Yogurt Dill Sauce

Name: Yogurt Dill Sauce
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh dill; 1 small garlic clove, minced; 1 cup plain Greek yogurt (preferably full-fat); 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil; 1 teaspoon lemon juice, or to taste; 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste; 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste; 1 - 2 tablespoons water (optional); 1 - 2 tablespoons mayonnaise (optional)

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This yogurt dill sauce is just the thing when you want to pep up some plain roasted veggies, salmon, or potatoes. And, you can also use it as an easy appetizer dip! It can be made ahead of time and it only takes about 10 minutes to prep!

Yogurt Dill Sauce with bread and veggies

Do you ever wish you had an "extra something" to kick up your plain dinner just a notch or two? I often feel that way when I do a simple pan-seared chicken or fish, or am rocking some basic grilled veggies. For that finishing touch to take your meal to the next level, you have to try this easy yogurt dill sauce!

You only need a handful of ingredients and ten minutes (or less!) prep time. And, you can even customize the sauce to suit your own needs. Leave it thick and use it as a dip, or thin it out for that perfect drizzling consistency. This sauce is so flavorful, you'll find ways to add it to everything! (You can even try it on these quick and easy home fries!)

Recipe ingredients

Ingredients for Yogurt Dill Sauce with text overlay

Ingredient notes

Greek yogurt: I prefer using full-fat Greek yogurt for this sauce, it gives a wonderfully thick consistency and creamy texture. You can sub low-fat Greek yogurt if you want, or even regular yogurt. See the FAQ section below for more discussion on using regular yogurt.
Olive oil: I like to use extra virgin olive oil because it has the most flavor, but if you don't have it, regular olive oil would also work ok.
Mayonnaise: this is optional, and only if you want your sauce to have a bit of extra creamy richness.

Step by step photos

1. Finely chop the dill.

fresh dill being finely chopped on grey cutting board

2. Crush or mince the clove of garlic.

garlic press with crushed garlic on the outside

3. Next, add all the ingredients to a bowl (besides optional water and mayo).

yogurt dill sauce ingredients in white bowl with wooden spoon

4. Then mix the yogurt dill sauce together until smooth.

5. If you want to thin the sauce out, add a little bit of water at a time until you're happy with the consistency. You can also add a tablespoon or two of mayo for an extra creamy sauce!

mayo being mixed into sauce in white bowl

6. Taste the sauce and add more salt, black pepper, and/or lemon juice to adjust the sauce to your tastes.

pepper mill grinding pepper into yogurt sauce

Tips and tricks

You can adjust the thickness of the yogurt dill sauce by adding in more or less water (or no water at all for an extra thick sauce). A thicker sauce is good for dipping, a thinner sauce is good for drizzling! Below you can see the texture of the sauce: (1) as-is, with no water added; (2) with one tablespoon of water; and (3) with two tablespoons of water added.

scoop of thick yogurt dill sauce on wooden spoon — *(1) Sauce with no water added*

spoonful of yogurt dill sauce that has been slightly thinned with water — *(2) Sauce with 1 tablespoon of water added*

spoonful of thinnest yogurt dill sauce — *(3) Sauce with 2 tablespoons of water added*

If you have the time, I recommend making the sauce a few hours ahead or even the night before. The flavor of the dill and garlic really intensifies as it sits in the fridge!
And, use only a small garlic clove, because the flavor of raw garlic can become quite strong (unless you really like garlic!) Also, make sure to mince the garlic finely so as not to get a big chunk of raw garlic in your mouth. A garlic press is useful here if you have one.

Recipe FAQs

Can I use regular yogurt?

I think Greek yogurt works best, but I've also made this sauce with regular yogurt before and it's still delicious. It will be thinner and maybe even a little bit tangier in flavor. The texture is similar to the third picture of the thinned out sauce above.

Can I use dried dill?

Fresh dill is preferred, since the dill flavor is so front-and-center. But, if all you have is dried and you want to make the sauce, substitute the fresh dill with 1 tablespoon of dried dill. And, I highly recommend letting the sauce sit the fridge for at least an hour or two to allow the dried dill to start to reconstitute in the yogurt, and for the flavor to begin to incorporate throughout the sauce.

Can I make yogurt dill sauce ahead of time?

Yes you can, and in fact, as I explained in the tips and tricks section above, I prefer to make it a day ahead because the flavors become more pronounced as it sits.

To make the sauce ahead of time, just tightly cover it and store it in the fridge. It will keep for 3 - 4 days. But, for the freshest flavor, I like to eat it within 1 - 2 days. Freezing isn't recommended, but I doubt you will have any leftovers!

What can I serve with yogurt dill sauce?

There are so many things you can do with this sauce! Leave the sauce thicker to use as a dip for raw veggies and cubes of bread (this makes a great easy appetizer platter!). Or, thin it out more to drizzle it on salmon, grilled chicken, roasted potatoes, or roasted veggies.

yogurt dill sauce in white bowl with dill and yogurt in the background

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