Cold Drinks

Ayran Yogurt Drink

Ayran is drinking yogurt, and what separates a good one from an indifferent one comes down to two details. The salt has to dissolve in the yogurt before any water arrives, or it settles as grit at the bottom. And it needs proper whisking: that trapped air is what gives ayran its thick collar of foam.

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Ayran Yogurt Drink — the finished dish
Prep
10 min
Rest
30 min
Total
40 min
Servings
4
Level
Easy
Per serving
80 kcal

Ingredients

  • What to use instead

    Kefir works too, but it is sharper — use less water, around 300 ml.

Makes: about 1 l, 4 glasses

Method

  1. Step 1: Salt the yogurt first

    Put the yogurt in a jug, add the salt and stir until completely smooth. Once the drink is diluted the salt stops dissolving and you will feel the crystals.

  2. Step 2: Add water in stages

    Whisk in half the ice-cold water until smooth, then the rest. Adding it all at once makes the yogurt break into flecks.

  3. Step 3: Whisk up the foam

    Whisk hard, or use a stick blender, for 30–40 seconds until a dense head rises. This is not decoration: the foam makes ayran taste noticeably lighter.

  4. Step 4: Adjust the consistency

    The yogurt-to-water ratio is roughly 5:4 by volume. Thick Greek-style yogurt wants another 100 ml of water; thin drinking yogurt wants 100 ml less.

  5. Step 5: Chill it properly

    Refrigerate the jug for at least 30 minutes. Warm ayran tastes fatty, and no amount of ice fixes that after the fact.

  6. Step 6: Serve at once

    Stir again, pour over ice and drop a mint leaf into each glass. Ayran separates within about 10 minutes, so pour soon after whisking.

Tips & variations

  • Tip

    Taste for salt before chilling: cold mutes salt, so what seems right at room temperature will be right in the glass.

  • Variation

    A pinch of dried mint or cumin crushed between your palms turns ayran into a drink that stands up to grilled meat.

  • Swap

    Kefir works too, but it is sharper — use less water, around 300 ml.

  • Storage

    Two days in the fridge. Whisk again before every serving; the whey separates quickly and that is normal.

Nutrition

Approximate nutrition per serving and for the whole dish
1 serving Whole dish 4 servings
Energy80 kcal320 kcal
Protein6 g24 g
Fat4 g16 g
Carbohydrates5 g20 g

Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.

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