Ayran recipe: how to make Turkish yoghurt drink at home
Ayran is the drink that comes with a kebab in Turkey. It is nothing more than yoghurt, cold water and a little salt, whisked until a thick foam forms on top, but it is exactly right with grilled meat, spicy lahmacun and buttery pide. It is tangy, cooling and refreshing in a way that fizzy drinks are not, and it takes about five minutes to make.
It is also very old. The Wikipedia entry on ayran traces it to the Turkic peoples of Central Asia, and the 11th-century scholar Mahmud al-Kashgari mentions it in his dictionary. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has promoted it as Turkey’s national drink, notably in a 2013 speech made while he was prime minister.
What is ayran?
Ayran is a savoury drink of yoghurt diluted with water and seasoned with salt. The Wikipedia overview of Turkish cuisine calls it the most common cold drink in Turkey. In Turkey it is sold everywhere, in sealed cups, bottles and cartons, but it is just as often made fresh at restaurants and at home.
Köpüklü ayran and Susurluk
The best ayran has a deep, creamy head of foam. In Susurluk, a town in Balıkesir province, ayran is famous for exactly that: it is drawn from the vat and poured back through a narrow pipe from a height, so the fat whips up into foam. Susurluk ayranı is one of three registered regional styles in Turkey. In parts of eastern Turkey, yayık ayranı (churned ayran) is mixed in a churn, which also gives a frothy drink.
Relatives of ayran
Similar yoghurt drinks are found across a wide area: doogh in Iran, often with mint and sometimes fizzy; tan in Armenia; and lassi in South Asia. The basic idea may have started as a by-product of butter-making: when yoghurt was shaken or churned in a skin to separate the butter, the tangy liquid left behind was drunk on its own.
Homemade or shop-bought?
Cartons of ayran are sold in every Turkish grocer in London and they are perfectly good, but fresh ayran is better. It has a lighter, livelier taste and that proper head of foam, which bottled versions lose. It is also the cheapest drink you can make: a large pot of yoghurt makes enough for a whole table. Once you get used to the ratio, you will make it by eye, adding water until it looks right and salt until it tastes right.
Ingredients
Serves 2 (makes about 500ml).
- 250g full-fat plain yoghurt, chilled
- 200 to 250ml very cold water
- 1/4 to 1/2 tsp fine salt
- Ice cubes, to serve (optional)
- A pinch of dried mint (optional)
How to make ayran
1. Choose your yoghurt
Use plain, full-fat yoghurt with nothing added. Turkish-style yoghurt from a Turkish grocer is ideal. If you are using thick, strained Greek-style yoghurt, you will need more water.
2. Combine
Put the yoghurt in a jug or blender with about three-quarters of the water and the smaller amount of salt.
3. Whisk until frothy
Blend for 20 to 30 seconds, or use a stick blender or whisk vigorously by hand for about a minute, until smooth and topped with a thick layer of foam.
4. Adjust and serve
Taste and add more water if it is too thick, or more salt if it tastes flat. It should be pourable but creamy, about the consistency of single cream. Pour into cold glasses, over ice if you like, so the foam sits on top. For a crowd, scale up in the same proportions and blend in batches, so every jug gets its own head of foam.
Watch: how to make ayran
This short video shows how quickly ayran comes together.
Tips for the best ayran
- Everything should be cold. Chilled yoghurt and iced water give a better foam and a more refreshing drink.
- Full-fat yoghurt makes the creamiest head; low-fat versions taste thin.
- A blender gives the most froth. For Susurluk-style foam, pour it from jug to jug from a height a few times.
- Start with less salt; you can always add more. Ayran should taste savoury, not salty.
- Make it fresh. Ayran separates if left to stand; give it a quick whisk if it does.
What to serve with ayran
Ayran belongs with grilled and spiced food. Drink it with Adana kebab or ızgara köfte straight off the grill, with lahmacun rolled up with parsley and lemon, or with a homemade döner. It cools the chilli and cuts the richness.
Where to drink ayran in London
Almost every ocakbaşı (charcoal grill) and kebab shop in London serves ayran, and many make it fresh and foamy. Browse our ocakbaşı grill listings and kebab and döner listings, or see our guide to the best ocakbaşı in London.
- Crystal Kitchen – Turkish ocakbaşı & grill in Wood Green
- Cyprus Mangal – Turkish meze & fine dining in Victoria & Pimlico
- Broadway BBQ – Turkish ocakbaşı & grill in Wandsworth
- Anatolia Restaurant – Turkish ocakbaşı & grill in Hackney Central
- Best Mangal Shoreditch – Turkish ocakbaşı & grill in Shoreditch & Hoxton
- Anatolia Leyton – Turkish kebab & döner in Leyton & Leytonstone
See all 199 Ocakbaşı & Grill places in London
Ayran FAQs
Is ayran the same as lassi?
They are related. Ayran is always salty and plain, while lassi can be salty or sweet and is often thicker. Salted lassi is the closest match.
Can I make ayran with Greek yoghurt?
Yes. Strained yoghurt is thicker, so use roughly equal amounts of yoghurt and water, or a little more water, until it is pourable.
Can ayran be fizzy?
Turkish ayran is still. Iranian doogh is sometimes made with sparkling water, and you can try that if you like bubbles.
How long does homemade ayran keep?
Keep it covered in the fridge and drink it within a day. It will separate as it sits, so whisk or shake it again before pouring.
Photo: bnhsu, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
