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Roasted Garlic Yoghurt Sauce
Roasted garlic yoghurt sauce is creamy, tangy, and packed with mellow garlic flavour. Roasting the garlic first softens its sharpness and gives it a rich, slightly sweet taste that blends beautifully with thick yoghurt and a few simple seasonings. It comes together quickly and works brilliantly with grilled meats, roasted vegetables, kebabs, salads, or anything that needs a cool, savoury sauce alongside it.
Roasted Garlic Yoghurt Sauce
My roasted garlic yoghurt sauce is one of those staples I always have in the fridge. Slow-roasted garlic turns sweet and mellow, then gets blended into tangy yoghurt with a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of salt. It’s creamy, rich, and ridiculously versatile – I use it on roasted veg, grilled meats, grain bowls, or even as a dip. It’s an easy way to elevate simple meals, and once you taste it, you’ll want to put it on absolutely everything.
Ingredients
- 1 bulb garlic, top sliced off
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1/2 tsp sumac
- 200g natural yoghurt (or Greek yoghurt)
- Maldon sea salt flakes, to taste
Instructions
- Place the garlic bulb in the middle of a sheet of aluminium foil. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Wrap the foil around the bulb until completely covered and sealed.
- Set the garlic on the middle shelf of your oven. Turn the oven on to 200°C (fan) or 220°C (conventional) and roast for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
- In a bowl, combine the extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, sumac, and yoghurt. Beat with a fork until well combined, thick, and creamy.
- Once the garlic has cooled, squeeze the soft cloves into the yoghurt mixture and mix well with a fork until well combined. Season with sea salt flakes to taste.
Notes
- Roasting garlic transforms it from sharp and pungent to sweet, mellow, and buttery. It's an absolute game-changer in this yoghurt sauce.
- I use this method for roasting garlic all the time. Starting it in a cold oven means the garlic cooks gently and evenly without burning.
- Slice just the very top off the garlic bulb to expose the tips of the cloves. This makes it easy to squeeze out the soft, roasted garlic later.
- Wrapping the garlic in foil keeps it from drying out and helps it steam in its own moisture, which makes it extra soft and caramelised.
- Let the garlic cool before adding it to the yoghurt, or the heat will split the yoghurt and make it watery.
- Greek yoghurt gives you a thicker, creamier sauce, while natural yoghurt is lighter and tangier. Both work brilliantly depending on what you prefer.
- Sumac adds a lovely citrusy, slightly tart flavour that's common in Middle Eastern cooking. If you don't have it, you can skip it or add an extra squeeze of lemon juice.
- The lemon juice brightens everything up and balances the richness of the yoghurt and garlic.
- This extra virgin olive oil is my go-to for sauces like this. A good quality oil makes all the difference.
- This sauce keeps in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Give it a good stir before serving as the oil may separate slightly.
- Bring to room temperature before serving for the best flavour and texture.
- Not suitable for freezing as yoghurt splits and becomes watery when defrosted.
What I Cook With
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 71Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 2mgSodium: 131mgCarbohydrates: 8gFiber: 0gSugar: 6gProtein: 2g
Please note, this nutrition information is to be used as a guide only. Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.
Serve this with
- Spoon over my Crispy Smashed Potatoes for a cool, creamy contrast to all those crunchy edges. The mellow roasted garlic makes this one of my favourite ways to serve the sauce.
- Serve alongside my Paprika Lamb Cutlets as an easy alternative to a heavier sauce. The yoghurt cools the warm spices while the roasted garlic works beautifully with lamb.
- Use as a dip with my Air-Fryer Halloumi Fries. The creamy yoghurt balances the salty halloumi beautifully, especially with a squeeze of lemon and plenty of cracked black pepper.
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It’s been a whole year?
This roasted garlic yoghurt sauce came about during one of my classic over-catering moments. Years ago in Scotland, I had friends over for dinner and, true to form, made enough food for a small army. I decided we needed a yoghurt dip to go with everything, and this one was born. It’s inspired by both Middle Eastern and Indian flavours and has this gorgeous richness while still being light and almost whipped. It’s turned into one of those recipes people always ask for. I’ve served it alongside saffron rice, kofta, tabbouleh, all sorts. And no matter what it’s paired with, it always disappears fast.
I can’t believe it’s already been a year since I got back to Australia after seven years in the UK – six of those spent in Scotland. I’d been planning my return for years, even before Covid hit. My sister met me at the airport just before midnight and I was starving. I’d had food poisoning, hadn’t eaten in 24 hours, and was running on fumes. Thank goodness for midnight Maccas – a naked cheeseburger never tasted so good. Waking up the next morning to a bright blue Brisbane sky and birds singing nearly made me cry. I felt so happy to be home.
That said, it hasn’t all been smooth sailing. After two years of lockdowns in Scotland, doing something as simple as heading to Kmart felt like a mission. My kitchen still isn’t where I want it to be – I’m missing my cast iron and proper baking gear. But that’s what happens when you move countries – it takes time to get sorted, even if it’s the place you call home!
Cooking is my Happiness Language
These days, I’m settled in, back home with my cat Rose, and cooking all the time – which is always a good sign that I’m in a good place. Back in Scotland, cooking had lost its spark. Everything felt like a chore, even my favourite recipes thanks to the greed and selfishness of my soon-to-be-ex-husband. Think eating 3 servings of a meal in one sitting, then refusing to help wash up, or do any chores for that matter! But now? I’m back to pottering in the kitchen, cooking for myself and my friends, and just really enjoying the process again.
That’s why this roasted garlic yoghurt sauce is on repeat. It’s one of those simple, reliable things that feels a bit special every time. Whether I’m throwing together a full spread or just making something quick, it always finds its way to the table. People always want the recipe, and I’m always happy to share it – though half the time I’m not entirely sure what makes it taste so good. The sumac? The roasted garlic? The cucumber? Maybe all of it together. Whatever it is, it works.
Food is how I show I’m okay. It’s how I care for others, and for myself. And yes, I always make too much, but honestly? I’m not changing. It means leftovers. It means I’m still finding joy in the kitchen. And that, to me, is everything.
The Secret is in the Garlic
If there’s a magic trick to this sauce, it’s the roasted garlic. I roast it low and slow for 45 minutes until it’s soft and caramelised and completely transforms the flavour of the yoghurt. It goes from plain to “wow, what is that?!” in just a few spoonfuls. The olive oil helps get that whipped, creamy texture, and the lemon juice lifts it all up so it doesn’t feel too heavy.
Sumac adds that little pop of colour and a tangy edge that makes everything feel more vibrant. The cucumber keeps it cool and fresh, and it also helps balance the richness of the garlic. It’s a simple combo, but every ingredient has a role to play. It’s like they all turn up ready to do their job and absolutely smash it.
Honestly, I can’t explain exactly why this sauce is so good. I just know that once you make it, you’ll be making it again and again. It’s not fancy or fussy, but it tastes like you’ve gone to a whole lot more effort than you have. That’s my kind of recipe.
Frequently asked questions
Why start the garlic in a cold oven rather than preheating first?
The garlic goes in as the oven heats up, which gives it a gentler, more gradual start that helps the cloves become completely soft and sweet without any of the outer ones burning before the inner ones are done. It’s a small thing that makes the roasting more even throughout the whole bulb.
Can I use Greek yoghurt instead of natural yoghurt?
Yes. Greek yoghurt gives you a thicker, creamier sauce with a slightly more pronounced tang. Natural yoghurt produces something looser and more pourable. Both work beautifully here and the choice comes down to whether you want something to drizzle or something to spoon.
What does the sumac add?
A distinctly citrusy, slightly fruity tang that is different from lemon juice and adds a complexity to the sauce that makes it taste more considered than a plain garlic yoghurt would. It also gives the finished sauce a faint pink hue that looks lovely against the white yoghurt.
Ingredient breakdown
Garlic
A whole bulb with the top sliced off, wrapped in foil with olive oil and roasted for forty-five minutes until every clove is completely soft, sweet, and easily squeezable from the skin. Roasting transforms raw garlic completely. The sharpness disappears entirely and what you get instead is a mellow, caramelised sweetness that blends smoothly into the yoghurt rather than overpowering it. Starting it in a cold oven and letting it heat gradually helps the cloves roast evenly from the inside out.
Olive oil
Drizzled over the cut top of the garlic bulb before the foil is sealed, which prevents the exposed cloves from drying out during roasting and helps the whole bulb steam gently inside the foil parcel. This is a cooking fat rather than a finishing one, so a standard olive oil is fine here.
Extra virgin olive oil
Goes into the yoghurt mixture rather than onto the garlic, adding richness and a slightly fruity depth that a neutral oil wouldn’t contribute. It’s going on raw so the flavour is directly present in the finished sauce, which is why extra virgin rather than standard olive oil is worth using at this point.
Lemon juice
Half a lemon squeezed into the yoghurt mixture before the roasted garlic goes in, adding a bright acidity that lifts the richness of the olive oil and balances the sweetness of the roasted garlic. It keeps the sauce tasting fresh rather than heavy.
Sumac
Half a teaspoon stirred into the yoghurt mixture alongside the lemon juice and olive oil. Sumac adds a citrusy, slightly fruity tang that is quite different from lemon juice and gives the sauce a complexity and a faint pink hue that makes it look and taste more interesting than a plain garlic yoghurt. Don’t skip it.
Natural or Greek yoghurt
The base of the sauce, beaten with the olive oil, lemon juice, and sumac until thick and creamy before the roasted garlic goes in. Natural yoghurt gives you something looser and more pourable. Greek yoghurt gives you something thicker and more substantial. Both work depending on what you’re serving the sauce alongside and how you want to use it.
Maldon sea salt flakes
Added to taste at the very end after the roasted garlic has been mixed in, because the garlic changes the flavour balance and you want to taste the finished sauce before seasoning. A light hand initially and adjust from there.
