Homemade Naan
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
Learn to make irresistibly soft and pillowy naan in your own kitchen with this simple recipe – it far outshines any store-bought version.
Naan is a soft, pillowy flatbread traditionally baked in a tandoor. This cylindrical clay or metal oven, prevalent in restaurant kitchens across the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East, and Central Asia, reaches scorching temperatures, imparting a distinct smoky flavor to foods. Naan dough, enriched with yogurt and olive oil and flavored with anise seeds, is rolled out and slapped against the tandoor’s inner walls, where it adheres and bakes swiftly over open flames. Once done, it’s brushed with melted butter.
In this recipe, I’ve replicated the tandoor’s high heat and charred flavor using a very hot cast iron skillet or nonstick pan. Making naan at home is so worth the effort—aside from the rising time, it’s quick to prepare, and the taste is leagues above store-bought versions! Paired with saucy dishes like chicken curry, butter chicken, or chicken tikka masala, homemade naan truly shines.
“The dough came together easily, was nice to work with and cooked up beautifully… My search for the perfect naan bread is over—this recipe is the best!”
What You’ll Need To Make Naan
As you can see, the ingredients are very basic. The yogurt and olive oil add a bit of tang and richness. The anise seeds add just a hint of licorice flavor; feel free to leave them out, or replace them with nigella seeds (which have a subtle onion flavor), poppy seeds, or sesame seeds.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by combining the flour, yeast, sugar, anise seeds and salt in a large bowl, then whisk to combine.
Whisk together the yogurt, olive oil, and warm water.
Add the liquid mixture to the dry ingredients.
And stir with a fork until the dough comes together.
Dust your hands with flour and knead into a soft, sticky ball.
Cover with plastic wrap.
Let rise in a warm spot until about doubled in size, 1 to 1-1/2 hours. Hint: the warmer the spot, the faster it will rise.
Fill a small bowl with flour. Dust some of the flour onto a work surface. Dump the dough on top and sprinkle the dough with more flour.
Shape the dough into a rectangle, adding more flour as necessary so it doesn’t stick.
Then, divide into six equal portions.
Heat a cast iron or heavy nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until very hot. While it heats, roll one of the dough balls into an oval about 1/8-inch thick.
Place the dough in the hot, dry skillet and cook until the surface is full of air bubbles and the bottom is browned and blistered in spots.
Flip the naan and cook a few minutes more.
Brush the cooked naan with melted butter, and repeat with remaining dough balls.
Sprinkle with parsley, if using, then serve warm.
You may also like
Frequently Asked Questions
A: Depending on how far ahead you want to make the naan, you have a few options. If serving within one day, store the naan in resealable plastic bag at room temperature. For longer storage, wrap each piece of cooled naan securely in plastic wrap and put all the rounds in a sealable plastic bag, then freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat, wrap the naan in aluminum foil and warm in a 350°F oven until hot.
A: Instant yeast and active dry yeast are both types of yeast used in baking, but they have distinct differences. Active dry yeast has larger granules surrounded by a protective shell, which often requires it to be dissolved in warm water (a process known as proofing) before mixing with other ingredients. In contrast, instant yeast features finer granules without this protective layer, allowing it to dissolve and activate more rapidly. This means that instant yeast can typically be mixed directly into dry ingredients without the need for proofing.
A: Active dry yeast may be used instead of instant/rapid-rise yeast in this recipe, however, the dough will take longer to rise. To give active dry yeast a “head start” and speed things up, you can dissolve it in the lukewarm water and let it sit until frothy, about 10 minutes. After that, add it to the flour, sugar, salt, and anise seeds, and proceed with the recipe.
A: Sure! I’d add some minced garlic to some melted butter and brush it on the bread after it’s cooked.
Video Tutorial
Homemade Naan
Learn to make irresistibly soft and pillowy naan in your own kitchen with this simple recipe – it far outshines any store-bought version.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled off with a knife, plus more for rolling (see note)
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon instant dry yeast/rapid-rise yeast (see note)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Heaping ½ teaspoon anise seeds (optional)
- 3 tablespoons plain yogurt
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ¾ cup warm water (about 100°F)
- 2 tablespoons melted salted butter, for brushing on finished naans
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley (optional), for serving
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, yeast, salt and anise seeds (if using). Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together, the yogurt, olive oil, and ¾ cup warm water (about 100°F). Add the yogurt mixture to the dry ingredients and mix with a fork. When the dough is about to come together, dust your hands with flour and knead gently into a soft, slightly sticky dough (sprinkle more flour, little by little, if the dough is too wet to work with). As soon as it comes together, stop kneading.
- Lightly oil or spray a clean bowl with nonstick cooking spray (the bowl should be large enough to allow the dough to double in size). Transfer the dough to the prepared bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel. Let sit in a warm place for 1 to 1½ hours, or until about doubled in size (hint: the warmer the spot, the faster the dough will rise).
- Fill a small bowl with about ½ cup flour. Dust a work surface with some of the flour and dump the dough on top. Sprinkle some of the flour on top of the dough and on your hands. Shape the dough into a long rectangle and cut into 6 equal portions, dusting with more flour as necessary so the dough doesn't stick. Roll each portion of dough in the bowl of flour to keep them from sticking.
- Warm a large cast iron or heavy nonstick pan over medium-high heat until very hot. Using a rolling pin, roll one of the dough balls into an oval shape about ⅛-inch thick (it should be about 9 x 4 inches). Pick up the dough and flip-flop it back and forth between your hands to release any excess flour; then gently lay the dough in the dry skillet and cook until the top is bursting with air bubbles and the bottom is golden and blackened in spots, a few minutes. Flip the naan and cook about 1-2 minutes more until the the bottom is lightly browned and blistered in spots. Remove the naan from the skillet and brush with melted butter. Place the naan in a tea towel-lined dish to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining naans, adjusting the heat lower if necessary as you go (I usually find it necessary to lower the heat to medium after the first naan). Sprinkle with parsley, if using, and serve warm.
- To keep the cooked naan warm, place them in a 200°F oven. Store leftovers in a Ziplock bag and reheat in a 350°F oven wrapped in foil.
- Note: I use King Arthur flour, which is higher in protein than some other all-purpose flours. If using a flour with a lower protein content, such as Gold Medal, you will likely need to add a few more tablespoons of flour.
- Note: Active dry yeast may be used instead of instant/rapid-rise yeast, however, the dough will take longer to rise. To give active dry yeast a boost, you can dissolve it in the lukewarm water and let it sit until frothy, about 10 minutes. After that, add it to the flour, sugar, salt, and anise seeds, and proceed with the recipe.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The naan can be frozen for up to 3 months. Once it’s completely cooled, wrap each piece securely in plastic wrap and put all the rounds in a sealable plastic bag prior to putting in the freezer. To reheat, wrap the naan in aluminum foil and warm in a 350°F oven until hot.
Nutrition Information
Powered by 
- Serving size: 1 naan
- Calories: 241
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated fat: 3 g
- Carbohydrates: 35 g
- Sugar: 3 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Sodium: 323 mg
- Cholesterol: 11 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
First time on the site and this recipe did not dissapoint! I’m always intimidated by yeast-based recipes because of some rising fails in my baking past … but this one came out DELICIOUS and was easier than I thought it would be! I used Instant Rapid Rise yeast and had no issues with rising. As some other reviewers noted, the dough was sticky and hard to work with (maybe I’ll use less oil and yogurt next time) but with enough flour, it came out great!
Beautiful, looking store-bought naans 🙂 My friends were impressed!
Next, I’ll try coconut yogurt for a vegan option! #veganuary
Hi there, I have made this to the exact recipe, and found that
The dough is meant to be sticky, just throw a little more flour over the dough as you are bringing it together ( lightly kneading) if you lessen oil and yoghurt, you will end up with a dry and tough bread. Good Luck
Jenn! You never fail to surprise me with wonderful recipes! First time making naan bread, it was super easy and turned out fluffy & slightly chewy. Perfection! Kids gobbled them up, another winner! Thank you!!
Hello Jen,
Can I use Greek yoghurt instead as it’s the only yoghurt we have?
Thanks
Sure – Hope you enjoy!
I used your Naan recipe for my first attempt at making Naan. The results were terrific!! Thank you so much for the recipe it went amazing with your chicken curry recipe. This will be my go to recipe from now on!! I really appreciate a recipe that works with no changes, my family thanks you too, keep up the awesome recipes.
Kara
Hi Jenn, I have made this multiple times and its fantastic. I wanted to ask if I can use bread flour instead of AP flour since thats what I have on hand today (and if so, would it be 125 g per cup?)
Thank you so much!
Hi Malak, I haven’t made these with bread flour, but another reader commented that she did and was happy with the results, so I think you could get away with it. (And I’d figure on 130 grams per cup.) Hope you enjoy!
Agree with some reviewers that it’s way too much liquid, I wasn’t able to knead into a ball. HOWEVER, it did rise when left in the sun. The first couple on the griddle were terrible (like pancakes), but once I floured up the dough a bit more and rolled out the portions VERY THINLY, they puffed up as predicted and had a a lovely tangy taste.
Will make again.
Can u store the dough mixture in some way to be cooked fresh at a later date? Love the recipe.
Hi Hayden, You can make the dough in advance and refrigerate it. Just keep in mind that you’ll get the best results if you refrigerate it for no more than 48 hours. Hope that helps!
I’ve made this recipe a few times now and these naan bread are wonderful! I’m having guests come early January and am going to make these to go with a butter chicken, in advance and freeze. Just wanting to know if you wrap them in foil individually, to reheat?? Thanks Jen
So glad you like these! For reheating, you don’t need to wrap them individually in foil. They can all go in the same foil packet.
Thanks so much Jen and a very Merry Christmas and New Year to you and yours 🙂
Outstanding recipe! I liked the simple, preservative-free taste so much that I didn’t add butter at the end, and even ate the leftovers for breakfast the next morning. Once Upon A Chef has become my preferred go-to source for recipes even though I pay for access to other cooking sites like the New York Times and Cook’s Illustrated. I know I can count on Jenn’s recipes to be “tested and perfected” just like advertised. Keep up the great work.
😊
This was so yummy and simple to make! I am Indian and I’ve never attempted naan. We usually just buy it. Because of dietary restrictions I can’t have store bought naan and my whole family loved this home made version so much better anyway! Thank you!
Meant to rate but surely 5 stars from me!
So I thought it was odd that you didn’t proof the yeast first, but I followed the recipe anyway as I hadn’t made naan before. Then when I was done, I read *at the bottom* that if you’re using active dry yeast to proof it first. *sigh* Perhaps move that to the top so others avoid my mistake? We’ll see how this turns out.