A soft, fluffy, Indian-restaurant-style vegan naan with a delicious topping of garlicky, herbed vegan butter

Naan is perhaps one of the most popular Indian flatbreads on any restaurant menu, for good reason.
This soft, fluffy flatbread, typically baked in a clay oven called a tandoor, is not only smoky and uniquely delicious, but it makes for divine eats when dunked into spicy Indian stews and curries.
Naan recipes usually include milk or yogurt to create a softer, fluffier bread. But making a vegan naan that's just as delicious without the dairy is very possible.
Here I will show you how to make the perfect vegan naan that will rival any naan you ever ate at the finest Indian restaurant. And for those with specific dietary preferences, I have a whole wheat naan recipe and a vegan gluten-free naan recipe you might want to check out.
Table of Contents


Why you'll love this vegan naan
- A homemade naan simply tastes better. It doesn't have all those preservatives that store-bought bread does and it also has a better texture. Plus, you made it, and that's something to celebrate!
- It's better for you. This vegan naan is free of artery-clogging butter and ghee. And although it's made with white flour, it's still healthier than anything you might buy at a store or restaurant.
- It's super simple to make and you don't need any fancy equipment. All you need is your hands -- you don't even need a rolling pin. And while a naan made in a traditional clay tandoor oven typically needs temperatures as high as 800 degrees to cook -- a range a humble home oven cannot achieve -- this naan recipe I am about to share with you today is made on a screaming-hot griddle on the stovetop. It's faster than any oven with results just as good as anything you'd get from the restaurant or store.

Ingredients
- All purpose flour. Don't substitute this with whole wheat flour if you want a truly authentic experience. You can make a naan with whole wheat but it just won't be as fluffy and soft.
- Yeast
- Sugar
- Non dairy milk. Use any nondairy milk of your choice, including almond milk, cashew milk, soy milk or oat milk. You can also just use an equal quantity of vegan yogurt instead with great results.
- Vegetable oil
- Salt
Ingredients for the vegan garlic butter topping
- Garlic
- Cilantro
- Vegan butter
Expert tips
- A naan, unlike most Indian flatbreads, is a leavened bread, with added yeast giving it that puffy, glorious texture. Make sure the yeast you use is active. Let the dry yeast "bloom" for five minutes in a warm (not hot) water-milk mixture with some sugar added to wake the yeast up and feed them. If your yeast doesn't become frothy after five or 10 minutes, you need new yeast. (Here's a tip for storing dry yeast for a long time and helping it stay alive: keep it in an airtight container in the freezer.)
- Use warm water to knead the dough, and make sure you don't add all of the water in the beginning. Rather, drizzle it in a little at a time until you get a dough that's still a little sticky but not wet. You don't need to continue kneading the dough once it's come together.
- Let your naan dough rise, like you would any bread dough. This step is important, because you want the yeast to go to work so your naan is puffy and soft, not flat and brittle. You may want to speed the process up, but don't. You just need an hour to 90 minutes in a warm environment (like the oven with just the light on). And good things come to those who wait.
- After the naan dough has risen, divide it into eight balls and coat them lightly with flour. Let them stand, covered, for about 15 minutes so the dough relaxes and is easier to shape.
- If you'd rather not use the vegan garlic butter topping, you can brush some water on the naan and sprinkle on a few sesame seeds or poppy seeds. Press them into the naan before placing on the griddle so they don't all fall off.
- To roast the naan, make sure that the griddle is screaming hot. If subsequent naans begin to brown too fast, just sprinkle some water on the skillet to bring down the temperature, then set to medium-high heat and continue roasting. When brown spots appear on the underside, flip the naan and cook until brown spots appear.
- Remove the naan to a plate lined with a kitchen towel and immediately brush on the herby garlic butter mixture. Keep cooked naans wrapped in the kitchen towel until ready to serve.

Shaping the naan
- The naan you'll find in restaurants and stores is usually teardrop shaped, but there really are no rules here. You can make your naan oval or round or you can just let it go free-form. Once your naan is baked up, and covered with the herby butter garlic mixture, it will look beautiful and incredibly appetizing no matter how you shaped it.
- I usually shape a naan the way I would pizza dough -- by hand. I just lift it by the edges and let the weight of the dough and gravity do the work. Let your fingers move around the edge of the dough, so you get an even shape. If there is a tear, patch it up by pressing the dough together. Once the naan is about five inches wide and seven inches long, rest it on a baking sheet and pull the long side a little more to give it that teardrop/oval shape. You can also just use a rolling pin and roll it into a teardrop shape.
What do you serve with the vegan naan?
Naan is best eaten by tearing off pieces of the soft, hot bread and dunking it a hot, spicy curry. Because a naan is a north Indian bread, it will go well with just about any north Indian curry. Here are some ideas for saucy, Indian dishes and curries to serve with naan:
- Tofu Palak Paneer
- Aloo Matar
- Tofu "Paneer" Kalimirch
- Vegan Butter Chicken
- Instant Pot Vegan Dal Makhani
- Chana Masala
- Mirchi ka Salan, Chili Peppers in a Peanut Sauce
Storage tips
- Store the vegan naan at room temperature for up to a day. Keep the naan loosely wrapped in a kitchen towel.
- You can place the naan in a fridge, still wrapped in a towel and placed in an airtight container, for up to four days.
- For longer storage, store the cooled naan in freezer-safe bags, preferably separated by parchment paper, or wrapped tightly in cling wrap.
- To reheat naan, thaw, if frozen, then place on a hot griddle and warm through on either side, about a minute per side.
Now let's make this vegan naan bread recipe!


Garlic Vegan Naan Recipe
Equipment
- Cast iron griddle or skillet (or any flat, wide pan that can sustain high heat.)
Ingredients
- 2.5 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 0.5 cups nondairy milk (lukewarm. Or use an equal quantity of any non-dairy yogurt)
- 1 to 1.5 cups water (lukewarm)
- 3.5 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
For the garlic butter topping:
- 4 tablespoon vegan butter (olive oil works too)
- 6 cloves garlic (crushed or put through a garlic press)
- 2 tablespoon cilantro (finely chopped. You can sub with another herb like mint)
Instructions
- 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, 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 (it won't be firm), dust each ball lightly with flour, and set them aside, covered, for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make your garlic butter mixture by heating the butter in a small saucepan along with the garlic. Let the butter and garlic cook together for 3-4 minutes over medium-low heat until the garlic flavor infuses the butter and the garlic starts to turn a light golden. You don't want the garlic to burn. At this point, turn off the heat and stir the herbs into the melted vegan butter. Set aside.
- 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 use your fingers to shape each ball into a small disc, then lift the disc by its edge and let 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.
- Heat a cast iron skillet or any griddle over high heat until it's screaming hot. Place the naan on it. You will immediately see it start to bubble up and turn opaque. Once the underside gets golden-brown spots, turn over and continue cooking the other side. This process should take you no more than two minutes or less on either side.
- As soon as you take the naan off the griddle, brush it with the garlic-herb-butter mixture on one side. Keep your naans wrapped in a kitchen towel until ready to serve.
- You can reheat any leftover naans on the griddle before serving.
Recipe notes
- Store the vegan naan at room temperature for up to a day. Keep the naan loosely wrapped in a kitchen towel.
- You can place the naan in a fridge, still wrapped in a towel and placed in an airtight container, for up to four days.
- For longer storage, store the cooled naan in freezer-safe bags, preferably separated by parchment paper.
- To reheat naan, thaw, if frozen, then place on a hot griddle and warm through on either side, about a minute per side.
- The naan you'll find in restaurants and stores is usually teardrop shaped, but there really are no rules when you shape a naan. You can make it oval or round or you can just let it go free-form. Once your naan is baked up, and covered with the herby butter garlic mixture, it will look beautiful and incredibly appetizing no matter how you shaped it.
- Shape a naan the way you would pizza dough -- by hand. I just lift it by the edges and let the weight of the dough and gravity do the work. Let your fingers move around the edge of the dough, so you get an even shape. If there is a tear, patch it up by pressing the dough together. Once the naan is about five inches wide and seven inches long, rest it on a baking sheet and pull the long side a little more to give it that teardrop/oval shape. You can also just use a rolling pin and roll it into a teardrop shape.
Vickie
I absolutely loved this recipe!!! It was so simple and the results were simply delicious.
Vaishali
So happy to hear, Vicki! Thanks for letting me know.
Abigail
Can I use Instant Yeast? If so, how much would I need?
Vaishali
Use 2 tsp of instant yeast!
Karyn Quackenbush
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
Hi Karyn, so happy you loved the naan! Reheat the naan (after thawing) on a hot griddle.
Marion
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
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
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
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
Hi Diana, so happy you liked them!
Roslyn Levin
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
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
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
Hi Rachel, so happy it turned out well for you! I love the addition of chives--even more garlicky and oniony!