Tonight, I am heading out to a BBQ to celebrate my sister’s fiancé’s birthday. (Happy Birthday Jonny!) One of the guests that will also be attending has recently discovered she is lactose intolerant and has asked me to help her find new ways to eat favourite dairy-filled foods. I thought a vegan tzatziki would be a great place to start. It’s a delicious appetizer to bring to a BBQ when served with fresh cut veggies. It’s also so incredibly flavourful that even dairy lovers will enjoy it.
The tzatziki is made from rich cashews pureed with grated cucumber, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice and oregano. All but the cashews are classic ingredients in a perfect tzatziki. The cashews replace the yogurt in this dip, but no creaminess is lost due to the richness of the cashews themselves. The lemon creates the familiar tang found in the yogurt. I noticed that the cashews add a bit of sweetness not found normally in tzatziki, but it was a welcomed change. The fresh dill and fresh mint really enhance the dip, so I highly recommend including both when making this appetizer. Please note, this dip won’t taste exactly like the yogurt based tzatziki that you may have already tried. But it’s equally delicious and extremely addictive!
Enjoy this dip with fresh veggies, pita chips or even with lentil crisps. It’s also fantastic as a sandwich spread.
Ingredients
- 1 and 2/3 cup of peeled and grated seedless cucumber (loosely packed)
- 1 cup of raw cashews (unsalted)
- 2 cloves of garlic with skin removed
- 1 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 teaspoon of dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon of fresh chopped mint (optional)
- 1 tablespoon of fresh chopped dill (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 3 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
- pinch of ground pepper
Method
1. The night before making this dip, place the cashews in a container with a lid. Pour water over the cashews just until they are immersed. Cover the cashews and let them soak overnight in the fridge.
2. Squeeze handfuls of grated cucumber over a medium bowl to remove as much liquid as possible. Set aside the cucumber juice and place the squeezed cucumber in a bowl.
3. Remove cashews from fridge and drain. In a food processor (or blender), combine the soaked cashews, garlic cloves, olive oil, lemon juice, half of the grated cucumber, oregano, salt and pepper. Blend until creamy, scraping down the sides of the food processor as required. Add 1 to 3 tablespoons of the reserved cucumber liquid and blend again. Note: you want the consistency to resemble a creamy hummus.
4. Scrape mixture out of the food pressor bowl into a nice serving bowl. Stir in the remaining grated cucumber and chopped dill and mint if using. Cover and chill until ready to use.
To Garnish: drizzle with olive oil and garnish with some kalamata olives.
To Serve: serve with chopped fresh veggies, pita chips and/or lentil chips
Source: based on a recipe from Veganomicon by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero
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That looks amazing. Happy Birthday Jonny!
Awe, thanks! :) Jonny said he had an awesome birthday. We had a dinner for him last night and my mom made him a chocolate strawberry skor bar cake! OMG! So good! :)
yum! I love tzatziki and cashew versions of things :)
Me too! I always have tzatziki on sandwiches and wraps. This is a really nice version – still has a ton of creaminess and flavour without being dairy.
Cashews IN the tzatziki? BRILLIANT!! I can’t believe how amazing this recipe looks, especially with the cashews replacing the yogurt. Mind = blown!
Awe, thanks Jeff! It was really yummy. I was impressed at how creamy the cashews make the dip!
this recipe is awesome! it looks SO GOOD. i could see myself eating this entire recipe in one sitting! yummm.
Caitlin, this is soooo yummy. I used it as a dip all weekend, but will use the last bit on a sandwich. I bet it would be delicious tossed with some veggies and chickpeas as a sauce too.
Happy birthday JONNY for the 10th .Hope you had a great party………
What a sweetheart you are in helping out a friend – she certainly went to the right girl!
This looks so amazing and I see how it could be addicting…I think I have found my next book club dip :)
Awe, thanks Heather. Jesse and I are trying to reduce our dairy consumption as of late too. We’ve both been getting tummy aches from it. It’s good to know there are so many yummy dairy free options out there for us to try.
I’ve been eating this dip all weekend. I’m not sick of it yet! *hehe*
What a cool twist on a traditional dip! I’m sure the lactose intolerant friend loved it.
We are trying to eat less dairy too (stupid tummy aches). This is really nice, as it’s super creamy and you don’t miss the dairy.
We adore tzatziki, but have never tried it vegan. Sounds great with added cashews.
It is really nice! Cashews are delicious normally, but extra good when pureed and fresh herbs are added. The perfect dip or sandwich spread. I still love yogurt based taztziki, but this is a nice change :)
This sounds great! I tried recreating a vegan version after visiting Greece, but I was not impressed with my efforts. I will surely be giving this a try! :-)
I hope you like it! It’s definitely rich and creamy like the yogurt-based version. It does have a bit of a different flavour. But it is extremely yummy on sandwiches!
BRILLIANT! I love the idea of using it as a sandwich spread, too. Can’t wait to try it!
Tried it in a wrap this week and it was SO good with some red and yellow peppers. Yum!
I am loving this!
It’s about time I had tzatziki sauce ;D
You won’t be disappointed! This stuff is yummy! :)
When I made it, it wasn’t very good. But it tasted amazing after sitting overnight in the fridge!
I’ll definitely do this again.
I think you’re spot on. It definitely gets better after it’s sat a while and the flavours have had the chance to develop. I’m glad you enjoyed it :) Thanks for the lovely comment!