Naan gets even more delicious on the grill, with a soft, chewy center, blistered edges and smoky char from the intense heat. My easy grilled naan recipe is vegan and each bread cooks in about three minutes on a hot gas or charcoal grill. I have options for making a proofed version with yeast or a quicker version with baking powder and baking soda.
The grill does a great job of recreating some of the blistering and smoky flavor you get from a traditional tandoor oven. If you are looking for a classic, stovetop version instead, try my vegan naan recipe with garlic herb butter.
Table of Contents
Why the grill is perfect for naan
Throwing a naan on the grill is one of the easiest ways to recreate the perfection of a naan roasted in a traditional clay tandoor oven. When the soft naan dough hits the scorching heat of the grill, it emulates a lot of the same action that happens inside a tandoor oven: the moisture in the dough morphs into steam, puffing out the bread and creating lots of chewy airy pockets on the inside while crisping up the outside. The grill also adds smoky flavor to the naan, just like a tandoor would, and those grill marks make the bread look even prettier.
My vegan recipe walks you through every step of making the best grilled naan. And I have two options for you depending on how quickly you want to eat it: a more classic yeasted version that requires 60 to 90 minutes of proofing, or a much quicker version that uses baking powder. The yeasted version builds more flavor as it proofs, but the baking powder and baking soda version is almost as good and ready in half the time. You can also make a version with sourdough using my sourdough naan recipe and roast it on the grill instead of a griddle.
Naans are usually not vegan because the dough is made with yogurt or milk to add elasticity and softness. For my vegan grilled naan I use either vegan yogurt or a quick vegan buttermilk made by mixing non-dairy milk with lemon juice. It works beautifully and rewards you with the perfect texture and flavor.
Why you will love this grilled naan
- Classic naan texture and flavor. The grilled naan is soft, fluffy and chewy, with smoky, buttery flavor.
- Short cooking time. The hot grill roasts it in about three minutes. You can also make multiple naans at a time depending on the size of the grill.
- Two leavening options. You can choose between a more traditional grilled naan with yeast or a quick one with baking powder and baking soda.
Two ways to make the dough
- With yeast: Use a packet of active dry yeast (2 ¼ tsp) or instant yeast and let the bread dough proof and rise for 60-90 minutes.
- Baking powder and baking soda: Mix a teaspoon of baking powder and half a teaspoon of baking soda to the dough along with half a cup of vegan yogurt (instead of nondairy milk). The acid in the yogurt combined with the baking soda will help the naan puff up. The dough will need to rest for just half an hour before you bake the naan.
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Flour. You can use whole wheat flour to make naan, and I have a fantastic vegan whole wheat naan recipe on the blog you can follow. But if you are looking for that classic texture of a restaurant-style naan use all-purpose flour or bread flour. The higher gluten content of white flour will reward you with the fluffiest, softest and chewiest texture.
- Yeast. Both active dry yeast and instant yeast will work in this recipe. If you are using instant yeast you do not have to "bloom" it first.
- Vegan yogurt: Use a store-bought or homemade yogurt with active cultures to add buttery flavor to the naan and to improve the texture. I use my homemade cultured cashew yogurt.
- Vegan butter. Brushing a bit of vegan butter on the naan after it comes off the grill makes it softer and more delicious. You can also make my garlic herb butter from my vegan naan recipe, or use a neutral-flavored oil.
Recipe card
Easy Grilled Naan (Vegan Recipe)
Ingredients
- 2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (or instant yeast, one packet)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ cup vegan yogurt (or slightly warm non-dairy milk mixed with a tablespoon of lemon juice)
- 1 to 1 ½ cups water (lukewarm)
- 3½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil or any neutral oil
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter (melted, to brush on the naan after it comes off the grill)
For quick grilled naan use the following instead of yeast:
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
Make grilled naan dough
- Place the yeast in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the sugar, nondairy milk, and ½ cup water. Let the yeast stand at least five minutes until it starts to look frothy and "blooms".
- Add the flour and salt to the bowl and begin to knead, slowly drizzling in additional water until your dough comes together in a ball that's just slightly sticky (traces of the dough will stick to your fingers when you touch it). Keep in mind that you may not need all of the water, so don't dump it all in at one go.
- Drizzle the oil on top of the dough, turn it over once or twice to make sure the oil coats the dough.
Proof and rest dough
- Cover the bowl tightly with cling wrap or a lid or a kitchen towel, and set it aside to rise in a warm place for an hour to 90 minutes
- After the dough has risen, turn it out on your work surface. Knead it lightly, form into a disc and cut into eight even pieces, the way you would a pizza. Roll each piece into a ball, dust each ball lightly with flour, and set them aside, covered, for 15 minutes.
Shape naans and grill
- To shape the naan, either roll each ball into a teardrop shape or a round with a rolling pin. You can dust your work surface lightly with flour if needed. Or roll each ball into a small disc, then lift the disc by its edges and stretch it gently with your fingers, while letting the dough stretch and fall with the aid of gravity. Continue shaping by moving your fingers along the edges. If you're not used to doing this, it's possible your dough could tear, so be careful. If you do get a tear, patch it up by pressing the dough together and continue shaping with a rolling pin.
- Make sure the grill is screaming hot before you place the naan on the grill. You can place two to three naans, side by side, depending on the size of the grill. The naan will immediately bubble up and turn opaque. Close the grill cover and let the naan grill for a minute, then, using tongs, carefully turn it by 90 degrees to get those lovely cross-hatch grill marks. Within a few seconds flip and repeat for the other side. Altogether, you should need no more than a total of three minutes on the grill for each naan.
- As soon as you take the naan off the grill, brush it with melted vegan butter or olive oil. Keep the grilled naans wrapped in a kitchen towel until ready to serve.
For baking soda/baking powder version
- Place the sugar, vegan yogurt or non-dairy buttermilk, and ½ cup water in the bowl. Add the flour along with baking soda and baking powder. Mix, then trickle in water slowly until a dough forms. It should feel tacky and should leave slight traces of dough on your fingers when you touch it, but it shouldn't feel wet. Drizzle oil on top of the dough, turn it over once or twice to make sure the oil coats the dough, cover the bowl tightly with cling wrap or a lid or a kitchen towel, and let the dough rest five minutes.
- Divide the dough into 8 portions and form each into a smooth ball. Dust lightly with flour and set the balls of dough aside to rest for 20 minutes. This will make it easier to shape the naans.
- Follow steps 5-8 above for shaping and grilling the naans.
Nutrition Information
More vegan Indian bread recipes
- Paratha
- Roti
- Aloo kulcha
- Sourdough roti
- Besan roti (gluten-free)
Recipe FAQs
You can make this grilled naan on a charcoal or gas barbecue grill or in a grill pan over the stovetop. Do not use a broiler (called "grill" in some countries) for this recipe.
On a charcoal grill, wait until the coals turn from black to mostly gray or white on the outside. There should be a bright red glow coming from the hot embers beneath and the grate should be hot enough that you shouldn't be able to hold your hand six inches above it for more than 2-3 seconds. If using a gas grill, preheat it for 10 minutes with the lid closed or burners on high. You can also check the thermometer on the gas or charcoal grill to check it reads between 450 and 500 degrees Fahrenheit.
No, the grill grates should be dry. Just make sure they are scrubbed clean with a brush before you heat the grill and place the naan over the grate so it won't stick. Don't brush any oil on the naan as it grills - wait until after the naan has come off the grill, then daub it with vegan butter or oil.
Absolutely! Try my gluten-free naan recipe and grill it instead of baking it on a stovetop griddle.
This can happen if you didn't heat the grill enough or if there were old food debris sticking to the grill grates. Make sure the grates are clean and the grill has heated adequately before placing the naan on it.
The naan won't bubble if you stretched the dough too thin. For those attractive char spots the naan should have some thick and some thin spots. The naan dough will bubble up in the thick portions.
Store the grilled naan at room temperature for a day and refrigerate it up to four days. You can also freeze the grilled naan for up to four months and throw it back on a hot grill or griddle to reheat.
Naan tastes best with spicy north Indian curries like vegan malai kofta, vegan palak paneer, vegan butter chicken and vegan paneer butter masala.
Charlotte says
Hi, I was wondering what you mean by grill in this recipe? It has different meanings in different parts of the world and I'm not sure where you are.
Vaishali says
You put it on a gas or charcoal grill. Alternately make it in a grill pan.
Charlotte says
Ah ok got it. Thank you. You're chucking it on the BBQ 😀 (in Australian) I think I made it in a frying pan last time, so I shall try that again 🙂 Thank you for the delicious lunch I'm about to eat!
Vaishali says
Awesome, yes, it's a bbq grill. 🙂 Happy you enjoyed it.
raani says
I've been looking for a recipe for paratha; especially for the northern sourdough. These will give me a place where to start.
Thanks
Deborah M. Williams says
Just made these for the second time last night. Because it was cold and I don't have a warm spot in my kitchen for the dough to rise, I decided to try it on the dough setting in my bread machine. It came out great! I used one cup of water. And yes, the grill needs to be screaming hot!
Vaishali says
Hi Deborah, so awesome to hear--thanks for letting me know! 🙂
pratima says
nice recipe , well written and explained with images.
Avril Eastwood says
Hi Vaishali, these look amazing. My husband loves naan. Will be giving these a go with my rye sourdough. I made your soft rolls and they were amazing. Mine didn’t look as light as yours because of the rye. But they were brilliant. Thank you. There is something green in your naans, is that mixed in with the naan or brushed on with the oil afterwards? My husband likes his naan flavoured. ?
Vaishali says
Hi Avril, that's a mixture of olive oil, cilantro and garlic. You can also use vegan butter. I place them in a small skillet over low heat for about five minutes for all the flavors to merge, then brush on the naan once it's grilled. You can find a more detailed recipe for this in my other vegan naan recipe that's on the blog.
Leslie G says
Would your gluten-free sourdough starter work for this? I miss naan so much!
Vaishali says
Hi Leslie, I am going to try a gf naan, stay tuned.
Leslie says
Yay! Can't wait!