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 cool the heat on spicy food and is a simple substitute for sour cream.
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!
I make this quick, cool lemon sauce 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, since those cuisines have creamy, cool condiments of their own; raita in India, crema in Mexico, and tzatziki in the Middle East/Mediterranean region. I also make a 5-minute cilantro lime yogurt version of this recipe.
Leave out the lemon zest, and this plain Greek yogurt sauce is a great substitute for sour cream! I always have Greek yogurt in my fridge for breakfast, 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 simple condiment recipes to keep in your back pocket. Once you start making it, you'll find yourself adding it to so many of your favorite dishes!
I think 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, making it thicker and more concentrated. It can take on the acidity of the lemon juice better than its non-Greek or lower-fat yogurt counterparts.
I use lemon two ways. Since lemon juice actually has a fairly mild lemon flavor, I use it mostly to add acid to the sauce and to thin out Greek yogurt into a smooth sauce. To add bright lemon flavor, I use the lemon zest. 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!
It only takes about 5 minutes to make this simple lemon yogurt sauce. Don't believe me? Keep scrolling!
Once the lemon yogurt sauce is all smooth and whisked together, adjust it to taste and to your desired consistency.
How to Use My Lemon Yogurt Sauce
This lemon Greek yogurt sauce is super versatile and can be used with so many of your favorite recipes. I 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, cauliflower, carrots, green beans, or even 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.
- Serve it on the side as dipping sauce for these 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.
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.
- Sour Cream Replacement - To make this Greek yogurt taste like sour cream, leave out the lemon zest but keep the lemon juice. 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 Greek yogurt you use.
- 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.
📖 Recipe
5-Minute Lemon Yogurt Sauce
Recipe Notes
- Always zest the lemon before you juice it! Don't zest too deep into the skin; the pith (the white part of the peel under the skin) is very bitter!
- Some separation will naturally occur while stored in the fridge, stir to combine before serving.
- 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.
- You can also mix this using an immersion blender, mini blender, hand mixer, or mini food processor if you have wrist or joint issues.
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. Greek yogurt is quite thick, so start whisking in small, vigorous circles, gradually adding more yogurt from the side as you go until it is smooth and creamy.
- Adjust to taste: 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.
- This lemon yogurt sauce is best served immediately. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days.
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