Florence Pugh’s Tzatziki Dip: A Six-Minute Recipe

Don’t Worry Darling is finally hitting theaters in less than two weeks, and I’m stoked to see one of my favorite actors, Florence Pugh, as the lead. And while the film’s been through a hell of a news cycle due to an alleged feud between the Academy Award–nominated actor and director Olivia Wilde, I’ve been busy re-creating recipes Florence showed off on her Instagram Live earlier in the pandemic ahead of the film’s premiere.

One of the recipes Florence showed us on her impromptu cooking show was her six-ingredient tzatziki, a salted yogurt and cucumber dip that’s commonly associated with Greece — though other Southeast European and Middle Eastern countries have their own variations too. This is one of my favorite things she’s made because, truly, it’s so simple — all you need is six ingredients and six minutes.

Here’s the six ingredients you need for the tzatziki: full-fat Greek yogurt, cucumber, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper. As for tools, all you need is a grater and a bowl to mix it all in. If you already have the salt, pepper, and olive oil, the total cost of making your own tzatziki is under $5. The Greek yogurt I got was small, so I’d say the ingredients below could satisfy up to two people. That can, of course, be expanded easily.

Let’s get to making the dang dip! If you have an apron, throw it on. Florence was actually wearing an apron custom-made for her by Arianne Philipps, the costume designer of Don’t Worry Darling (I gasped), in her cooking video. I don’t own an apron, so I put on a shirt that is British adjacent — IYKYK.

STEP #1: First, start by dumping your yogurt into a bowl. Florence was so specific about using full-fat Greek yogurt — “This is not the time to diet, people,” the actor teased! I usually go dairy-free, since the same genes that gave me my face gave me a mild lactose intolerance…but I had no plans to leave my place anyway. So, I dumped the dairy curd (yogurt) into a bowl that I’d store the finished dip in for easier cleanup.

If you’d like to use a bigger size of yogurt, you totally can! Florence picked out this size since she rode a bike to the grocery store (so European of her, I love it) and wanted to pack light. I bought the exact same size and brand because there is not one original thought in my American brain.

STEP #2: Next, add lots of olive oil to the yogurt. I just put in like two glugs (about 2–3 tablespoons), though honestly, the world is only going to get hotter — just add more oil!

STEP #3: Add a little bit of salt and a lot of pepper. Of course, you can adjust and season to your liking once you taste the final product. For now, though, follow Miss Flo’s instructions!

STEP #4: Cut a portion of the cucumber, since we won’t be using the whole pre-pickled dill — all you need is about six inches! Grate your cut cucumber directly into your mixture of yogurt, oil, salt, and pepper.

Here’s what mine looked like. I thought it was too much cucumber (and perhaps it was), but it didn’t negatively affect the dip at all. In fact, I enjoyed the extra texture.

STEP #5: Take 1–3 cloves of garlic, depending on your liking, and grate on the finest side of your grater directly into the bowl until unable to safely continue. Don’t throw away the nubs — dice them and throw those bits in as well. Unfortunately, my grater was crap, so I angrily diced all of my garlic. Ugh.

STEP #6: Finally, mix it all together and you’ll end up with the best of both worlds. Oh, and a bowl of homemade tzatziki! Now, give it a taste and season more to your liking.

The best thing about any dip, this tzatziki included, is that you can customize it to your liking. Florence added an extra clove of garlic after initially using only two. I ended up adding more salt and a whole lot more pepper to mine. So, go nuts. And if you used a larger size Greek yogurt, you’ll definitely need to experiment to find your ideal tzatziki taste.

And here’s the done dip! On the top is Florence’s tzatziki, and the bottom is mine — I feel like mine came out pretty great.

I let my homemade tzatziki sit in the fridge overnight and then taste-tested it the following day against a store-bought tzatziki. Though the store-bought dip did pack in more flavor, I found it to be a bit too aggressive. It may have been tangier than Florence’s, but it was also overly salty and lacked the mellow flavor I loved so much in the homemade version. In the end, I preferred Flo’s. And it was even better after sitting in the fridge. It had time to thicken. The flavor was exactly to my liking, and that’s the beauty of cooking at home.

This tzatziki is a winner to me. It only took six ingredients to make, and it can be ready in less than six minutes. It’s such a versatile dip, as shown with Florence’s suggested pairings. I’m excited to bring my Florence-approved tzatziki to my next neighbor hangout, along with some cheese and meats!