Easy Homemade Naan Bread Recipe – this soft and chewy bread can be made at home with simple ingredients. It is so easy you will want to make it all the time!
Easy Naan Bread
One of my favorite things to bake is homemade bread. I make everything from dinner rolls to pizza crust. I wish I would have tried making naan bread years ago. It is so easy to make, cooks up quickly, and is absolutely delicious!
Yogurt in the dough not only makes the naan soft and tender, it adds great flavor. Everyone in my family goes crazy for this bread! It is a perfect accompaniment to any Indian or curry dish, but is also great served with soup.
Truth be told, we like it enough that sometimes I serve it all on its own. My kids love it for an after school snack, and my youngest even likes the leftovers for breakfast.
What is the difference between pita bread and naan bread?
Naan usually has yogurt in it making it a softer texture that is great for wrapping around sandwich fillings. Pita bread puffs up when cooked, leaving a more hollow interior that is great for filling. Both are flatbreads, but have different flavors and textures.
HOW TO MAKE NAAN BREAD
Ingredients needed:
- warm water
- instant yeast (I use SAF brand)
- sugar
- olive oil (vegetable or canola oil will work in a pinch)
- plain yogurt (sour cream or greek yogurt can be used as a substitute)
- egg
- salt
- all purpose flour
- butter
- garlic (optional)
You start by making a basic yeast dough. Combine warm water, yeast and sugar in a large bowl and let it sit for a few minutes.
Then add oil, yogurt, egg, salt, and enough flour to form a soft dough. Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover it and let it raise till doubled in size.
HOW TO COOK NAAN BREAD
- Cut the dough into eight pieces. On a lightly floured surface, roll each piece into a circle about 6″ across.
- Heat a skillet to medium hot. Add a little bit of vegetable oil or olive oil.
- Place a circle of dough in the middle of the skillet and cook till bubbly and golden brown on the bottom. It takes 2-3 minutes.
- Flip it over and cook the other side for 2-3 minutes or till golden brown.
Brush hot naan bread with melted butter. I added minced garlic to my butter and it was incredible! We even topped ours off with chopped fresh parsley, and it was the perfect addition to this easy naan bread.
Note: If you will be immediately be using the naan as flatbread for sandwiches, you can omit the melted butter so it isn’t quite so messy when you fold it in half and eat it.
Can I add garlic to the dough?
Of course! If you love garlic, feel free to add some fresh minced garlic to your naan dough. Stir it in with the oil and yogurt. You could even use garlic powder if you prefer.
How many calories in naan bread?
If you prepare as directed, each piece is about 230 calories. If you omit the melted butter on top, they are about 207 calories each. If you need to add more than 2 1/2 cups of flour, you will of course increase the calorie count.
How long does Naan Bread last?
At room temp, naan bread should last 3-4 days on the counter if stored in an airtight container (like a ziplock bag). If you store it in the refrigerator it will last for about a week.
Can you freeze naan bread?
Yes, you can freeze naan. It’s best to freeze it before brushing it with melted butter. Let it cool completely, then wrap in plastic wrap and place in large freezer Ziplock bags. It will last up to 3 months.
How to reheat leftover naan:
Microwave: reheat in the microwave oven for about 15- 20 seconds, more if it is frozen.
Oven: Spread the naan bread in a 9×13″ pan and sprinkle lightly with water. Cover the pan with aluminum foil. Bake at 250° for about 8-10 minutes or till heated through.
Skillet: Heat a non-stick skillet to medium low. Cook each naan for about 2 minutes on each side, moving often to make sure it doesn’t burn.
When it is warm, brush it with the melted butter.
What to serve with naan bread?
Naan is typically best with Asian and Indian foods, but you can really serve it with just about anything. We love it with soup! You can also dip it in hummus, use it to make wraps, or even as a crust for personal pizzas.
SOUPS TO SERVE WITH THIS NAAN BREAD RECIPE:
FOR MORE EASY BREAD RECIPES, CHECK OUT:
HOMEMADE NAAN BREAD RECIPE
Easy Naan Bread
Soft and flavorful flatbread made with yogurt and topped with melted butter and garlic.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 2 tsp instant yeast
- 1 tsp sugar
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup plain yogurt
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour (more or less)
- 2 Tbsp melted butter
- 2 tsp garlic, minced (optional)
Instructions
- Combine warm water, yeast, and sugar in a large bowl; let sit for five minutes or till bubbly. Add olive oil, yogurt, egg, salt and 2 cups of flour. Stir till smooth.
- Add enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead a few times on a floured counter until smooth.
- Place dough in a greased bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, 30-60 minutes.
- Cut dough into eight pieces. On a floured surface, roll out each piece into a 6" circle.
- Preheat a skillet to medium heat.
- Add a little oil or non-stick spray to the skillet. Cook each circle for 2-3 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown on the bottom. Flip over and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
- Brush the top of each naan with melted butter. I added garlic to my butter, but that is optional.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 232Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 31mgSodium: 184mgCarbohydrates: 32gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 6g
Can you freeze the dough for later use?
I haven’t tried it, but you certainly could. It’s best to freeze dough in a deep freeze, because the temperature is colder and the dough freezes faster before the yeast has a chance to rise.
Made these naan today turned out fantastic
Yay, I’m so happy to hear that!
Do you knead the dough after it has doubled? Your recipe doesn’t mention it.. so thought I would ask.
No, you definitely don’t want to knead yeast dough after it has risen. That breaks all the air bubbles that you just created during the rising process.
Hi, I am new to any kind of yeast bread. It did not turn out well for me. I don’t know what the problem was but when I put the bread in the skillet it did not bubble so the bread was just flat with no air bubbles inside. Any idea what the problem was? Thanks
Sorry to hear it didn’t turn out for you. It’s hard to troubleshoot since I wasn’t there, but my best guess is either that your yeast was old, or that the water you used was too hot. Did the yeast mixture bubble (step 1)? If the yeast doesn’t bubble, you know either it’s expired, or your water was too hot. If it did bubble as directed, then I’m not sure what went wrong. Don’t get discouraged. Keep trying and you’ll get it!
so, just scrolling through the web, and happened to see your recipe for naan – fair enough. However, you said, it goes with all ” asian and indian food” – arghhh!!! Indian is Asian!!!! So, no need to make that distinction, OR you could have said Asian and south asian – not sure where you are from, didn’t check, but please, do educate yourself, before you blog about international foods – aiyyeoooo!
Sorry if you were offended. I wanted to say Chinese and Indian food, but thought some people would take offense at that. Where I live, whether it is politically correct or not, Asian and Indian restaurants are VERY different, so I don’t count them as the same. As for myself, I don’t care too much what it’s called, I just like food that tastes amazing. 🙂
love your recipes Kara!
Aw, thanks so much Grace!
Why do u have to be so rude? if u don’t like it, then don’t comment. No one wants to read nasty comments.
shailini sisodia I don’t know where your’e from, but around these parts a comment like that is just plain rude. What a wonderful recipe!
I am wondering if I can cook the naan bread on an electric skillet that I use for pancakes? By the way, I LOVE your recipes and blog! I cook a lot, and would love to share some of my famous recipes with you. Where can I email them? My nickname is Kara too!
Yes, I think the electric skillet would work just perfectly! I’m always up for trying new recipes, you can email them to me at karasblogs@gmail.com 🙂
This was so good!
Can I refrigerate the left over dough
Just cooked these and everyone loved them. Used the bread maker to mix and prove the dough. I’m going to attempt freezing the leftover naans. Excellent recipe, so thank you.
In your blog, you said the Naan was 230 calories (207 w/out butter brushed on). In the nutritional information, it says 506 calories. Which is correct? Is the rest of the nutritional information correct?
So sorry. When I first published the recipe, I listed 2-3 cups of flour, so the nutritional calculator didn’t work. After I adjusted it to say 2 1/2 cups, I forgot to reset it. It’s fixed now, and the 230 calories is correct. That’s with the butter. 🙂
It’s hard to be exact with yeast breads, because the amount of flour needed varies, but it will be close.
I am new to baking and using yeast – I was only able to find fresh yeast in little cubes (we live in Belgium). Do I use the same amount of yeast that your recipe calls for when using fresh yeast? Thank you.
A 6 ounce cube of fresh yeast is about the same as 1 1/2 -2 teaspoons of instant yeast. I’ve never tried fresh yeast, so let me know how it turns out!
Can you put spinach or thin slices onions crumbled bacon in the mixture
I bet you could. Sounds delicious! Give it a try and let me know how it turns out! 🙂
made these before and they’re sooo good!
So happy to hear it Kadence!
This was so easy to make and so good. I added garlic (because it’s garlic) and it was fantastic.
I’m always up for extra garlic! Bet it was extra tasty. 🙂
Super delicious and easy! I added some garlic like you suggested and it was fantastic!
I’m not sure I’ve ever tried this kind of bread! Need to try this recipe!
so yummy! I love naan bread!
Thank you for the idea, Kara! So nice and simple recipe! Looks sooo delicious! Kara, could you tell me, please, is it possible to make this naan bread dairy-free? Or even veganize it? I’m in love with this recipe and would like to try it, but I have some suspicions that I’m allergic to dairy, so I’m trying to follow a plant-based diet. Well, what do you think, if it is okay to replace yogurt and butter with coconut ones? Or it doesn’t make any sense then? Won’t it spoil the taste?
Sorry for that bunch of questions, Kara. I’m grateful in advance.
And Happy New Year!
I’ve never had dairy free yogurt, but it’s worth a try. For the butter you brush on top, coconut oil would definitely leave a coconut taste, so I wouldn’t advise using that. You’re better off just brushing it with olive oil, that should taste just fine!
couldn’t you try almond milk or almond sour cream?
Can you use coconut or almond flour instead of white flour .
I haven’t tried either of them, so I’m not sure. It’s probably worth a try! Let me know if you do make it that way and how it turns out.