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This homemade naan recipe is easy to make, perfectly soft and chewy, and always so delicious. I’ve included a garlic naan recipe option below too!
Have you ever tried making homemade naan? ♡
This soft, pillowy, buttery, irresistible flatbread has long been one of my favorite sides to order out at Indian restaurants. But while naan bread is traditionally baked inside blazing-hot Tandoor ovens in India, a homemade version is actually quite easy to make on the stovetop in a hot skillet!
My favorite homemade naan recipe is made with basic bread ingredients (flour, water and yeast) plus a generous dollop of yogurt, egg and baking powder to make the bread extra soft and chewy. I also prefer to use touch of honey as a natural sweetener for the bread. And if you feel like making garlic naan, I’ve included an (optional, yet oh-so-highly recommended) garlicky butter sauce that you can brush on the warm bread immediately after baking, plus I always like to sprinkle on some fresh parsley and a pinch of flaky sea salt too.
I’ve also gone back and revised this recipe to include full instructions for how to make it either 100% by hand or with with the help of a stand mixer. And I have also included options for adding in extra herbs, cheese, and/or nigella seeds to your naan bread too.
Thousands of our readers have made and loved this homemade naan recipe over the years. So if you haven’t tried it yet, grab a skillet and let’s make a batch together!
Homemade Naan | 1-Minute Video
Homemade Naan Bread Ingredients:
Before we get to the full recipe below, here are a few quick notes about the ingredients you will need to make this homemade naan bread recipe:
Warm water: In order to properly activate the yeast, the water will need to be around 110°F. (I recommend measuring the temperature with a cooking thermometer, but it should feel warm but not hot to the touch.)
Honey: To add just a touch of sweetness to the bread. (Alternately, you can an equal amount of sugar or another sweetener if you prefer.)
Active dry yeast: You will need one quarter-ounce packet. Or if you buy your yeast in bulk, approximately 2 1/4 teaspoons.
Flour: I use plain all-purpose flour for this recipe. But if you decide to test with an alternate flour, please leave your feedback in the comments below.
Baking powder: To give the naan some extra rise and softness.
Salt: A hint of salt is added to the bread dough, but then I also like to sprinkle a bit of flaky sea salt on top of the naan just before serving.
Yogurt: Any type of plain yogurt (including plain Greek yogurt) will work.
Egg: To bind the ingredients together and make the dough a bit richer.
Garlic butter sauce (optional): Melted butter sautéed briefly with garlic and parsley, which you can brush on the warm dough after baking.
Naan Bread Tips:
Full instructions for how to make naan bread are included below, but here are a few quick tips to keep in mind for this recipe:
Measure the temperature of your water: In order for the yeast to properly activate, the water/honey mixture needs to be around 110°F. This temperature should feel warm but not hot to the touch. But just to be sure, I recommend using a thermometer to check the water so that it is not too hot (which would kill the yeast) or too cold (which would not allow the yeast to activate).
Be sure that the yeast is fresh: If the yeast does not bubble up and foam in the first steps of the recipe, it may be a bad batch or expired.
Don’t worry about making perfectly sized (or shaped) naan: It’s ok if the dough isn’t divided into eight perfectly equal-sized pieces. Just eyeball it and try to roll them out to the same thickness, more or less, and they will cook evenly. Also don’t stress about making perfectly-shaped ovals unless you want to. ;)
Thinner vs thicker pieces: I prefer my naan to be fairly thick and chewy, so I typically roll the dough out to be around 1/4-inch thick. But if you would like thinner naan with even more bubbles, you can roll yours out even thinner.
Possible Naan Recipe Variations:
There are about a million variations (both traditional and non-traditional) that you can try when it comes to homemade naan, so please feel free to get creative and have fun with this recipe! A few of my favorite options are to…
Add garlic butter: I honestly never make this recipe any more without it — the garlic butter option included below adds so much flavor!
Add fresh herbs: Fresh cilantro or parsley are traditional herbs often used in naan. But feel free to experiment with any other fresh or dried herb blends that sound good! I’m partial to occasionally sprinkling some everything bagel seasoning or za’atar onto my naan, which I highly recommend.
Add cheese: This is definitely more non-traditional, but I love occasionally adding a handful of shredded cheddar cheese to the naan dough, or sprinkling on some freshly-grated Parmesan just before serving.
Ways To Use Naan Bread:
There are so many great ways that you can put this recipe to use! For example, feel free to…
Serve it solo: As a simple side dish or for dipping in curries, soups, stews, dips…you name it.
Flatbreads or pizzas: Use the naan as your base and load it up with your favorite toppings to make naan pizzas.
Sandwiches or paninis: Use the freshly-baked naan to make sandwiches or grill them to make paninis.
Wraps or tacos: Fill the naan with fillings (falafel and chicken souvlaki are two of my faves) to make naan wraps or tacos.
This homemade naan recipe is easy to make, perfectly soft and chewy, and always so delicious. I highly recommend adding the garlic butter option listed below!
Activate the yeast: Briefly stir together the warm water and honey in the bowl of a stand mixer. (Or see notes below about how to make the dough by hand.) Sprinkle the yeast on top of the water and give it a quick stir, then let the mixture rest for 5-10 minutes until the yeast is foamy.
Mix the dough: Add the flour, yogurt, salt, baking powder, and egg. Using the dough attachment, mix the dough on medium-low speed for 2-3 minutes until smooth. (The dough will still be slightly sticky, but should form into a ball that pulls away from the sides of the mixing bowl. If it’s too sticky, add a bit more flour.)
Let the dough rise. Remove dough from the mixing bowl and use your hands to shape it into a ball. Grease the mixing bowl (or a separate bowl) lightly with cooking spray, then place the dough ball back in the bowl and cover it with a damp towel. Place the bowl in a warm location (I set mine by a sunny window) and let it rise for 1 hour until the dough has nearly doubled in size.
(Optional) Make the garlic butter: During the last 10 minutes of the dough’s rise time, heat the butter in a small sauté pan over medium heat until melted. Add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Remove the pan from heat and stir in some chopped herbs, if desired. (You can also strain out the garlic chunks if you prefer the garlic butter to be completely smooth.)
Roll out the dough. Once the dough is ready to go, transfer it to a floured work surface and shape it into an even(ish) circle. Cut the dough into 8 equally-sized wedges and roll each wedge into a ball with your hands. Then use a rolling pin to roll out the dough ball until it forms an oval about 1/4-inch thick. (I recommend multi-tasking this process — rolling out the next dough ball while you cook one on the stove.)
Cook the dough. Heat a large cast-iron skillet or non-stick sauté pan over medium-high heat until it is nice and hot. Add a piece of the rolled-out dough to the pan and cook for 1 minute, or until the top of the dough begins to bubble and the bottom turns lightly golden. Flip the dough and cook on the second side for 30-60 seconds, or until the bottom is golden as well, then transfer the dough to a clean plate. (If you are making garlic naan, brush one or both side(s) of the dough with the garlic butter once the naan has cooked.) Sprinkle the naan with a pinch of flaky sea salt, if desired. Then lightly cover the naan with a clean towel so that it stays warm. Repeat with remaining dough until all of the naan pieces are cooked, adjusting the heat of the pan if needed to keep it hot (but not overly-hot so that it burns the bread).
Serve. Serve warm and enjoy!
Notes
To make the dough by hand: Instead of using a stand mixer, complete step 1 in a large mixing bowl. Add the flour, yogurt, salt, baking powder, egg, and stir the mixture until combined. Then turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead by hand for 3 to 4 minutes, until smooth. (The dough will still be slightly sticky, but should form into a ball that pulls away from the sides of the mixing bowl. If it’s too sticky, add a bit more flour as you knead.)
Source: Recipe adapted from All Recipes. I also updated the photos and recipe (making the garlic butter optional; everything else is the same) in November 2020.
Whelp. I’m no longer allowed to make a curry at my house and not make this naan to go with it. Super easy and so delicious! Thanks for the great instructions.
Made a double batch. Made as much naan as needed for dinner with extras…then heatd oven to 400°.
Omitted butter, cooked each Serving on a cookie sheet for 3 mins for amazing greek pita for pizzas and Gyros that is now in the freezer.
Andddd if you leave it in for 3 mins then flip for 3 more mins it puffs up into the most delicious pocket pita we ate the next day.
Wow what a versatile recipe!
Absolutely incredible! Thank you for the great recipe! I made the dough and put it in the fridge overnight, then left it at room temp for 45 mins/1 hour and continued the recipe as written. Seriously so good. Thank you!
Thanks for sharing this awesome recipe…made the naan today with kadai mushroom to go with it and it was such a hit with my family. This is a recipe to keep and I can think of so many variations that I am impatient to try everything at once…will never buy a naan anymore..
Absolutely amazing! Super easy recipe to follow and make! Ended up making double the butter so I could brush the tops after cooking as well! Will definitely make again.
I haven’t made it yet as I have a question;
Can the dough be freezed? After all it’s going to be hard to quarter the recipe and I don’t need more than 2 naans at a time.
Or should I lightly fry it and then freeze it refrigerate and warm up in a toaster oven when needed?
Anyone tried?
I didn’t have a standing mixer so used my food processor. A little messy but the dough turned out great. Naan is beautiful and yummy. Will definitely make again. Thanks for the recipe.
Hi, many thanks for the recipe, it turned out super well, did not expect it. Everyone at the dinner table liked it. I will definitely make this my regular naan recipe. I served it with falafel, cabbage, cornichons, a garlic sauce and “french fries” made in the oven.
I’m making the Naan right now and I’m wondering if I can freeze the finished naan, and if so, what is the best way to freeze it? There are just two of us in my family and 8 would be too many.
Oh my gosh, these are DELICIOUS! I made a batch of larger ones to make flatbread bbq chicken pizzas and wow!!! 5 stars for sure! Will definitely be making more to put in the freezer!
-Mix water, yeast, and honey in a 2 cup measuring cup and let sit for 5 minutes
-Mix dry ingredients in a bowl and put in food processor using the curing blade
-When yeast has started to bloom, add yogurt and egg and mix well
-Start food processor and slowly pour in the wet ingredients and run for about 1 minute
-Spray a bowl with oil and place ball of dough into the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until it doubles in size, about an hour.
The rest of the recipe is the same (divide into eight, etc.)
Just made these and they were wonderful! So tender and tasty! The only small change I made is that I cooked them in a dry skillet without butter and then brushed on the butter with garlic pieces after it was cooked. Thank you for this delicious recipe!
Great recipe. I misread the recipe and just added the butter and garlic into the dough before cooking….and its amazing! An Indian woman that works with my husband said it was the best naan she has had.
I used the half whole wheat directions and it’s absolutely PERFECT! Thank You! This is a keeper for sure.
Stacey —
Used spelt flour to make these, as I am allergic to wheat. These turned out fabulous, thanks so much for the recipe! Haven’t been able to eat naan in years and I so wanted to eat the whole batch! ? Made my day!
Maybe a silly question but you mentioned freezing some to use later. How do you freeze them? Just in a zip top bag or wrapped up in foil? And then what’s the best way to thaw? I’m super excited to try this and would love to make a big batch to have throughout the week. Thanks!
This recipe is amazing! I let the dough rest for two hours just because I forgot about it but it was soo good! I made some of my dough thick and some really thin and I liked both so you can play around with that to see what you like!
Oops. I thought I could make this recipe using my Cuisinart food processor. It was a sticky mess. Nonetheless, i got through it, and the naan was wonderful. I know I will make this recipe over and over, but I will be using hands.and fingers instead!
Loved this recipe! Made smaller pieces.. about 16 and it worked great! Served with curry to 8 adults and it was plenty! The dough was so soft and delicious I wondered if I could bake as a loaf instead of cooking in pan as naan! Any thoughts?
Holy Cow!! This was fantastic. Followed the directions completely. I made a paneer dish tonight and realized I had no naan. Did not want to go to the store and, luckily, found this recipe and had all the necessary ingredients. This was far superior to the store bought packaged one. It rivaled our favorite Indian restaurant’s naan. Thank you!! I had always been a bit intimidated at the thought of making it, I am no longer. It was easier than I could have imagined. I will now always make naan with this recipe.
I just finished making this to go with butter chicken! It was incredibly easy to make, and equally delicious! The garlic infused butter is the perfect finishing touch! Thank you for the amazing recipe! It’s a keeper!
I’ve been wanting to try making naan for so long and finally did it with your recipe! I was lazy and didn’t want to make garlic butter so I just put 2 tsp of garlic powder in the dough mix. I found I had to cook the naan a bit longer on each side, but other than that this recipe turned out great. My husband thought they were store bought :) Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Yum!
Question
If I make them in the morning, how long around will they last? I want them for the evening, but I can only make in morning! How do you preserve them?
Very easy to make! I don’t have a stand mixer so added the egg and yogourt to the yeast mixture once it was foamy, mixed it together, added 1 cup of flour and the salt / baking powder and mixed it until smooth, then added the rest of the flour in 1/2 cup increments while stirring with a large spoon. Once all the flour was in I used my hands, it’s extremely sticky but once it was all smooth (maybe 5 min of kneading) and pulling off the sides of the bowl easily enough then I put it in the oiled bowl to rise. Turned out great! I should mention I only used all purpose flour, I think it’d be stickier with the whole wheat so keep that in mind if you’re not using a stand mixer.
I was really impressed with the flavor, texture and how easy it was to make these. I’m a good cook but not a great baker, especially with heated dough, and still these came out beautifully. I didn’t make the garlic butter, I used melted ghee instead and cooked in a dry cast iron skillet. Quick and impressive. Will definitely make again.
These look amazing! I am going to try to make them today. Have you ever put a few of them in the freezer? Do they stay okay on the counter for a day or two? Thanks for all the amazing recipes :)
Incredible texture and taste. This is my new goto naan recipe.
Didn’t feel like running to grocery to buy naan to accompany the chicken eggplant curry I planned for dinner. Other naan recipes failed me in the past. But this recipe is so good! Yummy!!
Can I ask what the purpose of the baking powder is? If the yeast is the rising agent, why is baking powder needed? And how does the egg help? I’ve seen a bunch of naan recipes without baking powder or eggs and I’m just trying to understand if there’s a scientific explanation or a flavor enhancement, or….? Thanks so much!
I’ve made several nan recipes each being good but this one is a keeper. The best and a lovely dough. I did omit the final brushing with butter and garlic
I have been making naan for years with a different recipe and this one is so far superior I cannot even tell you. This was so easy and perfect. I varied the recipe by sprinkling curry, Kalonji seeds, cilantro, cardamom, etc. onto the counter when I rolled each piece. Each piece was different and all were so excellent!
Amazing!! Best naan bread i ever had. The kids and hubby were thrilled with it as well. Recipe followed to a T and I would change nothing, absolutely nothing with this recipe… it is perfect!! Thanks for sharing
Great recipe. Yielded fluffy, tender, but still chewy naan. I would recommend letting the eight balls of dough rest for 10-15 minutes before rolling them out and cooking, though. My first one didn’t turn out so great, but once I let them rest, the remaining seven were perfect.
Super amazing recipe. First time making naan and this could not have been simpler. I will never buy store bought again! My only suggestion is to double the garlic butter, it only made enough for 4. Totally fine as I prefer plain but just keep that in mind.
Whelp. I’m no longer allowed to make a curry at my house and not make this naan to go with it. Super easy and so delicious! Thanks for the great instructions.
Made a double batch. Made as much naan as needed for dinner with extras…then heatd oven to 400°.
Omitted butter, cooked each Serving on a cookie sheet for 3 mins for amazing greek pita for pizzas and Gyros that is now in the freezer.
Andddd if you leave it in for 3 mins then flip for 3 more mins it puffs up into the most delicious pocket pita we ate the next day.
Wow what a versatile recipe!
Absolutely incredible! Thank you for the great recipe! I made the dough and put it in the fridge overnight, then left it at room temp for 45 mins/1 hour and continued the recipe as written. Seriously so good. Thank you!
Thanks for sharing this awesome recipe…made the naan today with kadai mushroom to go with it and it was such a hit with my family. This is a recipe to keep and I can think of so many variations that I am impatient to try everything at once…will never buy a naan anymore..
Absolutely amazing! Super easy recipe to follow and make! Ended up making double the butter so I could brush the tops after cooking as well! Will definitely make again.
I haven’t made it yet as I have a question;
Can the dough be freezed? After all it’s going to be hard to quarter the recipe and I don’t need more than 2 naans at a time.
Or should I lightly fry it and then freeze it refrigerate and warm up in a toaster oven when needed?
Anyone tried?
One of the best Nan receipes!
Simply delicious. Made it with chicken curry thanks f sharing.
I didn’t have a standing mixer so used my food processor. A little messy but the dough turned out great. Naan is beautiful and yummy. Will definitely make again. Thanks for the recipe.
So good! I used a pepper infused oil to grease the bowl, which added a nice little kick. Can’t wait to make this again and make mini pizzas with it.
i love it with butter chicken.
Naan
Hi, many thanks for the recipe, it turned out super well, did not expect it. Everyone at the dinner table liked it. I will definitely make this my regular naan recipe. I served it with falafel, cabbage, cornichons, a garlic sauce and “french fries” made in the oven.
I’m making the Naan right now and I’m wondering if I can freeze the finished naan, and if so, what is the best way to freeze it? There are just two of us in my family and 8 would be too many.
Oh my gosh, these are DELICIOUS! I made a batch of larger ones to make flatbread bbq chicken pizzas and wow!!! 5 stars for sure! Will definitely be making more to put in the freezer!
Here’s the food processor version of this recipe:
-Mix water, yeast, and honey in a 2 cup measuring cup and let sit for 5 minutes
-Mix dry ingredients in a bowl and put in food processor using the curing blade
-When yeast has started to bloom, add yogurt and egg and mix well
-Start food processor and slowly pour in the wet ingredients and run for about 1 minute
-Spray a bowl with oil and place ball of dough into the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until it doubles in size, about an hour.
The rest of the recipe is the same (divide into eight, etc.)
Does this recipe freeze well?
Just made these and they were wonderful! So tender and tasty! The only small change I made is that I cooked them in a dry skillet without butter and then brushed on the butter with garlic pieces after it was cooked. Thank you for this delicious recipe!
Great recipe. I misread the recipe and just added the butter and garlic into the dough before cooking….and its amazing! An Indian woman that works with my husband said it was the best naan she has had.
I used the half whole wheat directions and it’s absolutely PERFECT! Thank You! This is a keeper for sure.
Used spelt flour to make these, as I am allergic to wheat. These turned out fabulous, thanks so much for the recipe! Haven’t been able to eat naan in years and I so wanted to eat the whole batch! ? Made my day!
The ONLY naan recipe we use! Absolutely perfect in every way.
Super delicious and easy! Great naan bread. We used it as crust to our butter chicken pizza. Delish!
Perfect recipe! Used some of them to make little naan bread pizzas. So good. Saving this for sure to make again!
Maybe a silly question but you mentioned freezing some to use later. How do you freeze them? Just in a zip top bag or wrapped up in foil? And then what’s the best way to thaw? I’m super excited to try this and would love to make a big batch to have throughout the week. Thanks!
This recipe is amazing! I let the dough rest for two hours just because I forgot about it but it was soo good! I made some of my dough thick and some really thin and I liked both so you can play around with that to see what you like!
Oops. I thought I could make this recipe using my Cuisinart food processor. It was a sticky mess. Nonetheless, i got through it, and the naan was wonderful. I know I will make this recipe over and over, but I will be using hands.and fingers instead!
Loved this recipe! Made smaller pieces.. about 16 and it worked great! Served with curry to 8 adults and it was plenty! The dough was so soft and delicious I wondered if I could bake as a loaf instead of cooking in pan as naan! Any thoughts?
Holy Cow!! This was fantastic. Followed the directions completely. I made a paneer dish tonight and realized I had no naan. Did not want to go to the store and, luckily, found this recipe and had all the necessary ingredients. This was far superior to the store bought packaged one. It rivaled our favorite Indian restaurant’s naan. Thank you!! I had always been a bit intimidated at the thought of making it, I am no longer. It was easier than I could have imagined. I will now always make naan with this recipe.
I just finished making this to go with butter chicken! It was incredibly easy to make, and equally delicious! The garlic infused butter is the perfect finishing touch! Thank you for the amazing recipe! It’s a keeper!
Is there a way of making this with almond or coconut flour? I am on a low carb diet and I miss naan so much!
I’ve been wanting to try making naan for so long and finally did it with your recipe! I was lazy and didn’t want to make garlic butter so I just put 2 tsp of garlic powder in the dough mix. I found I had to cook the naan a bit longer on each side, but other than that this recipe turned out great. My husband thought they were store bought :) Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Really excelent recpie! Better than restaurants, I’ve used it three or four times now.
Yum!
Question
If I make them in the morning, how long around will they last? I want them for the evening, but I can only make in morning! How do you preserve them?
Very easy to make! I don’t have a stand mixer so added the egg and yogourt to the yeast mixture once it was foamy, mixed it together, added 1 cup of flour and the salt / baking powder and mixed it until smooth, then added the rest of the flour in 1/2 cup increments while stirring with a large spoon. Once all the flour was in I used my hands, it’s extremely sticky but once it was all smooth (maybe 5 min of kneading) and pulling off the sides of the bowl easily enough then I put it in the oiled bowl to rise. Turned out great! I should mention I only used all purpose flour, I think it’d be stickier with the whole wheat so keep that in mind if you’re not using a stand mixer.
This naan turned out great! Recipe was easy to follow and tasted just like the store bought naan. Will make again.
This recipe is lacking ghee/clarified butter!
I was really impressed with the flavor, texture and how easy it was to make these. I’m a good cook but not a great baker, especially with heated dough, and still these came out beautifully. I didn’t make the garlic butter, I used melted ghee instead and cooked in a dry cast iron skillet. Quick and impressive. Will definitely make again.
This is awesome!! (But, I made more than I can eat at a sitting)… does it freeze well?
You could add italian herbs to the mix as it’s just like a typical pizza dough
These look amazing! I am going to try to make them today. Have you ever put a few of them in the freezer? Do they stay okay on the counter for a day or two? Thanks for all the amazing recipes :)
Incredible texture and taste. This is my new goto naan recipe.
Didn’t feel like running to grocery to buy naan to accompany the chicken eggplant curry I planned for dinner. Other naan recipes failed me in the past. But this recipe is so good! Yummy!!
My husband has made this for us twice and both times it turned out fantastically!
Can I ask what the purpose of the baking powder is? If the yeast is the rising agent, why is baking powder needed? And how does the egg help? I’ve seen a bunch of naan recipes without baking powder or eggs and I’m just trying to understand if there’s a scientific explanation or a flavor enhancement, or….? Thanks so much!
First time making Naan bread, what an easy recipe to follow. It turned out wonderfully!
Super easy recipe that made amazing bread. It was so good!
Thank you for sharing this excellent recipe.
I’ve made several nan recipes each being good but this one is a keeper. The best and a lovely dough. I did omit the final brushing with butter and garlic
All I can say is I am done buying naan bread. It was easy and tastes delicious.
I have been making naan for years with a different recipe and this one is so far superior I cannot even tell you. This was so easy and perfect. I varied the recipe by sprinkling curry, Kalonji seeds, cilantro, cardamom, etc. onto the counter when I rolled each piece. Each piece was different and all were so excellent!
Amazing!! Best naan bread i ever had. The kids and hubby were thrilled with it as well. Recipe followed to a T and I would change nothing, absolutely nothing with this recipe… it is perfect!! Thanks for sharing
Great recipe. Yielded fluffy, tender, but still chewy naan. I would recommend letting the eight balls of dough rest for 10-15 minutes before rolling them out and cooking, though. My first one didn’t turn out so great, but once I let them rest, the remaining seven were perfect.
Super amazing recipe. First time making naan and this could not have been simpler. I will never buy store bought again! My only suggestion is to double the garlic butter, it only made enough for 4. Totally fine as I prefer plain but just keep that in mind.