There's nothing more wondrous than tearing into a freshly made naan, hot from the tandoor, with that tantalizing aroma of fresh-baked dough. I love naan so when I went vegan I knew I had to create a yogurt-free version of this amazing Indian flatbread with the exact flavor and texture of an authentic Punjabi naan. Here's that perfect vegan naan recipe.
I serve it with all of my favorite spicy curries, including chana masala and vegan butter chicken. It always gets glowing reviews from my Indian friends, even those who aren't vegan!
Table of Contents
What is naan?
Naan is a pillowy leavened flatbread. It is often associated with north Indian and Pakistani cuisine and is a mainstay of Indian restaurants around the world, but versions of naan can also be found across central Asia and parts of the Middle East.
Most people, including Indians of my generation, ate their first naan at an Indian restaurant, where it's roasted in a round clay oven called a tandoor. Once you've eaten a naan you just have to have more. Indian flatbreads like roti and paratha are delicious, but a naan is just that much more special, with that fluffy, flaky texture and smoky flavor that makes it perfect for dunking into thick, spicy north Indian curries like vegan butter chicken.
Naan has become so popular in recent years that you can find it in most U.S. supermarkets. But these naans often contain buttermilk or ghee. If you have found yourself wishing for an easy vegan naan recipe with authentic texture and flavor and free of dairy products, I have the perfect recipe for you.
This is my original naan recipe, the one that spun off many other versions of naan I've shared with you over the years, including this fantastic vegan grilled naan, which, just like it sounds, is great for throwing on the summer grill; a vegan whole wheat naan for the healthier among us; a vegan sourdough naan made with sourdough starter; and a vegan gluten-free naan.
My recipe is simple and you can make it with just five pantry ingredients. If you are a beginner or new to making Indian breads, be sure to read through all of my best tips below for making the dough, creating authentic texture and flavor, and then shaping and roasting the naan.
The garlic butter topping is optional but it's so yummy. You will fall in love with how pillowy, soft and delicious this bread is. It doesn't have all those preservatives that store-bought bread does, and you made it! Now that's something to celebrate!
Five-Star Reader Review
I absolutely loved this recipe!!! It was so simple and the results were simply delicious.
- Vickie
Recipe card
Vegan Naan Recipe
Ingredients
- 2¼ teaspoon active dry yeast (1 packet. Instant yeast will also work)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 to 1½ cups water (lukewarm)
- ½ cup vegan yogurt (preferably at room temperature)
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil or any neutral oil
- 3.5 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
For the garlic butter topping:
- 4 tablespoons vegan butter (olive oil works too)
- 6 cloves garlic (crushed or put through a garlic press)
- 2 tablespoons cilantro (finely chopped. You can sub with another herb like mint)
Instructions
- Place yeast in a large bowl with 1 cup water and sugar. Let stand five minutes until the yeast dissolves and bubbles.
- Add the yogurt and oil to the bowl followed by the flour and salt.
- Mix with a wooden spoon or your hand until a rough dough comes together. You may need to drizzle between ¼ to ½ cup more water. Use warm water. The dough should be a bit wet and should stick slightly to your hands.
- Turn out the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead just slightly until it's fairly smooth but still tacky. Coat the bowl with oil and place the ball of dough in it, covering the top with a bit of oil as well. Cover tightly and set aside to rise, about an hour.
- After an hour the dough should have doubled. Remove it to an unfloured surface and cut into eight pieces, like you would a pizza.
- Form each piece into a ball by tucking the sides under and then rolling the dough between your palms. Cover the balls of dough with a kitchen towel and let them stand 20 minutes.
- While the dough is resting, make the vegan garlic herb butter by placing all ingredients in a small skillet. Turn heat to low.
- Once the butter has melted, let it continue to cook for 15 more minutes so the raw garlic smell dissipates. Stir occasionally. You can add some salt to the butter, if you wish.
- To form the naan, take one ball of dough. Shape it by pressing it into a four- or five-inch disc first with your fingers, then lifting it by the edges and letting the weight of the dough and gravity pull it down. Move your fingers along the edges until the naan is roughly six inches by eight inches. It is okay if it has some thick spots and some thin. You can also use a rolling pin to shape the naan, then press into it with your fingers to "dock" it so it doesn't puff up while roasting.
- Heat a cast-iron griddle over high heat. Place the naan on the hot griddle. It should begin to puff up and form large bubbles immediately.
- Flip the naan just once. Let it cook for another 45 seconds to a minute or until char spots appear on the bottom. Brush some of the garlic herb butter on the naan and remove to a plate lined with a kitchen towel. Keep the naan wrapped until ready to serve.
Nutrition Information
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My top tips for vegan naan
- Use fresh yeast. A naan, unlike most Indian flatbreads, is a leavened bread, with added yeast giving it that puffy, glorious texture. Let the dry yeast "bloom" for five minutes warm water with some sugar added to wake up the yeast and feed them. If your yeast doesn't become frothy after five or 10 minutes, the yeast is likely dead.
- Drizzle in warm water to knead the dough. This helps the yeast stay awake and active.
- Don't over-knead the naan dough. A naan dough requires a minimal amount of kneading. Once the dough comes together just turn it out on a floured surface and quickly knead it for a minute or two until it comes together in a smooth ball. That's it. The naan dough should be slightly tacky, leaving light traces of dough on your fingers.
- Let the dough rest before shaping. Once the dough has risen and has been shaped into individual balls, let them stand for 20 minutes at least so they have a chance to rest and relax. This will make it much, much easier to shape them.
- Dock the naan: After shaping the naan, push into the surface with your fingertips to create little dents. This both helps to "dock" the naan, so it doesn't puff up like a pita, creating one large pocket, and it creates those wonderful texture variations and charred spots as the naan roasts.
- Don't oil the skillet. Roast the naan on a dry skillet and brush the garlic herb butter or oil on the naan after it's finished roasting for best texture.
- Control the skillet temperature. If you find that the naans are browning too fast, sprinkle a bit of water on the skillet to bring down the temperature.
- Wrap naans in kitchen towel to keep them soft and fresh. And serve the naan as soon as possible after making for the best flavor and texture.
Recipe FAQs
Naan dough needs an acidic ingredient to soften the gluten and make it easier to stretch. Yes, you can technically make a naan without yogurt but it won't have the same softness and texture so I strongly recommend using it.
Traditionally yogurt or buttermilk is used for acidity and to add more flavor to naan. For my vegan naan recipe I use vegan yogurt. If you don't have yogurt, you can make your own buttermilk by mixing a non-dairy milk like oat milk or soy milk with the juice of half a lemon or a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar. Set aside for five minutes to curdle, then use.
There's no right or wrong way to shape a naan. The typical restaurant naan is a rough teardrop shape but you can also just make it round or free-form. Once your naan is baked up and covered with the herby butter garlic mixture it will look beautiful and appetizing regardless of the shape. Here are three methods you can use to shape naan:
With your fingers: This is similar to the technique you'd use with a pizza dough and the most fun. Pat the dough into a four-inch disc with your fingers, then lift it by the edges and let the weight of the dough and gravity elongate the dough. Move your fingers around the edges, which will shape the naan as you go. If there is a tear, patch it up by pressing the dough together. Stop once the naan is approximately five inches wide and seven inches long.
With a rolling pin: Use the rolling pin to shape the naan into an oval shape. Then pull one end slightly to form a teardrop shape.
With water. Place the dough on a flat surface and push into it with finger tips that have been dipped in a glass of water. Apply pressure with the wet fingertips to shape the dough, moving your fingers outward quickly until you get the shape you desire.
Place a pizza stone or unglazed tiles in the oven and preheat the oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit/260 degrees Celsius. Place the shaped naan directly on the pizza stone or tiles and cook 3-4 minutes until puffy, then flip and cook the other side.
Store the vegan garlic naan at room temperature in cool or temperate climates, for up to a day. Keep the naan loosely wrapped in a kitchen towel. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to four days. You can also place the naan in freezer-safe bags and freeze for up to four months. Thaw the naan if frozen, then place on a hot griddle and warm through on either side, about a minute per side, before serving.
I love pairing this vegan naan with spicy curries, including baingan bharta, bhindi masala and rajma masala, or with a thick dal like palak dal tadka or vegan dal makhani.
daniela says
Hands down, best naan!
Lauren says
Hey! I love this recipe but just wondering whether it has been updated recently? I swear I’ve used this recipe about 50 times but don’t remember ever using yoghurt! Have you got an older version without the yoghurt?
Vaishali says
You can use an equal quantity of nondairy milk. Add a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar for softer naan.
Joy Drummond says
Love this recipe so easy , i just mix in bowl since no stand mixer. Everyone loves this bread and wants more. I used soy milk and coconut milk both turned out great. Thanks for recipie.
Gina says
Hello. Haven't tried making naan for some years, though we love it and know that homemade will be much better than 'supermarket' packaged naan. I usually make my tortilla-style chapatis, rather than tackle the challenge of naan. (Note: restaurant naan is so fab that it's hard to imagine making something that can compete). I did not follow your recipe in two important ways, regretfully: 1) I did add in all the water up front, instead of patiently waiting, resulting in a very wet batter (have added extra flour, but still quite sticky; 2) am being lazy and have it mixing in my bread machine. I should have googled about this--whether this can work or not. What's your take on making this in a bread machine--a bad idea? I need something that we can have with your very delicious chana masala recipe (have made a few times), which am also making (have just ordered chana masala powder, per your recommendation, but will this time again use garam masala and amchoor, which I have.) Thanks in advance for your thoughts on the naan situation. Love your recipes--thank you for sharing them with us.
Vaishali says
Hi Gina, you can knead the dough in a bread machine, that's no problem. You do need to make sure you don't add too much water though. Naan dough needs to be a bit soft and tacky so you can shape it easily but not so sticky that you cannot handle it. You can try adding a little more flour and see if that helps. Also make sure the griddle is screaming hot when you roast the naan.
Anonymous says
Naan update: This turned out fantastic, thanks to your recipe. I will follow your instructions more carefully next time, but the main thing is that your recipe for the dough is spot on. I've tried a few different naan recipes, over the years, and none produced such a nice result. Needing yogurt, as in many naan recipes, put me off making it, as I don't often have yogurt, but in your recipe, I used org. unsweetened soy milk with great success. Many thanks!
Vickie says
I absolutely loved this recipe!!! It was so simple and the results were simply delicious.
Vaishali says
So happy to hear, Vicki! Thanks for letting me know.
Abigail says
Can I use Instant Yeast? If so, how much would I need?
Vaishali says
Use 2 tsp of instant yeast!
Karyn Quackenbush says
Unbelievable!!! So delicious !!!
I’ll have to freeze some. What’s the best way to heat up after freezing?? I adore all of your recipes!!!
Karyn
Vaishali says
Hi Karyn, so happy you loved the naan! Reheat the naan (after thawing) on a hot griddle.
Marion says
As always your recipes are perfect!! Thank you so much. With the pandemic, husband and I haven’t been able to visit our fav Indian restaurant but no worries bc I’m cooking at home!
Saffron says
Hey Vaishali☺️
I was hoping you could let me know if I’d be able to use the discard from day 3 of my sourdough starter in this? And if so, what all of the quantities would be changed to to accommodate 1/2 a cup of sourdough starter?
Thank you for all of your wonderful content, looking forward to hearing back from you☺️
Vaishali says
Hi Saffron, you an just add the starter before mixing the dough, no need for other adjustments. You prob will just need less water.
Diana says
These are amazing! Easy to make, turned out great. Despite me not being able to fry them in a screaming hot cast iron. So I did them "low and slow" in a non-stick skillet. Worked great. Thank you so much for this recipes. I've been trying to get my nerve up to make naan, I'm glad I waiting to find you first.
Vaishali says
Hi Diana, so happy you liked them!
Roslyn Levin says
Hi, I wondered if you have a recipe for a sourdough naan? I avoid gluten but find that sourdough, even made with regular flour, does not bother my gut. I also love naan so marrying sourdough with naan would be wonderful!!!!
Thank you for all your recipes.
Many Blessings for 2021
Vaishali says
Hi Roslyn, see instructions for a sourdough naan in notes for this recipe. You can leave out the yeast. https://holycowvegan.net/easy-vegan-grilled-naan/
Rachel says
Made this recipe stuffing the naan with some of the garlic along with sautéed chives and yellow onion. It was sooo good! So glad to finally make my own naan and be a better vegan for my husband who’s allergic to milk proteins.
I replaced the all purpose flour with organic Bread flour so needed much less water. So soft! And used flat ceramic skillet.
Would love to try the peshwari version.
Vaishali says
Hi Rachel, so happy it turned out well for you! I love the addition of chives--even more garlicky and oniony!
Alma I Reed-Herrera says
Delicious! I used whole wheat and white flour.
K says
Looks great! Can I make the dough the day before cooking it on the griddle?
Thanks x
Christa says
Delicious! I made it with guacamole and rotisserie chicken and it was PERFECT.
Poonam says
Delicious. I used part whole wheat and part all purpose. I also froze the other half of the dough. Thank you for this super easy recipe!