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!

photo of easy naan close up

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.

How do you make homemade naan?

  1. Combine instant yeast, sugar and warm water. Let it sit a couple of minutes until a bit foamy on top.
  2. Now add the flour, salt, baking powder, coconut cream and olive oil. Stir with a spoon, then knead a bit with your hands until it comes together.
  3. Place the ball of dough in a bowl and cover. If you have time, let it rise for about 30 minutes. If not, it will still turn out good!
  4. Divide the dough into 8 pieces.

collage showing how to make naan

Roll each piece of dough into an oval or circle, using a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface.

piece of naan rolled out not cooked yet

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.

You can also brush them with melted vegan butter once they are cooked.

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.

photo of flatbread on pan cooking with bubbles

What goes well with naan?

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!

You can also use it for wraps, filling it with Falafel, Chickpea Tuna or hummus and vegetables.

It makes a great personal pizza crust- simply top cooked naan with pizza sauce, non-dairy cheese and vegetables.

from the side photo of flatbread with parsley

Recipe adapted from Budget Bytes.

photo of easy vegan naan close up
4.90 stars (121 ratings)

Easy Vegan Naan

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!
Prep: 40 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Total: 1 hour
Servings: 8 servings

Ingredients 
 

  • 1 teaspoon instant yeast
  • 3/4 cup warm water
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • 2 cups all purpose flour or white whole wheat flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3 tablespoons coconut cream *may omit if needed
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Optional: melted vegan butter for serving, minced garlic or fresh herbs

Instructions 

  • Add the yeast and sugar to a large bowl and pour the warm water on top (think bath temperature, not too hot or it will kill the yeast). Let sit for a few minutes until it is frothy on top.
  • Now add the flour, salt, baking powder, coconut cream and olive oil. Stir with a wooden spoon until it becomes difficult, then turn the ball of dough out on a lightly floured surface (I just use my countertop). Knead the ball of dough for about 2-3 minutes, until the ball of dough is smooth and soft. If it is too sticky, add a little more flour.
  • Place the dough in a large bowl, cover with a tea towel and let it rise for about 30 minutes. If you are in a hurry, you can skip the rising part. It will still come out quite good!
  • After it rises, flatten the dough and divide into 8 pieces.
  • Heat a large, heavy bottomed pan (cast iron preferred) over medium heat. Take a piece of the dough and roll it on a lightly floured surface into a circle or oval shape (about 1/4 inch thick). If using garlic, gently press a little minced garlic onto one side so it sticks at this point.
  • Place the dough on the heated pan and cook until large bubbles have formed and the bottom is golden brown. Flip and cook 1-2 minutes more until that side is golden brown as well.
  • Repeat with the remaining pieces. Cover the naan with a towel or wrapped in foil to keep warm until ready to serve. Serve plain or brush with melted vegan butter and sprinkle with fresh herbs, such as cilantro or parsley.

Video

Notes

  1. For the coconut cream, open a can of full fat coconut milk or coconut cream, and scoop out 3 tablespoons of the white, thick creamy part. May also substitute plain non-dairy yogurt (soy, almond, or coconut). Or leave it out, I have done this in a pinch and it worked fine.
  2. You could probably leave out the olive oil to make it oil free, but I haven't tried it.
  3. I haven't tested this with gluten free flour, but it would probably work ok. I would use a gluten free mix, such as Bob's Red Mill 1:1.
  4. If you only have regular active yeast, that is fine, you will just need to let the dough rise for longer (1-1 1/2 hours).

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 170kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 294mg | Potassium: 104mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 2mg
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Indian
Author: Nora Taylor
Did you make this recipe?Mention @nora_cooks_vegan_ or tag #noracooks!

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Comments

  1. This was my first time making naan. The first few were failures (although my husband says he will eat the two burnt ones) but then I got the hang of it. Thank you for your recipes. I always know I can trust yours to be good! Tonight I am making the chickpea curry to go with the naan.

  2. Nora – your recipes are fabulous. Simple and easy to follow. And delicious. Made this tonight for the first time and it was a hit! Thank you sooooo much!!!!!!

    1. I am thrilled you are loving my recipes! Thanks for your wonderful review! Your feedback is so encouraging!

    2. Made with the Red Lentil Dahl. So easy and delicious. I used plain cashew yogurt and only 1 Tbsp of oil (that’s all I had left) and they turned out tasty. Not bad for my first naan!!
      Thanks Nora!!

  3. My dough is resting right now! I was so excited to see such an easy recipe. Can the naan be stored for a few days? What would be the best method?

    1. Hi Megan. I’m glad you’ve checked out the recipe! Then naan is easy and wonderful! You can wrap them well and store at room temperature overnight. They are better the first day, however, will be good the next day as well. They do dry out quickly. It also freezes quite well! Wrap the bread in food grade plastic and aluminum foil to prevent freezer burn. I hope this helps!

  4. Perfect! The only change I made was to use a vegan sour cream thinned down with water in place of the yogurt since that is what I had on hand. Easy to make and even easier to eat. 🙂

  5. Not only was this naan soft, easy and vegan, it was the best naan that I ever had! I’ll make it again and again. I had leftover garlic confit, dicing the soft garlic for use on the naan with cilantro and flakey sea salt, then lightly brushed the finished naan with the garlic-infused olive oil. This is THE recipe for naan, whether you’re vegan or not!

  6. Just excellent and so easy! I used vegan coconut keffir instead of coconut cream just because I had it on hand and it worked beautifully. I have kept the raw dough in the fridge for 5 days and cooked it up as needed. The entire family loves it slathered with hummus.

    1. This bread is delicious with hummus! I’m so glad you and your family are loving it! Thank you for your positive review and feedback!

    1. How wonderful this turned out fabulous for you! Thanks for sharing your fabulous feedback and review!

  7. I love love love this recipe! It finally gave me a reason to use the can of coconut cream I’ve had in my pantry, and now I always keep coconut cream on deck. These are a staple in my house now.

    1. Hi Shannon! That is so awesome you love the naan! Thanks for your fabulous review ad feedback! Wishing you happy cooking!

  8. This bread is so easy and so delicious. I have not made bread before, and this turned out like I was a pro. Thank you Nora!

  9. 10/10 from my husband and I! Thank you for another great recipe Nora! I added two cloves of minced garlic and 2 tsp of parsley and it’s so good!!! I didn’t have coconut cream so skipped that but it was still pillowy soft! Do you think these will freeze well? If kept frozen, would microwave be the only option to reheat?

    1. You are welcome, Carrie. I’m so glad you and your husband loved the naan so much! Thanks for your amazing feedback! Yes, wrap the cooked naan well with freezer quality Saran Wrap, then wrap in foil to prevent freezer burn. You can also store the raw dough in the fridge for up to 3 months. You could reheat in an air fryer, microwave, or wrapped in foil in the oven on low heat. I hope this helps!

  10. Wow! So good. I had to adjust the flour because my coconut cream was runny but so, so good and easy! This will be my go to recipe from now on. The dough is BEAUTIFUL!

    1. I am so thrilled you love the naan and it is now your go to recipe! I appreciate you taking time to share you awesome feedback!

  11. I use this recipe a lot . .you can sub coconut powder/milk for the cream part or like the author says any plant based milk. I just add a bit more oil .. I also add pepper flakes into the batter.

  12. Plan to make this soon but I have a quick question: is it possible to use good quality, vegan creamer (like Country Crock plant cream) instead of the coconut cream?

  13. This was great! And so easy to make and turned out fantastic. I did not have true can of coconut cream but I had a can of Coconut Milk, did not shake it and scooped off the 3 TBSP of coconut cream from the top. Five stars and will make again for sure!

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