Make the best, easy homemade naan bread with 7 basic ingredients. This butter naan is pillowy, soft, and chewy with brown blisters and made on a cast iron skillet (tawa). I bet you will never return to the store-bought ones after trying this simple recipe!
Don't forget to check our vegan pita bread or best avocado flatbread recipe.
Why you'll love this recipe
- You can make this naan recipe on a stovetop in a cast iron skillet. No oven or tandoor is required.
- Naan is very versatile. Naan can be served and enjoyed with soups, appetizers like tikka, and kebab, as a base for pizza or to scoop up stews, gravies, and curries.
- You can flavor the naan with garlic, herbs, or cheese which adds a layer of flavor to your bread. So it is a complement to different cuisines.
Check out our list of interesting recipes to know what to serve with naan bread.
Ingredients
Flour: Traditional naan recipe is made with all-purpose flour (maida), giving this flatbread's signature chewy texture and a mild flavor. You can use bread flour, self-rising flour, or wheat flour, but the texture will differ.
Yeast: This helps your bread dough to rise and becomes fluffy.
Water: Brings all the ingredients together, making it easier to work with. You can even use milk if desired, making your bread richer.
Sugar: Little sugar helps activate the yeast.
Yogurt: It adds the needed tanginess or sourness to the bread and also helps tenderize the dough. You can skip this and add coconut-based yogurt to make your naan vegan.
Butter or Oil: Ghee (clarified butter), butter, or oil of your choice is added to give a soft and buttery texture.
Salt: Enhance the overall flavor of naan.
Other ingredients: You can add spices like green chilies, garlic, nigella seeds, and coriander leaves for garnish. This will enhance the flavor of your naan bread.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Variations
- Butter naan: The above recipe is also called butter naan or tawa naan, or skillet naan bread.
- Plain naan: To make plain naan bread, skip the garnish from the ingredient list.
- Garlic naan: Add the grated garlic to the dough or the topping. You can check my recipe for garlic butter naan.
- Cheese naan: This is for cheese lovers. Check out my famous cheese-stuffed naan bread recipe.
- Keema naan: This is made by cooking minced meat with onion, garlic, green chilies, tomatoes, spices like garam masala, and red chile powder, which is then stuffed in each dough ball, rolled, and cooked.
- Tandoori naan: Authentic and traditional way of making naan bread. The dough here is cooked in a hot clay oven on a charcoal or wood fire called tandoor, giving the naan a completely different aroma.
Step-by-step instructions
Activate the yeast
In a bowl, add lukewarm water and sugar. Sprinkle yeast. Cover it and leave it undisturbed for 5 to 10 minutes. Let the yeast activate.
Making of naan dough
- Add flour, salt, yogurt, and butter to this, and knead for about 10 minutes until you get a smooth and soft dough.
- Transfer the dough to a greased bowl. Cover and let this rise in a warm place for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.
- Divide the dough into eight equal portions. Take each portion of the dough and form a smooth ball using a kneading motion (it takes about 1 min for each ball). Rest the dough balls (cover to avoid drying) for about 5 mins.
Prepare the garnish
In a small bowl, melt the butter or ghee. To this, add chopped cilantro or coriander leaves and green chilies. You need this to brush the naan as soon as it is ready.
Making of naan
- Heat a cast iron skillet or tawa on medium-high heat.
- Once the dough has rested for about 5 mins, sprinkle some flour on the working surface and, using a rolling pin, roll into 8-inch diameter flatbread.
- Sprinkle some water on one side of the rolled flatbread, and then place the wet side down on the preheated tava or skillet.
- Once a bubble starts forming on the naan's surface, flip the tava / skillet such that the top surface of the naan is about 1 inch from the flame and gets directly roasted over the flame for about 30 seconds to 1 minute or until it develops desired color. (This gives the restaurant style traditional texture)
- Flip the tava back, remove the naan using a flat spatula, and transfer it to a plate. Immediately garnish with melted butter (or ghee) and herb mixture.
- Repeat the process for the remaining dough balls.
Alternate method
If you do not want to flip the whole tawa or want to use a nonstick pan, you can simply flip the naan once you see the blisters on the bottom surface and cook on the other side.
Pro Tips
- Use a cast iron pan or skillet as this allows the naan to stick to the pan using its wet side, and it can be roasted directly above the flame by flipping the entire cast-iron pan halfway through the cooking process.
- If the yogurt is thick or the dough looks dry, you may have to add a splash of water and knead. But if the dough looks wet and sticky, then add more flour in increments and knead till you get the smooth, shiny dough.
- You can use salted butter for garnish.
- This simple naan recipe works even on cooking ranges that use electric coils.
- You can substitute green chilies with serrano pepper or jalapeno.
- The amount of flour or maida to make the dough may vary depending on the flour brand and weather conditions. So it is always good to add flour in parts.
- You can also add the garnish ingredients to the dough.
Serving suggestions
You can serve and eat this naan bread in various ways. I have a complete list of what to eat with Indian naan bread. My favorite ways to serve naan are with paneer butter masala, butter chicken, chicken handi, mushroom masala, and chicken tikka masala for a complete meal.
Store, Freeze, and Reheat
Naan tastes the best when made and served fresh. But you can store it for a more extended period if needed.
Store: Wrap any leftover naan in aluminum foil or plastic wrap, and keep it in airtight conatiner. Naan lasts at room temperature for 1 to 2 days. Keep it in the refrigerator if you want to store it for up to a week. Reheat before serving.
Freeze: you can freeze naan bread for up to 3 months. Wrap the naan tightly in aluminum foil and place it in a freezer bag. Thaw and reheat before serving.
Reheat: You can use an oven or skillet (tava) to reheat naan bread. If using a skillet, heat the skillet. Place the naan on the skillet, add a splash of water, and heat it on both sides until heated through. If using the oven, preheat to 350 degrees. Place the naan and heat it for about 10 minutes.
Recipe FAQs
Both naan and roti are popular Indian flatbreads but differ based on the traditional cooking method and ingredients used. Naan is made using all-purpose flour, and yeast is needed for the dough to rise. Roti, like chapati, is made using wheat flour (atta), and no yeast, baking powder, or baking soda is used.
Naan is a traditional and authentic Indian flatbread made in a hot clay oven on a wood fire or charcoal called tandoor.
Yes. You can make simple and quick naan bread at home in a cast iron skillet or tawa. No tandoor oven is required.
Traditionally naan bread is made with flour, yeast, salt, and water and thus can be added to your vegan diet like pita bread. But if the recipe calls for butter, yogurt, or milk, then it is not vegan. In this case, use vegan substitutes like coconut-based yogurt, olive or coconut oil, and dairy-free milk.
More easy Indian flatbread recipes
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Recipe card
Homemade Naan Bread | Easy Tawa Naan
Equipment
- cast iron skillet (tawa pan)
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ teaspoon Active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon Sugar
- ½ cup Water , lukewarm
- 2 cups All purpose flour or Maida, more as needed (maybe another 4 to 6 tbsp)
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ½ cup Yogurt or Curd or Sour cream
- 2 tablespoon Butter or Oil
For Garnish (Use garnish of your choice or brush with butter and skip the rest)
- 3 tablespoon Butter (Use oil for vegan version)
- 2 tablespoon Cilantro or Coriander leaves, finely chopped
- 1 Green chilie or serrano or Jalapeno, finely chopped
Instructions
Activate the yeast
- In a bowl, add lukewarm water and sugar. Sprinkle yeast. Cover it and leave it undisturbed for 5 to 10 minutes. Let the yeast activate.2 ¼ teaspoon Active dry yeast, 1 teaspoon Sugar, ½ cup Water
Making of naan dough
- Add flour, salt, yogurt, and butter to this, and knead for about 10 minutes until you get a smooth and soft dough.2 cups All purpose flour, 1 teaspoon Salt, ½ cup Yogurt or Curd or Sour cream, 2 tablespoon Butter or Oil
- Transfer the dough to a greased bowl. Cover and let this rise in a warm place for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.
- Divide the dough into eight equal portions. Take each portion of the dough and form a smooth ball using a kneading motion (it takes about 1 min for each ball). Rest the dough balls (cover to avoid drying) for about 5 mins.
Prepare the garnish
- In a small bowl, melt the butter or ghee. To this, add chopped cilantro or coriander leaves and green chilies. You need this to brush the naan as soon as it is ready.3 tablespoon Butter, 2 tablespoon Cilantro, 1 Green chilie
Making of naan
- Heat a cast iron skillet or tawa on medium-high heat.
- Once the dough has rested for about 5 mins, sprinkle some flour on the working surface and, using a rolling pin, roll into 8-inch diameter flatbread.
- Sprinkle some water on one side of the rolled flatbread, and then place the wet side down on the preheated tava or skillet.
- Once a bubble starts forming on the naan's surface, flip the tava / skillet such that the top surface of the naan is about 1 inch from the flame and gets directly roasted over the flame for about 30 seconds to 1 minute or until it develops desired color. (This gives the restaurant style traditional texture)
- Flip the tava back, remove the naan using a flat spatula, and transfer it to a plate. Immediately garnish with melted butter (or ghee) and herb mixture.
- Repeat the process for the remaining dough balls.
Alternate method:
- If you do not want to flip the whole tawa or if you are using a nonstick pan, then you can simply flip the naan once you see the blisters on the bottom surface and cook on the other side.
Notes
- Use a cast iron pan or skillet as this allows the naan to stick to the pan using its wet side, and it can be roasted directly above the flame by flipping the entire cast-iron pan halfway through the cooking process.
- If the yogurt is thick or the dough looks dry, you may have to add a splash of water and knead. But if the dough looks wet and sticky, then add more flour in increments and knead till you get the smooth, shiny dough.
- You can use salted butter for garnish.
- This simple naan recipe works even on cooking ranges that use electric coils.
- You can substitute green chilies with serrano pepper or jalapeno.
- The amount of flour or maida to make the dough may vary depending on the flour brand and weather conditions. So it is always good to add flour in parts.
- You can also add the garnish ingredients to the dough.
Erik
Haven’t had good naan in ages, so this was a treat! Tastes so much better than any restaurant.