🥛 Ayran
Ayran is a cold, salted yogurt drink made by whisking yogurt with water and a pinch of salt until frothy. It is thin, tangy and refreshing, with a foamy head when freshly whipped. In Turkey it is the standard drink with kebabs, lahmacun and pide, poured from jugs at grill houses or sold in sealed cups almost everywhere.
Diets
Allergens
Contains (in a typical recipe):
What it is made of
Recipe
Ingredients
- 300 g plain yogurt
- 250–300 ml cold water
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Ice cubes and a few mint leaves (optional)
Method
- Whisk or blend the yogurt until smooth.
- Add the water and salt and whisk hard or blend for 30 seconds until frothy.
- Pour over ice, add mint if you like and serve cold.
How to make it lighter
- Ayran is one of the lightest drinks on a kebab menu — choose it over sweet sodas.
- Use low-fat yogurt and a little more water for an even lighter glass.
- Watch the salt if you drink several glasses; half a teaspoon per jug is plenty.
History
Salted yogurt drinks have long been part of the diet of Turkic peoples in Central Asia and Anatolia, and ayran is now widely regarded as Turkey's national drink. Close relatives include doogh in Iran, laban (shenina) in the Arab world and tan in the Caucasus.
Count it in one photo
Point your camera at the table — Me Nutrition recognises Ayran and every other dish, with calories and macros for each. Ate only half? Slide it.
Download on the App StoreSimilar dishes
Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →