This fresh herb yogurt dip is made with a batch our homemade yogurt, strained for an hour to thicken the yogurt slightly. If you are short on time or energy, your favorite store-bought greek style yogurt will work great with the herbs and tomatoes in this dip recipe. If you’re interested in making your own yogurt at home, however, check out our recipe for homemade yogurt. Using homemade yogurt is not only more economical, but the flavor and bacterial benefits are far superior to store-bought yogurt.
The sour yogurt flavors complemented by simple herbs make this dip a fantastic appetizer for a party or potluck. It tastes good both cold and at room temperature, so you can be sure that it will still be delicious throughout the party. It can be used as a dip for cut vegetables like bell peppers, carrots, or celery. It also goes really well with crackers or toasted slices of a baguette. The acidity of the yogurt would make a nice appetizer pairing with our Beet Tartare, or get real fancy and serve it with our Grilled Naan and lamb steaks.
Yogurt dip is really versatile with different options for fresh herbs. In this recipe I used mint, dill, and parsley, in about equal ratios. Check which fresh herbs are in your fridge or what you have available in season, and you can play around with different flavors.
In the photographs, I topped the dip with a sprinkle of good olive oil, more chopped herbs, and fresh tomatoes. If you have time, I would highly recommend making spicy garlic oil to top this herb yogurt dip. Just warm about ¼ cup of olive oil in a fry pan on medium low heat with a few cloves of smashed garlic and a large pinch of dried red peppers. The spicy garlic oil is done when it is fragrant and the oil has turned an orange color from the red peppers. Let the oil cool a bit and then pour on the top of the herb yogurt dip for an impressive finish! If you have leftover spicy oil, it also makes a great salad dressing.
A great party appetizer for dipping vegetables or crackers. Garnish with more fresh herbs, chopped tomatoes, and olive oil. Makes 3 cups.
- 2 cups strained homemade yogurt or greek yogurt
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup fresh parsley
- ¼ cup fresh mint
- ¼ cup fresh dill
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper
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Chop parsley, mint, and dill finely, and reserve a small portion for garnish.
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Halve the tomatoes and reserve a few for garnish.
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Mix the chopped herbs, garlic, and tomatoes with the yogurt. Add salt and pepper to taste.
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Garnish the dip with the reserved herbs and tomatoes. Top with a pour of olive oil, or refer to the blog text above for a bonus recipe for spicy garlic oil!
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Serve with cut vegetables or sliced baguette.