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This homemade naan recipe makes soft, chewy flatbread with beautifully blistered spots and a buttery finish. All you need is a hot skillet—no tandoor required.
Naan is a soft, pillowy flatbread traditionally baked in a tandoor, a blazing-hot clay oven that gives it those characteristic bubbles and charred spots. Of course, most of us don’t have a tandoor at home, but I’ve found that a good, hot skillet does a wonderful job. The trick is to keep the dough soft and slightly sticky, then cook it over high heat so it puffs up and develops those beautiful golden, blistered spots.
This homemade naan recipe is one of my favorite breads to make because, aside from the rising time, it’s surprisingly quick and easy. And there’s nothing quite like brushing a warm piece of naan with melted butter and serving it alongside chicken curry, butter chicken, or chicken tikka masala.
“My search for the perfect naan bread is over—this recipe is the best!”
What You’ll Need To Make Homemade Naan
- All-purpose flour: The base of the dough. For best results, spoon it into your measuring cup and level it off.
- Sugar and salt: Sugar adds a touch of sweetness and helps the yeast along, while salt brings out the flavor.
- Instant or rapid-rise yeast: Helps the dough rise and gives the naan its pillowy texture. You can use active dry yeast instead, but allow a little extra time for rising.
- Warm water, plain yogurt, and olive oil: Bring the dough together and help keep the naan soft and tender.
- Anise seeds (optional): Add a subtle licorice note. You can substitute nigella, poppy, or sesame seeds, or leave them out.
- Melted salted butter: Brushed over the naan after cooking for a rich, buttery finish.
- Chopped parsley (optional): Adds color and freshness. Use cilantro if you prefer. For garlic naan, stir minced garlic into the melted butter before brushing it over the cooked bread.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How To Make Naan
Make the dough: Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the yogurt, olive oil, and warm water, then add to the dry ingredients. Stir with a fork until the dough starts to come together, then knead gently with floured hands until you have a soft, slightly sticky ball. There’s no need to knead it until smooth.
Let it rise: Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover. Leave it in a warm spot until it’s about doubled in size. The dough should look noticeably puffier and feel soft and airy.
Divide and shape: Turn the dough onto a well-floured work surface and divide it into six pieces. Dust with flour as needed to keep the dough manageable, then roll each piece into a thin oval. Don’t worry about making them perfectly uniform—a slightly irregular shape is part of naan’s charm.
Cook the naan: Heat a dry cast-iron or heavy nonstick skillet until very hot. Add a piece of dough and watch for large bubbles to form on the surface and golden-brown spots to appear underneath. Flip and cook until the other side is browned and blistered, with a few darker charred spots. Adjust the heat as you go; I usually lower it to medium after the first naan.
Brush and serve: Brush each naan with melted butter as soon as it comes out of the skillet, then keep it tucked in a clean kitchen towel while you cook the rest. Sprinkle with parsley, if using, and serve warm.
storage & Freezing Tips
Naan is best enjoyed fresh from the skillet, but leftovers can be stored in a resealable plastic bag. To reheat, wrap the naan in aluminum foil and warm in a 350°F (175°C) oven until heated through. Naan also freezes well for up to 3 months. Once completely cooled, wrap each piece tightly in plastic wrap and place them together in a freezer bag. To reheat from frozen, wrap the naan in foil and warm in a 350°F (175°C) oven until hot.
Naan Recipe Video Tutorial
Homemade Naan
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off, 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/38°C)
- 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 (180 ml) warm water (about 100°F/38°C).
- Add the yogurt mixture to the dry ingredients and mix with a fork until the dough begins to come together. Lightly flour your hands and knead gently to form a soft, slightly sticky dough, adding more flour a little at a time if it’s too wet to handle. Stop kneading as soon as the dough comes together.
- Lightly oil a clean bowl or coat it 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 rise in a warm place for 1 to 1½ hours, or until roughly doubled in size.
- Place about ½ cup (65 g) flour in a small bowl. Lightly dust a work surface with some of the flour and turn the dough out onto it. Sprinkle a little flour over the dough and your hands.
- Shape the dough into a long rectangle and cut it into 6 equal portions, dusting with more flour as needed to prevent sticking. Roll each portion in the bowl of flour to coat lightly.
- Warm a large cast iron or heavy nonstick pan over medium-high heat until very hot.
- Using a rolling pin, roll one portion of dough into an oval about ⅛ in (3 mm) thick and 9 x 4 in (23 x 10 cm). Gently toss the dough back and forth between your hands to shake off any excess flour, then carefully lay it in the dry skillet.
- Cook for a few minutes, until air bubbles form across the surface and the bottom is golden brown with blackened spots. Flip and cook 1 to 2 minutes more, until the bottom is lightly browned and blistered in spots.
- Remove the naan from the skillet, brush with melted butter, and place 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.
Notes
- 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.
- 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.
- To keep the cooked naan warm, place them in a 200°F (96°C) oven.
Nutrition Information
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:
Ways to Use Naan
Naan is delicious alongside curries, but there are plenty of other ways to enjoy it. Serve it with a bowl of mulligatawny soup, use it as a base for individual flatbread pizzas, or fold it around grilled chicken, kabobs, or roasted vegetables for a sandwich or wrap. You can even top warm naan with fried eggs for a quick and satisfying breakfast.
More Homemade Bread Recipes You’ll Love
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These were good, but I made them on my cast iron griddle. They burnt a little in some spots & that left residue on my griddle that I couldn’t get off with soap & hot water, a plastic scrub pad (you’re not supposed to use steel wool on cast iron), salt or baking soda. I even tried putting some water on the griddle & heating it up with baking soda on it & even that didn’t work. Any other ideas as to how to save my griddle? Anything that I cook on it next will now burn if I can’t get that residue off. Other than that, the naan were good. I’ll do them in a non-stick fry pan next time.
Hmmm… it sounds like you’ve tried everything I would have tried. I did find an option online that you may want to try (the oven method).
The way I clean my cast iron is a wash cloth size stainless steel chain link product called “The Ringer”bought it on Amazon. It will not remove your seasoning from your skillet. 98% of the time things don’t stick to my cast iron. But when something does, I put a light coat of Avocado oil on the surface of my cast skillet, place it in oven at 425 or so for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, boil some water.
I take the hot cast skillet out of the oven and place it in the sink then slowly pour that boiling water onto that very hot skillet. Then I bunch “The Ringer” up to a ball so to speak and place the wooden spoon on top of it and clean the skillet by wiping in circles on the surface of the skillet using the spoon on the ringer because obviously the skillet is hot. Works every time. I never use soap on my cast skillet. Then I dry it, put it back in the oven for a few minutes to make certain any residual water is evaporated and then I lightly oil the skillet again and throw it back in the oven for another 10-12 minutes, turn off and let it cool. It will be back to good. I’ve been using The Ringer for quite some time now. It will not damage you cast iron nor disrupt the seasoned surface.
You could try burning it off by using a torch or by turning the pan upside down on the stovetop (gas stove only). You may need to reseason the pan a bit afterwards
I love this recipe! I make a double or triple batch and freeze them. Just wanted to share a tip with everyone- do NOT over mix the dough. Made the mistake once to use a mixer with a dough hook (made a double batch and found using a fork difficult) and turned it into a very sticky mess that was incredibly hard to work with. I have found the best thing to work with is a danish dough whisk. It works wonders just mixing it thoroughly enough to incorporate well without over mixing (works great on pancake batter too). Makes a beautiful dough. Last suggestion is using bread flour. Thank you Jenn for this recipe and all your amazing recipes.
I have not made this yet, but have a question about the amount of yeast. Most recipes call for 2 1/4 teaspoons of yeast and yeast packages contain that amount. Is that too much for this recipe and what are the reasons for the smaller amount of yeast?
Hi Jo, this recipe is a smaller one with not as much flour as ones that call for a whole packet of yeast. I wouldn’t recommend using the entire packet here. Hope you enjoy the naan if you make it!
Need to make these ahead. Any tips to keep them fresh and reheat? Thanks
Hi Emeline, Depending on how far ahead you want to make the naan, you can freeze them. See the bottom of the recipe for freezer-friendly instructions. If you make them earlier in the day and then serve at dinner, store them in a Ziplock bag and reheat in a 350°F oven wrapped in foil. Hope you enjoy!
This is just the advice I was looking for! I wondered how to sequence the meal prep if making them to accompany your butter chicken since the suggestion is to serve the naan warm. It might be worthwhile to include this tip within the recipe notes for those making multiple dishes.
Hi Yvonne, the very last paragraph actually mentions how to keep them warm. Hope you enjoy both the naan and the chicken!
Delicious
I made this but I used cup 4 cup gluten free flour and sour cream instead of the yogurt and it turned out amazing!! Definitely a recipe to keep!!
Thank you for your review about making this gluten free! I’ve been wondering if I could make gluten free naan. Great to know it turned out amazing using this recipe subbing Cup 4 Cup GF flour blend. Thanks!
Hi! Can you do these with lactose free greek yogurt or coconut milk yogurt for a lactose free option?
The lactose-free yogurt should work. Enjoy!
How does one double this recipe to make 12 breads? Do you just double the ingredients?
Yes, exactly. Hope you enjoy!
This is very tasty. I used the “Dough” setting on a bread machine, rolled them out and cooked them in a cast iron pan on top of an electric stove.
Came out perfectly, dough a little sticky, so had to add more flour. Very satisfying watching them puff up whilst cooking. As good as any restaurant. Thank you
Best and easiest naans ever!
These are a dinner-staple for us, and I have made them as naans, mini naans and folded flatbreads for stuffing.
I was never entirely sure if they are supposed to be kneaded, or if they are no-knead.
I kneaded them for 10m to begin with, but then experimented with no-knead and have never gone back.
For no-knead, the dough seems to improve overnight in the fridge. I have even prepared the dough the day before and refrigerated it, taken it out in the morning and driven with it in a Tupperware (along with all the gear including silipat rolling mat!) a hundred miles to the grandparents (one of whom is Indian) – the dough came to room temperature in the car and I fried them there! Lovely fluffy naans, such a treat for our family reunion.
For re-heating cooked naans, freezing them and then ovening them in foil is the way to go – they turn out unbelievably moist and fresh that way. (Rather than just leaving the cooked naans out on the counter overnight and then reheating – those ones seem to become a little drier – though still yummy).
I am experimenting with adding 100% hydration sourdough discard to the dough at the moment, substituting for equal weights of flour and water…still testing! (Too wet and the bread takes on more of an open, chewy, artisanal texture).
Thanks so much again for another great recipe, Jenn!
Hi, I’d try just reducing the original water content not the flour and see how you get on. And/or use far less starter and start earlier, if that makes sense