- 8 cups Whole milk
- 3 ½ tbsp Sour cream
Ukrainian Ryazhanka
Ukrainian Ryazhanka – is a delicious and wholesome drink the whole family will enjoy. Making ryazhanka at home may sound fancy, but it’s actually not. You need only two ingredients and a Dutch oven. And after you’ve done it once, you’ll be making it over and over again. It tastes extra smooth, thick, creamy, and so comforting. A little tangy and a little sweet, this drink makes for a healthy addition to your breakfast or snack.
The recipe is easy and requires only 10 minutes of hands-on time. Baking the whole milk at low oven temperature for 5 to 6 hours results in a light brown color and delicate caramel flavor. The next step is to cool the milk and add 1 tablespoon of sour cream for every two cups of baked milk. I like to mix the sour cream with a small amount of baked milk first and then pour it into the pot with the remaining warm milk. It’s important to cool the baked milk off to 110 °F before adding the sour cream. If the milk is too hot, it will kill the cultures in the sour cream. So I highly recommend using an instant-read thermometer for accuracy. Cover the pot with a clean kitchen towel and leave it at room temperature for 8 to 12 hours. Now, transfer the ryazhanka to jars and chill.
To make the Ukrainian Ryazhanka, you will need the following ingredients:
Steps to make Ukrainian Ryazhanka
1 | Preheat oven | |
Preheat the oven to 225 °F. | ||
2 | Heat milk | 15 |
In a Dutch oven over medium heat, bring to a simmer 8 cups whole milk, stirring often. | ||
3 | Bake milk | 6h |
Transfer the milk to the oven and bake, uncovered, for 5 to 6 hours until a golden-brown crust forms on top. Once baked, remove the milk from the oven and cool slightly. | ||
4 | Remove crust | 1 |
Remove the crust. You can eat it or save it to serve later on top of a glass of ryazhanka. | ||
5 | Transfer to measuring cup | 15 |
Pour the milk into a liquid measuring cup to determine its volume. You will need 1 tablespoon of sour cream for every 2 cups of baked milk. Leave to cool at room temperature, uncovered, to 110 °F. | ||
6 | Combine milk and sour cream | 2 |
In a small bowl, combine 3 ½ tablespoons sour cream with a small amount of baked milk until smooth. Add the sour cream milk mixture to the remaining milk and stir until well combined. | ||
7 | Cover and leave for fermentation | 12h |
Cover the pot with a clean kitchen towel and leave in a warm place for 12 hours or overnight. | ||
8 | Pour in jar | 1h |
Pour the ryazhanka into a large jar, cover with a coffee filter and screw on the lid. Transfer to the fridge to chill before serving. | ||
9 | Serve | |
Serve chilled. Store in the fridge for up to 7 days. Enjoy! | ||
Recipe Reviews
Similar to yogurt, but with an unusual taste.
Creamy healthy drink
Followed this recipe with whole milk fresh from the farm, worked out perfectly, thanks.
Thanks for the recipe, I made it with Instant Pot.
I just heard about this drink and had to look for a recipe! Thanks!
I made some, it came out tasting very sour.
Thanks for the healthy snack recipe!
Our collection of traditional and popular Ukrainian recipes is here: Popular Ukrainian Recipes or Ukrainian Food.
Thanks for the recipe! A few tips: Stick to kefir, yogurt, or something with live lactic acid bacteria for a safe drink.
I liked this caramelized flavor. Thanks!
Delicious summer drink! Thanks for sharing healthy recipe.
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