Ayran is a cold, lightly salty yogurt drink from Turkey and the surrounding region: plain yogurt whisked with cold water and a pinch of salt until frothy. It’s served with kebabs, pide, börek and other savory meals, and it’s one of Turkey’s most popular mealtime drinks – in a survey of 3,411 adults in central Turkey, it was the top lunch and dinner choice of middle-aged and older people, with carbonated soft drinks ahead only among younger adults (Nergiz-Unal et al., 2017). Cooked gently with herbs, yogurt becomes the Azerbaijani soup dovga.
The Ratio
Start with equal parts plain yogurt and cold water plus a pinch of salt, and adjust: more yogurt for a thicker, tangier ayran; more water for a lighter, more refreshing one. Full-fat yogurt gives the creamiest result. Whisk hard or blend briefly for the classic foam on top.
Does Ayran Have Live Cultures?
Homemade ayran made from live-culture yogurt keeps the yogurt’s bacteria – it’s just yogurt diluted with water. In the US, yogurt labeled with “live and active cultures” must contain at least 10 million live bacteria per gram at manufacture, and yogurt heat-treated after culturing must say it doesn’t contain them (FDA), so check the label of the yogurt you use. Bottled ayran may or may not contain live cultures; check its label too.
Research on ayran itself is limited. In a randomized trial with 54 students, ayran enriched with extra probiotic strains (L. acidophilus and B. bifidum) reduced gum inflammation compared with regular ayran when brushing was stopped for five days (Alkaya et al., 2024). An older Turkish study used ayran to dissolve oral rehydration salts for children with diarrhea and found young children accepted it better than the standard solution (Çağlayan et al., 1989) – that’s a medical treatment context, so follow your doctor’s advice for a sick child.
Tips
- Use plain yogurt – no sugar, no vanilla.
- Serve it very cold, and whisk or blend just before serving.
- Salt to taste – ayran should taste lightly salty, not like brine. Skip or reduce the salt if you watch your sodium.
- Too sour? The yogurt was old and tart; use fresher yogurt or more water.
- Separating? That’s normal; stir or shake before drinking.
Variations
- Mint: a little dried or fresh mint – similar to Iran’s doogh, which is often carbonated.
- Sweet or salted lassi: India’s thicker yogurt drink – see our lassi recipe.
- With kefir: use plain kefir instead of yogurt for a tangier, fizzier drink – see kefir vs yogurt.
Make your own base with our homemade yogurt guide. Ayran keeps for a day or two in the fridge; after that it gets more sour.