Homemade Naan Bread Recipe

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This Naan bread is truly the best. It’s soft, buttery and easy to make in a skillet with a handful of simple ingredients. Homemade naan bread is even more delicious than your favorite Indian restaurant.

a stack of 4 pieces of naan bread

I have been on a quest to make the perfect homemade naan bread – and I finally mastered it with this recipe!

We make this homemade naan once a week because we love it SO much! It’s soft, buttery and easy to make in a skillet with a handful of simple ingredients.

Plus an added bonus is that you don’t need to turn on the oven to enjoy homemade bread during the warm summer months!

overhead view of a stack of naan bread, the top piece is torn in half and the halves are setting on top of each other.

Homemade Naan Bread: Ingredients & Substitutions

Let’s discuss the ingredients in this naan bread recipe, as well as possible substitutions.

overhead photo of the labeled ingredients in this Homemade Naan Bread Recipe
  • Honey. Granulated sugar can be used in place of honey in a pinch, but honey is best.
  • Whole milk. 2% milk works well, but I do not recommend using fat-free or skim milk.
  • Full-fat Greek yogurt. The full-fat dairy in this naan recipe gives it a soft texture and rich taste. You can use a 2% or fat-free Greek yogurt, your bread may just not be as pillowy soft.
  • Olive oil. Canola or avocado oil can be used in place of olive oil.
  • Baking powder. In order to get the perfect amount of bubbles (essential in naan bread), yeast and baking powder are used. It’s an essential ingredient not to be left out.
  • All-purpose flour. Bread flour can be used as a substitute for all-purpose flour.
a stack of 4 pieces of naan bread

How to Make Naan Bread

This naan bread needs about an hour to rise once, so make sure you plan accordingly. We will walk through how to make naan step-by-step, and don’t forget to watch the video.

Begin this recipe by combining the water yeast and honey in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the dough hook or in a large mixing bowl. Let sit until foamy.

How to Make Naan Bread yeast proofed in a mixing bowl

Once foamy, add milk, yogurt and olive oil to the yeast mixture and stir to combine.

two photos showing How to Make Naan Bread - proofing yeast and adding wet ingredients

Next, add 2 cups of flour and sea salt to the wet ingredients and stir with the dough hook or by hand until incorporated.

Start with 2 cups then gradually add the rest of the flour as needed ¼ cup at a time until the dough forms a ball and is only very slightly tacky.

two photos showing How to Make Naan Bread - adding dry ingredients and making the dough

Once the dough forms a ball, turn it out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth.

How to Make Naan Bread, dough kneaded into a round ball

Then put the dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover it with a wet towel let rise until doubled. Once doubled, punch down the dough to release gas.

two photos showing How to Make Naan Bread, the dough before and after rising in a glass bowl

Portion & Roll

Divide the dough into 10 equal pieces.

Use a scale

If you love making bread and don’t have a food scale I highly recommend purchasing one. I always weigh the dough to ensure that the pieces are uniform.

naan bread dough portioned into 10 equal pieces

Roll each piece of dough into ¼” thick oval or circle. The shape isn’t critically important since the naan is cooked individually.

one naan rolled into a circle and brushed with olive oil before cooking

Cook

Preheat a 10” round skillet over medium heat. I have used both a nonstick skillet and cast iron skillet with great results.

Brush one side of the naan dough circle with melted butter and place it buttered side down on the preheated skillet.

Immediately butter the other side (that is facing up) and lightly sprinkle it with garlic salt. Cook until large bubbles form (about 2-3 minutes)  

How to Make Naan Bread - naan cooking on the first side & bubbling

Once the first side is browned and there are plenty of bubbles, flip the naan and cook it on the second side until browned (about 2 more minutes)

 If desired, sprinkle warm naan on one side with fresh cilantro. Remove from heat, let cool slightly and serve warm.

How to Make Naan Bread - naan cooking on the second side

Serve

Serve warm with your favorite Indian dishes. We like to make this naan bread to accompany our favorite mediterranean dishes as well (even though it’s Indian cuisine). I like to dip it in homemade hummus, white bean hummus or tzatziki, and serve with falafel.

a stack of Homemade Naan Bread Recipe topped with cilantro

Store

Store this naan bread in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat for 5-10 seconds in the microwave or in the oven on low heat to restore the fresh-from-the-oven taste.

Freeze

Freeze this naan in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw by warming it in the microwave r on low heat in the oven.

a stack of 4 pieces of Homemade Naan Bread Recipe topped with cilantro

FAQs about Homemade Naan

Can I use milk instead of yogurt in naan bread?

Greek yogurt is an important ingredient in this naan recipe – I don’t recommend using milk in its place.

What is the difference between pita and naan?

My husband literally asked me this question yesterday. Naan has a thicker, fluffier texture because it is made with yogurt. Pita is thinner bread made with less ingredients (flour, water, salt, etc) and no yogurt. Naan is cooked in a skillet while Pita is usually baked at very high temperatures in the oven.  

How long does naan last?

Up to 5 days in the fridge when stored in an airtight container.

a piece of naan being dipped into a bowl of hummus

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Homemade Naan Bread Recipe

Laura
This Homemade Naan is truly the best. It’s soft, buttery and easy to make in a skillet with a handful of simple ingredients. This naan bread recipe is even more delicious than your favorite Indian restaurant.
5 from 11 votes
Course Appetizer, bread, Side Dish
Cuisine Indian
Servings 10 Servings
Calories 207
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time5 minutes
Rising1 hour
Total Time1 hour 25 minutes

Ingredients 
 

Naan Bread

Topping

  • ¼ cup salted butter melted (for brushing)
  • Garlic salt for sprinkling
  • Fresh cilantro chopped (Optional garnish)

Instructions 

  • In the bowl of a standing mixer, combine water yeast and honey. Let sit until foamy.
  • Add milk, yogurt and olive oil to the yeast mixture and stir to combine.
  • Add 2 cups flour, baking powder and sea salt and stir until incorporated.
  • Add additional flour ¼ to ½ cup at a time until the dough forms a ball and is only very slightly tacky.
  • Turn onto a floured surface and knead until smooth.
  • Lightly grease a large bowl, add dough and cover with a wet towel let rise until doubled.
  • Once doubled, punch down the dough to release gas.
  • Divide the dough into 10 equal pieces (I recommend weighing the dough to ensure they are all the same size).
  • Roll each piece of dough into ¼” thick oval or circle.
  • Preheat a 10” round skillet over medium heat.
  • Brush one side of the naan dough circle with melted butter and place it buttered side down on the preheated skillet.
  • Immediately butter the other side (that is facing up) and lightly sprinkle it with garlic salt.
  • Cook until large bubbles form (about 2-3 minutes)
  • Flip and cook on the second side until browned (about 2 more minutes)
  • If desired, sprinkle warm naan on one side with fresh cilantro.
  • Remove from heat, let cool slightly and serve warm.

Video

Notes

Ingredient Substitutions
  • Honey. Granulated sugar can be used in place of honey in a pinch, but honey is best.
  • Whole milk. 2% milk works well, but I do not recommend using fat-free or skim milk.
  • Full-fat Greek yogurt. The full-fat dairy in this naan recipe gives it a soft texture and rich taste. You can use a 2% or fat-free Greek yogurt, your bread may just not be as pillowy soft.
  • Olive oil. Canola or avocado oil can be used in place of olive oil.
  • Baking powder. In order to get the perfect amount of bubbles (essential in naan bread), yeast and baking powder are used. It’s an essential ingredient not to be left out.
  • All-purpose flour. Bread flour can be used as a substitute for all-purpose flour.
Store

Store this naan bread in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat for 5-10 seconds in the microwave or in the oven on low heat to restore the fresh-from-the-oven taste.

Freeze

Freeze this naan in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw by warming it in the microwave r on low heat in the oven.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Naan | Calories: 207kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 285mg | Potassium: 129mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 162IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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5 from 11 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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17 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This recipe yielded delicious naan bread. I used almond milk instead of whole milk, and I used GF flour that contained xanthum gum in lieu of the AP flour. Suggest reducing the GF flour amount to 2 cups. I allowed it to poof for about an hour and then cooked it in a cast iron skillet. It was delicious and even better the next day.

  2. 5 stars
    Made your naan recipe tonight, it turned out to perfection. Soft, chewy on inside, slight crisp on outside. Thank you for a great recipe!

  3. 5 stars
    First time making naan. It turned out just right! My husband did the dough & rolled the naan because he is the precise one. I buttered and flipped, but mostly squealed at the bubbles as they formed. We will definitely make again. Soft pillowy and delicious!

  4. 5 stars
    Í tried the recipe this evening and it was delicious 👏🏻 Thank your
    Looking forward to trying more of your recipes

    Kind regards
    Hjördis

  5. 5 stars
    We’ve loved this recipe and have made it several times! Wondering if you can you make any part of this ahead of time? Thanks!!!

  6. Hey there! I’ve actually never made a comment before (just recently found your site, and love learning about your homeschool family) … I’m a 20 year old in college who feels deeply called to shine a light by being a mother of (Lord-willing) a large family and home schooling my kids (despite what my education and the academia world wants to push on me as being “more important”), plus I love making healthy homemade food. 🙂 Basically, was deeply encouraged to see someone prioritizing family, but also finding time to invest in something like this site on the side.

    Anyway, as for this recipe, I did notice a slight discrepancy. I’m right in the middle of making it and was about to add the flour + salt, but noticed the directions don’t actually mention when the baking powder goes in. I assume as the same time as the flour? No big deal, but thought I’d throw that out there. I’m a really good copy-editor so I notice small, unimportant details like that haha.

    Thanks for all you do, and for encouraging me in what feels like less and less common calling among women!

    1. Thank you Nicole! I need a really good copy editor (clearly). The baking powder goes in with the flour and salt I’ll fix that now! I actually have a double batch rising for guests right now too!

      1. Haha wonderful! I’m just rolling mine out myself, I went ahead and it worked wonderfully! So excited, I’m making a double batch for some company we’ll be hosting in a week, and they’re big bread people, haha.

        And hey, if you ever need someone to just take a quick glance at anything before posting, seriously, feel free to reach out! I do that for a lot of people. 🙂 Enjoy your time with guests.