Garlic Yogurt Sauce is a creamy yogurt sauce with a subtle garlic tang! Using everyday ingredients, it takes minutes to make. Yogurt garlic sauce pairs well with everything from kebabs to lamb, chicken and salads. It's a whole lot of yum in one easy sauce!
Recipes like my Mustard Yogurt Sauce, Parsley Yogurt Sauce and Basil Yogurt Sauce are super delicious! The Spicy Yogurt sauce and Horseradish Yogurt Sauce call for potatoes!
Pair them with recipes like the Air Fryer Jerk Chicken, Air Fryer Chicken Skewers or Air Fryer Chicken Legs for dishes that rock your socks off!
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Recipe Highlights
I have summarised the reasons why I think you will come to love this recipe in the points below:
- Simple ingredients, maximum flavour: garlic and yogurt are a heaven sent combo that brings both texture and flavor recipes.
- Quick and easy: if you have the ingredients and 5 mins, you can make this recipe. It comes together very quickly and there is little to no effort involved.
- Versatile: you can use it for drizzling, dipping, dolloping or dunking on all your favorites and then some!
- Lasts a week: once you have made this sauce, you can keep it in the fridge for up to 1 week. Store it in a sealed container for maximum flavour during the week without using a store bought sauce.
Ingredients
Everything you need to make the sauce is shown in the photo below. Each are simple ingredients and easy to find! Please refer to the printable recipe card for exact measurements.
As you can see, the recipe calls for:
- Greek Yogurt (can use low fat): this thick smooth yogurt is perfect to use in dips, sauces and more! It has a creamy texture and blends very well with other ingredients.
- Lemon (some juice of): you can use a fresh lemon or bottled lemon juice if you don't have a fresh one. The flavour will be much the same and bottled juice saves you running out for one ingredient if you don't have a fresh lemon.
- Garlic (peeled and end cut off): one of the best ingredients ever yo cook with! Use fresh cloves if you have them, or minced garlic as an alternative.
- Salt and pepper: we use a little of both of these to season the sauce. Regular table salt is perfectly fine to use!
Whilst the lemon juice is optional, I find that what it delivers to the sauce is almost essential.
If you look at the photos, you will see that I recommend simply squeezing the lemon over the sauce as a way of imparting that ingredient into the dish. You only need 2-3 squeezes and taste as you go to hit the spot.
Instructions
Here are the step by step instructions to make this sauce. You will need a food processor with a sharp blade to begin as we prepare the garlic (not the shred but the dice blade).
- Add garlic, salt and pepper to food processor (Photo 1)
- Blitz for 2-3 seconds (Photo 2)
- Dollop in Greek Yogurt (Photo 3)
- Squeeze in some lemon juice (Photo 4)
You can use minced garlic if you have it and don't have full cloves of garlic.
If using the full cloves, as shown in the images above, you need to blitz it 1st. Otherwise you end up with whole cloves of garlic in the yoghurt with the texture of the yogurt to thick to allow the food processor blade to do its job in blitzing it.
In the photos above you will see the sauce coming together.
It is a simple process of combining ingredients, but with a few tips and tricks to ensure saucy deliciousness!
When adding the lemon juice, taste it as you go, I find that 2-3 squeezes of one ½ lemon delivers spot on citrus tang!
Serving Suggestions
This sauce is friendly and social and works well with many recipes on the blog. You might like to pair it with:
- Dry Rub Air Fryer Chicken Wings
- Air Fryer Jerk Chicken
- Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Drumsticks
- Mexican Fries (Mexican Loaded Fries)
- Air Fryer Chicken Skewers
- Air Fryer Roast Chicken
- Easy Air Fryer Chicken Legs
- Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Wings
- Air Fryer Frozen Onion Rings
You can serve it on the side, in a small bowl, or get your drizzle on. Served with chicken, you will be licking your fingers clean!
In the photo below you can see the partnership of this sauce with the Air Fryer Beef Kabobs, it's a heaven sent match that works.
With a match like the above, you get the benefit of savory, garlic sauces to marinate chicken or fish as well as smooth subtle creaminess for edible delight!
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the best sauce for kebabs?
Garlic yogurt sauce makes the best ever sauce for kebabs. The simple combination without any sweetness offers a creamy savory melt in your mouth accompaniment to juicy kebabs that works!
What happens if you put lemon juice in yogurt?
Adding lemon juice to yoghurt is a good way to infuse more flavour into the natural flavor of the yogurt.
We only need a couple of squeezes of half one lemon to tick the citrus tang box.
For this recipe, I don't recommend juicing the lemon and adding that to the sauce as it would simply overwhelm the dish and be too tart!
There is a time and a place for tart flavours but that time is not here and that dish is not this one!
Garlic yogurt sauce for chicken, lamb and kebabs?
For serving suggestions for this sauce, I highly recommend pairing with kebabs, chicken and lamb.
You can see in the photos throughout the post, I am serving it with both a herb salad and beef skewers.
If you have a look at the Air Fryer Jerk Chicken, you will see how it pairs with that recipe also.
More Homemade Sauce Recipes
If you love making homemade sauces, I can recommend the following combos of yum:
- Herbed Yogurt Sauce
- Horseradish Yogurt Sauce
- Parsley Yogurt Sauce
- Lemon Yogurt Sauce
- Sweet Chilli Mayo
- Cilantro Lime Yogurt Sauce
- Basil Yogurt Sauce
- Spicy Yogurt Sauce
Or check out all Homemade Sauce recipes on the blog.
Adrianne xx
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📖 Recipe
Garlic Yogurt Sauce
Equipment
- 1 Food processor
- 1 Spatula
Ingredients
- 1 cup Greek Yogurt
- 3 cloves garlic skin peeled and end cut off
- ½ teaspoon cracked pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ lemon 2-3 squeezes of the juice
Instructions
- Add garlic, salt and pepper to the bowl of a food processor, blitz for 2-3 seconds to combine
- Dollop in yogurt and blitz for 2- 3 seconds till combined
- Cut lemon in half and squeeze one half into sauce 2-3 times, discard any pips. Place lid back on food processor and blitz for 2 -3 seconds to combine
- Recipe makes 1 cup of sauce, store in fridge in air tight container for 7-10 days. Not suitable to freeze
Notes
- Note 1 I recommend cutting the lemon in half, squeezing that half over the combined yogurt, garlic, salt and pepper 2 -3 times. This is a different approach to juicing the lemon and adding it as the flavor would be far too tart if we did that! Taste as you go and opt for subtle citrus not smack in the face citrus.
Nutrition
Published July 2021, updated October 2022 to make it easier for you to read 😁.
Trevor says
We have been looking for a simple dressing for barbeques and will try this, sounds easy.
Adrianne says
Thanks Trevor! I hope you enjoy it. Cheers
Seema Sriram says
We do a slightly different version of garlic yogurt sauce to pair with our cauliflower steaks. It tastes delicious, that we need more of the sauce than the bake, SO I am very sure your recipe will be finger licking good too.
Adrianne says
Thanks Seema, I enjoyed reading your comment. How good are cauliflower steaks, nom nom!