Want to make easy, authentic, Indian-style naan bread at home? This easy naan bread recipe is perfect to serve with your favorite soup, salad, or stew and even as a base for pizza.
What is naan bread?
Naan bread is a soft, moist, textured flatbread created by mixing flour, sugar, yogurt, yeast, water, and salt. It traditionally comes from Indian cuisine and is typically served hot with a generous layer of ghee or butter.
In addition to being eating alone, this bread is delicious when paired with dips like yogurt or hummus!
Traditional naan is cooked in a tandoori oven. For our purposes, we will be using a cast iron skillet or a heavy-bottomed pan over medium to high heat. This recipe will require just 1 hour and 35 minutes, which includes time spent letting the dough rise.
Fun fact: “Naan” itself means bread. By calling it “naan bread,” you’re actually calling it “bread bread!”
Ingredients required to make naan
There’s nothing better than an easy, low ingredient recipe. To make this bread, there are only six things that you’ll need.
- Water: For the dough, you will need warm water. Make sure that it isn’t hot.
- Dry Yeast: The yeast will be used to help the dough rise.
- Sugar: A bit of sugar is used to give the naan a slight flavor. We’ll be using just 1 tsp.
- All-Purpose Flour: We’ll be using flour to create the bulk of the dough.
- Salt: I find that for this recipe, 1 tsp of salt is the perfect amount.
- Yogurt: Yogurt is a staple ingredient in naan bread and will help to give this dish its signature flavor and tenderness.
Is naan vegan?
Traditional naan is not a vegan dish, as it requires the use of yogurt. However, that’s the only animal product. To make your batch of naan bread vegan-friendly, simply swap regular yogurt with a dairy-free version of your choice!
How to make naan
Step 1: Proof the yeast
Combine warm water (about 105 degrees F) with yeast and sugar. This is going to activate the yeast while also helping you to see if the yeast is alive. After 5 to 10 minutes, the mixture should be frothy (if not, discard and try again with fresher yeast).
Step 2: Combine with flour
In a large bowl (or the bowl of your Kitchen Aid), combine flour and salt. Add yeast mixture and yogurt. You’ll know the mixture is ready when it forms a solid ball shape and has a stretchy, doughy texture.
Step 3: Knead the dough
Knead by hand (8 minutes) or with the bread hook of a standing mixer (5 minutes at medium speed), until dough is smooth. The dough will be sticky, but if it is too sticky to handle, add flour 1 tablespoon at a time.
Step 4: Give the dough time to rise
Place dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set in a warm place and let rise for 1 to 2 hours, or until dough has doubled in size. (I recommend setting your dough in a warm place because in warmth, yeast cells are more active and therefore can effectively rise).
Step 5: Divide the dough
On a well-floured surface, flatten dough into a disk, then cut that disk into 8 pieces. For equal-sized naan bread, slice the dough as evenly as possible. We’ll be pulling these apart to cook individually.
Step 6: Cook the dough
Heat a cast iron skillet or heavy-bottomed pan over medium/high heat. Working one at a time, roll each piece of naan on a floured surface to about 1/4 inch thick (it’s fine if the shape isn’t perfect). Cook in the skillet, about 2 minutes per side (until golden brown with slightly charred spots). Cover with a towel to keep warm while you finish the rest.
A fun twist: cheese naan!
If you’ve read through this recipe and found yourself wondering how to make cheese naan, keep reading. Cheese naan is a fun and absolutely delicious twist on the traditional style. The best part is that it’s very simple!
How to make cheese naan:
- Cut the dough into 16 pieces (rather than 8).
- Roll each out to ⅛-inch.
- Sprinkle a few tablespoons of mozzarella cheese into the center, top with another piece, and crimp the edges to seal.
- Cook as instructed above!
How to enjoy naan
These flatbreads can be enjoyed in a number of ways. I love to pair this bread with dishes like Chickpea Tikka Masala, Chana Dal, and Slow Cooker Vegan Butternut Squash Soup. You may also love it paired with various curry dishes! Here are some options that you may want to try:
- As a pizza dough
- Thai Vegetarian Coconut Curry
- Coconut Kidney Bean Curry
- Banana Thai Curry
- Thai Red Curry
Ingredients
- ½ cup warm water not hot, 120 mL
- 2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast 1 ¼-oz package, 7 g
- 1 tsp sugar
- 3 cups all-purpose flour 360 g
- 1 tsp salt
- ¾ cup full-fat yogurt 180 g
Instructions
- Proof yeast: Combine warm water with yeast and sugar. After 5 to 10 minutes, the mixture should be frothy.
- Combine with flour: In a large bowl (or the bowl of your Kitchen Aid), combine flour and salt. Add yeast mixture and yogurt.
- Knead: Knead by hand (8 minutes) or with the bread hook of a standing mixer (5 minutes at medium speed), until dough is smooth. The dough will be sticky, but if it is too sticky to handle, add flour 1 tablespoon at a time.
- Rise: Place dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set in a warm place* and let rise for 1 to 2 hours, or until dough has doubled in size.
- Divide: On a well-floured surface, flatten dough into a disk, then cut that disk into 8 pieces.
- Cook: Heat a cast iron skillet or heavy-bottomed pan over medium/high heat. Working one at a time, roll each piece of naan on a floured surface to about 1/4 inch thick (it's fine if the shape isn't perfect). Cook in the skillet, about 2 minutes per side (until golden brown with slightly charred spots). Cover with a towel to keep warm while you finish the rest.
Amber says
Do you think subbing Greek yogurt would still work? That’s all I have on hand right now and I’d love to try this recipe out today
Sarah says
Hi Amber! Greek yogurt could work, though the water content is different. I would sub 2 Tbsp of the yogurt for 2 Tbsp water to give it the same consistency as regular yogurt 😀
Jo says
Hi Sarah can one freeze naan?
Love your work, fabulous recipes
Jo
Sarah says
Yep you can! When thawing, just let them defrost at room temperature until soft. You can reheat them in the microwave, just set a cup of water in the microwave with them to get them back to that pillowy, soft texture. Enjoy!
Joumana says
Came out great! My first time making naan and it was a success. Will try variations next time. Thanks!
Sarah says
So happy to hear it, Joumana! 😀 Thanks for dropping in to let us know how it went!
Nikki b says
Great recipe! Just one massive
Pet peeve: it’s “naan”,
Not “naan bread”. Naan means bread, so it is the same as saying “bread bread”. Most Indians are irked by this.. just a thought.
STacey says
Like saying “pizza pie” around an Italian. I get you!
Kim Emons says
Hi Sarah, can I use baking powder or soda rather than yeast? We have a yeast allergy in my house that I always have to work around.
Sarah says
Hi Kim! You might try out this recipe, which doesn’t include yeast 😀