Garlic yogurt has a familiar place in Turkish cooking. The Ministry of Culture’s recipe collection records it with fried vegetables and as a sauce for regional mantı dishes. This plain version brings yogurt, garlic and salt together, with a little cold water available to adjust its consistency.
Sarımsaklı Yoğurt — Recipe Card
A cool garlic yogurt sauce for vegetables and dumplings
Makes 6 servings · About 510–540 g (18–19 oz), enough for 6 side portions.US cup = 240 ml · tablespoon = 15 ml · teaspoon = 5 ml. Cup and weight conversions are approximate. Australian cooks: use a 15 ml measuring tablespoon.
Ingredient quantities and servings are scaled. Cooking times, pan sizes, frying oil depth, and temperatures stay the same; cook larger batches as needed.
Ingredients
How to make Sarımsaklı Yoğurt
Make a garlic paste
Put the peeled garlic and 3 g (½ tsp) salt in a mortar and pound to a smooth paste. Alternatively, grate the garlic finely, then mash it with the salt using the flat of a knife on a stable board. Break down any coarse pieces.
Whisk and adjust
Whisk the 500 g yogurt in a clean bowl until creamy. Stir in the garlic paste, scraping it all into the bowl. For a looser sauce, add cold water 15 ml (1 tbsp) at a time, using no more than the listed 30 ml (2 tbsp). You may not need all of it. The sauce should fall softly from a spoon while still coating it.
Chill briefly and serve
Cover and refrigerate for 10 minutes at 4°C (40°F) or below, then stir once more. Serve in a small bowl or spoon over the prepared dish just before eating. Keep the main batch refrigerated while serving smaller portions; use a clean spoon each time.
Bring this recipe to your kitchen with a printable copy.
Print recipeRecipe from MyTurkishRecipes · https://myturkishrecipes.com/turkish-garlic-yogurt-sauce-sarimsakli-yogurt. Quantities reflect your selected serving scale. Cooking times are estimates; follow the doneness cues.
A few helpful kitchen notes
Yogurt choice
Plain Turkish-style whole-milk yogurt gives a gently tangy, spoonable sauce. Plain strained or Greek-style yogurt also works at the same weight; use some or all of the measured water if needed. Avoid sweetened or flavoured yogurt.
Heat level
No added chili in the base sauce; raw garlic brings pungency. For a milder garlic flavour, use 3 g (1 medium clove). For an optional hot variation, stir 1 g (½ tsp) gluten-free-labelled hot pul biber into the whole bowl. The photograph shows the plain base sauce.
Dietary notes
Vegetarian and gluten-free when made with the specified gluten-free-labelled, gelatin-free yogurt and the remaining plain ingredients. Contains milk and is not vegan. Check labels on substitutions and optional pepper flakes. Dishes served with the sauce may have other allergens.
Serving texture
Use it thick beside vegetables or a little looser over dumplings. Add it after cooking, just before serving. Boiling this cold sauce in a pan can separate the yogurt.
How to store and reheat Sarımsaklı Yoğurt
Keep covered at 4°C (40°F) or below and use within 2 days, or the yogurt’s earlier use-by or after-opening limit. A little separated whey can be stirred back in. Do not leave the sauce unrefrigerated for more than 2 hours in total, or 1 hour above 32°C (90°F). Discard sauce left on a plate with other food; keep the main container clean and chilled.
Sarımsaklı Yoğurt: questions and answers
Can I make it ahead?
Yes, up to a day ahead within the 2-day storage limit and the yogurt’s own date. Cover and refrigerate promptly. The garlic flavour becomes more pronounced as it stands.
Should I cook the garlic first?
This version uses raw garlic crushed to a fine paste. For a gentler result, use the smaller quantity given in the notes. Cooking or roasting the garlic gives a different flavour and is not required here.
How is it different from cacık?
This is a plain garlic yogurt sauce. Cacık also contains cucumber and often herbs, with its own thicker or more diluted variations.
