5 Minute Ayran Recipe (Turkish Yogurt Drink)

Name: 5-Minute Ayran Recipe (Turkish Yogurt Drink)
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 2 cups full fat yogurt; 2.5 cups cold water; 2 teaspoons dry mint; 1/2 - 1 teaspoon salt, per preference; Ice cubes (when serving); Fresh mint (when serving)

5 from 5 ratings

by Amina Al-Saigh on Jul 8, 2024

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Ayran is a 3 ingredient Turkish yogurt drink that is enjoyed all throughout the middle east alongside meals or on a hot summer day. It’s a cooling, refreshing drink that’s very simple to make, and pairs perfectly with a BBQ spread. A few staple ingredients and you have a salty and tangy drink ready in minutes.

Several clear glasses filled with Ayran, a yogurt and mint drink, placed on a silver tray and topped with fresh mint.

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5-STAR READER REVIEW

“I visited turkey last year with my daughter and fell in love with this drink. I’m so happy to find your recipe. It is delicious.”
—Leslie

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Ayran: The Savoury Drink I Grew Up On

Growing up in Iraq meant we were drinking Ayran, or Laban, or “sheneena” as my family calls it with our meals throughout the warmer seasons. It’s perfect to whip up for a BBQ spread.

My dad was the one always making it, and my favourite thing he adds to it is dried mint. So instead of a bubbly soda at our house… you’ll find us sipping on this frothy, quite addictive drink.

Only Three Ingredients

You only need yogurt, salt, and dried mint.

I recommend you use full-fat plain yogurt; the richness will add a lot of flavour. The dried mint adds freshness, but it is also often served plain if you’re not partial to it.

I do not recommend crushing fresh mint, since it is harder to blend into the drink. Instead, I use fresh mint for garnish, which makes the cups very pretty.

The ingredients for Ayran, including yogurt, water, dry mint, salt and fresh mint for decor.

How to make Ayran using a whisk

This process is very simple: you basically just mix everything to your taste. But here are a few tips to keep in mind:

I like to start with mixing just the yogurt with a bit of water. Mix it vigorously using a whisk, which will get rid of any lumps in the yogurt and create a smooth paste
Next, add in the salt and dried mint, then a bit more water, and mix again
Finally, taste and adjust the water and salt to your preference
Place it in the fridge to cool before serving, or use ice. If using ice, make sure you don’t thin out the Ayran too much, since the ice will melt and there’s a risk it becomes too watery

You can use a blender if you like, but it means extra clean up, so I don’t. However, is the only way to get an extra foamy top, if that’s what you’re after.

Step by step pictures of how to make Ayran, a Turkish tangy yogurt drink. The process involves in mixing yogurt, water, salt and mint in a pitcher and mixing.

Bland or Watery Ayran

One thing you might encounter is adding too much water and the Ayran tasting too watery and bland. To fix this, simply whisk a few more tablespoons of yogurt until smooth, then add into the Ayran. This will thicken the drink. You can also avoid this problem by adding water a little at a time and tasting as you go.

If your jug of Ayran turned out too salty, just make another half batch and mix it in, making sure to avoid adding salt to the new half batch. This will even out the saltiness, and you’ll have more to drink.

Several clear glasses filled with Ayran, a yogurt and mint drink popular in Turkey, placed on a silver tray.

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5 from 5 ratings