Tzatziki with Roasted Beets, aka "Beetziki"

With only a handful of ingredients, Tzatziki with Beets is a dip that has the highest flavor, not to mention visual aesthetics, reward for the lowest effort. Bright pink tinted tart yogurt with an earthy umami background note, Tzatziki with Beets will be the star on a crudités platter, a mezze platter, spread on toast...shall we?

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Tzatziki with Beets—"beetziki"—is like tzatziki, but with roasted beets instead of cucumber, and totally puréed instead of stirred, so really not anything like tzatziki and more like "Roasted Beet and Yogurt Dip."

Still going to call it "Beetziki" though.

Use Beetziki as a dip for pita bread and crudites as on the Epic Mediterranean Mezze Board, or as a base spread on toast, grilled flatbread, or pizza piled with other vibrant vegetables.

Ingredients You Need for Beet Tzatziki

• beets
• garlic
• yogurt
• salt
• olive oil

Ingredients Notes and Resources

• BEETS. I use red beets for this, and that's primarily for the color, though golden beets would work just as well for flavor (and not stain everything in their wake). "1 large beet" can mean anything, especially in the late winter when beets can get to be the size of a small melon; see the photo below of the biggest beet I've ever encountered. You're looking for a beet that will render about 1 cup after roasting, peeling, and chopping. To roast a beet, generously rub it with olive oil, wrap it tightly in a foil packets, and roast in a 400°F oven for about 45 minutes, or until a knife can pierce through to the center without resistance.
• YOGURT. Depending on the brand, the "type" (regular, Greek, icelandic) and the fat percentage of your yogurt, your product just before it's final might be thinner or thicker than you prefer. Always err on the side of thicker because it's easier to thin out with water or oil later. Use a full fat yogurt (for better flavor) and strain it as much as you can in a sieve lined with three or four layers of cheesecloth, or a paper coffee filter. You can drain the yogurt while you roast your beet.

TOOLS and EQUIPMENT

• SIEVE. I have a set of three different sizes, and use the medium one to drain yogurt. (The larger one is great for sifting flours and straining stock).
• FOOD PROCESSOR. I have been using my small 4-cup Cuisinart FOR YEARS. I will only "upgrade" when this one falls apart because it still works like a dream, but most importantly, it's easy to clean and PUT AWAY. This 4-cup capacity is the right size for small jobs like dips and spreads.

Print Recipe

5 from 3 votes

Roasted Beet Tzatziki

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Total Time45 minutes mins

Total Time50 minutes mins

Course: Appetizer, Condiments, Sauce

Cuisine: Health and Wellnes, Mediterranean

Keyword: beets, dips, roasted beets, tzatziki

Servings: 2 cups

Ingredients

• 1 large beet roasted and peeled (see below NOTES and RESOURCES for how)
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 cups full-fat yogurt strained (see below NOTES and RESOURCES for how)
• 1 teaspoon salt + more to taste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• optional for serving as dip: extra chopped roasted beets chopped fresh parsley or other green herbs like scallions and dill, crumbled feta, toasted walnuts
• serve with: vegetable crudites grilled flatbread

Instructions

• Roughly chop roasted, peeled beet. Set aside 1-2 tablespoons of chopped beet for garnish if you'd like.
• Place garlic, remaining chopped roasted beet, yogurt, and 1 teaspoon of salt in food processor. Pulse, then process until smooth. Drizzle in olive oil 1 tablespoon at a time, until the beet yogurt is the consistency of hummus. If you prefer a little thinner, add more olive oil.
• Transfer Beetziki to bowl, taste, and season with additional salt if necessary.
• If serving Beetziki as a dip, transfer to serving bowl, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle optional garnish ingredients in center.
• Beetziki will keep in refrigerator in tightly sealed container for three days. Use a container that will not stain (e.g. glass).

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