashews. Will they work?
Hi Rachelle, it will change the flavor but it will work if you don’t mind a roasted flavor to it. You also might not need any added salt.
Oh baby, is this the real deal! I’ve made this twice already. I had tried another version using tofu instead of cashews, but it tasted weird to this old Greek girl. Your tzatziki is now in my weekly kitchen toolbox, along with your sour cream and cream cheese. You are a goddess!
So happy to hear that Dena! 🙂
Oh! the temptation! This is the Wow factor!
This is so delicious! I did not have enough cashews so I added some butter beans to get the right consistency. I served the tzatziki with roasted mediterranean veggies on soft flatbread.
That is such a creative addition! I love it! Thanks for sharing Suzette! 🙂
Creamy, smooth and so useful as a vegan dip!