Creamy and tangy shawarma sauce is the perfect condiment for grilled or roasted meats, salads, and sandwiches, or to just dip your chicken into! This Middle Eastern garlic yogurt sauce has a fresh mint flavor that does a phenomenal job of taming the spiciest of dishes. With only 6 ingredients in our recipe, whipping up a batch is quick and super simple!
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Why We Love This Recipe
- It makes a great chicken dipping sauce for tenders, nuggets, and even wings. It also serves as a fantastic marinade to tenderize and flavor baked and pan-fried chicken!
- Easy and adaptable!
It doesn’t get much simpler than 5 minutes and a handful of ingredients – and you can add other seasonings and ingredients to amp up the flavor. - It lasts for up to two weeks, so you can make plenty for multiple meals and enjoy it for days to come!
If dips and sauce recipes are your jam, we have a lot to choose from! Simple, but versatile, easy bechamel cheese sauce is a favorite. Big flavors can be found in honey sriracha and red pepper feta dip.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Greek Yogurt – Unflavored, full-fat yogurt is best for shawarma sauce. It’s tangy, rich, and thick — perfect for a chicken dipping sauce! Regular plain yogurt can be mixed in or used entirely in place of Greek for a thinner consistency.
- Sour Cream – Light or low-fat sour cream can be used but will make the sauce thinner. Mayonnaise is another option (check the FAQ for more info!).
- Garlic – Raw garlic can be replaced with garlic powder in most dipping sauces. Alternatively, roasted garlic can make a nice substitute as well! It mixes easily and adds an unexpectedly rich, almost nutty flavor.
- Mint Leaves – Dried mint is perfectly appropriate to use, but you will need much less to get the same amount of minty flavor — so proceed with caution!
Recipe Variations
Add some heat to the mix, with hot sauce (Sriracha is the most popular choice), chili powder, cayenne, or even a chili paste like harissa.
Dried or fresh herbs like basil and cilantro blend well into this tahini yogurt sauce. Dill adds a fantastic grassy, lemony flavor.
One uncommon, but classic, Middle Eastern spice that you can add is sumac! Sumac adds a lot of tart, citrusy flavor without having to use too much. It’s fantastic to brighten up sauces, adding acidity without watering it down like lemon juice would.
Tips for Making Garlic Yogurt Sauce
- Master your mincing and fine-chopping skills.
Unlike dips, dipping sauces should be thin and creamy. Therefore, take the time to very finely chop the mint and crush the garlic as well as you can.
Cut the mint leaves ‘chiffonade style’. Basically, you roll the leaves up so it resembles the shape of a cigar or cylinder. Then, use a sharp knife to make small cuts through the fresh herbs.
The image below shows how to cut basil chiffonade style. The same process applies for any large, fresh herb leaves.
As for the garlic, a garlic press is best. Otherwise, remove the outer leaves, then use the flat side of your knife to squash the garlic clove into a paste.
🎯 TFN Pro Tip
Want to do this faster? You can always throw everything into a food processor or blender to truly, smoothly combine everything.
- Season to taste — don’t hesitate to use more or less of any ingredient.
Not a fan of Mint? Do you steer away from a simple tahini yogurt sauce? You can still enjoy this tasty condiment – just adjust the measurements and season to your taste.
The two main qualities that make garlic yogurt sauce so iconic are, of course, the tangy yogurt and sharp garlic flavors. All other seasonings are fair game to adjust, add, or omit entirely.
Serving Suggestions
As we mentioned earlier, our favorite way to use this recipe is as a chicken dipping sauce. Our homemade copycat Chick Fil A grilled nuggets are never plated without a spoonful of shawarma sauce!
3 of our favorite meals to serve the shawarma garlic yogurt sauce with are:
- Baking chicken tenderloins, to add some moisture and zingy flavor
- Recipe for baked steak, to balance the sweet ginger marinade
- Curly kale salad, is a fabulous alternative to the tahini dressing
You can absolutely use it on beef, lamb, and fish too!
Shawarma sauce absolutely needs to be stored in an airtight container and kept refrigerated at all times to be preserved.
It will last for up to 2 weeks — and actually becomes more flavorful and delicious with each passing day as the flavors continue to meld! Just give it a good stir before serving since the fatty ingredients and lemon tend to separate.
Love Some Good Sauce Or Dip? Here’s More…
If you tried this shawarma sauce recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Shawarma Sauce
Equipment
- 1 small bowl
- 1 balloon whisk
Ingredients
- ¾ cup Greek yogurt or plain yogurt for a thinner sauce
- ¼ cup sour cream or light/low-fat variety
- 1 tablespoon tahini optional
- 1 garlic clove crushed
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped mint leaves (about 6 leaves)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon salt more/less to your taste preference
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a small bowl.
- Whisk or stir well with a spoon to combine.
- Taste sauce for seasoning, then add more salt if needed.
Notes
- Want to do this faster? You can always throw everything into a food processor or blender to truly, smoothly combine everything.
- Add some heat to the mix, with hot sauce (Sriracha is the most popular choice), chili powder, cayenne, or even a chili paste like harissa.
- Dried or fresh herbs like basil and cilantro blend well into this tahini yogurt sauce. Dill adds a fantastic grassy, lemony flavor.
- One uncommon, but classic, Middle Eastern spice that you can add is sumac! Sumac adds a lot of tart, citrusy flavor without having to use too much. It’s fantastic to brighten up sauces, adding acidity without watering it down like lemon juice would.
Nutrition
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Sharon Chen says
Omg! This was so good I’m putting it literally everywhere. Thank you so much for the recipe!!!
Adri says
I love the silky smooth texture and zesty, nutty flavor of the tahini and yogurt sauce! It’s perfect for pita pockets, wraps, and sandwiches!
Sara Welch says
This was such a quick and easy recipe that does not disappoint! Turned out creamy, rich and zesty; definitely, a new favorite recipe!
Anjali says
This sauce turned out so well! I decided to use it as a spread for falafel wraps and it was so creamy, flavorful and totally delicious!
veenaazmanov says
This quick,easy and delicious recipe is going to be a hit at my home. My kids would enjoy this dip with anything. A bottle in my fridge is a must.