Mint yogurt sauce pin image 2. - 1 Mint yogurt sauce pin image 1. - 2 Mint yogurt sauce pin image 3. - 3

This creamy mint yogurt sauce is the perfect cool and refreshing counterpoint to grilled or roasted red meats, seafood, and vegetables.

Mint yogurt sauce in a bowl with a spoon on a plate. Next to this is a sprig of mint. - 4

Photo Credits: Ali Redmond

Just like my tzatziki or my tahini sauce , some of the best Mediterranean sauces are the simplest. This cooling sauce, a quick mix of creamy Greek yogurt and fresh chopped mint with a little garlic, is a back-pocket recipe I can whip up at a moment’s notice that adds so much to a Mediterranean meal.

The cooling essence of the mint blooms in the similarly refreshing tanginess of the yogurt; I find it’s an easy way to brighten up almost any plate. I first shared this recipe in my second cookbook, Simply Dinner , as an accompaniment for Saffron-Marinated Lamb Lollipops . It’s a wonderfully easy way to add Mediterranean flavor to lamb, beef, or chicken!

Mint Yogurt Sauce Ingredients

This ingredient list is a short one! Here’s everything you need to mix up a creamy sauce you’ll want to put on everything.

  • Mint: Fresh mint gives the sauce its bright, cooling flavor. Look for vibrant green leaves with no dark spots. I keep dried mint in my spice drawer for Turkish manti , but I’m afraid this is an instance where dried just doesn’t carry the same cooling punch as the fresh leaves.
  • Greek yogurt: Thick and tangy plain Greek yogurt is the creamy base. I like using whole-milk Greek yogurt for extra richness, but any kind will work.
  • Garlic: Just one clove adds a nice savory bite. Grating it into a paste with a microplane helps it blend smoothly into the yogurt.
  • Kosher salt: A pinch of salt brings all the flavors together and enhances the tang of the yogurt.
  • Freshly ground black pepper: Adds a gentle heat and depth that rounds out the coolness of the mint.
Mint yogurt sauce in a bowl with a spoon. - 5

How to Make Yogurt Mint Sauce

Mixing up this creamy sauce takes only a minute. If you’re serving it at a dinner party or a holiday meal, do mix it up ahead of time. This sauce is even better after a short rest in the fridge; it gives the mint and garlic time to infuse their flavor into the yogurt.

  • Prep the mint. Finely chop 3/4 cup packed fresh mint leaves.
  • Mix the sauce. In a small bowl, combine 1 cup plain Greek yogurt, 1 large finely grated or minced garlic, the chopped mint, and a big pinch each of salt and black pepper (about 1/2 teaspoon each). Whisk to combine and refrigerate.

What to Serve with Mint Yogurt Sauce

This refreshing sauce is one of my favorite accompaniments for lamb, especially my Saffron-Marinated Lamb Lollipops, and it’s a perfect fit for Roast Leg of Lamb with tender potatoes. I also think it would be an excellent accompaniment to a holiday meal of roast beef , or a weeknight dinner of sheet pan beef kofta .

It’s also brilliant paired with any well-spiced meats or fish, like my harissa honey chicken or air fryer salmon . And the creaminess works well with fiery chermoula on these cauliflower steaks . Have leftovers? Use it as a dip for fresh vegetables or drizzle it over Greek Lamb Burgers . Thin the mixture with a little olive oil and lemon juice to use it like a creamy salad dressing.

More Yogurt Sauce Recipes

The turkish meatballs and yogurt sauce topped with pickled red onions and chopped parsley on a platter next to a bowl pickled red onions. - 6 The turkish meatballs and yogurt sauce topped with pickled red onions and chopped parsley on a platter next to a bowl pickled red onions. - 7

Entree

Turkish Meatballs in Yogurt Sauce

Mediterranean Grilled Chicken + Dill Greek Yogurt Sauce. Top grill recipe! Marinate boneless chicken thighs in Mediterranean spices, olive oil and lemon juice. Grill for less than 15 minutes, and serve with this flavor-packed dill yogurt sauce! Pin it to try soon! - 8

Meat and Poultry

Mediterranean Grilled Chicken Thighs with Dill Yogurt Sauce

Several crispy salmon bites topped with a drizzle of harissa yogurt sauce and green onions on a plate with a juiced lemon half. - 9 Several crispy salmon bites topped with a drizzle of harissa yogurt sauce and green onions on a plate with a juiced lemon half. - 10

Fish and Seafood

Crispy Salmon Bites with Harissa-Yogurt Sauce

A close up of a salmon sandwich on a plate. - 11 A close up of a salmon sandwich on a plate. - 12

Fish and Seafood

Salmon Sandwich with Yogurt-Dill Sauce

Browse all Mediterranean recipes .

Visit Our Shop .

Ingredients1x2x3x

  • ▢ 3/4 cup packed fresh mint leaves
  • ▢ 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • ▢ 1 large garlic clove, minced or grated into a paste
  • ▢ Kosher salt
  • ▢ Freshly ground black pepper
  • ▢ Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling (optional)

Instructions

  • Prep the mint. Finely chop the fresh mint leaves.
  • Mix the sauce. In a small bowl, combine the yogurt, garlic, the chopped mint, and a big pinch each of salt and black pepper (about 1/2 teaspoon each). Whisk to combine and refrigerate until needed.

Notes

  • Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients, including olive oils , honey , jams , and spices .

Nutrition

Get The Mediterranean Dish Cookbook

More than 120 recipes for bright and flavorful Mediterranean diet-inspired meals.

Cover for cookbook - 13 Mint yogurt sauce in a bowl with a spoon. Next to this is a sprig of mint and 2 cloves of garlic. - 14

Minty Yogurt Sauce

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup packed fresh mint leaves
  • 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 large garlic clove, minced or grated into a paste
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling (optional)

Instructions

  • Prep the mint. Finely chop the fresh mint leaves.
  • Mix the sauce. In a small bowl, combine the yogurt, garlic, the chopped mint, and a big pinch each of salt and black pepper (about 1/2 teaspoon each). Whisk to combine and refrigerate until needed.

Notes

  • Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients, including olive oils , honey , jams , and spices .

Nutrition

QR code

Scan this QR code with your phone’s camera to view this recipe on your mobile device.

https://www.themediterraneandish.com/5-ingredient-mint-yogurt-sauce/