Homemade Naan
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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.
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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
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- 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.
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Turns out so perfect and delicious 😋
Thank you. Wish I could upload a picture!
First time making Naan bread. So happy I chose this recipe. Turned out perfect! Thank you!
Thanks for this wonderful recipe! I added some fresh herbs from my garden, thyme and oregano leaves. the flavor was wonderful! but no air bubbles at all. it came totally flat. the yeast were active (alive). I tried 2 rounds, with and without covering the pan. What is off? Thanks!!!
Hi Neta, Did the dough double during its rise time?
Loved the recipe!!! Better then any pre-made frozen stuff any day of the week.
And so easy to make!!
I can’t eat wheat. If I replace it with some other non-gluten flour, will the naan come out as good??
Hi Janet, I have not prepared a gluten-free version of these but a few readers have commented that they have with good results. Hope you enjoy if you make them!
I just prepared with equal amounts of cup4cup. Amazing results!! We devoured them!!!
Perfect every time. My kids even love them as pizza bases.
Made this many times with great success. I have to add a good bit of flour when stirring so that it starts to pull from the sides of the bowl but it’s still chilly here and I use metric weights for more accurate measurements. Last time I chose to double the batch and freeze them. It turned out great! I let it the dough double in size for 60-90 minutes (60 for me bc I use SAF instant yeast) and then cut into individual dough balls. Roll them in just enough flour so they aren’t sticking much, and put them on a parchment or wax paper lined sheet and freeze. Once frozen, put in a double bagged ziploc and freeze for up to 3 months just like you can with pizza dough. I take the pucks out and let them sit at room temp Covered in plastic wrap for 2-3 hours until soft, then proceed with stretching and cooking on a hot griddle or pan. I even grilled them once bc I ran out of stovetop room. The dough is forgiving!
the dough is easy to make and work with, the Naan is soft and pillowy with the perfect amount of chew.
Love it! Family was impressed.
Hi Jenn, found this recipe while browsing and the beautiful thing of all the description was that you ain’t beating round the bush i.e stating too much of other things..Right on it, I have one question, the cream, as mentioned, is it the sweet one or the plain? Please define, I am dumb at cooking, but try many new things as a foodie.
* somebody’s mentioned in the comments below that your chicken tikka making is also superb, will try this weekend.
AMAL // KERALA // INDIA
Hi Amal, You’ll need plain, unsweetened yogurt for these. Hope you enjoy! 🙂
Can you use plain Greek yogurt?
Sure – hope you enjoy! 🙂
Yes this recipe is actually really good.
Will be using this recipe from now on.
Such a simple and amazing recipe! Made these tonight and my partner was blown away! Love this recipe.
Thank you for not telling us your life story, about your kid’s trip to the orthodontist, and how your sick dog lead you to discover the magic of Naan.
Seriously. Short description of this goodness, then straight into the recipe. Good info without wasting our time. Thank you!
You do not have the quantity of water in your recipe
Hi David, When water is used in recipes, it is typically not listed in the ingredients, so I always go back and forth on whether or not to include it. (I have updated the recipe to include it.) Hope you enjoy!
This is such an easy and delicious recipe. I first made it when I made your Chicken Tikka Masala…and we ended up using the couple of leftover pieces of naan to make little pizzas. Now we’ve been making this naan for the express purpose of making individual pizzas!
Anyone missing pizza right now with what is going on, this is a wonderful way to make your own fully cooked crust and then add your favorite sauce, cheese, and toppings.
Thanks again, Jenn!
Hi Jenn, would it be possible to replace yogurt with sour cream? Thanks so much!
Yep – hope you enjoy! 🙂
My son and husband made this tonight while I made chicken tikka masala – it was perfect! The dough wound up sitting for closer to 2.5 hours before being rolled out, but it was just fine. We brushed with plain butter this time but next time will include garlic and maybe some sautéed onions like you find in onion kulcha. A definite keeper!
Sooo good! My daughter now requests this every week!
I literally never cook, and I made these today, no problems at all! 😁😁😁
I’ve made this at least five times, and it is a wonderful recipe. I’ve followed other naan recipes that turned out breads that were too pillowy with no chew. This one always tastes about as good as a restaurant’s version. And it us very easy. My one complaint is that my husband always eats more than his share.
LOL!
How much if each ingredient? I cant find a list of ingredients.
It sounds like you are just looking at the portion of the page that has the pictures with some instructions underneath. If you scroll down a bit to under the pictures, you’ll find the full recipe. Alternatively, at the very top of the page, under the recipe name, you’ll see an orange/red button that says Jump to Recipe – if you click on that, it will take you directly to the recipe. Hope that clarifies!
This recipe is everything!!! Absolutely easy and delicious!!!
Best Naan bread I have made thus far, easy to follow recipe, AND best comments from friends, complimented with Red Thai Chicken curry
This naan recipe is everything… held back on some of the water based on other reviews.. Brushed with salted garlic butter and it was as good as the best restaurant versions… thank you!
This is an excellent recipe. I made them last night and they turned out perfectly. I used a normal nonstick pan on medium-high heat and the naan cooked and browned well! Make sure to get lots of butter on them as soon as they come off the pan or they will get dry.
Well, I didn’t have quite as much flour left as I thought, and I was too busy making other recipes to fully read through this one and didn’t realize I had to let the dough rise for at least an hour, so the naan wasn’t ready to have with dinner. But both of those things are my fault. The dough was definitely really wet with what flour I had, sounds like that could be an issue even with the full two cups, so i added in some pancake mix and said a prayer lol left it in the fridge for the night then let it rise the next day, used more pancake mix to roll it out and voila, they’re not bad! Not naan, but yummy, and I’m anxious to try this recipe again when I’m more prepared!
Perfect. It was my first time making naan and it was delicious! I added fresh garlic to the butter sauce at the end and it was sooooo good. Thank you for the detailed step by step!
My husband made six naan breads as per your recipe and they look scrummy!!!!
I made this three times, and each time I get better at making it. Thank you so much, this is a great recipe!
Does this work well with a GF flour mix (with can can Xantham gum already included) such as Bob’s Mills? We are excited to try out this recipe tonight!
Hi Grace, I have not prepared a gluten-free version of these but a few readers have commented that they have with good results. Hope you enjoy if you make them!
Hey I did the recipe with GF flour and it came out beautifully! Easy and flavourful!!!
Just made these to go with a homemade chicken makhani. Absolutely gorgeous and so much easier than I’d ever realised.
Thank you for a great recipe. I ate one whilst I was cooking the others dipped into the butter chicken sauce. Not sure they’ll be any left for my other half tomorrow night.
He’s a lucky lucky guy 🤣
I’d love to try a Peshwari next
By far and away the best naan recipe I have made! Beautifully soft and fluffy…it certainly rivals the local takeaway 😉
I have to tell you…I never make a recipe more than once, because I love variety and the challenges of cooking something new. But this was so good I’ve already made them twice in 3 weeks!
Made this for friends last weekend, for a Moroccan meal, actually. I was making chicken tagine. My first two were a bit too thick. I hadn’t realized how much they would fluff up. I rolled them thinner after that and used a garlic parsley olive oil wash and it was an unmitigated success. They actually liked the first two also, though they were way too doughy for my taste. Will make again. I wonder if there is some sort of sweet and spicy option to this. I feel that this recipe would land itself really well to something with butter, cinnamon and honey, or sugar.
Thanks for your recipe, didn’t taste like a restaurant naan but I wasn’t expecting it too. Had great taste, mine was perhaps a bit oily but I might not have had the pan hot enough so the naan absorbed too much oil. But I’ve never tried this before so thought it a great first attempt. Thanks. This review was not compensated.
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.
Nooooo way – was soooo dry. I made again to try to understand why! This time l put 1 cup water. I will say later how it is done this time!
I wished I had read some of the lower reviews before attempting to make this. The ratio for water was way too high, the dough was extremely sticky. I had to add over a full cup of flour to make it less sticky but it still stuck when trying to roll it out. I cooked one just to see if I could salvage it and it tasted very bland with a slight sourness from the yeast. Ick. I like some of your other recipes, this one however was horrible. Not quite sure what all of the 5 stars are about, really hope you didn’t buy reviews :/
Okay so either
a. you either pay for 5 star reviews
b. no one who reviews actually makes it, and just think it looks good
or
c. both of the above
because there is way too much liquid. I must have dumped at least an extra cup of flour in while kneading to get the texture described and pictured. I am letting the dough rise right now, so I don’t know how this will turn out, but I think it’s fair to review before it’s done, in this situation.
Sorry to hear you had such a problem with this, Jill! Are you using a standard liquid measuring cup for the water and a dry ingredient measuring cup for the flour?
I’ve made these twice in 24 hours. Perfect. I followed the recipe to the letter and had no problems. I’m in the UK and don’t use cup measurements but have a set of ceramic cup measures which I’ve used for the naan. I can not fault this recipe at all. And I’m not paid for my review 🤣
Hello I just made and it turned out just fine, my husband liked them. I think you learn as you go with bread and yeast. I’m a beginner, and have lots of thoughts for the next time I make these, like using a different pan. Mine burnt in the middle and didn’t cook on the outer so I’m rolling thinner, making them smaller and rounder and maybe just a touch more water in the initial dough mix. But overall its a fail proof recipe for my first attempt.
I’ve been making this recipe for the past couple of years now. I am definitely not paid for my review and I can confidently say that this is the easiest, most versatile bread recipe EVER! Some days the dough is really sticky and I just add more flour until I can handle it. Some days the dough is drier but softens up after rising. I’ve substituted 1/4 to 1/2 the amount of ap flour for whole wheat flour; and greek yogurt, goat’s milk cheese, almond milk and coconut milk for the yogurt and all have worked out fine. I make all the naans, freeze the leftovers and pop them in the toaster oven whenever I need them. They make a fast mini pizza crust which my kids LOVE to eat. Honestly, so grateful to Jenn for posting this recipe 🙏🏼
Thank you for this recipe! I tried this yesterday, it was easy to make. I substituted 1/4 of the flour with whole-wheat flour to make it a bit more wholesome. It tasted delicious. But the naan did not turn out quite as fluffy as I would have liked it. Is it because I used some whole-wheat flour? Should I add a bit of baking powder next time? It is not a big deal, just wondering if I can perfect it with the whole-wheat flour option. I will make this again, already imported it into my CookBook APP. Not affiliated, just sharing that in my view, this is be best app for organizing recipes.
Hi Karin, I feel confident that the use of whole wheat flour made the naan a bit flatter. I would not recommend adding baking powder to the mix. So using the whole wheat flour is fine — it will just make the naan less fluffy.
Sorry. This was awful. Used traditional yeast and followed your instructions and I give it a big fail! So disappointing. I have a great recipe for naan at home but am on vacation and did not have access, so was excited to use your recipe with such a strong 5 review. Although it did indeed rise, it did not fluff up upon cooking. Please try again with the traditional method and come up with measurements that produce a quality product.
My first time making bread of any kind and this turned out wonderful! Great instructions! I ended up substituting sour cream and cumin seeds because I was using what I had on hand. I ate them with cauliflower korma but they were delicious right off the skillet!
Could I use sour cream in place of yogurt as I don’t have any yogurt at home and it’s raining like a monsoon out there so I don’t fancy the grocery store?!
Sure, Sarah, sour cream will work. Hope you enjoy the naan!
I consider myself an pretty competent homecook, but bread and pastry are not my strong point… this recipe is AMAZING… My naan turned out simply perfect, exactly like the picture… husband approved too!! Thank you so much, this is a really great recipe!! Definitely going into the rotation.
I just made this recipe for the first time. I used half whole wheat flour as this was mentioned in the reviews. Turned out so well! It was quite easy too. I will never buy store bought naan again.
Can you use whole wheat flour and if so, how much would you use?
Hi Laura, I would start by subbing 1/2 of the flour with whole wheat flour; it will be a little more dense, but still good.