Homemade Naan Recipe
Published August 7, 2024. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
This delicious, light, and fluffy Naan Bread Recipe is easy to make and is the perfect accompaniment to any Indian dish. Brush the naan with garlic butter to elevate it to another level.
Baking bread is one of the most satisfying things to do. For more tasty bread recipes, try my Banana Bread or Homemade Bagel Recipe.
Naan
Naan is a delicious East-Indian flatbread baked in a tandoor oven. It is commonly served at Indian restaurants in America and India. The traditional leavening agent for the bread is a sourdough starter, but it has recently been simplified by using baking powder in the last 10 to 15 years.
While this is a common accompaniment for scooping up food, it’s also a fantastic bread that can be served with almost any meal, as sandwich bread or even in place of pita bread. It’s fairly easy to make and is always a crowd-pleaser, especially when finished with garlic butter.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Flour – All-purpose or bread flour will work for this recipe.
- Leavening Agents – I used baking soda and baking powder in this naan.
- Sugar – Powdered sugar is used in the dough.
- Yogurt – I used plain whole milk yogurt, but you can use a lower-fat or Greek yogurt.
- Oil – Any neutral-flavored oil will work.
- Butter – I always use unsalted butter in my cooking and baking to control the sodium content.
- Milk — I like to use whole milk for more fat and flavor. However, you can use 1%, 2%, or skim milk.
- Salt – I always use coarse salt in my cooking and baking.
- Garlic – Minced garlic is optional if you want to make garlic naan.
How to Make Homemade Naan Bread
- Mix together all dry ingredients into a large bowl.
- Form a well with the dry ingredients in the bowl.
- Add the oil and yogurt to the center of the well.
- Begin to knead the dough while slowly adding the milk.
- Knead the dough for 5-7 minutes.
- Add the dough to a container and cover with plastic wrap.
- Let the dough proof for 1 hour in a warm place or until it has risen to almost double the size. An easy way to proof the dough is to place the bowl into the oven while it is turned off but the oven light is on.
- Remove the dough and give it a quick knead.
- Separate the dough into equal-sized small bowls.
- Roll each dough ball on a clean surface dusted with flour until it is oval in shape.
- Brush with a little water on one side of the dough.
- Add the water-brushed side of them down on a large skillet on medium-high heat and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Turn the pan over and cook over the flames like roasting marshmallows. Repeat until all of the dough is done and cooked.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: For freshness, you can make this up to one day ahead.
How to Store: Naan should be stored at room temperature, covered in plastic, and will stay fresh for up to 3 days. For freezing, cover in plastic and keep in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator until thawed.
How To Reheat: Wrap the desired amount if naan in foil and place in the oven at 250° for 5-7 minutes.
chef notes + Tips
- You do not have to use all of the milk, consistency of maintaining a soft dough is key.
- Brushing the dough with water helps it stick to the pan, allowing you to cook on both sides and brown it.
- Adding garlic to naan bread is traditional and nothing short of delicious. Add some butter to a small pot and some finely minced garlic, and cook until the butter is melted and the garlic is fragrant. Brush one side of the naan bread with the garlic butter and garnish with fresh chopped parsley.
More Bread Recipes
- Homemade Pita Bread Recipe
- Homemade White Bread
- Artisan Country Loaf
- French Boule with Poolish
- Kamut Flour Bread with Biga
Video
Naan Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 ¼ cup plain whole milk yogurt
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1 stick of unsalted butter
- 5 finely minced cloves of garlic
Instructions
- Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, powdered sugar, and salt to a bowl and mix until combined. Form a well.
- Pour the oil and yogurt to the center of the well and begin mixing with your hands. Slowly pour in the milk as needed to make a soft dough.
- Knead for 5 to 7 minutes and then add to a bowl, cover with plastic, and let sit in a warm place for 1 hour.
- Unwrap and form 12 equal-sized dough balls. Roll each dough ball out on a clean surface lightly dusted with flour. Brush 1 side with water before cooking.
- Add the water brushed side down on a large preheated saute pan at medium-high heat and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Flip the pan over and roast the other side of the bread over the open flame until browned.
- Repeat until all of the bread is done cooking. Keep warm.
- In a small pot melt the butter and garlic together and cook over medium heat just until the garlic is fragrant, which takes about 2 minutes.
- Brush the bread with the garlic butter and serve garnished with optional chopped parsley.
Absolutely 💯
Thank you for this easy breezy sooooo good recipe. I past it on to my sister in Montreal and it’s a hit with her family too.
You’re terrific.
Thank you!
Delicious, Thankyou
My pleasure.
Can you make this naan recipe if you don’t have a gas flame stove top?
possibly? Grill?
Can you halve this recipe?
Yes!
Delicious recipe Chef…Easy to make and so delicious too. I make lots and lots of flour tortillas, as I was raised on them. These are just about the same thing to me. I love Indian food a lot so this is just perfect for me….
Thank you for giving it a try!
Great taste and easy to make! The whole family loved it!
Fantastic!
I brought this to a cocktail party at a neighbor’s house. They loved it! I made some also with Zaatar, some with scallion and some with cinnamon /sugar.
Excellent!
Can I make this in kitchen aid mixer or do I have to make it by hand?
Thanks,
Kalya
you probably could
This is a wonderful recipe!!!!!!
It comes oftens as part of a meal or just because! Delicious!
Can this bread be made using non-dairy yougurt/milk?
not sure
Thank ChefBilly love all recipes 😁👏
Thank you ChefBillygreat 😁😋
Thank you chef Billy love’s Bread so he does 😋👋👌😁
I will try this recipe.
Can I use use Keto flour?
no
Can I use sour cream instead of yogurt?
maybe?
👍👍👍👍👍👍
Super delicious! Thank u for the recipe n illustration! Very helocus!
I made it using a large cast iron flat skillet in the oven at 400 F came up fantastic. Used the bread as the base of a middle eastern dish called musakhan which is a combination of a large amount of sauted onion in pure olive oil and sumac, topped with boiled then roasted chicken.
Can almond flour be substituted for the regular flour? If so, will I need to increase or decrease the amount?
unfortunately no.
Thank you so much for this recipe, it turned out amazing. I couldn’t make it stick on the pan upside down, but cooked fine just on the pan.
The bonus was that the first time I made it, I rolled out and fried the left over for lunch the next day and wallah I had battura. Ate it will some channa masala.
The next time I did the same and filled it with some taco meat, lettuce, tomato and sour cream and had awesome Chalupas.
So it it’s a three in one recipe for me! Thanks again! You have made my quarantine cooking so much more interesting.
Any thoughts on how to include discard sourdough into the Naan recipe . Would appreciate your input.
Well, I’ve never done with starter so I can’t give you exact measurements. The starter should be about 12%-15% of total flour but you would need to figure out the amounts of folds needed, proofing time, and then hydration amount.
Oh man this is so good! And easy! Thank you,Billy!
My question is why do you promote Red Mill products. ex: flours.
Can you use the brand of our choice? If not why not….
of course, you can! For many years I was in a partnership with Bob’s Red Mill because I love their flours and often use them. You are welcome to use whatever flour you’d like.
I luvs ya, Billy. But surely it’s just *naan*, not *naan bread*. That would be like *baguette bread*. Or a *spaniel dog*. One for the Department of Redundancy Department.
I do know that, however when people search for it on google they most often search for “naan bread,” which is why that’s in there and why I say it as well.
Turned out perfectly! I loved the added garlic to the recipe…delicious!
Hello..this looks like a wonderful recipe.
I have very heavy frying pans and the thought of turning them upside down over the flame just makes my wrists hurt thinking about that.
Could I just put them under the broiler for a few minutes…of course I would watch carefully? Thanks..this looks like a wonderful recipe.
Yes it would hah! You can definitely throw them under the broiler and it will cook quickly so be sure to watch it closely!
Naan bread is one of my favorites! I love this garlic version! It was great as a snack with hummus.
I can eat about 12 servings of homemade naan. I love it so much, and this recipe is a total keeper!
I am so excited to try this! Love the step by step on how to make this come out perfectly!
My family loved it! Your recipe is really easy to make!