Vegan Jajik Recipe

Jajik is a refreshing summer salad or a dip made with yogurt, cucumber, garlic, and mint. It is so simple that it can be prepped in 5 minutes and served with any main dish.

This recipe is for Vegan Jajik, a delicious plant-based alternative to the classic Middle Eastern cucumber yogurt salad. Below is what you need to make this recipe:

Ingredients:

• Coconut Greek yogurt
• Cucumber
• Fresh garlic cloves
• Fresh mint: can be substituted with dry mint.
• Lemon juice.
• Salt
• Olive oil: optional, just a drizzle on top!

Jajik ingredients notes & tips:

• Yogurt: traditionally, Jajik is prepared with a regular plain yogurt. To make a Vegan jajik, you can use any coconut yogurt, but to make the best vegan jajik, it is highly recommended to use Coconut Greek Yogurt, my favorite from Koko.
• Cucumber: I used Armenian cucumbers in this recipe because they are in season. The best ones I usually buy are the Lebanese ones. It says it belongs to the melon family but tastes like cucumbers. They have less water content than regular cucumbers and more crunch, so they are often used in cucumber pickles. They can be replaced with Persian or English cucumbers; however, it is recommended to deseed them first before finely chopping or grating them.

How to make Vegan Jajik:

• The first thing is prepping your ingredients: chop cucumbers finely, mince fresh mint leaves, and mince garlic cloves.
• Add the coconut Greek yogurt, salt, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to a medium-sized bowl. Mix well to combine.
• Add the chopped cucumbers, mint, and garlic and mix well to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.

Serving Suggestions:

Jajik can be served alongside many main dishes, especially rice dishes such as carrot rice, fava bean rice, a simple mujadara, or this delicious chickpea broccolini curry.

My mum used to make jajik whenever she made biryani rice since it’s a cooling salad that works well with spices in biryani dishes.

Storing Leftover:

Transfer any leftover jajik into a glass container and store (covered) in the refrigerator. It will last for up to 2-3 days.

Recommended Recipes:

More Plant-based recipes to explore next at VBA:

• Morning wake-me-up coffee smoothie recipe.
• Healthy plant-based coleslaw recipe.
• Classic Middle Eastern tahini salad.
• Healthy nut-free energy balls recipe.

If you make this recipe, I’d love a comment and a rating. Please make sure to tag me in re-creation on Instagram @veganbilaraby. I love to see your take on my vegan recipes 💚