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 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.
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 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.
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!
How Many Calories?
It’s low in calories, with only 128 calories per serving.
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.
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.
This Recipe Goes Well with:
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Naan Recipe
Naan - easy homemade naan recipe using a cast-iron skillet. Soft, puffy, with beautiful brown blisters just like Indian restaurants.
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 tablespoon oil
- some oil, for greasing the skillet
- 3 tablespoons melted salted 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, 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.
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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.
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Brush the naan with the melted butter, serve warm.
Recipe Notes
If the dough is sticky, add extra 2 more tablespoons of flour to bind the dough.
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Courtney
Best naan recipe ever! So easy to make, don’t have to buy from Indian restauraunts anymore, so expensive. I paid $5 per piece.
Rasa Malaysia
Awesome thanks Courtney, please try more recipes on my site, they are all good and better than restaurants: https://rasamalaysia.com/recipe-index-gallery/
Chrissie Baker
Super easy! First time making this recipe. Delicious! Can’t wait to plan a meal for this tasty treat! Great site. Keep those fabulous recipes coming!
Katja
My best naan recipe, I found the recipe on Google, after failing so many times with other recipes on Google search, which were mostly a disaster or turned out like tortilla instead of fluffy naan like what we get at Indian restaurants. I am so glad I finally tried this fail-proof and the easiest Naan recipe. The naan bread is just like buffets. Will be making them again and again.
Rasa Malaysia
Awesome, so happy to hear that you love my naan. Please try more recipes on my site: https://rasamalaysia.com/recipe-index-gallery/
Jenny
How would you recommend storing these? We’re going to attempt to make our own naan for my daughter’s birthday party 🥳
Rasa Malaysia
You can freeze them by wrapping tightly with aluminum foil. Reheat before serving.
m.grimm
Can these be made ahead of time and then frozen and reheated?
Rasa Malaysia
Yes you can.
C. Harris
Excellent recipe. Thank you
Rasa Malaysia
Awesome!
Jill
Is it possible to make this dairy-free? I have family member with a severe dairy allergy.
Rasa Malaysia
I don’t know you can try!
ObliviaB
Absolutely! Replace 1 for 1 with 1/2 cup non dairy yogurt (or nondairy milk with 1T lemon added)
Obliviab
And melted coconut or olive oil 1 to 1 to replace butter.
Savitri
How much is one quarter oz yeast in tsp measurement?
Rasa Malaysia
2 1/4 teaspoons.
Marko
Google it 🙄
Rachel
Thanks for the recipe. My husband and I loved it! I made cauliflower korma as the dish and everything was yum!
Jason
Have you ever stored some naan dough for the next day or two? I’m going to try it out and leave about half in the fridge. I will probably keep the dough all together rather than portioned out, but I’ll tightly wrap one or two flattened “ready to roll” discs, and see how it goes!
Rasa Malaysia
No I have never, please let me know.
Paula Waxman
To anyone who want to keep the naan a few days, it freezes beautifully. Just place the cooled naan in a zip loc bag and put it in the freezer. You can leave it our for about a half hour to defrost and reheat for a few seconds on a low open flame to give it a great flavor boost to serve!
Wilma
What can you use if you don’t have a cast iron skillet
Rasa Malaysia
Cast iron is the best, you can try a non-stick skillet or pan.
Micky
I have made them on a pizza stone with the oven really high
Anu
I loved the naan! It was delicious and restaurant style. It didn’t even get hard after resting. Thank you for the recipe!
Rasa Malaysia
Thanks Anu for trying my naan!
Missy
The recipe calls for plain yogurt. Which is better, Greek or regular yogurt? Or does it matter? Thanks!
Rasa Malaysia
Plain yogurt.
Tammy
This was easy, delicious. Made a super nice dough.
Rasa Malaysia
Awesome thanks for trying this Naan recipe.
Tamara Olsen
The recipe says that the total time is 55 mins. However, the dough rises for an hour?
Rasa Malaysia
I didn’t count the resting time. Anyway, I have updated the recipe card with resting time.
Karen @ The Food Charlatan
Oh my, this naan looks perfect! Pass the curry!
Liz
Oh, my gosh, these don’t look hard at all….and so yummy! Cannot wait to make your naan recipe!
Rasa Malaysia
Awesome, please try these naan at home!