This easy vegan homemade Naan Bread is soft, chewy, fluffy and so delicious just like the food you’ll find at an Indian restaurant! Perfect as a side to a curry, soup or to use as pita bread for vegan gyros or enjoy for a quick snack with garlic butter on top! This recipe includes a video and works also gluten-free!
Vegan Homemade Naan Bread Recipe
I grew up in a family where we made anything from scratch and I love eating any kind of food that is homemade! I’ve already shared recipes for homemade pasta, ravioli, gnocchi, dumplings, tortillas, and Aloo Paratha here on the blog. So it’s definitely time to share my favorite easy vegan homemade Naan bread recipe which can be made gluten-free, too! It’s an Indian style flatbread, that is soft, tender, pillowy, and can easily be cooked on the stovetop for just a few minutes!
Honestly, I have no idea why I waited this long to publish the recipe because it is so simple, and so delicious! I love to serve it with Indian dishes like a creamy curry or a spicy soup but I also enjoy it just for a quick lunch snack with vegan garlic butter and fresh tomatoes. I also like to sprinkle some sea salt, ground black pepper, sesame seeds, and fresh herbs like thyme, coriander, basil or rosemary on top for more flavor!
Easy Vegan Naan Bread Recipe
If you have ever tried to buy naan at a store you may have noticed that it’s not very easy to find a vegan brand that contains no eggs or dairy milk. So why not making vegan naan at home? I can tell you that, even though there’s yeast involved, the recipe is quite failproof! So please don’t be afraid of yeast – I’m very sure you can work with it easily!
Ingredients for Vegan Naan Bread
Easy vegan naan bread is made with basic ingredients like flour, yeast, water, non-dairy milk, and a bit of sugar. In my recipe, however, I use soy milk instead of non-dairy milk to it keep it soft and nice. For more garlicky flavor you can also add some grated garlic to the dough and then brush the naan with vegan garlic butter but this is totally up to you!
How to make Naan Bread
This recipe starts with making the basic Naan flatbread yeast dough. First, combine warm water, yeast, and sugar in a large bowl and set aside until frothy and foamy, about 10 minutes. Next, add the oil, vegan yogurt, salt, and flour. Mix to combine, then turn onto a working surface and knead with your hands to form a soft dough. To keep it simpler you can also use a stand mixer with dough hooks for kneading as I did. Once the dough is formed, place it in a greased bowl, cover it with a damp towel or plastic wrap and place it in a warm place for at least 45 minutes and let it rise.
Once the dough is doubled, cut into 6 pieces. On a floured surface, roll each piece into an oval or circle flatbread, about 0,2-inch (0,5 cm) thick.
How to cook Indian Flatbread
Traditionally naan is made in a tandoor (clay oven) but at home, you can bake/ fry it on the stove. It’s totally fine to fry it in a non-stick pan (see photo on the left) but I find naan bread tastes much better when cooking it in a cast-iron skillet (see photo on the right).
To cook vegan naan, heat a large non-stick pan or skillet to medium heat. Add a little bit of oil or non-stick spray. Place one or two flatbreads in the skillet (depending on the size), and cook until the bread is beginning to bubble and the edges of the dough look dry, about 2-3 minutes. Then, flip and cook from the other side for further 2-3 minutes or until golden with crispy brown spots from the bubbles on top!
Once done cooking, you can brush the hot homemade naan bread with melted vegan butter or olive oil or coconut oil. I highly recommend adding some minced garlic to the dairy-free butter or oil because it’s so flavorful! Also, I topped mine with fresh thyme and sesame seeds!
I hope you’ll love this Naan! It is:
- Vegan (Dairy-free, Egg-less)
- Pretty easy to make
- Tender
- Soft
- Fluffy
- Chewy
- Flavorful
- Indian inspired
- So delicious!
How to store Naan Bread
I recommend storing this Indian flatbread in an airtight container or freezer bag. At room temperature, on the counter, it lasts for up to 5 days. But in the fridge, it keeps even a few more days. To serve reheat in the microwave or oven until warmed through.
Can I freeze this Indian flatbread?
If you‘d like to make this easy vegan naan in advance, you can freeze them for the future! To freeze make the yeast dough, let rise, then divide the doubled dough into equal parts and roll them out. Stack them one by one (unbaked), with a piece of parchment paper between each rolled naan. Once you have stacked them all, place them in a freezer bag, squeeze out the air, seal, and freeze.
What to serve with Naan Bread
Naan can go with almost anything, but it makes also a great appetizer or snack when served with guacamole, avocado aioli or cashew dip. Traditionally it’s often served as a side to Asian and Indian foods. Here are some of my favorite vegan comfort food recipes to serve with:
- Indian Lentil Dal
- Cauliflower Tikka Masala
- Lentil Meatballs in Curry Sauce
- Pumpkin Chickpea Curry
- Sweet Potato Coconut Curry
Easy Vegan Homemade Naan Pizza Recipe
Anyway, Naan Bread is not only delicious as just a side but you can also use it as pita bread for making vegan gyros wraps with BBQ Jackfruit Pulled Pork. However, I also like to use Naan for making a quick and easy, simple pizza crust! Just top with tomato sauce, garlic mushrooms, and vegan cheese. Alternatively, you can also make the topping of my best vegan garlic mushroom and spinach pizza. Once your bread is topped, bake for 10 minutes or until cheese has melted. Finally, you could also add some toasted pine nuts on top for a nutty flavor. Enjoy hot!
If you try this easy Vegan Homemade Naan Bread Recipe, please leave me a comment and rating below! And if you take a photo of your naan from scratch and share it on Instagram, please make sure to tag me @biancazapatka and use the hashtag #biancazapatka because I love seeing your remakes! Happy cooking!
Easy Vegan Naan
Author:Ingredients
Vegan Naan
Vegan Garlic butter (to serve, optional)
- 2 tbsp vegan butter at room temperature, or coconut oil
- 1-2 garlic cloves minced
- salt and pepper to taste
- fresh herbs of choice
Instructions
Naan dough (*Check out the recipe video in the blog post!)
- Combine warm water, yeast, and sugar in a large bowl. Set aside until frothy and foamy, about 10 minutes.
- Add the olive oil, non-dairy yogurt, salt, and flour. Mix to combine with a wooden spoon or fork, then transfer to a lightly floured working surface and knead with your hands for 5-10 minutes until a smooth soft dough forms. (Alternatively, use a stand mixer with dough hooks for kneading the dough).
- Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl. Cover with a damp kitchen towel or foil and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
Cook Vegan Naan
- After it rises, cut the dough into 6 pieces. On a floured surface, roll out each piece into an 0,2-inch (0,5cm) thick oval or circle.
- Preheat a cast-iron skillet (or non-stick pan) to medium heat and brush with a little oil or cooking spray. Cook each flatbread for 2-3 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown on the bottom. Flip over and cook for another 2-3 minutes. (Cover the cooked naan with a clean kitchen towel to keep warm and soft until ready to serve while you cook the rest).
Vegan Garlic Butter
- Combine vegan butter with minced garlic. Add salt, pepper and chopped fresh herbs to taste.
- Brush the top of each hot naan with a bit of vegan garlic butter (or just coconut oil) as desired. Sprinkle with sesame and more fresh herbs, such as thyme, cilantro or parsley. Enjoy!
Notes
- For a gluten-free naan, you can replace the all-purpose flour with a gluten-free flour blend 1 to 1.
- You can use your favorite non-dairy yogurt, such as soy, almond, cashew, coconut, etc. Just make sure to use plain unsweetened yogurt with a neutral flavor. Alternatively, you can substitute coconut cream for the yogurt. Chill a can of full-fat coconut milk overnight, then scoop out the thick creamy part (this is the coconut cream). If you’re not vegan, you can use regular greek yogurt.
- Please read my blog post for further information about this recipe, such as how to store and freeze the bread, or what to serve with.
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Can this bread be baked in the oven? I don’t have a cast iron skillet.
Naan is traditionally cooked in a tandoor or earthen oven, but can also be cooked in your oven at home. To cook naan in a regular oven – preheat your oven to 500 F degrees. Arrange rolled naan breads on a baking tray without touching. Brush thinly with oil and bake for around 5 minutes, or until golden brown. Then remove from oven and apply the garlic butter on top. Optionally, you can then place them in the oven under broiler setting to get them charred.
If I use whole grain/wheat flour would it be a 1:1 ratio substitute for A/P four?
Yes! 😉 However, please consider that the naan will be not as fluffy when using only whole grain flour.
So simple, but soooo delicious. I used whole meal spelt flour , only kneading very minimally, and they turned out beautifully fluffy and light. Thanks for sharing.
So glad to hear, that you enjoyed my naan bread. <3
Hi Bianca,
(I am French so pardon me if I make mistakes)
Thank you so much for this recipe!
I was wondering if the calculations for more servings were done by yourself or if it is something that is done automatically. The question is : is it reliable? I am asking because I would like to know if I can use this recipe for a restaurant for example, with the ingredients needed for 20 servings.
Hi Nestah,
I don’t know if I understand you right. This recipe is enough for 6 servings. If you want to do 20 servings, you need to multiply the given amounts for the ingredients with 3.33!
Delicious! I made this naan bread today and am delighted with the results. 👌 The recipe was easy to follow, I added nigella seeds to the mix and left out the garlic butter and herbs. Many thanks for sharing.
I’m happy you enjoyed the naan bread! Thanks for your feedback, Lulo. 🙂
Love this recipe and the taste of the naan. my dough comes out dry though. I use 1/3 cup non-dairy yogurt and keep the rest of the ingredients as is. The yeast is usually frothy when I add it to the rest but when I kneed it all, it is difficult to bring together and is really dry. It also does not rise at all for the hour it sits. I put the yeast mix and the entire mix in the oven on proof to keep them warm. Any ideas on why it is so dry and how to fix it? Thank you for this recipe. We make it at least once a week!
Hi there,
I highly recommend measuring in grams as this is more exact than cups.
When you try it again and see that it’s too dry, simply add more liquid.
Greetings,
Bianca
Love it! <3
Thanks!
Great recipe! Thanks!
So glad you love it!
Thank you so much! 🙂 ♡
I tried this recipe and the result was fantastic, even with gluten-free flour! 😍
Thank yoi for recipe!
So glad it turned out great with gluten-free flour! Thank you so much for your feedback! 🙂
May I ask you which gluten free flour you used please? I’m totally new to this so I’m desperate for some good homemade bread! Will it work replacing it with buckwheat or almond flour? Thank you Louise
Hi Louise,
it won’t work with buckwheat or almond flour. I recommend using this gluten-free 1 to 1 baking flour.
Greetings,
Bianca
These flatbreads are SCRUMMY!! We served them with garlic butter and parsley, and they were soooo light and fluffy. Defrosted the last 2 tonight and fried them up, almost as good as fresh so these will be our go to now instead of bread rolls with dinner 👌 Just wish it wasn’t so hard to find soy yoghurt – hopefully in time availability will improve!
So glad you love this recipe!
Thank you so much! 🙂
I love love love this recipe! Will make this Naan asap again!!
So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you so much! 🙂
I tried this naan recipe over the weekend, and im usually not a fan of working with dough, but this recipe was super simple to follow and easy to make. They came out great and went perfect with our curry dinner. Thanks for this fantastic recipe! Will be making this one again.
So glad your naan came out great and you loved it! Thanks for the feedback! 🙂
I wanted to try one of Bianca’s recipe for a long time and i took the step today and I’m not disappointed!! It’s really simple to follow and so sooo tasty. I love trying new recipe and it’s really really good. I can’t wait to make more for my friends and family!!
So glad you love this naan!
Thank you for your great feedback! 🙂
This is a must try! Really easy and soooo delicious! We enjoy them almost every week 😍
So glad you love it!
Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback! <3
This is the most impressive article on your site!
Thank you!
Thank you for this good recipe! It was so good, better than in a restaurant🥰
Thank you so much, Larissa!
So glad you love this naan. 🙂
ارتفاع نرده های شاخ گوزنی thanks
❤️
I want to make this recipe but I have no yogurt. Is it okay if I leave out soy dairy yogurt
You can use any yogurt or sub milk.
Needed to find a suitable non-dairy recipe for my son and we really enjoyed this, Made using water and then coconut yoghurt and the texture was lovely, fluffy and slightly chewy, not too dry. Very impressed. I added some Jeera and Fennel seeds as I’d run out of Nigella seeds. This is now our favourite vegan naan recipe – thank you!!
So glad your vegan naan turned out amazing! Thank you so much for your feedback! 😊
I have made these a few times and they are my go-to flatbread recipe now. They always turn out soft and reheat really well even from the freezer. Thanks
So glad you love this recipe!
Thank you so much! 😊
Hi I’m wondering if anyone has made them gluten free as well as vegan and if there are any tricks? The last couple of times I’ve tried a gluten free recipe that takes yeast it hasn’t turned out.
Hi Aimee,
It is very important to use the right gluten-free flour. I’ve already tested this Naan recipe with gluten-free 1 to 1 baking flour which contains xanthan gum (this helps make the structure of the dough smoother and softer) and it worked. However, it was not as fluffy and soft as with regular all-purpose flour. I used the same quantities but added an additional psyllium egg replacement by mixing 1 tbsp psyllium husks with 2 tbsp water. Also, be sure to knead gluten-free dough just as much as necessary, otherwise, it will become tough. It took me less than 3 minutes until the desired consistency has reached.
Let me know if you give it a try, too! 😉
Best,
Bianca
Another great recipe, thank you Bianca! These were so easy and turned out delicious!
So glad you love this vegan naan recipe! Thank you 🙂
This recipe was so delicious and easy to make! My whole family enjoyed it, (very nice with a chickpea curry!) I will definitely make this again. Thoroughly recommend!
So glad you love this recipe! Thank you so much! 🙂
This is not the first time I make this recipe. And each time it’s a success! Perfect with the chickpea and sweet potato curry recipe! Thanks for your amazing recipes!
Thank you so much for your amazing feedback! So glad you love this recipe! 🙂❤️
Hello Bianca! Thank you for this recipe, is very easy to make and sooo.. good!!! 😋🤩
All your recipe are interesting, special and yummilicios!!
So glad you love this naan bread and my other vegan recipes!
Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback! 🙂
I kept seeing the Biancas naan bread on instagram and today I was in the perfect mood for a lentil stew so I thought to myself: today’s the day I’m going to try it! it turned out amazing! I swapped soy yoghurt for coconut yoghurt and added garlic powder aswell. I loved it so much and I can’t wait to try it again!
Hi Milena, so glad you love this naan bread! Thank you so much for your amazing feedback! 🙂
Hi! I’m going to try making these this week. I just wondered whether it’s ok to freeze them once cooked to use for quick easy suppers?
Hi Laura, I recommend freezing the uncooked dough. You can roll it out into flatbreads, then stack them by placing a piece of parchment between each flatbread. Then transfer the stack to a freezer bag. To serve, thaw in the fridge overnight. Then cook and enjoy hot! 🙂
Hi,
Do you know how to make a gluten free version of your Naan bread?
Hi there, unfortunately, I have never had success with a gluten-free version. They often turn out too hard and chewy but feel free to give it a try if using a gluten-free flour blend 1:1!
Good thing! And yes, it is so lovely
Thank you so much! 🙂 Lots of love, Bianca <3
Homemade naan is the best! I love it fresh from the pan, it’s so delicious. Beautiful and easy recipe, Bianca!
Yes, I totally agree with you! Homemade is definitely the best! 🙂 Thank you for your comment, Ela! <3
Love that you made your own naan! I cannot wait to try it! I made it once but it was nowhere near this beautiful or perfect!
Love the step by step photos too!
Hi Nisha, so glad you like my vegan naan bread and I hope you’ll enjoy it too! I’m very sure your bread will look perfect! Thank you so much for your comment! Lots of love, Bianca <3
Thank you so much!
<3
Love this so much Bianca! Naan bread is one of my favourite things ever!!
So glad that you like naan bread, too! Thank you, Jess! 🙂