Haydari Meze (Turkish Yogurt Dip)
Haydari Meze (Turkish Yogurt Dip) is a refreshing, delicious, and creamy sauce that tastes just incredible! It is served as one of the meze dishes, spread over a warm flatbread, or alongside grilled meats and vegetables.
Taking less than 15 minutes to prepare, Haydari is one of the most popular dips in Turkish cuisine and at any Turkish restaurant or at Middle East. It is made from plain yogurt mixed with feta cheese, salt, and fresh herbs, drizzled with olive oil and fresh dill. Haydari is so simple to make, I guarantee you will love it!
Easy and Delicious Haydari Dip
What is Haydari?
Haydari, a part of Turkish meze, is a plain yogurt-based dip that has strained yogurt as its main component. The other ingredients are fresh herbs, feta cheese, salt, butter, garlic, fresh dill, and olive oil.
Presented as a traditional meze or an appetizer dish in the Mediterranean and Turkish cuisine, haydari meze or haydari dip is one of the easy recipes that is usually paired with hummus and other mild tasting bread, crispy chips and crackers, a freshly warm flatbread, or pita bread.
This meze is one of the best traditional haydari recipes and it tastes perfectly delicious. It is full of different flavors when it is served with kebabs, various grilled meats, and vegetables, or even with raw sticks of cucumbers and carrots.
Haydari vs Tzatziki
Although both of the sauces are made from plain Greek yogurt, there are slight differences between them. On one hand, tzatziki contains salted grated cucumber and lemon juice which are added to the liquid plai yogurt base. On the other hand, haydari, a Turkish yogurt dip or a Turkish appetizer, does not contain cucumber, also it is much thicker and saltier than tzatziki.
What’s in Turkish Dip?
Plain yogurt or Greek yogurt: natural yogurt is a healthy dairy product that gives the dish its thick and creamy consistency.
Feta Cheese: it adds a tangy, salty, and rich flavor to haydari meze along with a creamy texture. You can instead use beyaz peynir, a soft white brine cheese that’s produced from unpasteurized goat or cow milk.
Garlic: Using fresh garlic clove will enhance the flavor of this dish and make it even healthier.
Fresh mint leaves: Adding some pure minty freshness to the sauce is always a good thing! You can also use fresh parsley.
Unsalted butter: It gives creaminess, smoothness, and thickness to the texture of the dipping sauce.
Dill: It will give your dipping sauce a uniquely fresh and citrus flavor.
Extra Virgin Olive oil: Using fresh oil will add a grassy and buttery flavor.
Salt: It surely balances all the flavors in this recipe.
A Perfect Match to Salads and Meats
Why You’ll Love This Haydari Recipe
This flavorful dipping sauce is so quick and easy to make – you can finish preparing it in less than 15 minutes!
The recipe has simple steps to follow – mash the feta, chop the herbs, and mix it all together with plain yogurt!
This dip of thick yoghurt is healthy, delicious, and suitable for children and adults alike!
Haydari is so versatile – you can use it as a dipping sauce for appetizers or combine it with grilled meat, fish, and vegetables.
This is a gluten-free and nut-free recipe in case you are afraid of having any allergic reactions.
Serving Suggestions
Haydari tastes great with chicken! Don’t miss out on these amazing chicken dishes such as BBQ Air Fryer Chicken Wings Recipe, Dry Chicken Tikka in the Oven, and Easy Keto Chicken Fritters!
If you in a mood for meet dishes of beef or lamb, then you should try Beef Kafta kabobs, Slow Cooked Goat Shoulder, and Easy Air Fryer Lamb Chops in 13 Minutes with haydari dip!
Turkish dip tastes awesome with fish such as with savory 10 Minutes Honey Glazed Air Fryer Salmon and Air Fryer Salmon Nuggets! At any fish restaurant in Turkey, you can always order haydari. Moreover, haydari tastes flavorful and smooth with Air Fryer Hasselback Potatoes!
Spreading haydari sauce on Samoon Bread | Iraqi flatbread and Easy Homemade Ramadan Bread is another great way for a delicious dinner! Or just dip side dishes such as Rice Noodle Egg Rolls (Vietnamese Fried Spring Roll Recipe) in haydari! Also, you can just cut raw vegetables and dip them in haydari!
Mouthwatering Yogurt Dip
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Haydari will keep in the fridge for up to 2-4 days in a closed airtight container.
Haydari dip is thick, creamy, and salty, with a freshness from mint and a hint of spice from raw garlic.
Dried tarragon provides the same touch of anise flavor to the haydari dip as dill does.
Of course! You can swap yogurt with dairy-free yogurt which should be unflavored and unsweetened. And you can easily swap feta cheese with tofu cheese.
Freezing Haydari is not advisable since it will lose its desirable texture.
Tips for the Best Yogurt Dip:
- You can adjust the ingredients and double this recipe if you are to serve it for a larger number of people.
- Also you can make it ahead of time: just keep it in the refrigerator until you need to serve.
- This Turkish appetizer is best made with simple yogurt, but you can use thick Greek yogurt as well.
- Don’t forget to add salt, since this alters the dip by bringing out the extreme savory flavors from the Greek yogurt.
Delicious and Savory Turkish Dip
Ingredients:
- Feta cheese
- Plain yogurt
- Unsalted butter
- Garlic cloves
- Dry mint
- Fresh mint leaves
- Salt
- Fresh dill
- Olive oil
Just Tasty and Simple Ingredients
How to make Haydari:
First, bring a bowl, and mash the feta cheese with a fork. Then add yogurt to feta cheese, whisk to combine, and set aside.
Next, you have to wash, dry, and finely chop both fresh dill and fresh mint.
After that, place a pan on medium heat, and add butter. Once the butter has melted, add minced garlic and dry mint. Then sauté for 2 minutes and set aside.
Finally, add finely chopped dill and mint to the yogurt and feta cheese mixture. Then whisk until all combined. Now add sautéed butter to the yogurt and mix until all combined. Surely add salt if needed.
To serve, place it in a serving dish, drizzle it with olive oil, and a few sprigs of fresh dill.
Perfectly Balanced Flavors
Other Delicious Recipes to Try:
- Whole Chicken | Instant Pot Whole Chicken And Rice
- Quick and Easy Creamy Butter Chicken Recipe
- Creamy Beef Pasta Recipe
- Slow Cooked Goat Shoulder
- 3 Ingredient Vermicelli Rice in Instant Pot
- Easy 60 Minutes Crispy Air Fryer Rotisserie Style Chicken
- Mediterranean Vegan Eggplant Stew
- Dawood Basha (Baked Kafta and Potatoes)
- Creamy Instant Pot Red Lentil Soup
- Easy Keto Chicken Fritters
Haydari Meze (Turkish Yogurt Dip)
Ingredients
- ¼ cup feta cheese
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon dry mint
- 4 leaves fresh mint finely chopped (optional)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup fresh dill finely chopped
- 2 tablespoon olive oil optional
Instructions
- In a bowl, mash the feta cheese with a fork. Add yogurt to feta cheese, whisk to combine, and set aside.
- Wash, dry, and finely chop fresh dill and fresh mint.
- Place a pan on medium heat, and add butter. Once the butter has melted, add minced garlic and dry mint. Saute for 2 minutes and set aside.
- Add finely chopped dill and mint to the yogurt and feta cheese mixture. Whisk until all combined. Now add sauteed butter to the yogurt and mix until all combined. Add salt if needed.
- To serve, place it in a serving dish, drizzle it with olive oil, and a few sprigs of fresh dill.
Video
Notes
- You can adjust the ingredients and double this recipe if you are to serve it for a larger number of people.
- Also you can make it ahead of time: just keep it in the refrigerator until you need to serve.
- The dip is best made with simple yogurt, but you can use thick Greek yogurt as well.
- Don’t forget to add salt, since this alters the dip by bringing out the extreme savory flavors from the Greek yogurt.
