Homemade Naan
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There’s nothing quite like warm, homemade naan straight from the skillet. Soft, chewy, and blistered in all the right places, it’s the perfect companion to curries, soups, or anything with lots of sauce to soak up.
Naan is a pillowy flatbread traditionally baked in a tandoor, a cylindrical clay or metal oven used in kitchens across the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East, and Central Asia. These ovens get scorching hot and give food that signature smoky flavor. The naan dough is rolled out and slapped onto the tandoor’s inner walls, where it sticks and cooks fast over open flames. Once it’s done, it gets brushed with melted butter. In this homemade naan recipe, I replicate the process using a hot skillet—and the results are just as soft, chewy, and delicious.
Aside from the rising time, this easy naan recipe is quick to make, and it’s far superior to anything you’ll find at the store. Pair it with saucy dishes like 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 activate the yeast, while salt brings out the flavor.
- Instant or rapid-rise yeast: Makes the dough rise quickly and gives naan its fluffy texture. You can use active dry yeast instead—just allow a little extra time for rising.
- Warm water, plain yogurt, and olive oil: These bring the dough together and keep it soft, tender, and easy to work with.
- Anise seeds (optional): Add a subtle licorice note. Or swap in nigella, poppy, or sesame seeds—or skip them entirely.
- Melted salted butter: Brushed on after cooking for that buttery finish everyone loves.
- Chopped parsley (optional): Adds color and freshness. Use cilantro if you prefer, or add minced garlic for a garlic naan variation.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Mix the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, yeast, sugar, anise seeds, and salt.
Step 2: Add the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk the yogurt, olive oil, and warm water, then pour into the dry ingredients.
Step 3: Stir. Stir with a fork until the dough starts to come together.
Step 4: Knead. Dust your hands with flour and knead into a soft, sticky ball, then cover with plastic wrap.
Step 5: Let it rise. Let the dough rise in a warm spot until it’s about doubled in size, 1 to 1½ hours. (The warmer the spot, the faster it’ll rise.)
Step 6: Prep the dough. Dust a work surface with flour and fill a small bowl with extra flour for dusting. Turn the dough onto the floured surface and sprinkle with more flour.
Step 7: Divide and shape. Shape the dough into a long rectangle and then cut into six equal portions.
Step 8: Heat the skillet and roll out the dough. Heat a cast iron or heavy nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until very hot. While it heats, roll one piece of the dough into an oval about 1/8-inch thick.
Step 9: Cook the naan. Place the dough in the hot skillet and cook until bubbles form and the bottom is browned in spots.
Flip the naan and let it cook a few minutes more, until golden brown with some charred spots.
Step 11: Finish and serve. Brush the cooked naan with melted butter, and repeat with remaining dough balls. Sprinkle with parsley, if using, then serve warm. Store naan in a sealed bag at room temperature for 1 day or freeze for up to 3 months.
Naan Recipe Video Tutorial
More Homemade Bread Recipes You may like
Homemade Naan
This naan is easy, buttery, and made for dipping. One bite warm from the skillet, and you’ll never go back to the store-bought stuff.
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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Wonderful! This was my introductory recipe to Once Upon a Chef! A coworker brought some naan in to lunch and i asked where she bought the smaller ones. When she told me she made them and offered me a sample, I was amazed. It was so much better than what I have been paying way too much for at Costco. She pulled up the site on her phone and ever since, I have been telling everyone. Do try this recipe. It is fabulous.
Hi Jenn! This recipe is terrific! The texture was nice and soft inside and the just the right amount of crisp on the outside. I didn’t use anise seeds, instead I used onion powder (kids don’t like the onion bits). The flavor was so good!
This recipe is so simple and really brings the meal together! Everyone is always impressed that the naan is homemade! The recipe is straight forward and as long as you follow it it comes out perfect every time! To change it up I like to add cumin seeds or everything bagel mix instead of the caraway seeds! This goes great with butternut squash curry!! Thanks again for a stellar recipe!
Hi. I can’t wait to try this recipe. Can I make this in my stand mixer. Thanks Debbie
Yes Debbie, that should work. Enjoy!
My first time making naan to go along with a curry I made. I hand-stretched the dough and tried both a cast iron skillet on the stove and a terracotta saucer I use as a pizza stone – I was happier with the cast iron as it held more heat to brown the naan. It’s every bit as good or better than what I would order at an Indian restaurant and certainly better than store bought! I did an overnight rise in the fridge, and I baked them when I came back home.
I also experimented a little – I made another batch with a mix of dry beer yeast I had mixed with some rinsed yeast slurry from a beer I made(I rinsed the slurry to get rid of any bitterness from hops residue), while that didn’t rise in the fridge as much as the one made with active dry yeast, it also made for a delicious naan. Just a slight flavor difference.
Have recently found your website and really enjoying it. Recipes are always really clear to follow and really appreciate the progress photos along the way so I know what its
meant to look like 🙂 This was a hit with all the family including the hubby so will definitely be making again. Thanks for a great resource and looking forward to your book launch. I’m sure it will be worth the wait!
Hi Jenn! Thanks for all the great recipes. I really want to try to make naan for the next time I make your chicken tikka masala, but I seem to have a problem with the ingredients. I live in Norway, and I have never heard of active dry yeast before. The only thing we have in the grocery store is fresh yeast, and what I think equates to instant active dry yeast. It’s just called dry yeast (tørr gjær), and is a fine powder you mix with the dry ingredients when baking. Can I substitute the active dry yeast with fresh yeast? Or do you think our regular ‘dry yeast’ could possible work?
Hi Elise, I wasn’t familiar with fresh yeast (I looked it up). I think that should work here, but the rise time may be a little different, so keep your eye on it. Here’s some more information that may be helpful. LMK how they turn out!
Thanks for the quick response, Jenn! I have made them twice now, once with the fresh yeast and once with the dry yeast we have here. Both turned out great! I don’t believe I could really detect much difference between them, but I will use the fresh yeast when I have it on hand. Great recipe, we loved the naan!
So glad!
A beloved staple in our home! I love making it for guests too. I’ve successfully doubled the recipe without any issues. I’ve never added the melted butter at the end, and it’s always tasted amazing! In addition to soups and curry, we enjoy this with some marinated grilled chicken. Very tasty and filling sandwiches!
Love this bread – it’s so easy and it is delicious. I’ve made it several times now, and made it a few different ways – with or without the anise, and I tried adding garlic and cilantro into the dough (that turned out delicious also). This is a wonderful recipe.
LOVED this recipe. Simple, delicious, and easy to follow!