The Best Sauces and Dips from The Mediterranean
Refreshing Tzatziki, Tangy Tahini dressing, Baba Ganoush, Greek salad dressing… This post is dedicated to all the best sauces and dips from the Mediterranean!
Lemon, garlic, olive oil, herbs…These delicious and stable Mediterranean flavors make the simplest, but most delicious dressings and sauces!
Every cuisine has its own unique sauces, but in my books, one of the best ones comes from the countries surrounded by the Mediterranean sea.
So, if you need a little virtual getaway to the beaches of Greece or the streets of Italy, grab your favorite bottle of extra virgin olive oil and try some of the delicious sauces & dips from the Mediterranean!
The best sauces and dips from the Mediterranean
- Tahini dressing
- Gremolata
- Greek Salad Dressing
- Tzatziki
- Dried Herb Dressing
- Baba Ganoush
- Romesco
If you were to open my fridge now, you’d see at least one or two of these sauces I’ve mentioned. On Sundays, I usually make a few different dressings/dips that I use throughout the week in my meals. There’s nothing better than opening your fridge and seeing your tahini dressing waiting to be used 😌💛
Tahini Dressing
Raise your hands if you’re obsessed with Tahini 🙋🏼♀️🙋🏼♀️🙋🏼♀️🙋🏼♀️🙋🏼♀️🙋🏼♀️. Seriously – why is it so addicting!!
On its own, Tahini has a sharp, acidic, but beautifully nutty, and velvety taste to it.
This creamy paste is made from sesame seeds and it’s used in many delicious spreads such as hummus, and baba ganoush. You can also add it to your cookies, and bake delicious cakes with it. OR, simply, just make a dressing out of it! Drizzle this heavenly sauce over oven-roasted veggies, lunch wraps, salad bowls, or falafels.
Lately, I’ve been obsessed with using this as a spread on my breakfast sandwiches. Top them with iceberg lettuce and thinly sliced cucumber, and add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil & sea salt. So simple, but so good!!
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons tahini
- 1 (big) clove of garlic
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1.5 teaspoon honey (or agave, maple syrup)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Warm water
Instructions
- Mince your garlic cloves and mix everything together in a glass jar. Add warm water until you get your desired consistency. Store in the fridge.
Tips and notes
Runny and light tahini (made from peeled sesame seeds) is best suited for this recipe.
I find that 4-5 tablespoons of water is the perfect amount to make the consistency I like, but you can add more or less water depending on the consistency you want 🙂
Gremolata
Gremolata is an Italian condiment used to add flavor to meat, fish, salads, and grilled vegetables. It also tastes aaamazing in soups and pasta. Traditionally it doesn’t contain any olive oil but as an olive oil lover…I mean… the oil just makes this perfect to drizzle over anything. + It keeps the parsley fresh and green longer.
Chopped parsley, garlic, lemon… this beautiful thing called Gremolata (or Gremolada) is the simplest and most delicious thing you need in your life!!
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Zest of 1 (organic) lemon
- Fresh parsley, 1 bunch
- 1 (big) garlic clove
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Chop your parsley and mince your garlic clove. Mix everything together and season with salt and pepper.
Tips and notes
Ps. Try to find an organic lemon for this recipe since you’ll be using the zest 🍋
Tzatziki
This list of the best sauces and dips from the Mediterranean wouldn’t be complete without mentioning Tzatziki!
The one and only dip that takes me straight back to my childhood and summers in Greece 🇬🇷
Whenever I make Tzatziki, I found myself eating it straight out of the jar until I notice that half of the dip is already gone…it’s so good. So fresh, so simple, and goes with everything. Tzatziki I love you 🤍
Serve it with pita bread, souvlaki, gyros, vegetable patties, fries, grilled or fresh veggies, or as a fresh side dish.
Ingredients
- 250 gr or 1 cup of (plant-based) Greek Yogurt
- 1/2 cucumber
- Juice a 1/2 lemon or 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1-2 cloves of garlic
- 2 teaspoons dried dill
- Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Grate your cucumber and drain the excess water out of the cucumber*. Mince your garlic.
- Combine the drained cucumber with yogurt, lemon juice (or white wine vinegar), minced garlic, salt, black pepper, and dried dill.
- Drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil and enjoy 💛
Tips and notes
*Drain the excess water by placing the grated cucumber on top of a cheesecloth or kitchen towel. Gather all of four corners of the towel and press the cucumbers until no (or little) liquid is coming out. You can also drain the excess water with a dense strainer.
I substituted it with my favorite plant-based Greek yogurt (which is Oatly – Oatgurt Greek Style). So use your favorite Greek yogurt or Greek yogurt alternative for this recipe!
Greek salad dressing (Horitiaki dressing)
Staying in the Greek – theme.
If someone gave me 5 seconds to name a salad from the Mediterranean, I would instantly think of a Greek salad! This is a super simple salad dressing recipe that’s perfect for Greek salad but goes well with many different salads.
Ps. Read the recipe for vegan Greek salad here! 🙂
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 (big) garlic clove
- 1-2 teaspoons of oregano
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Mince your garlic cloves and mix everything together in a glass jar. Give it a shake and enjoy it with salads ✨ Store in the fridge.
Dried Herb Dressing
I know… I have said that I love every dressing, but I promise, if I’d HAD TO pick my go-to salad dressing, it would be this! It has everything I LOVE – herbs, lemon, garlic, and olive oil. Simple flavors that make your life just a tad bit enjoyable 🍋💛
This dried herb salad dressing pairs up with every food you can imagine – make delicious salads with it, drizzle it over fish, use it to give a herby flavor to your veggies, on top of your potatoes, rice… use it everywhere!
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 3 teaspoons dried herbs; I used parsley, chives, oregano
- 1 (big) garlic clove
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Mince your garlic and measure everything in a small glass jar. Give it a shake or use a spoon to mix everything together. Shake before use and enjoy ✨
Baba Ganoush
Baba ganoush is a delicious eggplant dip from Lebanon and a stable in many Middle-Eastern and Eastern Mediterranean cuisines. It has all the familiar & delicious flavors from these regions; lemon juice, tahini, olive oil, and garlic. So yes – it tastes amazing. Plus like all the other dips and dressings in this post, it’s super easy to make!
If you love hummus, I’m sure you’ll love this dip too! It’s also a great alternative for you if your body can’t handle chickpeas (which are the main ingredient in hummus).
You can eat Baba Ganoush with pita bread, raw or roasted veggies, falafels, or tabbouleh.
Ingredients
- 2 eggplants
- 5 tablespoons of (light, runny) tahini
- Juice of a 1/2 – 1 lemon
- 1 (big) garlic clove
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Red chili flakes or cayenne pepper
Toppings: Extra virgin olive oil, pomegranate seeds, fresh parsley, pine nuts
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 200 Celsius or 400 Fahrenheit. Half your eggplants (horizontally). Roast in the oven for about 40 minutes, or until they start to collapse and look a bit charred. Allow the eggplant to cool, and remove the skins. Mash the eggplant over a dense strainer to get rid of the excess water.
- Once you have drained and mushed your eggplant (with a fork), add tahini, lemon juice, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and add additional spices (cayenne pepper, paprika).
- Serve the dip from a flat bowl and drizzle some extra virgin olive oil on top. Add some freshly chopped parsley and pomegranate seeds (or pine nuts) and enjoyyy!!
Tips and notes
You can use a food processor for mixing everything together, but I like to have a little bit of texture in my dip, so I mash my eggplant with a fork. If you have a grill or a gas stove, use one of those to cook your eggplant! It will give an even more smokier and delicious taste to your Baba Ganoush.
Romesco
Romesco is a zesty Spanish dip packed with roasted red peppers, tomatoes, almonds, and a pinch of garlic and chili. Creamy, nutty, and a tad smoky, this sauce turns ordinary dishes into taste sensations. Dip, spread, or drizzle – Romesco rocks! 🌶️🍅👩🍳
Ingredients
- 1 bell pepper
- 2 large tomatoes
- 1 red chili
- 2 garlic cloves
- Olive oil, a couple of tablespoons
- Red wine vinegar, about 1 generous tablespoon
- Handful of almonds
- 1 piece of (gluten-free) bread. for example sourdough
- Salt & black pepper
Instructions
- Roast tomatoes and bell pepper in the oven until the skin gets black. Toss in a ziplock bag and let cool (this helps to remove the skin later). The total roast time takes about 30 min.
- Roast the almonds and bread in the oven until they get a slight golden color (about 5 minutes). Set aside to cool.
- Remove the skin of the tomatoes and bell pepper and add everything into a blender. Pulse until everything is combined (doesn’t need to be too smooth, blend to your preferred consistency). Check the taste and add salt and black pepper to taste.
If you liked this post about the best sauces and dips from the Mediterranean, you might want to check this out as well 😏