Homemade naan is super easy to make and tastes absolutely delicious! This fluffy naan is dairy-free, made without yogurt and you'll only need 7 simple ingredients!
This vegan naan bread is a must to try with our creamy Red Lentil Dahl, Sweet Potato Red Lenti Curry or Moroccan Stewed White Beans.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
What is Naan?
Naan is a type of leavened flatbread, eaten primarily in India and Western and Central Asia. It's a popular side dish and often served along with curries, soups or meat dishes.
It can be served plain or stuffed with cheese, garlic or potatoes.
Ingredients & Substitution Notes
- Dry yeast: This recipe uses dry yeast as a leavening agent. It helps the bread to rise and makes is fluffy. I prefer using dry yeast over fresh yeast because it's easier to store and has a longer shelf life.
- (Brown) sugar: I used brown sugar but feel free to use regular white sugar.
- White all-purpose flour: I used regular white flour because I prefer it over the taste of whole wheat flour in this recipe. Feel free to experiment though.
- (Almond) milk: To keep this recipe dairy-free, I used almond milk. You could use any milk of choice here such as soy milk, oat milk or regular dairy milk.
- Olive oil: Helps with a soft and chewy texture. Any other neutral flavored vegetable oil would work too.
- Garlic (optional): for some garlic-oil
How to Make Naan without Yogurt
This easy naan recipe is super quick and easy to make and only requires 7 ingredients. There's no special equipment needed aside from a large mixing bowl and a rolling pin.
STEP 1: Activate the yeast. For the yeast to do its trick it needs to be activated. Dissolve the yeast and ½ teaspoon of sugar in warm water (not hot) using a whisk.
Then set aside for about 10 minutes. During the activation process, the active dry yeast will start to foam and form little bubbles.
STEP 2: Make the dough. Whisk together the dry ingredients (flour and salt) in a large mixing bowl.
Then add the wet ingredients (activated yeast, almond milk and olive oil).
STEP 3: Let dough rest. Stir with a spatula or whisk and then knead the dough until it comes together.
Cover the naan dough with a tea towel and let it rise for about 30 minutes to 1h at room temperature.
Let the dough rise in an airtight container that's big enough to hold the dough after it's doubled in size. That way it won't dry out as much.
STEP 4: Roll out the dough balls. Divide the dough into 6 equal parts.
Roll out each dough ball on a well-floured, flat surface using a rolling pin.
STEP 5: Cook. Heat a large skillet or frying pan over medium-high heat. Place the naan in the hot pan and cook on one side for about 2 minutes until you can see bubbles forming.
Flip and continue to cook on the other side until you can see brown spots.
Top Tips
- Thickness: For the naan to be fluffy and bubbly, it's important to not roll it out too thin. Roll each ball to ¼-inch thickness for optimal results.
- Hot pan: Make sure that your pan is hot enough. Oftentimes, medium heat is not enough heat to make the bread bubble. Opt for medium-high temperature.
Serving Suggestions
There are many different ways to enjoy fresh, homemade naan. Find some suggestions below.
- Plain: Enjoy this naan plain as a snack, with some homemade hummus or guacamole.
- Side Dish: Enjoy it as a side dish along with some Red Lentil Dahl, Sweet Potato Red Lenti Curry or Chickpea Masala.
- Garlic Oil: Turn this into a delicious garlic naan by brushing on some homemade garlic-oil.
Storing
Store any left-over naan in an airtight container at room temperature. However, it definitely tastes best when consumed right away!
FAQs
Pita is thicker and more used for stuffing in recipes such as kebab or falafel. Naan is more bubbly and usually eaten as a side dish.
Absolutely, you can easily make naan without yogurt. The oil in combination with the yeast will help turn this into soft and fluffy bread.
Sometimes, plain yogurt is replaced with sour cream but there's no need to replace the yogurt at all.
If you tried this or any other recipe on the blog let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment or rating below! SIGN UP for the WSK newsletter and get the newest recipes delivered right to your inbox!
📖 Recipe
Homemade Naan (no yogurt)
Ingredients
Dry Yeast
- 1.5 teaspoon dry yeast
- ¼ cup warm (not hot) water
- ½ teaspoon sugar
Naan
- 2 + ⅛ cups white, all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup almond milk (or other milk of choice) *soy milk, whole milk...
- 1 tablespoon olive oil +more for brushing
Garlic Oil (Optional)
- 4 garlic cloves
- 7 tablespoon olive oil
- pinch of salt
Instructions
Activating Yeast
- In a small bowl or glass, mix together water, yeast and sugar with a whisk until fully dissolved. Let sit for about 10 min until yeast starts to foam.
Naan
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour and salt.
- Add activated yeast, milk and olive oil.
- Stir with a spatula or whisk and then knead the dough using your hands until the dough comes together.
- If you feel that you need more liquid, add 1 more tbsp of almond milk (no more).
- Cover the bowl with a lid or kitchen towel and set aside for 30 minutes to 1 hour (room temperature) and let dough rise.
- Divide the dough into 6 equally-sized small balls.
- Roll out each ball to ¼-inch thickness on a well-floured surface.
- Heat a frying pan or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.
- Place the naan in the hot skillet and cook on one side for about 2 minutes until you can see bubbles forming (see step-by-step photos).
- Flip and continue to cook on the other side until browned.
- Brush on some garlic oil (optional) before serving.
Garlic Oil (Optional)
- Mince garlic and add it, together with the olive oil and a pinch of salt to a small bowl, Stir until well combined.
Video
Notes
- Let the dough rise in an airtight container that's big enough to hold the dough after it's doubled in size. That way it won't dry out as much.
- Thickness: For the naan to be fluffy, it's important to not roll it out too thin. Roll each ball to ¼-inch thickness for optimal results.
- Hot pan: Make sure that your pan is hot enough. Oftentimes, medium heat is not enough heat to make the bread bubble. Opt for medium-high temperature.
- Store any left-over naan in an airtight container at room temperature. However, it definitely tastes best when consumed right away!
Steve says
I made this recipe and baked the naan in a pizza oven and they turned out fantastic. The recipe is simple and easy to follow. We will be making these a lot in the future.
Katie says
Hi Steve, very happy to hear that! 🙂 Thanks for letting us know!
Alex says
This recipe was great! I hesitant when I first made the dough because it looked somewhat dry, but I oiled the dough before I let it rest for an hour which seemed to help. I also added a bit of oil to the pan before cooking, as the first one came out somewhat burnt (I was using a nonstick pan).
This was a great recipe and I’m definitely adding it to my usual cooking rotation!
Katie says
Hi Alex, thanks a lot for your helpful feedback! I'm very happy that it turned out yummy in the end 🙂