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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.
I finally made this after having saved the recipe months ago! I made it exactly according to the recipe, except that I made the dough in my bread maker, using the dough cycle. I beat the egg and added it, the yogurt and the honey to the water (first) and then I added the rest of the ingredients. It turned out perfectly! Thanks Ali! I love your recipes…every single one that I’ve tried (and there have been many) have all been delicious.
thank you for the recipe ! it was delicious….is there any way to make the dough ahead of time? say in the morning, but not cook until dinner?
Mae —
I bet if you let the dough rise in the fridge instead of a warm spot, you could do that in the morning and then finish it at night. I’d let the dough come back to room temp before rolling it out though.
First time for me as well making naan. It turned out awesome! Hardest part was getting it rolled thin. First couple of rounds puffed up thick- still very good, just thicker and very chewy. Loved this recipe- will make again!
Ok first of; I can take bread/naan or leave it. I only made it because I work at a firehall and the guys love it.
I also felt guilty because I get the sense that Indians
Don’t traditionally add egg?
Well throw all that out the window because this naan is amazing. In fact amazing doesn’t cover it. I’m blown away.
I make the dough and let it rise in the fridge overnight, then I form it into balls and let it rest on a tray in the fridge for a few more hours. An hour before go time I take it out of the fridge and let it rest on the counter, then roll it out and let it rest for another 20. Then I slap it into a cast iron pan.
Unreal recipe. Highly recommend. I quadruple it because the guys always want extra!
I have made it twice now. Absolutely delicious. I substituted sour cream for yogurt the first time and used 1/2 plain yogurt and 1/2 sour cream this time. Both worked very well.
Hmmm. After all those raving reviews I had high expectations but they did not come out as I imagined them to be :’) I did not deviate from the recipe (though I had to convert to metric). The dough was very very sticky, and even though the end result looked very good and was ok texture-wise, it tasted and smelled very … “yeasty”. I used 7grams of active dry yeast, which should be 0.25 ounce (a bit less than a package here), and did not change the rising time not sugar/honey amount. Don’t know what I did wrong but will def try again with a bit less yeast :) Maybe Belgian yeast is more powerful :D
I tried this recipe and I love it!
I just put it all in the breadmaker and set it to the dough setting. Came out beautifully.
Great flavor and easy to do. I live alone so I put them in the freezer and use them for personal pizzas.
I made with half whole wheat and 1/2 white all purpose flour. Added some vital wheat gluten ( not sure if I needed to?) …brushed with garlic butter. Absolutely delicious. The honey gave them a light sweet flavor. I’ll most definately make them again. ?
I make this recipe with the garlic butter often. My husband loves to use the Naan bread for his sandwiches he takes to work. Pair this with one of those flavored Tuna pouches and they are phenomenal. ❤
I have made this recipe many times. It is so easy and the naan is delicious! If I don’t have honey, I use agave. One time, I made a different recipe (by mistake) that said to put the melted butter on the bread while it was in the skillet. Hoo-wee, my house was filled with a smoky haze.
Great naan recipe! While it’s a bit time consuming, it’s super easy and really elevates the meal. I paired the naan with butter chicken (I prepared the chicken dish while the naan was rising, which worked well). In my opinion, the garlic butter really makes this naan- I’d recommend this recipe and the garlic butter. Thanks so much for sharing.
Wow. It was truly awesome. At my local grocery store, a packet of naan like this would cost $12-$14 but I will never be buying that stuff again! It was so easy, and it was so good. I made it for dinner with chicken tikka masala and it was really good. Thank you for this recipe!
I tried this recipe out last night. I had planned on making mini pizzas for supper, but by the time I finished making these, I was too hungry to wait for that, so I just buttered some of this Naan bread while it was still warm, and, oh my God, it was delicious. This was probably the tastiest Naan I have ever eaten. Just for some clarity on how I prepared it, I used a hand mixer with the kneading hooks and mixed everything for about 5 minutes, I definitely left it on the more sticky side, and only added the extra flour while rolling it out. I did not knead it by hand other than to form it into a ball. I will be making more today, lol.
I followed this recipe to a tee, but the naan came out quite dry for me? I noticed this as soon as I was hand mixing the ingredients into the bloomed yeast mixture, and even though I added a little extra water while kneading by hand, it still turned out very dry. I was surprised too because it’s summer here and quite humid as typical for summers where I live. Perhaps there’s too much flour in this recipe?
I love this Naan recipe! I followed instructions but decreased honey to 1 tablespoon and added an extra egg, just because super fresh eggs add nice color. I baked them on my baking stone in my grill heated to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. I divided the dough into 16 pieces and the naan rolled out to nice single servings. (But you still eat two or three of them!) It just took about 1.5 minutes on the first side to reach golden brown and puff. On the second side after flipping, I popped the naan so it could brown nicely on that side. I love homemade tortillas but these…wow!
I’ve made this half a dozen times and it’s become my go-to recipe (w/ variations) for naan, pizza dough, and even yummy baguettes. For naan, use the recipe as-is; for pizza, sandwich “french bread”, or croutons, leave out the yogurt — though the yogurt adds a lovely bit of zip to the front end of the palate. This recipe is dirt-simple, and the only obstacle is getting fresh yeast. If you don’t have honey, I’ve found that turbinato sugar works just fine.
Absolutely love love love this recipe! I doubled the recipe and substituted one of the eggs for some homemade sourdough starter I keep in the fridge which made it even better. Thanks for all the great details
Wow! I can’t believe I made this and it turned out beautifully! I don’t think I can have store-bought ones again.
My family and I thank you for such a delicious recipe.
I make this constantly now. My wife will no longer eat regular bread as she loves this so much. She even eats it as a snack with either peanut butter or honey on it. We will probably never make pizza dough again as these make the best flat bread pizzas!
I’m not an experienced cook as I only began cooking dinners when my wife was going thru a tough time with her health. I found I enjoyed it…but I’m not terrible but not great either! This Naan has turned out great all three times I’ve made it! I always add the garlic butter. If I could make a better chicken curry then I’d be happier!
Great recipe that is well written and leaves no questions unanswered! Well done.
I made this for the first time tonight. While the taste was good, it did not rise and was more like a biscuit. Maybe I did not let it rise long enough?
This is my go-to naan recipe that we LOVE. I always have to keep it on hand for quick naan pizzas, sandwiches, or just a snack. I found that I need to knead it in my mixer for more like 5 minutes to get it to pull away from the bowl (as opposed to 2-3 as stated) but otherwise it’s lovely. In my most recent batch i used sour cream instead of yogurt and it worked great!
So good! We loved this recipe. Mine were a little thick compared to those you buy. How thick should they be? I made 8 and they were great. Thank you for suck a great recipe!
Love the details in your instructions. Just a word of caution when using honey (although arguably it may be okay at 110 degrees): Turns out, honey should never be warmed, cooked, or heated under any condition. A study published in the journal AYU found that at a temperature of 140 degrees, honey turns toxic. When you mix honey in hot milk or water, it turns hot and turns toxic.
Thank you so much it was so so so so good my kids love it I did garlic butter and then made more without qnd yes the salt does wonders thanks again keep sending your delicious bread and food recipes 😊
I followed the recipe and it came out perfectly. I used Greek Yogurt. I was worried it wouldn’t be enough for my family of 5 so I doubled it. The original recipe makes 8 large naan, no need to double. IMO it needs a sprinkling of salt with the garlic butter.
I finally made this after having saved the recipe months ago! I made it exactly according to the recipe, except that I made the dough in my bread maker, using the dough cycle. I beat the egg and added it, the yogurt and the honey to the water (first) and then I added the rest of the ingredients. It turned out perfectly! Thanks Ali! I love your recipes…every single one that I’ve tried (and there have been many) have all been delicious.
First time making any type of bread. This turned out amazing!!
So easy to prepare. And, so easy to love it…
Perfect! Just as described….forgot to add the yogurt once….still turned out just dandy. I will never buy the store bought versions again.
Does this freeze well if making a large batch?
What are recommended storage methods?
It freezes great. I make several batches at a time and freeze in bags of 8. They thaw and reheat well.
thank you for the recipe ! it was delicious….is there any way to make the dough ahead of time? say in the morning, but not cook until dinner?
I bet if you let the dough rise in the fridge instead of a warm spot, you could do that in the morning and then finish it at night. I’d let the dough come back to room temp before rolling it out though.
My husband loved them and said I should never buy them from the store again…. Just make them they are so much better. Thanks for the recipe.
First time for me as well making naan. It turned out awesome! Hardest part was getting it rolled thin. First couple of rounds puffed up thick- still very good, just thicker and very chewy. Loved this recipe- will make again!
Make it a lot! Always turns out great!!
Ok first of; I can take bread/naan or leave it. I only made it because I work at a firehall and the guys love it.
I also felt guilty because I get the sense that Indians
Don’t traditionally add egg?
Well throw all that out the window because this naan is amazing. In fact amazing doesn’t cover it. I’m blown away.
I make the dough and let it rise in the fridge overnight, then I form it into balls and let it rest on a tray in the fridge for a few more hours. An hour before go time I take it out of the fridge and let it rest on the counter, then roll it out and let it rest for another 20. Then I slap it into a cast iron pan.
Unreal recipe. Highly recommend. I quadruple it because the guys always want extra!
Tried this today and it is amazing !
I have made it twice now. Absolutely delicious. I substituted sour cream for yogurt the first time and used 1/2 plain yogurt and 1/2 sour cream this time. Both worked very well.
Hmmm. After all those raving reviews I had high expectations but they did not come out as I imagined them to be :’) I did not deviate from the recipe (though I had to convert to metric). The dough was very very sticky, and even though the end result looked very good and was ok texture-wise, it tasted and smelled very … “yeasty”. I used 7grams of active dry yeast, which should be 0.25 ounce (a bit less than a package here), and did not change the rising time not sugar/honey amount. Don’t know what I did wrong but will def try again with a bit less yeast :) Maybe Belgian yeast is more powerful :D
I tried this recipe and I love it!
I just put it all in the breadmaker and set it to the dough setting. Came out beautifully.
Great flavor and easy to do. I live alone so I put them in the freezer and use them for personal pizzas.
Thanks for the recipe!
I made with half whole wheat and 1/2 white all purpose flour. Added some vital wheat gluten ( not sure if I needed to?) …brushed with garlic butter. Absolutely delicious. The honey gave them a light sweet flavor. I’ll most definately make them again. ?
I make this recipe with the garlic butter often. My husband loves to use the Naan bread for his sandwiches he takes to work. Pair this with one of those flavored Tuna pouches and they are phenomenal. ❤
What would you say the carb vs dietary fiber per serving for this is??
I have made this recipe many times. It is so easy and the naan is delicious! If I don’t have honey, I use agave. One time, I made a different recipe (by mistake) that said to put the melted butter on the bread while it was in the skillet. Hoo-wee, my house was filled with a smoky haze.
Delicous! Easy and turned out perfect.
This was the best naan I’ve ever had. Excellent recipe! Thank you!!!
How long will these keep?
Great naan recipe! While it’s a bit time consuming, it’s super easy and really elevates the meal. I paired the naan with butter chicken (I prepared the chicken dish while the naan was rising, which worked well). In my opinion, the garlic butter really makes this naan- I’d recommend this recipe and the garlic butter. Thanks so much for sharing.
Made this by hand at least 4 or 5 times now and it’s turned out great each time. So delicious and easy to make!
Wow. It was truly awesome. At my local grocery store, a packet of naan like this would cost $12-$14 but I will never be buying that stuff again! It was so easy, and it was so good. I made it for dinner with chicken tikka masala and it was really good. Thank you for this recipe!
I tried this recipe out last night. I had planned on making mini pizzas for supper, but by the time I finished making these, I was too hungry to wait for that, so I just buttered some of this Naan bread while it was still warm, and, oh my God, it was delicious. This was probably the tastiest Naan I have ever eaten. Just for some clarity on how I prepared it, I used a hand mixer with the kneading hooks and mixed everything for about 5 minutes, I definitely left it on the more sticky side, and only added the extra flour while rolling it out. I did not knead it by hand other than to form it into a ball. I will be making more today, lol.
I followed this recipe to a tee, but the naan came out quite dry for me? I noticed this as soon as I was hand mixing the ingredients into the bloomed yeast mixture, and even though I added a little extra water while kneading by hand, it still turned out very dry. I was surprised too because it’s summer here and quite humid as typical for summers where I live. Perhaps there’s too much flour in this recipe?
I love this Naan recipe! I followed instructions but decreased honey to 1 tablespoon and added an extra egg, just because super fresh eggs add nice color. I baked them on my baking stone in my grill heated to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. I divided the dough into 16 pieces and the naan rolled out to nice single servings. (But you still eat two or three of them!) It just took about 1.5 minutes on the first side to reach golden brown and puff. On the second side after flipping, I popped the naan so it could brown nicely on that side. I love homemade tortillas but these…wow!
Best Naan ever! Super easy recipe to follow and tasted great. Definitely put the garlic butter on the naan, it really elevates the dish
so good
I have made this recipe many many times & it is absolutely THE BEST naan recipe I’ve ever made. I’m a camp cook & all my crews rave about it!
I’ve made this half a dozen times and it’s become my go-to recipe (w/ variations) for naan, pizza dough, and even yummy baguettes. For naan, use the recipe as-is; for pizza, sandwich “french bread”, or croutons, leave out the yogurt — though the yogurt adds a lovely bit of zip to the front end of the palate. This recipe is dirt-simple, and the only obstacle is getting fresh yeast. If you don’t have honey, I’ve found that turbinato sugar works just fine.
Absolutely love love love this recipe! I doubled the recipe and substituted one of the eggs for some homemade sourdough starter I keep in the fridge which made it even better. Thanks for all the great details
How long can it keep?
The kids loved it!!
Wow! I can’t believe I made this and it turned out beautifully! I don’t think I can have store-bought ones again.
My family and I thank you for such a delicious recipe.
I make this constantly now. My wife will no longer eat regular bread as she loves this so much. She even eats it as a snack with either peanut butter or honey on it. We will probably never make pizza dough again as these make the best flat bread pizzas!
Amazing recipe! It turned out perfect! I did not have plain yogurt so I used sour cream instead, and it worked out perfect.
I’m not an experienced cook as I only began cooking dinners when my wife was going thru a tough time with her health. I found I enjoyed it…but I’m not terrible but not great either! This Naan has turned out great all three times I’ve made it! I always add the garlic butter. If I could make a better chicken curry then I’d be happier!
Great recipe that is well written and leaves no questions unanswered! Well done.
Amazing recipe. It’s really delicious.
This was absolutely delicious and east to make!! Does it work well to double the recipe? Or does that not work when using yeast for any reason?
Thank you!!
I made this for the first time tonight. While the taste was good, it did not rise and was more like a biscuit. Maybe I did not let it rise long enough?
This recipe is amazing. I have made it twice in a week. It’s so easy and SO good!
Great recipe 🙂. . The direction we’re easy to follow and it’s a great side for my yummy butter chicken!
This is my go-to naan recipe that we LOVE. I always have to keep it on hand for quick naan pizzas, sandwiches, or just a snack. I found that I need to knead it in my mixer for more like 5 minutes to get it to pull away from the bowl (as opposed to 2-3 as stated) but otherwise it’s lovely. In my most recent batch i used sour cream instead of yogurt and it worked great!
Holy cow fantastic recipe!!
Fantastic recipe!
FWIW — we found that using a cast-iron pan to cover the frying skillet helps make the Naan bubbling and rising better and faster.
So good! We loved this recipe. Mine were a little thick compared to those you buy. How thick should they be? I made 8 and they were great. Thank you for suck a great recipe!
Love the details in your instructions. Just a word of caution when using honey (although arguably it may be okay at 110 degrees): Turns out, honey should never be warmed, cooked, or heated under any condition. A study published in the journal AYU found that at a temperature of 140 degrees, honey turns toxic. When you mix honey in hot milk or water, it turns hot and turns toxic.
Thank you so much it was so so so so good my kids love it I did garlic butter and then made more without qnd yes the salt does wonders thanks again keep sending your delicious bread and food recipes 😊
I followed the recipe and it came out perfectly. I used Greek Yogurt. I was worried it wouldn’t be enough for my family of 5 so I doubled it. The original recipe makes 8 large naan, no need to double. IMO it needs a sprinkling of salt with the garlic butter.