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.