This creamy vegan tzatziki is made with cashews and refreshing cucumber for the best tzatziki ever! Ideal as a sauce, dip or spread.
This vegan tzatziki is my new favorite thing!
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.
Tzatziki traditionally 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, 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.
Serving Suggestions
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
This vegan tzatziki 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 Spinach Artichoke Dip
- Vegan Tahini Sauce
- Vegan Nacho Cheese
- Vegan Queso
- Vegan Chipotle Sauce
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Vegan Tzatziki
Ingredients
- 1 cup Raw Cashews (150g)
- ¾ cup Water (180ml)
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
- 2 teaspoons Crushed Garlic
- 1 cup Peeled Grated Cucumber Divided
- 1 Tablespoon Dried Dill
- ¼ cup Fresh Mint chopped
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon 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
- Cashews – it’s not necessary to soak your cashews first if you have a high speed blender. If you don’t have a high speed blender then it’s best to soak them first. Place them into a bowl and pour boiling water over the top and let them soak for 10-15 minutes to soften up and make them easier to blend.
- Storing: 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 was delicious. I have a high speed blender but prefer to. Plan to look around your site and try out some other things. Soak the cashews anyway. Served with seitan shwarma. My guests said this was the best tzatziki they had ever had and were amazed it was cashew. I hope to share this many times.
Thanks so much for your great review Judith!
I don’t see anything about soaking the cashews, do I need to soak them before blending?
Hi Sara. As the recipe notes indicate, it’s not necessary to soak your cashews first if you have a high speed blender. If you don’t have a high speed blender then it’s best to soak them first. Place them into a bowl and pour boiling water over the top and let them soak for 10-15 minutes to soften up and make them easier to blend.
Delicious.
I used sunflower seeds instead of cashews (soaked and drained them after measuring).
Everyone loved it on our seitan gyros.
Thank you!
Thanks so much for the awesome review Eric!
Hi Alison, I really dislike dill. Am thinking of making this without it but wondered if you might have an alternative suggestion? Thanks.
Hi Susan, I think it would be just fine without the dill. The fresh mint and cucumber provide plenty of flavor. 🙂
This is so delicious I made it earlier. I wanted to make your Vegan Gyros and of course this tzatziki. Was at the store the other day gathering the ingredients and saw a vegan tzatziki in the store, but because I already had the ingredients in my cart I thought no way. Wanted to try yours and I was not disappointed. I don’t usually comment on recipes but I just had to this time. Thank you for sharing your recipes.
So glad you enjoyed it Lees! Thanks so much for posting!
Hi Alison! I can’t wait to make this tomorrow night! My question is can I substitute liquid mint flavoring and how many drops do you think? I’ve got fresh dill to put in. Thank you!
Hi Sarah, you can just leave out the mint altogether in that case, it will be just as delicious with the cucumber and dill. All the best!