This tangy, bright lemon yogurt sauce takes just five minutes to make! If you can mix two things together, you can make this easy sauce.
It has a creamy, cool texture and pops of acidity from the lemon. It's a great way to cut the heat on spicy food and is an easy substitute for sour cream. Serve it with meat, fish, rice and grains, or vegetables!
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About This Recipe
Any time I've made this simple 4-ingredient lemon yogurt sauce for guests they've asked for the recipe — and are shocked to hear just how basic it is. It just goes to show you don't need a bunch of fancy ingredients to make something taste great!
This cool, zesty lemon sauce is great whipped together quickly to round out so many meals, from homemade tuna cakes to sous vide carnitas.
The lemon flavors in this yogurt sauce work really well with a Mediterranean flavor profile, though it also works well with lots of Mexican and Indian dishes too. It makes sense, given that all of those cuisines have creamy, cool condiments of their own; raita in India, crema in Mexico, and tzatziki in the Middle East/Mediterranean region.
Leave out the lemon zest, and this plain Greek yogurt sauce tastes just like sour cream!
I always have Greek yogurt in my fridge for breakfasts, but I don't always have sour cream on hand. Turning Greek Yogurt into sour cream is one of my favorite practical kitchen tricks!
This is definitely one of those pantry staple recipes you'll want to keep in your back pocket. Once you start making it, you'll find yourself adding it to so many of your favorite recipes!
Ingredient Notes
Here are the ingredients you'll need to make this super easy 5-minute lemon Greek yogurt condiment. See recipe card (at the end of the blog post) for quantities!
- Plain Greek Yogurt - Whole fat plain Greek yogurt has the best flavor and consistency for making this sauce. Greek yogurt is plain yogurt that has had any excess whey or liquid drained out. This means it's thicker and more concentrated. It can take on the acidity of the lemon juice better than its non-Greek or lower fat counterparts. If you can't find whole fat (10%+), just go for the highest fat percentage you can find.
- Fresh Lemon Juice - Lemon juice has a fairly mild lemon flavor — mostly what it adds to this sauce is a fresh, acidic flavor and a subtle lemon flavor. It also helps thin the Greek yogurt into a smooth sauce.
- Fresh Lemon Zest - Lemon zest is what really adds the bright lemon flavor to this sauce. You don't have to include it (I often don't!) but if you really want to amp up the lemon flavors, don't skip it! Leave it out to make this Greek yogurt sauce a replacement for sour cream.
- Salt - I use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt which has larger, airy crystals and is half as salty as other brands. If you're using a different brand of salt, even a different brand of kosher salt, cut the amount of salt in half and adjust to taste.
- Pepper - I like freshly cracked black pepper, but you can use pre-ground black pepper too.
Instructions
It only takes about 5 minutes to make this simple lemon yogurt sauce. Don't believe me? Keep scrolling!
Tip: Always zest the lemon BEFORE you juice it. I like using a fine zester for quickly shaving off the outer lemon peel. Don't zest too deep into the skin; the pith (the white part of the peel under the skin) is very bitter!
Zest half of the lemon into the bowl of yogurt. Then squeeze the lemon juice into the bowl. Start with half the lemon. You can always add more later.
Add salt and pepper, then whisk well until smooth and creamy. The greek yogurt is quite thick. Start whisking in small circles to incorporate, slowly adding more from the side as you go.
Once the lemon yogurt sauce is all smooth and whisked together, adjust it to taste and to your desired consistency.
You can also mix this using an immersion blender, mini blender, hand mixer, or mini food processor if you have wrist or joint issues.
Adjusting Flavor & Consistency
Here's how to think about the different ingredients in this Greek yogurt sauce so you can adjust the flavor and consistency until it's just right for your needs.
- For a thinner sauce that you can drizzle over a soup, add more lemon juice to thin it out.
- For a thicker sauce with a more sour cream-like texture for dolloping onto nachos or spooning into a burrito, add more yogurt.
- To increase the lemon flavor without thinning out the sauce, add more lemon zest.
- Add more salt or pepper to balance out any natural sweetness from the yogurt or lemon.
How to Use It
This lemon Greek yogurt sauce is super versatile and can be used for with so many of your favorite recipes.
You can use it almost anywhere you'd use sour cream, raita, or crema to add a bit of tangy, cool, creamy flavor and texture.
Here are some suggestions to get you started!
- Dollop onto your favorite tacos, spoon into burritos, spread on tostadas, or drizzle over nachos. It's also great for dipping tortilla chips with salsa, like you would sour cream!
- Drizzle over broccoli stalk soup or creamy lemon cauliflower soup, potato soup, or any other hearty vegetable soups you like.
- Serve as a dipping sauce for roasted veggies like cumin roasted broccolini, roasted asparagus, cauliflower, or sauteed carrots, green beans, or even with grilled onions and peppers.
- Spoon or drizzle it over your fave Mediterranean grain bowls or pita pockets along with Greek olives, couscous or farro, feta cheese, parsley, grilled chicken or lamb, chopped tomatoes, onions, and cucumbers.
- Serve as a dipping sauce or finishing sauce for meat or fish — the bright lemon flavor is great with chicken, beef, and lamb.
- Dollop it over a slice of samosa pot pie. The cool, creamy yogurt is the perfect contrast to the lightly spiced potato filling.
- Serve it on the side as dipping sauce for old-school retro tuna cakes.
- Serve it with my easy cast iron paprika pork tenderloin skillet dinner — the lemon flavors pair well with the paprika and garlic from the pork.
- Dollop it over smashed crispy garlic potatoes, spoon it into baked potatoes, or on the side for dipping Old Bay fries.
How else do you like to serve this lemon yogurt sauce? Let me know in the comments!
Ingredient Substitutions
This is a very simple, flexible recipe. Here are some substitutions to try if you're out of any of the key ingredients.
- Greek Yogurt - Instead of plain whole fat greek yogurt, use sour cream. Low or non-fat plain yogurts will also work, but they're not as thick as whole fat greek yogurt.
- Vegan/Dairy Free - I don't have experience with lactose-free or plant based greek yogurts, but there's no reason a lactose-free or plant based or plain Greek style yogurt wouldn't work here too if you're vegan or dairy-free.
- Fresh Lemon Zest - Use ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon dried lemon peel or a lemon pepper seasoning instead. If you use something with pepper in it, hold back adding pepper to the yogurt sauce until you taste it.
- Fresh Lemon Juice - Use 1½ to 3 tablespoons of bottled lemon juice.
- Black Pepper - White pepper, pink peppercorns, tricolored peppercorns, etc. You could also skip the pepper entirely if it's just not your thing.
Variations and Other Flavors
This recipe can be customized in so many different ways! Here's some ideas to get you started.
- Spicy Lemon Yogurt Sauce - Add a pinch (⅛ teaspoon) cayenne pepper, ancho chili powder, hot smoky paprika, or any other hot pepper powder or spicy seasoning blends. You could even grate a fresh hot pepper like a jalapeño, poblano, fresno, or serrano into the sauce to add fresh pepper flavor.
- Sweet Lemon Yogurt Sauce - Omit the salt and pepper and instead add 1-2 teaspoons granulated sugar, 1-2 tablespoons powdered sugar, or 1-2 tablespoons of honey to create a sweet yogurt sauce perfect for serving with ricotta pancakes, Belgian waffles, cornbread, angel food cake, etc. You can even use this sweet lemon yogurt sauce as a dip for fresh fruit!
- Fresh Herbs - Add 1-2 tablespoons freshly minced parsely, chives, scallions, dill, basil, etc. Save a few whole leaves to garnish.
- Lime Yogurt Sauce - Swap the lemon juice and zest for lime juice! It's just as simple, but has slightly fruitier flavor profile, slightly more at home with both Mexican and Indian recipes. Leave out the lime zest to use it in place of plain sour cream.
- Lemon Garlic Sauce - Grate 1 clove of garlic into the sauce. This is great with kebabs, grilled chicken, etc.!
- Lemon Mint Sauce - Finely mince a few fresh mint leaves and mix them into the sauce. This combo is particularly good with lamb dishes!
- Tzatiki - To make the classic Middle Eastern yogurt dipping sauce, grate a small cucumber into the sauce along with a garlic clove and a drizzle of olive oil. Stir in some finely chopped or minced herbs like dill, oregano, mint, or parsley.
Find the 5-minute quick lime cilantro version of this recipe on my site!
Storage Notes
Store lemon yogurt sauce in an airtight container in the fridge. Some separation will naturally occur, stir to combine before serving.
It is best used within 2-3 days, but will last in the fridge for up to 5 days.
The more lemon juice you use in your lemon yogurt sauce, the quicker the mixture will curdle and separate. A very thin, drizzle-able lemon yogurt sauce with lots of lemon juice in it is best eaten same-day.
Recipe FAQ
Yep! To make this Greek yogurt taste like sour cream, leave out the lemon zest. You can use it pretty much anywhere you'd use sour cream. You'll want 1½ tablespoons of lemon juice, ¼-½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper for every 1 cup of whole milk, whole fat Greek yogurt you use.
Practical Tips and Recipe Notes
- You hardly need measurements to make this recipe — what I've provided here are guidelines at best. You should absolutely adjust the flavors and consistency to suit your needs. This is an easy, low-lift, low-effort, simple condiment to round out your meal. Don't stress out about it. When it tastes good to you, it's done!
- Look for the single-serving cups of Greek yogurt at the grocery store. There's usually enough room at the top of the container that you can mix everything in it without having to wash another bowl.
- Start with a lesser amount of salt when mixing. You can always add more salt, but you can't take salt out of it!
📖 Recipe
5-Minute Lemon Yogurt Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole fat plain greek yogurt
- ½ lemon zest and juice (about 1½ tablespoons of lemon juice)
- ½ teaspoon diamond crystal kosher salt (use half as much of another brand)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Combine greek yogurt, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a small bowl and whisk well until combined.
- Adjust seasonings to taste!
- This lemon yogurt sauce is best served immediately. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days.
RECIPE NOTES
- Always zest the lemon before you juice it!
- Some separation will naturally occur while stored in the fridge, stir to combine before serving.
- See blog post for suggested ingredient substitutions and variations!
- Look for the single-serving cups of Greek yogurt at the grocery store. There's usually enough room at the top of the container that you can mix everything in it without having to wash another bowl.
- To create a thinner sauce, add more lemon juice. For more intense lemon flavor, add more lemon zest!
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