Haydari (Turkish Yoghurt Dip)

Haydari is a delicious Turkish Yoghurt Dip made with feta cheese, thick strained yogurt, fresh herbs, and chopped walnuts.

This tangy dip is one of the most popular mezes in Turkey and also is widely served in Turkish restaurants with kebabs and Pita Bread along with Ezme Salad (Acili Ezme).

Jump to:

• What is a Meze?
• What is Haydari?
• Difference Between Haydari and Tzatziki
• Why This Recipe Works?
• Ingredients You'll Need
• Step-by-Step Instructions
• Top Tips From the Chef
• Serving Suggestions
• Recipe FAQs
• Related Recipes
• Haydari (Turkish Yoghurt Dip)

What is a Meze?

Meze is a selection of small dishes that are served as appetizers or snacks in Turkish, Mediterranean, and Middle Eastern cuisine.

It is a social dining experience where friends and family gather around a table to share and enjoy different flavors and textures.

Meze can be cold or hot and can include a variety of dishes such as dips (Mutabal - Roasted Eggplant Dip), salads (Ezme Salad - Acili Ezme), seafood (Karides Güveç-Cheesy Baked Shrimps), and vegetables (Saksuka-Turkish Vegetable Meze).

Similar to Spanish tapas, it is a great way to try new foods and experience the rich culinary traditions of the region.

What is Haydari?

Haydari is one of the most popular dips/mezze dishes served in Turkish restaurants.

It is made with strained yogurt, white cheese, garlic, walnuts, and fresh herbs, and has a creamy texture with a tangy and refreshing taste.

It is typically served cold and can be enjoyed as a dip or spread with bread, crackers, or vegetables.

Haydari is a popular dish in Turkish cuisine and is widely available in many Middle Eastern and Mediterranean restaurants around the world.

Difference Between Haydari and Tzatziki

Haydari and tzatziki are both popular meze dips in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisines, but they have some differences in their ingredients and preparation.

Haydari is a Turkish dip made with strained yogurt, feta cheese, garlic, fresh herbs such as dill or mint, and sometimes with walnuts.

Tzatziki (or Cacik in Turkish), on the other hand, is made with strained yogurt, garlic, cucumber, olive oil, and fresh herbs such as dill or mint.

While both dips use yogurt as the main ingredient and have similar flavor profiles, the addition of cucumber and olive oil in tzatziki gives it a distinct taste and texture.

Haydari, on the other hand, has a creamier and nuttier flavor due to the addition of walnuts.

Why This Recipe Works?

• All you need to prepare this tasty meze dish is to gather a few ingredients and mix.

• It is versatile. You can serve Haydari as a part of a meze platter, as a spread on a piece of toast for breakfast, or as a dipping sauce to serve with vegetable crudités, kebabs, and BBQs.

• You can make this simple yogurt dip a couple of days ahead and keep it refrigerated until you need it.

• This delicious and tangy Turkish mezze is extremely easy to make with a few fridge ingredients.

Ingredients You'll Need

Please scroll down to the recipe card below for the full ingredients list with measurements, complete recipe method, recipe notes, and nutritional information.

• Strained yogurt - It is also called sack yogurt, labneh, or kerned yogurt. You can buy them from most of the large supermarkets.

• Feta cheese - I prefer feta cheese made with sheep milk with a high-fat content with a creamy texture.

• Walnuts - It adds extra texture and nuttiness to the dip but you can omit them if you prefer. Lightly toss your walnuts before using them for a more intense flavor.

• Dill - It pairs perfectly with cheese and yogurt. You can use fresh mint alternatively.

• Garlic - Use a fresh garlic clove for this recipe. Fresh garlic is a great flavoring that adds sweetness and nuttiness to dishes. Turn it into a paste with a Mortar and Pestle or grate it using a Microplane Zester.

• Butter - It adds extra richness and body to the dip. Gently melt it with dried mint and some chili flakes before adding it to yogurt. You can substitute it with EVOO.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Making this delicious dip is very simple and straightforward.

However, to achieve the best results you need to follow a few simple steps:

Place the feta cheese in a bowl and turn it into a paste using a fork.

The texture of the cheese has an effect on the texture of the dip so the creamier the cheese better is the dip.

Add the yogurt, garlic purée, finely chopped dill, and walnuts to the bowl and mix well. You can replace the dill with mint or use both together.

Gently melt the butter (or heat the olive oil if not using butter) on low heat in a small saucepan and add the dry mint along with the chili flakes.

Allow 5 minutes to infuse the oil with mint and chili.

Transfer the yogurt and feta mixture into a serving bowl and garnish with chili flakes or a drizzle of olive oil.

Enjoy it with our delicious Turkish Chicken Shish Kebab and fluffy Bazlama (Turkish Flatbread).

Top Tips From the Chef

• If you can't find thick strained yogurt, you can make your own by putting normal yogurt into a cheesecloth and waiting for a few hours until you get rid of the excess water in the yogurt.

• Use fresh garlic for the best flavor, and add it gradually to adjust to your taste preference.

• You can skip the walnuts if you want a smoother texture.

• Allow the Haydari to chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld together.

Serving Suggestions

You can serve this tangy yogurt dish as a dipping sauce for crudités, Homemade Wheat Tortilla Bread, or Greek Pita Bread.

Or serve it with kebabs or BBQ dishes such as BBQ Garlic Butter Prawns, Adana Kebap (Adana Kofte), Patlican Kebabi - Eggplant Kebab, and Tas Kebabi - Turkish Beef Stew.

You can also use it as a spread to make wraps or sandwiches.

It also tastes great on a slice of Homemade Sandwich Bread for a quick breakfast.

Recipe FAQs

Related Recipes

For more delicious dip/mezze recipes why not try:

Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out! Leave a comment below and tag @cookingorgeous on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingorgeous.

I hope you enjoy the process of making this delicious Turkish yogurt dip Haydari as much as you enjoy eating it! 🙂 

Bon appétit! / Afiyet olsun!

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