The Best Store-Bought Tzatziki Sauce Comes From A Popular Brand

Making tzatziki at home isn't a taxing job. Simply combine yogurt with chopped herbs, garlic, and seasonings to make a luscious dip that's perfect for drizzling over your favorite baked falafel, spooning onto souvlaki, or serving with crudites. That said, when you're busy making a batch of Greek koftas, a store-bought tzatziki is a great time saver; just make sure you select a quality one! In our opinion, the best store-bought tzatziki comes from the popular brand Boar's Head. Coming in at number one in our ranking of seven tzatziki brands, we'd buy it without complaint.

Boar's Head tzatziki features very simple ingredients and no artificial colors, making it as close as you can get to a homemade tzatziki dip. You'll find Greek yogurt, which lends it a satisfyingly creamy consistency, cucumbers that give it a cooling vibe, aromatic dill, garlic, and vinegar in the recipe. This combination of fresh ingredients creates a dip with a balanced flavor and delectable texture that's neither too thick nor too thin. Plus, the little flecks of green from the chopped dill give it a classic Greek tzatziki appearance. However, the yogurt itself is thickened with tapioca starch. This is unusual, given that this dairy product is naturally concentrated through several rounds of straining. A preservative called natamycin is also added to the tzatziki to maximize its shelf life.x

While tzatziki is supposed to have a garlicky quality, it shouldn't have a harshness to it (the yogurt mellows out some of its bite without masking it completely). Boar's Head delivered on this, which allowed the natural flavor of the cucumber and yogurt to shine. The overall taste was harmonious and well-rounded, providing plenty of flexibility to use it as a dip for chips, a creamy spread in sammies and wraps, or a cooling condiment for dolloping onto gyros and more. You can also use tzatziki as a marinade; the acid in the yogurt tenderizes strands of protein in meat and chicken more gently than other stronger acids (such as lemon juice), lending them a softer and juicier texture that's packed with flavor to boot. If your store-bought dip is too thick, thin it down with a dash of milk before using it to coat your protein of choice.

The worst store-bought tzatziki we tried came from Trader Joe's because it was overpowered by garlic and mint. While mint (versus dill) is often used in tzatziki to give it an aromatic and cooling vibe, it was simply overwhelming in this case. Other yogurt-based dips featuring mint and cucumber include the Persian dish mast-o-khiar and the Turkish cacik. However, if you're after a milder option, consider Pakistani raita, which can be made without herbs and features yogurt, cucumber, and ground cumin.