Naan Bread
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This easy homemade Naan Bread Recipe is perfectly soft, chewy, and pillowy, just like you get at your favorite Indian restaurant. No electric mixer required – just your hands, a bowl, and cast iron skillet. So delicious and completely irresistible!
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Fresh homemade flatbread right off the griddle and slathered in garlic butter has got to be one of life’s best things. Or at least it is for me! My sister and I used to dine at a local Indian restaurant just for their naan, eating our weight in it, barely having room for anything else.
I make naan bread at home now pretty regularly since it’s so easy and my kids absolutely love it, too. It pairs perfectly with Chicken Tikka Masala which we also love!
What is Naan?
Naan is a traditional Indian flatbread, which is soft and pillowy, full of neat little air pockets. Authentic naan is baked in a blazing-hot Tandoor clay oven, but you can get great results simply by using a hot cast iron skillet.
Naan Bread vs. Pita Bread
These are both classic Indian flatbreads, but their origins, ingredients, and cooking methods are different. Pita bread is from the Middle East and just includes flour, salt, yeast, and olive oil and forms one huge air pocket. Naan hails from India and includes yogurt and egg in the dough, which causes several little bubbles to form, making it nice and fluffy.
What’s in this Naan Recipe?
There’s only a short list of pantry ingredients needed to make this homemade naan recipe. Scroll down to the recipe card below for the exact measurements.
- Warm water: To properly activate the yeast, the water needs to be around 105-110°F. To be precise, you can use a thermometer. If you don’t have one, know that it should feel warm, but not hot to the touch.
- Dry yeast: You can use active or instant dry yeast. For this recipe, we use instant, but still allow it to bloom.
- Sugar: This adds just a bit of sweetness to the bread. (Alternately, you can use an equal amount of honey, if you prefer.)
- Olive oil: Adds richness and helps keep the dough tender.
- Yogurt: Either plain yogurt or plain Greek yogurt.
- Egg: This helps bind the dough together and also adds some richness.
- Salt: A touch of salt adds flavor and also heightens the flavors of the other ingredients.
- Flour: Just all-purpose flour. Make sure when measuring, it’s spooned and leveled.
- Garlic Herb Butter (optional): The combination of melted butter, garlic, and parsley basted on at the end of cooking is like icing on the cake. It’s purely optional, but I never make naan without it.
Tips to Make Naan Bread
As mentioned above, traditional naan bread is made in a tandoor/clay oven. Not many people have one of those, though! Luckily, it’s super easy to make this flatbread recipe in a cast iron skillet (or on a griddle) while maintaining all the authentic ingredients. Here are some tips to get as close to the real deal as possible:
- The temperature of the water matters: To properly activate the yeast, the water needs to be around 105-110°F, which feels warm, but not hot to the touch. If it’s too hot, it can kill the yeast and alternatively, if if it’s not warm enough, the yeast won’t proof. To be precise, we recommend using a thermometer.
- Make sure the yeast is fresh: If the yeast doesn’t foam after 5 minutes, it’s likely not good anymore and you’ll need to start over.
- Measure the flour correctly: Spoon and level the flour, don’t scoop. Too much flour in the dough can lead to dense dry bread.
- Don’t worry about perfectly shaped naan: You’re shooting for 6″ rounds once each dough ball is rolled out, but don’t worry at all if some are oval. They will still cook fine. Just make sure they are all the same thickness.
- Thin vs Thick portions: 1/8-inch thick dough will typically be pretty thin and form a lot of tiny bubbles, whereas 1/4-inch thick dough will be thicker and chewier, with fewer bubbles. Totally up to you!
Best Way to Eat Naan
- Enjoy on its own: Baste it with the melted garlic butter, tear into pieces, and snack away. BLISS.
- Serve as a side: Chickpea Curry, Chicken Tikka Masala, and Mulligatawny Soup practically beg for it.
- Flatbread and pizza: Naan can easily be used as a pizza crust or as a base for Turkey Keema and Strawberry Balsamic Flatbread.
- As a wrap: It’s perfect piled with delicious Beef Kofta or falafel or use as a wrap for gyros.
How to Store Naan
- Keep warm. To keep it warm before serving, place freshly cooked naan in a clean kitchen towel or place in a 200°F oven.
- Storing leftovers. Cool completely, then transfer to a resealable plastic bag. It will keep at room temperature for 1-2 days or 4-5 days in the refrigerator.
- Reheat. Wrap in foil and warm in a 350°F oven until hot.
- Can you freeze naan bread? Yep! Once cooled completely, wrap each piece in plastic wrap, then transfer to a resealable freezer-safe plastic bag. It will keep up to 2 months. Frozen naan thaws fairly quickly at room temperature.
I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube!
Naan Bread
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup warm water, (105-110°F)
- .25 ounce packet instant dry yeast, (about 2 & 1/4 teaspoons)
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, (plus more for the skillet)
- 1/4 cup plain yogurt
- 1 large egg, , beaten
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, , spooned and leveled
For the Garlic-Herb Butter (optional)
- 2 tablespoons melted salted butter
- 2 teaspoons garlic, , minced
- 2 teaspoons fresh chopped parsley
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine warm water, yeast, and sugar; let sit for 5-10 minutes until foamy. (If it doesn't foam, your yeast isn't good anymore.)
- Add in the olive oil, yogurt, egg, and salt. Stir until incorporated and smooth.
- Add the flour.
- Using a wooden spoon, stir until a shaggy dough forms. Then switch to your hands and bring it together into a ball until smooth and shiny. As soon as it comes together, stop kneading. (If the dough is very sticky, add 1-2 extra tablespoons flour at a time to bind the dough, only if necessary.)
- Lightly oil or spray a clean bowl with nonstick cooking spray (the bowl should be large enough to allow the dough to double in size). Transfer dough to the prepared bowl, dust the top very lightly with flour, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. (I set it on a heating pad to speed things up!)
- Place the dough on a lightly floured surface. Sprinkle some of the flour on top of the dough and on your hands. Pat down slightly.
- Cut into 6 equal pieces.
- Shape into smooth balls by stretching the surface and tucking it under.
- Flatten each round of dough with your hand.
- Using a rolling pin, roll out each ball into a 6" circle, 1/8 to 1/4-inch thick. (It's totally ok if they are slightly oval.)
- Preheat a cast iron or heavy bottom skillet to medium-high heat. Brush with a teaspoon of oil.
- Pick up the dough and flip-flop it back and forth between your hands to release any excess flour; then gently lay the dough in the skillet and cook until the top is bursting with air bubbles and the bottom is golden brown in spots, 60-90 seconds.
- Flip over and cook for another 45-60 seconds until the bubbles become deep golden brown and blistered in spots.
- Remove, set aside and keep warm in a clean kitchen towel, while you repeat with remaining naan, taking care to regulate the heat of the skillet so it doesn't get too hot. (You don't want the bubbles to get too charred or burn. I usually find it necessary to lower the heat to medium after the first naan.)
- Combine melted butter and minced garlic together in a bowl. Brush each warm naan with the garlic butter and sprinkle with just a bit of chopped fresh parsley. Devour and enjoy! (For making the best naan, see full article for helpful tips and don't miss the video below. Proper storage is also included in the article.)
Video
Nutrition
Nutritional information given is an automatic calculation and can vary based on the exact products you use and any changes you make to the recipe. If these numbers are very important to you, I would recommend calculating them yourself.
Did you make this? Leave a rating below!
Perfect!….Just…Perfect!
These were good!! and easy! I knew I could count on this gal to make it user friendly and reliable. I really like that and I will make these in larger batches to keep in the freezer!
I love this recipe!! It was easy to make & tastes great
Made this recipe! First time making Naan and it turned out so good! Definitely will be making it again
This is now my go-to. Simple, fantastic
Hi Amy, iam 85 yrs old & i have been a widow for the last 10 years. I dont cook much anymore but i have loved reading your recipes & thinking about how good they look to actually make & eat! Maybe i will someday! Thanks,
Gets better every go!
Wow amazing chicken tika and the naan bread was sooo good I don’t think I can buy anymore! Thank you!
Can this be made low carb? I have diabetes and was just wondering. Looks great ?
Hi Linda! This recipe has only been tested with great results as written.
I love this recipe and i wish you are my parents.
First time making naan and I was nervous but this came out wonderful!! Thank you for clear instruction and tips – it was very easy.
First time making naan and it came out PERFECT!! I was so excited to try this and feel like a rockstar. My whole family loved it and asked if I’d make it again. I just basted with butter but next time will do the parsley and garlic mixture too.
Excellent!
This was my first time making naan and I’m so glad I found this recipe, it came out GREAT. I served it with your butter chicken and it was perfect.
Your naan recipe you said you can use a tandoori I have one would it make a difference and how do I use it.
Hi Elaine – what I said was, traditional/authentic naan is made in a Tandoor clay oven. If you own one, that’s awesome. I would recommend doing a Google search on the proper way to use it.
Thank you Mam from South Africa
I made it over 5 times now and still continuing….
Question about yeast I used two different packets as directed and it never foamed!! They are both fresh and not expire for over a year! Why is that?
It might have been the temperature of your water. As mentioned in the article. to properly activate the yeast, the water needs to be around 110°F, which feels warm, but not hot to the touch. If it’s too hot, it can kill the yeast and alternatively, if if it’s not warm enough, the yeast won’t proof.
First time making Naan. Is was so soft and delicious, we are now addicted! I had some yummy creamy lemon garlic salad dressing, I kept dipping it in. Hubby LOVED it! Will be making this many times in the future. Thank you for a wonderful recipe!
First time making naan and it came out perfectly!! Thank you for the clear instruction and video. Found you on TikTok – I love your content!
Usually buy naan to go with my killer curry but no more! Thank you for a wonderful recipe! Total success the first time! Never gonna buy it again,
Wonderful naan recipe – came out perfectly. Thank you for sharing!
GREAT recipe with easy to follow instructions. Mine came out perfect. Thank you!
Nice instructions to follow. This is a keeper!!
No fail and delish!
Couldn’t wait to make this and it did not disappoint! Don’t skip the garlic butter. So easy and good!!