Easy vegan naan- soft, fluffy flatbread perfect for serving alongside Indian inspired dishes or even using as a wrap or pizza crust. Only 7 ingredients and easy to make!
Last week I made Vegetable Korma for dinner, and I thought it would be fun to have naan to go with it. Have you ever tried to buy naan at a store? For the life of me, I couldn’t find a brand that didn’t have eggs, milk or both of those in it! So what did I do? I decided to make my own, a vegan version, and wow am I glad I did!
Naan is basically an Indian style flatbread, that is soft, pillowy with beautiful bubbles from cooking it on the stovetop. There is yeast involved, but it’s quite failproof, unlike making a loaf of bread which is a bit harder to get right.
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In a large pan (cast iron preferred) over medium-high heat, place the flattened dough. This is kind of like cooking pancakes, and you don’t need to oil your pan. Once bubbles appear, flip it over and cook for another minute or two. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Don’t have coconut cream? No problem! You can simply leave it out, or use unsweetened non-dairy yogurt instead. I have made it without and it was fine. It’s just a bit fluffier and richer with it.
Naan goes great with any Indian inspired dish, such as Quick and Easy Vegetable Korma, Cauliflower Sweet Potato Curry Soup, Chickpea Curry, and especially Vegan Butter Chicken!
Vegan Indian Food
Serving: 1 serving | Calories: 170 kcal | Carbohydrates: 26 g | Protein: 4 g | Fat: 6 g | Saturated Fat: 2 g | Sodium: 294 mg | Potassium: 104 mg | Fiber: 1 g | Sugar: 1 g | Vitamin C: 1 mg | Calcium: 21 mg | Iron: 2 mg
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. Read my full disclosure here.I recently rounded up 40 vegan Indian recipes, and this vegan naan recipe is exactly what you need to pair with all of those incredible, flavor-packed dishes. I know I’m not alone in saying naan is my favorite Indian bread. It’s simultaneously fluffy, airy, chewy, and crisp, and when served warm, it’s like biting into a slice of buttery heaven.
Unfortunately, most naan you’ll get at Indian restaurants is not vegan, as the dough often contains yogurt (or milk) and it’s brushed with melted butter. While there are a handful of store-bought vegan naan options, they are pretty lackluster and taste more like store-bought pita bread. Not a bad option if you need something, but incomparable to freshly made naan.
Ingredient Dough Naan (no Yeast!)
I’m proud to report that after a dozen and a half recipe tests, I’ve developed a naan recipe that is just as good as if not better than the naan you’ll find at a good Indian restaurant. Please enjoy!
Naan is an Indian leavened flatbread traditionally baked in a tandoor oven (a very hot clay oven). If you’ve been to an Indian restaurant, you’ve probably had the pleasure of eating naan. While there are dozens of amazing Indian breads, naan is probably the most well-known in the West. You’ll also find naan (and variations thereof) in the cuisines of Western and Southern Asia, Myanmar, Indonesia, and parts of the Caribbean.
Texturewise, naan is somewhat similar to Middle Eastern pita, but usually softer and thicker yet also more airy at the same time, thanks to its uneven gas pockets.
Vegan Naan • The Curious Chickpea
Most naan recipes start with all-purpose flour, salt, active dry yeast, and water. Yogurt or milk is often (though not always) added, and occasionally egg is added to the dough. The dough is kneaded by hand and then set aside to rise. In restaurants, the naan is usually baked in a tandoor oven, but in homes, it’s typically cooked in a very hot pan on the stove. The traditional Indian pan used is an iron tawa, but well-seasoned cast iron skillets also work well. Naan is almost always brushed with butter or ghee before serving.
Note: if you’re curious if you can make this recipe with whole wheat flour, the answer is yes! Read more in the “Frequently Asked Questions” section.
Texture heaven. This naan has all the best textures: it’s pillowy, puffy and fluffy, soft and chewy yet crisp and flaky in some spots. And when you eat it warm (as you should), it basically melts in your mouth. The combination of a well-hydrated soft dough + resting in a warm place + briefly cooking in a very hot pan = basically all you need for the best texture.
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Minimal ingredients. After a dozen and a half recipe tests, I came to the conclusion that vegan naan does not need a vegan yogurt or milk substitute. There’s simply too much variation across plant-based yogurts and milks to guarantee it will work.
Even just within coconut yogurts, there was too much variation across brands that it didn’t make sense to include vegan yogurt as an ingredient. A few of the yogurts worked well, others made the dough too sticky, others made the dough hard to roll. And the amount of yogurt was very finicky, a result of how the various active cultures interact with the yeast (2 tablespoons of yogurt wasn’t enough to make a difference, but 3 tablespoons was slightly too much).
And when using a plant-based milk, the doughs seem to get either sticky or tough (soy milk basically turned the dough into a semi-hard rock).
Restaurant Style Peshwari Naan
So, really, all you need to make great naan is: flour, salt, yeast, water, and oil. The only “specialty” ingredient you need is a few tablespoons of vegan butter for brushing on at the end (please don’t skip that part, and make it even better by grating fresh garlic into the butter for garlic naan). Okay two more things: some cilantro to roll into the dough for extra flavor and flaky sea salt for sprinkling on that end. That’s it!
Restaurant-Quality. This naan recipe is as good as Indian restaurant naan or even better (I think it’s even better, especially when served warm). Even without using yogurt or a tandoor oven, this naan is incredible and melts in your mouth. And of course, it’s the perfect vehicle for scooping up your favorite Indian curries and dals.
Bloom the yeast. Stir the sugar in the lukewarm water until dissolved. Add in the active dry yeast and whisk to dissolve, about 15 seconds. Set aside for 15 minutes until the yeast becomes foamy and a bit frothy (the photo on right is after 15 minutes).
Indian Garlic Naan Recipe
Tip: To test if yeast is fresh: mix together 1 teaspoon sugar + 1/2 cup lukewarm water (100-110ºF) + 2 teaspoons active dry yeast in a medium bowl. Stir, and set aside. After a few minutes, yeast should start to expand, and within 10 minutes, the mixture should be foamy and bubbly. If not, it’s expired and you’ll need new yeast.
Start mixing the ingredients with a fork. Mix until the dough is shaggy and you can’t stir it anymore with the fork.
Pour a bit of neutral-flavored oil on your hands to grease them. Transfer all of the dough to a clean work space. Start kneading the dough with your hands. You will need to oil your hands several times during the kneading process.
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As you knead, you’ll notice the dough becomes quite sticky. It will stick to the counter and to your hands. Don’t worry and just keep kneading the dough for a total of 4 to 6 minutes.
Knead the dough until it is no longer sticky and is instead soft, pliable, elastic, and fairly smooth. It should feel well hydrated but no longer sticky. Pour a bit of oil in a large bowl, add the dough ball, and coat the dough on all sides in the oil.
Cover the dough with a clean dish towel and set aside in a warm place for at least 90 minutes, or up to 4 hours. I turn the light on in my oven and rest it in the oven.
Easy Vegan Naan (indian Flatbread)
After rising, the should have risen and at least doubled in size. Lightly punch down on the dough to release the air. Then use your hands to briefly knead the dough until it’s back into the shape of a ball.
Use a bench scraper to cut the dough into 8 pieces. If you want smaller naans, you can do 10 pieces. Use your hands to roll each dough piece into a round.
Proof the dough. Transfer to a sheet of parchment paper and cover with a clean dish towel. Allow to rest for 10 minutes (this is the dough’s second rise).
Quick Sourdough Discard Naan (vegan)
Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a thin oval shape about 8″ long and 5″ wide at its widest, rolling outward and off (instead of rolling back and forth on the same spot).
Sprinkle the naan with a couple sprinkles of chopped cilantro. Dampen your fingers in some water and carefully pick up the
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