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Home / Recipes
1 hour 25 minutes
4.58 from 116 votes
106 Comments

Naan Recipe

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  • 6482
by: Joanna Cismaru
03.20.21

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pin for naan.

Nothing is better than homemade bread and that applies to this Indian-style Naan, so simple to make, yet so delicious! Super easy to put together and so good you’ll never have store-bought naan again!

a bunch of naan on a cutting board garnished with parsley.

I love fresh bread, there’s nothing better. The smell is what gets me every single time. Over the years, I’ve certainly baked my share of breads and while I may have some favorites, in general I love all bread!

I’m what they call an equal opportunist when it comes to fresh bread. I’ve made many bread rolls and flatbreads, but sometimes I just love a good old piece of naan to dip in some good homemade hummus or butter chicken.

Why You’ll Go Nuts For Naan

  • Easy To Make
  • Simple Ingredient List
  • Extremely Versatile
  • Delicious & Better Than Store Bought!

The dough for this naan bread is actually quite simple and requires just a handful of ingredients. It’s also one of those breads that pair well with just about anything! Perfectly soft, chewy, and always so delicious, you must give this naan a try, I guarantee you will love it!

Ingredient Notes

overhead shot of all the ingredients needed to make naan bread.
  • Active dry yeast – You can use active dry yeast or instant yeast in this recipe. If you use instant yeast then you won’t need to activate the yeast, just add it to the rest of the ingredients along with the water.
  • Sugar – This is needed for the yeast, combine it with the yeast and water to activate it. You’ll need this even if you use instant yeast.
  • Vegetable Oil – Any vegetable oil will work.
  • Egg – I use large eggs.
  • Yogurt – I recommend using a good plain Greek yogurt for this because I like the consistency of it. The yogurt will add a bit of mild acidity.
  • Flour – You need all-purpose flour. Gluten free flour can be used as well, however the recipe may differ a bit.
  • Olive Oil – You need olive oil to fry the naan.
  • Butter – For brushing over the naan. This is optional.
  • Parsley – This is optional if you want to sprinkle some over the naan.

How To Make Naan

process shots showing how to make dough for naan bread.

Prep:

  1. Preheat Oven: If your oven has a proof setting, preheat it to the proof option, otherwise turn on your oven to the lowest heat, mine is around 170F. Turn it off once it’s come to that heat.
  2. Activate Yeast: In a medium bowl, combine the yeast, sugar and water. Lightly whisk it all together, then let it sit for about 5 to 10 minutes or until the yeast dissolves and starts to foam.
  3. Add Ingredients: To the same bowl, add the oil, yogurt, egg and whisk well. Set aside.
  4. Make Dough: To the bowl of your mixer, combine the flour with the salt. Add the yeast mixture and mix for a couple minutes, until the dough comes clean from the sides of the bowl. If the dough is too wet, add a bit more flour, starting with a tablespoon at a time. The dough should be nice and soft but not sticky.
  5. Rise: Place the dough in an oiled bowl and cover it with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Place the bowl inside the preheated oven and allow the dough to rise for about 30 minutes to 1 hour or until doubled in size. I use this trick all the time to speed up the rising time. Mine only took about 40 minutes, so the time depends on your yeast and your environment.
prep shots showing how to form and cook naan.

Cook:

  1. Cut & Shape: After it rises, cut the dough into 8 equal pieces and shape each piece into a small ball. 
  2. Cook: Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and add about 1 tsp of olive oil. Roll out one ball at a time until it’s about 1/3 inch thick and about 5 inches in diameter. Add the piece of rolled dough to the hot skillet and cook for about 1 minute. The skillet should be very hot, so you’ll see bubbles forming as you cook the dough on the first side. Flip the dough and cook the other side until the bottom is golden.
  3. Repeat: Repeat with remaining dough until all of the pieces are cooked. Keep the naan covered in a towel so that it doesn’t dry out. When all of them are cooked, brush each one with the melted butter and garnish with some parsley. 
stacked naan on a beige plate garnished with parsley.

FAQs & Expert Tips

FAQs

What Is Naan?

Naan is an Indian-style bread usually baked in a tandoor oven, which are cylindrical clay or metal ovens. The great thing about tandoor ovens is that the temperatures can reach 900ºF which means these naan cooks almost instantly!

How Many Naan Should I Cook At A Time?

One at a time! You can either roll and fry, roll and fry, or roll out all the pieces at beforehand. If you are going to roll out all the pieces all together, I would keep them in between parchment paper so they won’t dry out or stick to each other. The naan should cook fairly quickly, about a minute per side, but again it depends on how hot your skillet is. You will notice that the dough will bubble up nicely as you cook it.

Why Isn’t My Dough Rising?

It most likely has to do with your yeast! Always check the expiration date on your yeast and make sure it hasn’t expired. All your yeast products whether it’s in a jar or a package should be stamped with a “Best if Used by” date. Make sure you check this date, even when you purchase the yeast, who knows it could have been on the shelf past its expiry date.

How Do You Serve Naan?

There are so many great things you can serve this naan with. I personally love it with some good homemade hummus. I’ve also served it with an amazing butter chicken. But beyond these recipes, you can use to the naan to make gyros, wraps, curries, the sky’s the limit. Another option? Brush it with garlic butter to enhance the flavors even more.

a hand dipping a piece of naan in homemade hummus.

Tips

  1. I used active dry yeast which you have to activate first, but you may also use instant or rapid yeast which doesn’t require you to dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water and sugar, though you still need to add those ingredients.
  2. Make sure your water is not too hot or it could kill the yeast which will cause your dough not to rise at all. The ideal temperature for the water should be between 105 F degrees and 110 F for proofing. While 95 F degrees is the best temperature for yeast to multiply, that’s not warm enough for proofing active dry yeast. 
  3. To help your dough rise faster, heat up your oven to 200 F degrees, or the lowest temperature it will go to, then turn off the oven. Place your dough in the oven, close the door and let the dough rise in peace for about 30 minutes. If your oven has a proof function, use that.
  4. I usually add about a tsp of olive oil for each bread and brush it in the skillet so that it’s evenly distributed.
  5. As you fry pieces of naan, keep them covered in a towel so that they don’t dry out!
stacked naan on a beige plate garnished with parsley.

Storing Naan

Cool the naan first, then store it in airtight plastic bags at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Freezing

Naan can be frozen in airtight plastic bags for up to 2 months.

a bunch of naan on a cutting board garnished with parsley.

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a bunch of naan on a cutting board garnished with parsley.

Naan Recipe

4.58 from 116 votes
Prep: 1 hr
Cook: 25 mins
Total: 1 hr 25 mins
Author: Joanna Cismaru
Serves: 8
Print Pin Rate
Nothing is better than homemade bread and that applies to this Indian-style Naan Bread, so simple to make, yet so delicious! Super easy to put together and so good you'll never have store-bought naan again!

Equipment

  • KitchenAid Classic 4.5 Quart Stand Mixer
  • Glass Mixing Bowl Set (3 piece)
  • 12-inch Cast Iron Skillet

Ingredients

For Dough

  • 2 teaspoon active dry yeast
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • ½ cup water lukewarm
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil
  • 1 egg large
  • ¼ cup yogurt plain
  • 2½ cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon salt

Other

  • 12 teaspoon olive oil
  • 4 tablespoon butter melted
  • 2 tablespoon parsley chopped
US Customary – Metric

Instructions

  • Preheat Oven: If your oven has a proof setting, preheat it to the proof option, otherwise turn on your oven to the lowest heat, mine is around 170°F. Turn it off once it's come to that heat.
  • Activate Yeast: In a medium bowl, combine the yeast, sugar and water. Lightly whisk it all together, then let it sit for about 5 to 10 minutes or until the yeast dissolves and starts to foam.
  • Add Ingredients: To the same bowl, add the oil, yogurt, egg and whisk well. Set aside.
  • Make Dough: To the bowl of your mixer, combine the flour with the salt. Add the yeast mixture and mix for a couple minutes, until the dough comes clean from the sides of the bowl. If the dough is too wet, add a bit more flour, starting with a tablespoon at a time. The dough should be nice and soft but not sticky.
  • Rise: Place the dough in an oiled bowl and cover it with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Place the bowl inside the preheated oven and allow the dough to rise for about 30 minutes to 1 hour or until doubled in size. I use this trick all the time to speed up the rising time. Mine only took about 40 minutes, so the time depends on your yeast and your environment.
  • Cut & Shape: After it rises, cut the dough into 8 equal pieces and shape each piece into a small ball. 
  • Cook: Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and add about 1 tsp of olive oil. Roll out one ball at a time until it's about 1/3 inch thick and about 5 inches in diameter. Add the piece of rolled dough to the hot skillet and cook for about 1 minute. The skillet should be very hot, so you'll see bubbles forming as you cook the dough on the first side. Flip the dough and cook the other side until the bottom is golden.
  • Repeat: Repeat with remaining dough until all of the pieces are cooked. Keep the naan covered in a towel so that it doesn't dry out. When all of them are cooked, brush each one with the melted butter and garnish with some parsley. 

Video

Recipe Notes

  1. I used active dry yeast which you have to activate first, but you may also use instant or rapid yeast which doesn’t require you to dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water and sugar, though you still need to add those ingredients.
  2. Make sure your water is not too hot or it could kill the yeast which will cause your dough not to rise at all. The ideal temperature for the water should be between 105 F degrees and 110 F for proofing. While 95 F degrees is the best temperature for yeast to multiply, that’s not warm enough for proofing active dry yeast. 
  3. To help your dough rise faster, heat up your oven to 200 F degrees, or the lowest temperature it will go to, then turn off the oven. Place your dough in the oven, close the door and let the dough rise in peace for about 30 minutes. If your oven has a proof function, use that.
  4. I usually add about a tsp of olive oil for each bread and brush it in the skillet so that it’s evenly distributed.
  5. As you fry pieces of naan, keep them covered in a towel so that they don’t dry out!
  6. Cool the naan first, then store it in airtight plastic bags at room temperature for up to 3 days.
  7. Naan can be frozen in airtight plastic bags for up to 2 months.

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 1naanCalories: 329kcal (16%)Carbohydrates: 32g (11%)Protein: 6g (12%)Fat: 20g (31%)Saturated Fat: 10g (63%)Trans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 37mg (12%)Sodium: 161mg (7%)Potassium: 97mg (3%)Fiber: 2g (8%)Sugar: 1g (1%)Vitamin A: 296IU (6%)Vitamin C: 1mg (1%)Calcium: 23mg (2%)Iron: 2mg (11%)
Course:Bread, Side Dish
Cuisine:Indian
Keyword:naan, naan bread, naan recipe
Tried this recipe? Rate it belowtag @jocooks on instagram and hashtag it #jocooks!
  • 6482
  • 11

Meet Joanna Cismaru

I’m Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Here you will find a variety of recipes using simple everyday ingredients and creating wonderful, delicious and comforting meals, including some decadent desserts.

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Comments

  1. Jacqueline says

    March 23, 2021 at 11:16 am

    Hi Jo. Can I use almond or coconut flower, also what about a sugar substitute?

    Reply
    • Ana Jinga says

      March 23, 2021 at 11:33 am

      You can definitely choose the type of flour you’d like, keep in mind the coconut flour will add a sweeter flavor to them. And as for sugar substitute you can try honey or maple syrup as well.
      Let us know how it turned out! 🙂

      Reply
  2. Judy says

    March 21, 2021 at 12:04 pm

    If proofing in the Instant Pot, how long should you set it for?

    Reply
    • Joanna Cismaru says

      March 21, 2021 at 12:59 pm

      I’ve never actually proofed dough in an instant pot, but I did a quick search for you and it seems about 30 minutes.

      Reply
      • Judy says

        March 21, 2021 at 1:02 pm

        Thank you very much for your quick response.

  3. Marci Laurenson says

    January 30, 2021 at 2:27 pm

    5 stars
    We love this recipe in my house! We make a double batch when we have chicken shawarma (also give that recipe five stars! ). I turn the leftovers into personal pizzas. Brush the top with melted butter and minced garlic. Add marinara and your favorite toppings. Bake at 400 until bubbly and browned. (8-10 minutes).

    Reply
  4. Tamik says

    August 1, 2020 at 8:59 pm

    5 stars
    Delicious naan bread and I found the instructions very easy to follow. Will save this one for future

    Reply
  5. Claudia says

    July 21, 2020 at 11:16 am

    5 stars
    Just made my first batch and it is so easy to make. Hand kneaded the dough as it was easier. My fianceé loved them

    Reply
  6. pisey says

    April 27, 2020 at 8:48 pm

    Hi, can i use instant yeast? If so, please assist with how.

    Reply
    • Jo Cooks Team says

      April 28, 2020 at 9:50 am

      Yes you can! Use the same amount and mix it straight in with the flour.

      Reply
    • Shelli says

      August 4, 2020 at 7:50 am

      Hey there quick question, can I use gluten free all purpose flour to make these?

      Reply
      • Jo Cooks Team says

        August 4, 2020 at 9:51 am

        You’ll need a gluten replacement such as xanthan gum 🙂

  7. Cheryle says

    February 27, 2020 at 9:49 am

    5 stars
    Great recipe and so easy. I brushed it with butter and sprinkled it with zahtar.

    Reply
  8. Julie says

    January 30, 2020 at 7:15 pm

    5 stars
    Hi Jo.
    I just finished making your naan bread and my kitchen smells amazing.
    I had so much fun making these and they taste beautiful.
    Thank you for your in depth explanations and also the video was a great help to me.

    Reply
    • Jo Cooks Team 2 says

      January 31, 2020 at 10:40 am

      Im so glad 🙂 Thanks Julie!

      Reply
  9. TONI says

    November 10, 2019 at 5:55 pm

    HAVEN’T YET TRIED BUT HAVE A QUESTION … COULS WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR BE USED ?

    Reply
    • jo says

      November 11, 2019 at 11:04 am

      You can, you might have to add a bit more flour though.

      Reply
  10. Johanna says

    May 25, 2019 at 8:08 pm

    5 stars
    very good, easy to make. Liked the oven rising trick

    Reply
    • Joanna Cismaru says

      May 27, 2019 at 10:28 am

      Glad you liked it!

      Reply
  11. Chicago Grammy says

    March 30, 2019 at 8:54 am

    Could I use the griddle on my stove (non-stick surface) rather than a cast iron skillet?
    Thanks – the recipe sounds yummy!

    Reply
    • Nicole Beaulieu says

      April 1, 2019 at 11:48 am

      Yes for sure!

      Reply
  12. Big whiskey says

    March 24, 2019 at 3:17 pm

    Keeper!

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      January 12, 2020 at 7:11 am

      Is it possible to store the dough balls until the next day to cook them? Just to make sure the bread is as fresh as possible for when I need it. Or will it ruin the dough?

      Reply
      • Jo Cooks Team says

        January 13, 2020 at 11:15 am

        The dough will rise quite a lot, this recipe is best made fresh.

  13. Ray Cannon says

    March 24, 2019 at 9:47 am

    5 stars
    I love Naan. I have made it on a grill, using a pizza stone. I got the stone very hot and the naan came out great.
    However the best time was when I was on a business trip to New Delhi. We were working in the man’s home and they prepared lunch for us.
    The naan was cooked in their tamdoor oven. It was the first time I’d had naan and it was unforgettable.

    Reply
  14. Andrea says

    January 25, 2019 at 5:20 pm

    5 stars
    Hi Jo. What can I replace the yogurt with to make this plant based? Would soy yogurt work? I have an egg replacer. But I wanted to check on the yogurt. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Joanna Cismaru says

      January 27, 2019 at 9:54 am

      Hi Andrea! I can’t say I’m tried soy yogurt before, so I’m not quite sure of its texture and taste. However, I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. If you do give it a try, do let me know how it turns out.

      Reply
  15. Dolores Howze says

    December 9, 2018 at 5:53 am

    5 stars
    Wonderful!!!

    Reply
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I'm Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Here you will find a variety of recipes using simple everyday ingredients and creating wonderful, delicious and comforting meals, including some decadent desserts.

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