Cacik (Turkish Yoghurt with Cucumbers)

Cacik is a delicious and refreshing Turkish Yogurt dish made with cucumbers & herbs, a very similar dip to its Greek cousin known as "tzatziki". This wonderful dip is very easy to prepare, ready in just 10 minutes, and only needs a few fridge ingredients.

Jump to:

• Cacik vs Tzatziki
• Why This Recipe Works?
• Ingredients and Substitutes
• Step-by-Step Instructions
• Related Recipes
• Top Tip From the Chef
• Cacik (Turkish Yoghurt with Cucumbers)

Cacik is also known as "Tarator" (a simple meze of yoghurt, walnut, and vinegar) in the Balkans and Southeast Europe, and is usually served as a cold appetizer, a part of meze selection, as a dip, a cold soup, or even as a sauce.

Cucumbers and yoghurt are the two main ingredients to make this refreshing yoghurt and cucumber dip. Other ingredients such as olive oil, salt, herbs (mint, dill, parsley), garlic, and water are optional and totally up to your personal taste.

Cacik vs Tzatziki

• Turkish Cacik is typically served as a cooling soup during summer, either alone or as a side dish to hot food. It can also, however, be served thicker and more similar to tzatziki, like a cacik dip. Greek Tzatziki is always served as a meze, or as a side dish. The cucumber is grated, salted and then squeezed off most of its water, ensuring a thick and spreadable dip.

• Turkish Cacik usually uses dried mint, fresh mint and sometimes dill and rarely lemon juice as a flavouring. Greek Tzatziki is heavier on dill and lemon juice and also uses oregano as a flavouring.

Why This Recipe Works?

• This Turkish yoghurt recipe is very easy to make, ready in 15 minutes and only requires a few basic ingredients you might already have in hand.

• It is perfect to serve as a cooling soup on hot summer days, a great addition to your Turkish meze spread or a side dish to most barbecued and grilled meats, vegetables and casserole dishes.

• This Turkey's most loved yoghurt recipe is also very healthy and only contains 124 kcal per portion.

Ingredients and Substitutes

• Yoghurt - You can use a thick strained Turkish yoghurt (süzme yoghurt) or Greek yoghurt to achieve a rich & creamy texture. You can then add a tiny bit of cold water and beat it if you want to make it thinner.

• Cucumbers - Use fresh cucumbers that are firm and bright in color. I prefer using mini cucumbers or Persian cucumbers as they have a better flavor, are slightly sweeter with tender skins, and contain less water than regular English cucumbers. However, half a regular English cucumber will work too as long as you peel and remove the seeds before grating them!

• Dried mint - It is a staple in Turkish cuisine and I use it in many Turkish recipes such as Yaprak Sarma - Dolma (Stuffed Grape Leaves), Mucver (Courgette Fritters), and Kapuska (Turkish Cabbage Stew). It has a stronger aroma and flavor compared to fresh mint and tastes great with yogurt.

• Fresh Herbs - I use a mixture of dill and mint but you can also use parsley or oregano if you prefer. Adjust the amount to your taste.

• Olive oil - I add olive oil to give this yogurt dish a creamier texture but you can omit it if you prefer.

Step-by-Step Instructions

This is a very simple, straightforward recipe and to achieve the best results, you need to follow a few simple steps:

• Peel and grate the cucumbers with the large size of your grater. Alternatively, you can leave the skin on or you can finely chop the cucumber for a crunchier texture. Add the fresh herbs and dried mint to cucumbers.

• Whisk the yogurt, salt, and olive oil together to make a smooth mixture. At this stage, if you want your cacik thin, more like a drink consistency, whisk in some cold water. Add the cucumbers, dried mint, and finely chopped fresh herbs to yogurt, and mix thoroughly until smooth.

• Transfer it to individual bowls and garnish it with some fresh herbs and extra virgin olive oil.

Related Recipes

For more delicious Turkish meze dishes why not try:

• Saksuka (Turkish Aubergine Meze)

• Barbunya (Turkish Style Borlotti Beans)

• Piyaz (Turkish Bean Salad)

• Mediterranean Whipped Feta Dip

• Mercimek Kofte (Lentil Balls)

• Haydari (Turkish Yoghurt Dip)

• Easy Authentic Hummus Recipe

• Mediterranean Green Beans (Taze Fasulye)

• Homemade Pita Bread

• Turkish Shepherd Salad (Coban Salatasi)

• Spicy Ezme (Acili Ezme)

Top Tip From the Chef

Make cacik as late as possible before serving. Once mixed, the cucumbers quickly lose their crunch and the yogurt starts releasing whey.

I hope you enjoy the process of making this cooling Turkish Tzatziki as much as you enjoy eating it! 🙂

Bon appétit! / Afiyet Olsun!

Did you make this recipe?

Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @cookingorgeous on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingorgeous.

FOOD SAFETY

• Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
• Don’t leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
• Never leave cooking food unattended
• Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
• Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove

See more guidelines at USDA.gov.

This post use affiliate links. This means that if you click on them and then buy something, we get a small amount of commission to keep the site running, but it doesn’t cost you anything more.