There’s nothing better than homemade naan and a warm bowl of curry during Fall season. There are many variations for making this at home, but I wanted to share my easy but authentic, traditional naan recipe with all of you so you can make it at home as well!
This post contains helpful tips and tricks! If you’re in a rush, please use the “Jump to Recipe” above!
📖 What is naan?
Naan is a traditional Indian flatbread that is baked inside a “tandoor” oven. Tandoors are hot clay oven, that uses charcoal or wood fire to develop heat up to 900F. In fact, it’s often stuck to the inside of the oven on the sides, which then creates air pockets and bakes them to fluffy perfection. Tandoori naan gets its name from that oven, as do many other curries.
What’s the difference between naan and roti? Naan needs some type of yeast or fermentation (to rise). Rotis are typically made with whole wheat flour (atta) and don’t need to rise. So they’re not fluffy but just as easy to make.
What’s the difference between naan and pita? Pita is close to naan but doesn’t use enriched ingredients – just flour, water, yeast and salt!
💭 Why you’ll love this recipe
This easy recipe ensures fluffy delight, but I bet you’ll love it for more than that.
- Authentic, traditional recipe: This is how my mom makes naan at home. So you know it’s a time-tested recipe that’s withstood several intercontinental moves.
- Uses cast iron to replicate traditional tandoors: I use a cast iron skillet to get the same char that you get from a traditional Indian “tandoor” or brick oven, but without the fuss.
- Freezes easy, comes together in 90 minutes: It’s super easy to make the dough ahead of time and freeze it, and it just takes 30 minutes of active time to make the naan
📋 Ingredients & variations
There are so many different ways in which you can make traditional naan at home. My recipe uses flour, yogurt, and active yeast.
So, here are a few variations you might find helpful if you’re following a certain diet, or don’t have access to some ingredients.
- Naan without yogurt: Just take some milk, add lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. This forms buttermilk you can use in lieu of yogurt.
- Vegan naan: Replace yogurt with vegan yogurt, and you are all set
- Gluten free naan: Replace all purpose flour with self-rising gluten free flour and forget about yeast. I’ve tested naan recipes with other gluten-free flour and haven’t been too happy. If you have a different gluten-free method, hit me up in the comments!
- Vegan and gluten free naan: Replace all purpose flour with gluten-free self-rising flour. Then use a vegan yogurt instead of traditional yogurt.
- Whole wheat naan: I have good luck with using whole wheat flour to make naan as well. Friends also recommend using spelt flour and whole wheat flour together.
🥘 Step-by-step instructions
These are the instructions for my base naan recipe, that uses all purpose flour, plain Greek yogurt and yeast. Where possible, I’ve noted substitutions for some of the other variants. You’ll activate the yeast, prepare and portion the dough and cook it on a cast iron skillet.
Activate the yeast
Add warm water, sugar and yeast to a bowl and mix well together. Let it sit for 10 minutes for the yeast to do its thing. When it starts to look frothy, you can proceed to the next step. If you’re not using yeast, skip this step and add some baking soda directly to the next step.
Prepare the dough
In a bowl, add all purpose flour, the yeast mixture, salt, and yogurt and mix with a wooden spoon so it all comes together. If you’re not using yogurt, mix coconut milk with some vinegar and let it rest for 10 minutes before using that in place in yogurt.
Note: the dough will be sticky but it should still come together and form a ball. Don’t overwork the dough. Cover it with a damp towel or cloth and let it rest for about an hour.
Portion and roll
After an hour (and up to four hour later) – once your dough has increased significantly in size, you can punch out the air and shape the dough back into a ball on your counter. Don’t knead the dough, however! Just roll it back and forth until it takes shape.
Now, portion the dough into six chunks – roughly the size of a lemon each. If you want, you can also roll the dough into a cylinder and portion them that way. Place each of the dough balls in the same bowl, cover with a towel and get your cast iron skillet going. Letting the dough rest for about 10 minutes helps it regain some of the air pockets it lost.
Once your cast iron is all set on the stove, flour your counter or working surface as well as your rolling pin (to prevent dough from sticking). Take one piece of dough and roll it into a roughly oval shape. I aim for ~1/4 inch in terms of thickness (they’ll puff up a bit when you put them on the skillet).
Note: Only roll one piece of dough at a time. This serves two reasons: one, it’ll help keep the air pockets strong, which then leads to fluffy naan. Two, it gives enough time for the cast iron to reheat up between each naan as you’re cooking it. Win-win!
Cook the naan on a cast iron skillet
As I said in the precious step, before you start rolling the dough, I suggest you heat your cast iron skillet! This way, when you’re done rolling the dough, it’s hot and ready to go. If you’re adding any seasoning (like garlic, sesame seeds etc.) press them into one side. Then, brush a bit of water on the other side of your dough (i.e. the one without seasoning). This will help it stick to the skillet and create steam, which in turn will help the naan puff up.
Place the side with the water down on the cast iron skillet. Wait for about five seconds (bubbles will start to appear on the upper side). Now, cover the skillet and cook for about 35 seconds. Then, flip the naan to the other side and cook for 30-45 seconds. Try to press down on the naan so all the sections cook evenly. You’ll see small charred spots where the “bubbles” pressed down into the cast iron. This is the mark of a great naan!
Garnish and serve
I love to brush a bit of butter (with some minced garlic) on my naan. You can also add some shredded cheese on top. Or you can add butter with chopped jalapenos to give it a spicy finish. The possibilities are endless.
👩🏽🍳Tips for fluffy homemade naan
Use a HOT cast iron skillet (or pizza stone)
Most of us don’t have the luxury of a tandoor oven at home (I’m extremely jealous if you have one of those!) Unless you have an outdoor brick pizza oven, the next best alternative is an extremely hot cast iron skillet. I’ve tried making naan in a standard skillet, on stove-top and an in an oven and nothing has come close to the texture from a cast iron skillet.
You can still cook on medium heat but just wait until the skillet is super hot. Then, allow for a minute between each naan to let the skillet heat up to the ideal amount (this is also one of the reasons I recommend rolling out the naan one at a time).
If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, or want to use an oven. Preheat your oven to 450F, and throw a pizza stone (preferably cast iron here too) in there. Then, you’ll just need to cook the naan for 2-3 minutes once the stone is hot enough.
Roll the dough one at a time, right before you put it on the skillet
There are two important tips for rolling the dough – you want it not too thin, and not too thick, and you should roll it right before you place it on the skillet. The reason? When you let the dough rise, it forms a bunch of air pockets. When you roll dough right before you cook it, you don’t lose as many of the air pockets.
The other important thing to note here is to not overwork the dough! The fluffiness of the naan is driven by the air pockets inside, so the more you “roll” the dough, the less fluffy your naan will be. My suggestion is to gently pat down the dough and then use a roller to roll it once horizontally, and then roll it once vertically.
🥗 Storage, toppings and serving suggestions
Storage & reheating:
You can leave homemade naan out on the counter for a day or two and still be fine. However, if you have leftovers and you want to have them in the next week, you can place them in an airtight bag or container and place them in the fridge. I strongly caution against putting the dough in the fridge – it tends to get ultra sticky and it’ll take a decent bit of effort to rework the dough into a usable form after that.
If you want to freeze them, just portion and place them in an airtight container and throw them in the freezer. They’re good for at least 3 months. To reheat, I suggest sprinkling a TINY bit of water on the surface – then you can microwave it, or warm them on any pan. If you’re reheating frozen naan, make sure to let them thaw to room temperature first. To keep naan warm for a party, I suggest placing them in an oven at 200F.
Homemade naan topping suggestions:
- Garlic naan: This is one of the most common types of naan. To make this, you can press minced garlic into the dough when you’re rolling it, or you can mix some minced garlic into butter, and brush the naan with garlic butter once cooked.
- Butter naan: This is the simplest type of naan (and what’s often served in Indian restaurants). Just brush your cooked naan with some butter, vegan butter, or ghee.
- Cheese naan: This is a favorite in our household. You can do this one of two ways. You can either mix in a sharp shredded cheese with the butter and brush it on the naan once cooked. Or for something decadent, you can stuff naan with cheese before you roll it. To do this, take the dough ball, press into a flat shape on your palm. Place cheese in the middle and roll it back up. Then roll the dough normally.
- Spicy, chili naan: Two ways to do this. You can either add some pepper flakes into your butter and brush cooked naan with this. Alternatively, you can add some chili flakes into the dough before you roll it out. For a fresher alternative, finely chop jalapenos and add those to the dough instead. For the ultimate loaded naan, do both this and the cheese stuffing and never want for anything else again.
Serving suggestions:
- Indian curry: The traditional route is to use the naan as a perfect, fluffy vessel for scooping up any type of Indian curry, whether that’s a quick chana masala, a protein-packed lentil curry, aka dal tadka or a creamy vegan korma
- Flatbread pizza: Okay, once you have the naan you can literally load it up with anything you’d put on a flatbread – like, tons of mozzarella and delicious cherry tomatoes. Or just a whole bunch of cheese so you can make a grilled cheese naan flatbread. In the summer, I love making fresh basil pesto (or in the winter, kale pesto) and slathering that on naan along with some sauteed mushrooms and Parmesan for a great weekday lunch.
- Taco Tuesday: Make my favorite gochujang cauliflower tacos or just pop some of these delicious, crispy baked avocado fries to make a taco, but use naan instead of the regular taco shell. Game. Changing. If you’re looking for a killer sauce to go with, mix it up with Indian raita!
For more Indian recipes check out the following:
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If you tried this recipe, don’t forget to comment and rate! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Authentic Naan with Yogurt
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- ½ cup warm water, 100–110°F, warm to the touch but not hot
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅓ cup plain whole milk yogurt, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil, such as avocado or vegetable
For the garlic butter finish:
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, finely chopped
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar and warm water until the sugar dissolves. Sprinkle the yeast over the top and let it sit undisturbed for 8–10 minutes, until the surface is foamy and smells like bread. If the mixture doesn’t foam, your yeast is dead — start over with fresh yeast.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and salt.
- Add the yogurt and oil to the foamy yeast mixture and stir with a fork to combine. Pour the wet mixture into the flour and stir with a wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently for 2–3 minutes, just until it comes together into a smooth, slightly tacky ball. Don’t overwork it — naan dough should feel soft and pillowy, not tight.
- Lightly oil a large bowl (at least double the size of the dough). Place the dough in the bowl, turn it once to coat, and cover with a damp kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Set in a warm spot — next to a warm oven, on top of the fridge, or inside the oven with just the light on — and let rise for 1 hour, or until doubled in size. (If you have time, 1½–2 hours gives you even softer, fluffier naan.)
- Punch down the risen dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide into 8 equal pieces (about 55g each if you have a kitchen scale). Roll each piece into a smooth ball.
- Heat a cast iron skillet or tava over medium-high heat for at least 3–4 minutes — you want it really hot. A drop of water should sizzle and evaporate immediately on contact.
- Working with one ball at a time, dust with flour and roll into a teardrop or oval shape about ¼-inch thick and 6–7 inches long. Don’t roll all of them at once — the dough relaxes and loses its puff if it sits rolled out.
- Brush one side of the rolled naan with a thin film of water using your fingers or a pastry brush. Place the watered side down on the hot skillet. Within seconds, you’ll see small bubbles forming on the surface.
- Cover the skillet with a lid and cook for 60–90 seconds, until the bottom is deeply golden with charred spots and the top is puffed with large bubbles.
- Flip the naan and cook the second side, uncovered, for 45–60 seconds, until charred in spots. The finished naan should have dramatic black blisters where the air pockets formed.
- Transfer to a clean kitchen towel and cover to keep warm while you cook the remaining naan. If your skillet starts smoking or the naan is browning too fast, drop the heat to medium and let it recover for a minute before the next one.
- While you cook the last naan, stir the minced garlic and chopped cilantro into the melted butter.
- Brush each warm naan generously with the garlic butter. Serve immediately.
Notes
- The water-brush-and-lid trick is the technique. Water on the bottom creates instant steam; the lid traps it. Together they mimic a tandoor and give you the signature puff and char. Skip either and you get flat, dense bread.
- Cast iron or tava, not nonstick. Nonstick won’t get hot enough for char marks.
- Roll one at a time. Pre-rolled dough relaxes and loses its puff.
- Use whole-milk yogurt. Greek yogurt is too thick and tightens the dough. Nonfat won’t give you the same tenderness.
- Storage: Best fresh from the skillet. Keeps at room temperature 1 day, refrigerated 3 days. Reheat in foil at 350°F for 5–7 minutes, or directly on a hot skillet 30 seconds per side.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Note: This recipe was originally published on August 23, 2020 and was updated on November 20, 2020 with additional tips and photos for easy instructions
This recipe was fast, super easy, and the naan are awesome!
This is the 4th naan recipe I’ve tried (including from well-known Indian chefs!) and it’s the only one that gives a result of “restaurant-like” naan. The keys seem to be a really hot cast iron pan and the technique of putting some water on one side of the naan as it cooks with a lid on the pan. The tips are very helpful.
Thank you so much Linda! Glad it worked for you and that the tips were helpful!
Should i put it on highest heat possible without burning?
Loved this recipe!! First time making naan from scratch and it will not be the last! 🙂 delicious
Thanks so much, Alice!
Thank you so much for the recipe
Always wanted to try it out but didn’t have the courage.
Now I am more positive to make it again and again
Thank you so much, Fatima! I’m so glad you can enjoy this homemade naan as much as I do! Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions!
First time making my own naan and it was simple, easy to follow and most important tasty as hell!
I love naan bread and can’t wait to try your recipe. It is so good for sopping up all the sauces from delicious dinners and I love how delicious this naan looks. Thanks for sharing!
Is your cup uk or us cup?
US cup! And yes, initially to heat up the cast iron, use the highest setting, but then once you’re cooking the naan, you can turn it down to medium heat.
I had no idea it was this easy to make. I can’t wait to try this!
I always wanted to learn how to make naan bread at home, and I now feel confident with your detailed recipe. The bread sounds delicious and seems easy enough to make too.
I’ve always wanted to make my own naan — thanks for breaking it down to make it easy!!