I love naan bread – it’s the best accompaniment to Indian curries or stews. And, if I’m being honest, it’s absolutely perfect even on it’s own, especially if you’ve taken the time to make it yourself.
This easy recipe comes together super quick. It’s soft and puffy, just like the naan you get at your favorite Indian restaurant. Whenever I make them, Mike can’t help but finish the whole batch even though he always says he’ll have just two. Basically, it’s a winner!
A recipe for naan is something every home cook should have in their back pocket. It’s probably the easiest bread you’ll ever make. The most time consuming part is waiting for the dough to rest. This particular recipe has both milk and yogurt so it comes out super soft and crisp. The yogurt gives the bread just the right amount of softness and chew with just a bit of complexity and acid; kind of like a sourdough cheat without the wait.
I love the contrast between the fluffy softness and crispy bubbly brown blistery parts.
“naan bread”?
It’s kind of a misnomer to say naan bread because the word naan actually means bread. So really, you’re saying “bread bread”. It’s kind of how like when you say shrimp scampi you’re saying “shrimp shrimp.”
What is naan?
Naan is a type of flatbread, popular in India, South Asia, Indonesia. The kind we’re talking about here is Indian style naan, baked in a super hot tandoor oven where the bread gets puffy and bubbly. Most home cooks (and even some restaurants) make naan on a stove top in a hot cast iron skillet because who has a tandoori at home?! (Some people, actually. They even make not-well-rated mini tandoori ovens for home). Naan is soft yet crispy, puffy and lush. It’s basically the best flatbread you’ll ever eat.
It’s basically the best flatbread you’ll ever eat.
Naan ingredients
- Milk. I like using 2% milk because it’s usually what I have in the fridge but this recipe will work with any kind of milk. If you’re vegan, you can make vegan naan by using a plant-based milk.
- Yogurt. Yogurt is what gives this naan a bit of tang. I’ve made this with Greek yogurt, regular yogurt, kefir, and soy yogurt.
- Flour. Simple all purpose flour is what you need. If you’re looking to sub whole wheat, you can use 3/4 cup whole wheat with 1/4 cup all purpose.
- Baking powder and baking soda. This is a yeast free naan recipe which is perfect because you don’t need to wait for it to rise. Instead it gets its fluffiness from baking powder and soda.
- Sugar. Sugar in naan adds just a touch of sweetness. There’s only 1/4 teaspoon for 4 giant naan so you can always skip the sugar if you want to be sugar-free.
- Salt. You need just a touch of salt to make your naan sing. I really only add in a pinch because I like my naan more neutral, so you can adjust the salt level to your taste.
- Butter and herbs. Here’s where you get to have fun! I brushed mine with melted butter and sprinkled on some chopped cilantro, but you can use all kinds of herbs and even spices if you like. Try parsley, mint, green onions, garlic, cayenne, cumin, graham masala, chili powder, the world is your naan! If you’re making vegan naan, sub olive oil or a vegan butter.
How to make naan
- Whisk. Whisk the milk and yogurt together.
- Combine. In a large bowl, stir together the dry ingredients. Make well in the middle and add the yogurt mix in bit by bit with a rubber spatula. Knead into a soft dough, gather into a ball and let rest.
- Shape. Give your dough a little knead on a lightly floured work surface then divide it up. Use a rolling pin to roll it out into ovals or circles.
- Cook. Heat up a heavy bottomed cast iron skillet over high heat. Brush the naan with water and place in the skillet water side down and cover. When it bubbles and rises, take the lid off and then flip it over and cook the other side.
- Brush. Brush the naan with melted butter and keep warm in a clean kitchen towel.
How to store
Naan tastes best fresh! But if you want to keep it, don’t brush it with butter and let it cool off completely before popping it into a airtight container or zip top bag. It should keep for up to three days.
How to freeze
You can freeze naan! Just don’t brush with butter and let cool completely. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap before putting it in the container or bag. It should keep for up to 2 months.
How to reheat
- Microwave: Lightly brush with water and heat briefly, in 20 second intervals until it’s warm and pliable. When it’s warm, brush with melted butter and finish with chopped herbs.
- Oven: Heat the oven to 400°F. Lightly brush the naan with water and heat on a baking sheet for 2-3 minutes. When it’s warm, brush with melted butter and finish with chopped herbs.
- From frozen: Let the naan thaw at room temp before reheating.
What to eat with naan
Naan is incredibly versatile. Try it with:
- ruby chicken curry
- butter chicken
- chicken tikka masala
- vegetarian butter chicken
- dal makhani/black dal
- oven broiled tandoori chicken
- butter chicken meatballs
- chicken biryani
Love naan?
I love the contrast between the fluffy softness and crispy bubbly parts. Happy naan making!
xoxo steph
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/4 cup yogurt
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp baking powder + an extra 1/8 tsp
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp sugar
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp butter melted, to serve
- 1 tbsp fresh cilantro chopped, to serve
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the milk and yogurt. Set aside.
- Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl or on a clean work surface. Make a well and slowly add in the milk-yogurt mix bit by bit, combining with the flour. Knead into a soft dough. Gather into ball and cover for 1 hour.
- Lightly dust your work surface with flour. Divide the dough into 4-6 equal pieces and use a rolling pin to flatten and stretch out.
- Heat up a heavy bottomed or cast iron skillet (with a lid, preferably a glass lid) over high heat. Brush one side of the naan with water and place in the skillet, water side down.
- Cover the pan and cook for 30 seconds, then check it to see if has started to bubble and rise. If it has, use a pair of tongs and take it off the pan and cook the uncooked side over direct flames until it starts to char. Alternatively, flip and cook the pan until it starts to brown.
- When the naan is browned on both sides, brush with a bit of melted butter and sprinkle on chopped cilantro. Repeat with the remaining dough. Enjoy warm.
Video
Notes
Estimated Nutrition
More how to
A beginner’s guide to food photography
How to take great food photos with any camera, even your smartphone.
31 Comments
Leave a Reply
Did you make this recipe?
Share it on instagram and tag it #iamafoodblog. If you'd like to leave a rating without leaving a comment, you can do so by clicking the stars underneath the recipe name.Thanks for reading as always!
-Steph & Mike
What kind of yogurt?
hi cynthia,
i used greek but you can use any yogurt :)
Hi do you think this recipe will work with a gluten free flour?
hi sharon,
i haven’t tried with gluten free flour but i think it might? then again, i’m not too sure how the texture would be. sorry i’m not more help!
How do you make this without direct flames?
hi tonya,
just continue to cook it in the pan, flipping it :)
I would drizzle a little olive oil on it. And put it on the grill. Its delicious
How can i translate these measurements into grams ?
hi nadia,
i don’t have the recipe in grams right now, but the next time i make this i’ll make sure to make a note of the weights and change the recipe!
ahhh I miss my gas range, so MUCH! perfect for toasting naan bread, tortillas and basically every darn thing ever. Made these in a large cast iron skillet and they were delish! Thanks!
How is it keto with all purpose flour?
hi monica,
this naan isn’t keto!
Hi! Can i swap the baking soda and powder for fresh yeast?
hi i haven’t tried so i don’t know what the measurements would be but i think it would work! let me know if you try it :)
Do you happen to know if I can use kefir instead of yogurt? :)
i haven’t tried but i’m pretty sure it’ll work!
About how big or thick do I roll these out?
hi billie, after i cut the dough into 4 or 6, i roll it out as big as possible. they have a tendency to pull back a bit after rolling, don’t worry about the thickness too much :)
After it’s done, could you brush lightly with olive oil, sprinkle fresh parsley And parmesean? Would the yogurt make it taste “ off”?
hi, you could definitely brush it with parsley and parm! i don’t know by what you mean by “off” – if you’re asking if they have a sour taste, they don’t at all!
I think it’s not a good option to use olive oil because it tastes better with butter, and never use parsley, use fresh chopped coriander while rolling it.
Can I bake it in a pan with no oil? Instead of direct flame in the range?
yes, absolutely!
Hi! Would this recipe work with self raising flour and without the added baking powder/soda? Finding it very difficult to find flour at the moment!
hi holly,
i think it’ll work but be sure to add the baking soda – self rising has baking powder already, but you’ll need to add the soda yourself :)
Making them now! The dough is resting for an hour. I subbed cashew mylk for real milk. And Markus Sweet for the sugar. Hope it turns out! Will let ya’s know!
i hope they came out chewy and delicious!
I’m making this with unsweetened Almond milk, Greek yogurt, lemon infused olive oil, and fresh rosemary. I’ll let you all know how it works :)
Worked great, thank you!
I cooked mine on an electric griddle turned up all the way. Turned out great and you can cook 2 or 3 at a time so I make double and triple batches.