Crispy Greek Pita Fries with Homemade Tzatziki

Pita fries with tzatziki is such a fun, easy, and delicious Greek side dish! I recommend making this recipe in the air fryer but you could most definitely make them in the oven if you’d like! The whole recipe is ready in under 15 minutes which makes it even more perfect! Be sure to ave the extra tzatziki for fresh veggies, sandwiches, salads and more! 

Backstory

My first experience with Pita Fries was when I went to FSU for my undergraduate degree.

During my freshman year, I lived in the all girls dorm, Jennie Murphy, which was right across the street from a fast casual Greek restaurant known as Pitaria.

(Sadly, I've heard that this location has closed down but don't be bummed because there is still another one down the road!)

At least once a week, I'd trek over to Pitaria to grab dinner.

My go-to was a chicken souvlaki and of course, their deep fried pita fries with extra tzatziki!

They were crispy, flavorful, and so so SO insanely addictive and they were unlike anything that I'd ever had before. 

I would eat them every single week. And even now when I go back to Tallahassee, I make sure that we swing by for some!

Then last year while I was pregnant, I woke up with a craving for pita fries.

As you might know, pregnancy cravings are so intense and must be given into in order to survive. 

So I did what any chef would do -- I made them myself.

I had just gotten my air fryer about a week before this so I thought why not try it out?

After burning the first batch, my second attempt was a success! 

And although they aren't deep fried and full of fatty delicious, this version is still pretty dang good!

Oh, and if you want to get extra fancy, you can even top them with feta cheese, gyro meat, fresh herbs and more!

Ingredients & substitutions

For the Pita Fries

• Pita Bread - No real subsitutions here but you could use naan if you'd like!
• Olive Oil - Feel free to swap for avocado oil or another neutral oil 
• Greek Seasoning - This is my favorite greek seasoning because it is perfect as-is, but you could always use your brand of choice! If it doesn't have salt, be sure to add some!
• Dried Oregano - Dried is best but if you're using fresh oregano, just be sure to mince it and toss once the fries are fully cooked!

For the Tzatziki

• Plain greek yogurt - Greek Yogurt is the way to go but you could use nonfat or reduced fat if you'd like. You could also use sour cream if you're in a pinch. 
• Cucumber - I love English or Persian Cucumber because the texture is best but you could use any type you'd like!
• Shallot or Red Onion - Depending on what I have, I swap out shallot for red onion quite regularly. Shallot is my fav because it has a sweet undertone that balances out the tartness of this Greek dip. 
• Garlic Cloves - Fresh is best! You could also use the garlic paste that comes in the refrigerated tubes. 
• Lemon Juice - Once again, fresh is best! But you could use the bottled kind if you must. 
• Fresh Mint - I recommend fresh mint but you could use dried. I'd probably cut the amount in half if so. 
• Fresh Dill - I  also recommend fresh dill but you could use dried. I'd also cut the amount in half to start. 
• Kosher Salt - This gives the most flavorful, least salty results. But sea or Himalayan could work too.
• Olive Oil - A good greek olive oil is recommended but you could also use avocado oil. 

How to make pita fries 

Making pita fries is a total breeze! I'm pretty sure the original recipe had them deep fried but I don't ever feel like deep frying anything so I've adapted this recipe be made with an air fryer or oven. 

The beginning is the same for both methods so we'll start there.

Begin by cutting your pita bread into long ½" strips.

Place them in a large bowl and toss with olive oil, your favorite greek seasoning, and some dried oregano.

Give it a good toss and once everything is coated you'll either pour them into an air fryer basket or arrange them on a baking sheet. 

How to make them in the air fryer

If you're making these in an air fryer, you'll wan to be sure to preheat your air fryer if it requires one. The one I use doesn't but I know that most of them do!

Next, pour your seasoned pita fries into your basket and place it in the air fryer. 

Cook at 400F degrees for 5-6 minutes, shaking every few minutes or so, until the pita fries are crisp and golden brown. 

Remove from the basket and serve immediately. 

How to make them in the oven

If you're making these in the oven, preheat your oven to 400F degrees.

Next, spread the seasoned pita fries onto a baking sheet and space them equally apart. 

Place in the oven and bake for 7-10 minutes, flipping halfway or until the fries are golden brown and crispy.

Remove from the oven and serve immediately.  

How to make tzatziki

Making tzatziki is a total breeze. And honestly once you make it yourself, you'll never buy the store bought variation ever again!

To begin, be sure to grate your cucumber on a the largest holes on a box grater. Once it's grated, most people traditionally squeeze out the excess water from the cucumbers but I always skip this step. I don't think it really matters because the Fage greek yogurt that I use is super thick so it helps smooth it out. 

Then add all the other ingredients to a bowl and mix everything together. Let it sit for 5 minutes (or the whole time the pita fries are cooking) to let the flavors mingle and bloom.

After it's sat for a minute, give it a taste and feel free to adjust your seasonings by adding more lemon juice, garlic, salt, etc to fit your taste buds!

What to pair them with

When I first had pita fries, they were always paired with a chicken souvlaki but since i don't have that recipe on my blog, I'd say you should def pair it with my chicken shawarma plate! 

They also make a great side dish for non-greek dishes like this curried coconut cauliflower soup or this jerk chicken salad sandwich. 

For more tasty appetizers, try these air fryer shishito peppers dipping sauce, these  vegetarian stuffed mushrooms, these cream cheese sausage balls, or these cajun deviled eggs. 

Save this recipe for later

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To do so, simply hover your mouse over any of these images and click "save" or "pin-it" and then save it to your favorite board. 

And be sure to follow me for tasty inspiration shared daily!

Video

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kq8PoGw61dc[/embedyt]

Recipe

Recipe

Pita Fries with Tzatziki

Pita fries with tzatziki is such a fun, easy, and delicious Greek side dish! I recommend making this recipe in the air fryer but you could most definitely make them in the oven if you’d like! The whole recipe is ready in under 15 minutes which makes it even more perfect! Be sure to ave the extra tzatziki for fresh veggies, sandwiches, salads and more!

5 from 5 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 2 minutes mins

Cook Time 6 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Side Dish

Cuisine American, greek

Servings 2 people

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

for the Pita Fries

• 3 medium pitas
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ teaspoon greek seasoning
• ¼ teaspoon oregano

for the Tzatziki

• 1.5 cups plain greek yogurt
• 1 cup cucumber grated using the large holes on a box grater
• ¼ cup shallot or red onion finely diced
• 2 cloves cloves minced
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 teaspoon fresh mint finely chopped & packed
• 2 teaspoon fresh dill finely chopped & packed
• ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions

 

• Cut pita into ½” strips then toss with olive oil, greek seasoning and oregano.

TO MAKE IN THE AIR FRYER:

• Place in air fryer basket, spaced evenly apart, and cook at 400 for 5-6 minutes, tossing halfway. (If your air fryer requires a preheat, be sure to do that.)

TO MAKE IN THE OVEN:

• Place pita strips on a baking sheet and bake at 400 for 7-10 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.

For the tzatziki

• While the fries are cooking, mix all the ingredients of the tzatziki together and let rest while the pita fries cook. Add more lemon juice if needed before serving.
• Place the cooked pita fries on a platter and put the tzatziki in a little bowl for dipping.
• Be sure to serve them hot and crispy for the best results!

Keyword air fryer, fries, greek, pita, side dish, tzatziki, vegetarian

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