Thick yoghurt with a wonderfully creamy texture, and bursting with fresh herb flavor with tiny chunks of feta cheese, our haydari yogurt sauce is a vital part of a Turkish meze. We first discovered this refreshing Turkish yogurt dip in a small restaurant on the coast of Turkey and it’s been a firm favorite ever since!
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Why you’ll love this easy recipe
So many people haven’t tried haydari, so it’s always a pleasure to introduce them to this refreshing, easy Turkish yogurt recipe!
What ingredients do I need?
You’ll need all the ingredients shown in the photograph below.
What is haydari?
If you’ve ever eaten tzatziki, then you’ll have an idea of what haydari tastes like.
In Turkish cuisine, haydari is an essential mezze dish and is widely served throughout Turkey and the Middle East.
Depending on where it’s being served in the world it could be called mezzah, meze, mazza, mezzeh or mezza.
A mezze is similar to Spanish tapas, with lots of small dishes of food.
Haydari is usually made with labneh, strained yogurt, and this gives it a thicker consistency.
It has extra virgin olive oil, fresh garlic, fresh dill, fresh mint, salt, and mashed feta cheese in it.
What do I serve haydari with?
Haydari is a versatile Turkish yogurt sauce and can be served alongside many different foods.
It’s crying out for pita bread or raw vegetables such as carrots, celery, and cucumber, to be dipped in it.
Serve it as part of a buffet along with garlic dip, sriracha with mayo, blue cheese dip, or ranch dressing.
It’s delicious with simple salads, feta and beetroot salad, or grilled halloumi salad.
This Middle Eastern dip is perfect added to veggie kebabs or even veggie burgers.
We love to eat it with our potato fritters, sweetcorn fritters, and zucchini fritters.
Zucchini fries and onion rings are perfect to dip these in.
We’ve even been known to make a bowl to eat our peri peri fries with!
Can I use dried herbs?
The herbs are a very important part of haydari, and they need to be fresh herbs.
The flavor you get from fresh mint is SO much better than dried mint.
But if dried mint is your only option, then it’s absolutely fine to use it!
What’s the difference between Greek and Turkish yogurt?
Turkish strained yogurt is denser than Greek yogurt.
It’s not always easy to buy Turkish yogurt so we’ve used simply plain yogurt.
Naturally, haydari will be better made with thicker Turkish yogurt, so if you can find it, use it!
Add some crunch
We’ve kept our haydari nut free but add chopped walnuts for a delicious nutty crunch!
How do I store it?
Your haydari Turkish yogurt sauce will store in the fridge for up to 4 days when kept in an airtight container.
Recipe notes and expert tips
More easy dip recipes for you to try
If you love our haydari Turkish yogurt sauce recipe, then you should check these out!
How to make haydari with step by step instructions
Making our easy Turkish haydari recipe is easy if you follow our simple instructions.
In a medium mixing bowl, add your feta cheese and using the back of a fork, mash the cheese, then add extra virgin olive oil.
Next, add plain yogurt, fresh garlic, fresh mint, fresh dill, and a pinch of salt.
Stir thoroughly to combine, and garnish with a few optional sprigs of fresh dill, mint leaves, or extra olive oil.
Serve immediately and enjoy!
We hope you enjoy making and eating our Turkish yogurt dip and would love to hear how you got on with making it.
Please leave a comment below and feel free to ask any questions you may have.
Haydari recipe
Utensils
Ingredients
- ½ oz Feta cheese
- 1 tsp Extra virgin olive oil
- 16 oz Plain yogurt
- 1 clove Garlic minced
- 1 tsp Fresh mint finely chopped plus additional for garnish
- 3 tsp Fresh dill finely chopped plus additional for garnish
- 1 pinch Salt
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, add feta cheese and, using the back of a fork, mash the feta cheese, then add the oil½ oz Feta cheese, 1 tsp Extra virgin olive oil
- Now add the yogurt, garlic, mint, dill, and a pinch of salt, then stir to combine. Garnish with additional mint leaves and sprigs of dill. Serve immediately or store in the fridge for up to 3 days.16 oz Plain yogurt, 1 clove Garlic, 1 tsp Fresh mint, 3 tsp Fresh dill, 1 pinch Salt
Notes
While we’ve made this recipe with simple plain yogurt, if you can find it, use thick Turkish yogurt Add a zing
Add a little fresh lemon juice to get a zesty flavor
Storage
Keep your haydari for up to 4 days when kept in the fridge in an airtight container
Please note that it is not suitable for freezing
Nutrition
Disclaimer
Please note that nutrient values are estimates only. Variations can occur due to product availability and manner of food preparation. Nutrition may vary based on methods of origin, preparation, freshness of ingredients, and other factors.
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