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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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I made naan bread, your naan bread for the first time. As I sit here my husband is commenting how amazing this meal was. He feels like he has been to an East Indian restaurant. I am also thrilled with the naan bread taking this meal to the next level. I am sure to share it with family and friends. Thanks!
My husband is from India and loved this recipe! We have been making chapatis for years and avoided naan because we thought it would be difficult. This was so easy and turned out amazing!
I have made naan Five or six times now all using different recipes and this is the first one I’ve made where the dough did not rise. I followed all the directions to a T so makes no sense. Nothing was expired made another recipe after and it came out perfect.
My husband and I are obsessed with this Naan bread! I use active dry yeast, so I always mix it with warm water to let it activate before adding it to the rest of the recipe. It works for me every time! Sometimes, depending on my flour, I need to add a bit more to be able to work with the dough. As stated in the recipe you want it a little bit sticky!
I always finish my Naan off with melted garlic butter, a sprinkle of coarse salt, and a sprinkle of parsley. I serve it along side Shakshuka and we absolutely devour it.
We love to cook, but baking isn’t our forte. I made tikka masala tonight and made this naan bread to go with it. It was easy for me, and came out delicious! Every recipe we’ve made of yours has ended up being a keeper.
Review from the UK. As a person of Asian Heritage I’m use to naans/flatbread/roti etc, but my mom cooked by instinct- no scales or measuring cups or measuring spoons, which I cannot do. I used your recipe for the amounts to use which I converted to metric & used a scale( always more accurate). Excellent results. This is what I did for the dough & it makes 10 or 12- only 1 leftover- daughter will eat these all day- now have to make more! Will have to try more of your recipes- thank you.
I’ve made a multitude of your recipes, all of them have been scrumptious. But this Naan, let me tell you, … I almost cried, it was so divine! Took one bite and didn’t save the rest my piece for dinner😂
Do you have a Youtube channel?
No, sorry!
Italian parsley for naan bread?
What was wrong with leaving it plain or add cilantro.
Good recipe otherwise.
Hi, how big should the rectangle of dough be please as you did not say?
Thank you,
Gerard.
Hi Gerard, the dimensions of the rectangle really don’t matter. As long as you cut it into 6 even pieces after shaping it, you’d good to go! 🙂
I’ve made this several times now. I used King Arthur whole wheat flour the last two times and added garlic powder to my mix. With my food processor it is literally ten minutes of mixing from start to finish. Oh my, we can’t keep our hands off of it. Soft and pillowy and chewy. We love the yeastiness of it also. My figures show it’s about $.72 a batch. While its about $4.00 for four medium loaves at the grocery store. This is a keeper for sure.
I don’t understand how this recipe has five stars. I had to add at least a cup of extra flour to this liquid. At first, I thought I read the recipe wrong, that maybe it stated 1/4 cup instead of 3/4. But I read it correctly, and my cup of flour is 140 grams, on the higher side. I can’t imagine what happened to the folks that used a standard 120 grams in a cup. They most likely had soup, not dough.
The type of flour you use is a contributing factor to how much you will need. When I use the Great Value Brand Organic White Flour I almost always need to use more flour than the recipe calls for. But when I use Rogers Brand All Purpose Flour I almost always have to add more water because 2 cups of flour is too much.
Dough can be a finicky thing. I’m curious, how did your Naan Breads turn out after you baked them?
After making many batches of naan with this recipe – using bread flour – yesterday I used 1/4 LESS water and had great results. There are so many factors to consider when working with dough – but certainly this recipe is fantastic and more than well deserving of the 5-star rating.