By Laura
Posted Jul 07, 2021, Updated Feb 26, 2024
5 from 11 votes
17 Comments
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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.
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!
Homemade Naan Bread: Ingredients & Substitutions
Let’s discuss the ingredients in this naan bread recipe, as well as possible 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.
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.
Once foamy, add milk, yogurt and olive oil to the yeast mixture and stir to combine.
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.
Once the dough forms a ball, turn it out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth.
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.
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.
Roll each piece of dough into ¼” thick oval or circle. The shape isn’t critically important since the naan is cooked individually.
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)
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.
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.
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.
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. Naanhas 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.
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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 minutes
Cook Time5 minutes minutes
Rising1 hour hour
Total Time1 hour hour 25 minutes minutes
Ingredients
Naan Bread
- ½ cup warm water
- 2 teaspoons yeast
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- ½ cup whole milk (room temperature)
- ½ cup full-fat Greek yogurt (room temperature)
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 ½ to 3 cups all-purpose flour
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.
Did you enjoy this recipe? Have a question? Leave a comment below!
