Naan - easy naan bread recipe using a cast-iron skillet. Soft, puffy, with beautiful brown blisters just like Indian restaurants. This is the best recipe you'll find online!

Naan Bread

Naan is an Indian recipe; it’s a type of flat bread.

Traditionally they are baked inside a very hot clay tandoor oven, with charcoal or wood fire.

The naan bread are stuck to the inside of the oven just like the picture below.

The tandoor oven retains very high heat, up to 900°F and hence fills the inside of the flat bread with air pockets and bakes them to perfection.

Making naan bread in a very hot clay tandoor oven.

Image Credit: Best of India Restaurant.

In a modern day kitchen, we do not have a tandoor oven, but you can make naan at home with a hot cast-iron skillet on the stove stop, or bake in the oven.

My naan recipe is made on a stove top, using a very hot cast-iron skillet.

The naan turn out extremely delicious, soft, puffy, airy, with the beautiful golden brown spots on the surface.

They taste just like the best Indian buffet restaurants!

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Frequently Asked Questions about Naan:

Is Naan Bread Healthy?

Yes, it is super healthy. My recipe is quick and easy, fail-proof and cooked on a skillet. You do not need a tandoor oven!

Does it Have Eggs?

There is no eggs in the recipe. Vegan can’t eat them as this recipe calls for yogurt, which is not vegan-friendly.

The Origin of Naan

It originated from Iranian. However, different countries have its own version of the bread.

It’s a staple in Iran, many middle eastern countries, the Indian subcontinent countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, etc.

The Difference Between Naan and Roti

They are both flat breads but different because of the ingredients used. Roti, for example, chapati is made with whole wheat flour and there is no yeast.

Naan is made with all purpose flour and you will need yeast to make the dough.

Tips on How to Make Naan

First, you want to make the dough by combining the yeast and flour together. Knead the dough with hand or using a stand mixer and then rest to double the dough in size.

Divide the dough into 8 balls. Heat up a cast-iron skillet on high heat to make naan.
The high heat makes the dough rises and fills the middle part of the bread with an air pocket. It’s done when burnt brown “blisters” or spots appear, just like my pictures.
Brush the fresh-off-the-skillet naan with some melted salted butter and top them with cilantro leaves.

How Many Calories Per Serving?

This recipe is only 295 calories per serving.

What Dishes to Serve with Naan?

They are great with Indian curries with sauce, for example: chicken tikka masala or butter chicken.

For a wholesome Indian dinner, I recommend the following recipes.

How to Make Naan Bread?

Please refer to the recipe card below for detailed step-by-step method on how to make naan at home.

Yield: 8 pieces

Naan Bread (The Best Recipe)

Name: Naan Bread (The Best Recipe)
Prep time: 1 h 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Asian
Ingredients: 1 teaspoon sugar; 1/2 cup warm water; 1/4 oz active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons); 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour; 1/2 cup plain yogurt; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1 tablespoon oil; some oil, for greasing the skillet; 3 tablespoons melted butter

Naan - easy naan bread recipe using a cast-iron skillet. Soft, puffy with brown blisters just like Indian restaurants. This is the best recipe online!

Prep Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup warm water
1/4 oz active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon oil
some oil, for greasing the skillet
3 tablespoons melted butter

Instructions

In a small bowl, add the sugar, warm water, and yeast together. Stir to combine well. The yeast should be activated when it becomes foamy, about 10 minutes. Transfer the flour to a flat surface and make a well in the middle. Add the yeast mixture, yoghurt, salt and oil, knead the dough until the surface becomes smooth and shiny, about 10 minutes. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let it rise in a warm place (for example: beside the stovetop or warm oven). The dough should double in size, about 1 hour.
Divide the dough into 8 equal portions. Roll the dough to a 8” circle using a rolling spin.
Heat up a skillet (cast-iron preferred) over high heat and lightly grease the surface with some oil to avoid the dough from sticking to the skillet. Place the dough on the skillet. When it puffs up and bubbles and burnt spots appear, flip it over and cook the other side. Repeat the same until all dough are done.
Brush the naan with the melted butter, serve warm.

Notes

Watch the cooking video on this page for step-by-step guide.

If the dough is sticky, add extra 2 more tablespoons of flour to bind the dough.

Nutrition Information

Yield

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 295Total Fat 8gSaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 5gCholesterol 12mgSodium 46mgCarbohydrates 48gFiber 2gSugar 2gProtein 8g

Comments

Jackie
at
This is an amazing recipe. It is so easy and the end result is delicious. I used High grade flour but I have used self raising flour as well and both worked. I melt garlic butter and brush it across the breads when they come out of the skillet. Thanks.
Kathyrn HOLT
at
This is a wonderful recipe! Better than any I’ve had in a restaurant, which often is quite dry, with little chew. I used my mixer with a dough hook to make it, starting with the yeast mix in the bowl, then adding the yogurt, then the salt and flour by the scoop until it came together, then kneading for a few minutes. For arthritic hands it’s easier than doing it as in the recipe.
Thank you, thank you. It came out delicious, with some crispy bits and wonderful chew.
- Rasa Malaysia
  at
  Hi Kathyrn, thanks so much for trying my naan recipe. I am so glad you like it. Please try more recipes on my site!
Soosan
at
Hi Rasa, thank you for sharing your amazing recipes. I have been trying different recipes for naan and they all seem to use all purpose flour. I use King Arthur Bread Flour because it has more protein. My focaccia.bread & Persian Barbary turn out great. However, Naan on stove top never puffs as much as I expect it too, even on a very hot pan. I wonder if the bread flour kind is the reason. Could you shed some light on this please?
Best Soosan
- Rasa Malaysia
  at
  Yes, please use all purpose flour.
Marc
at
I am really keen to try out the recipe, it looks great. But it’s using old measurements that aren’t used much any more around the world.
So a bit of calculations are needed.
I assume a “cup” is 237 ml here, I hope that’s correct. Best would be to have things in grams then you can simply weigh it.
And an “oz” is 30ml?
I’ll give it a try
- Rasa Malaysia
  at
  US cup measurement, I live in the USA.
Susan
at
At what temp does the oven need to be? I don’t have a cast iron pan.
- Rasa Malaysia
  at
  I don’t know. I didn’t use oven.
Peter
at
Amazing recipe! I used canola oil & plain greek yogurt and did the proof in a very low temp oven. It turned out so delicious! I’ve tried a few naan recipes and this has been the best by far.
Emily
at
Loved this naan recipe! I definitely had to add a couple more tablespoons of flour as my dough was quite sticky. Other than that, my naan turned out just like the picture!
Maxine
at
Absolutely the best recipe and my family think we are in India not Cyprus.
- Rasa Malaysia
  at
  Hi Maxine, awww thanks for the sweet comment. Please try more recipes on my site: https://rasamalaysia.com/recipe-index-gallery/
Rose Kelly
at
Best naan ever!!! Thanks
Julia
at
This is the absolute BEST naan recipe I have tried and is the only one I use now. Totally fool-proof and consistent results every time.
Thank you!

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Naan

Naan Bread

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