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.
How do you make homemade naan?
- Combine instant yeast, sugar and warm water. Let it sit a couple of minutes until a bit foamy on top.
- 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.
- 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!
- Divide the dough into 8 pieces.
Roll each piece of dough into an oval or circle, using a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface.
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.
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.
Recipe adapted from Budget Bytes.
Easy Vegan Naan
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
- 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.
- You could probably leave out the olive oil to make it oil free, but I haven't tried it.
- 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.
- 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).
This is a go to Naan recipe but I don’t make et frequently. But every time I make et, the dough is extremely sticky, there’s no way to kneed et. I feel like I add almost another whole cup of flour getting the dough to de-stick from hands and counter top. Is this to be expected or am I doing something wrong. I measure my flour with the spoon in and level method. Do I need 2 compact* cups of flour initially?
Thank you for all your recipes!
Hi Rayanna. The dough should be a little sticky, but not so much that you can’t handle it. You just have to handle it gently, work it out on a floured surface and flour your hands and even the rolling pin if needed. If it’s still too sticky, mix in 1 tablespoon of flour at a time until it’s easier to handle.
I’ve made this many times for all my coworkers! Wondering if maybe I could make the dough the day before?
Hi Lily. Yes, you could make the dough ahead of time, even freeze it if you wanted to. Enjoy!
This was delicious and easier to make than I would expect, it was great with biryani and raita!
So fast and easy!
I was so proud of myself!
Used vegan sour cream in place of yogurt and I think it turned out just fine!!
Hi Kim. Awesome! I’m so glad the naan turned out great for you! I’m proud of you too! Thanks for sharing your wonderful feedback and tip about the sour cream!
Hi Nora! Love the ease of this recipe with simple ingredients. However , they never get the dough to “puff up” with bubbles. It stays flat like a pancake. Am I doing something wrong? Thanks, Marie
Are you using regular flour? They should puff up somewhat in the pan and form the large bubbles. Are you making any substitutions or forgetting anything at all?
This recipe is the best! I’ve made it 5 times in 3 weeks. It’s been a life saver in my dairy free, soy free, egg free breastfeeding journey. So thank you!!
Could I freeze it ready made? We have been eating Indian food on repeat and making this every couple days is getting exhausting. How would it hold up in the freezer?
Hi Sarah. I’m so glad you 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 3-4 days or in the freezer for 3 months. Hope this helps!
Great!! Loved it! I used active dry yeast and just let it rise a bit longer.
Thanks for sharing your fabulous review and feedback! I’m glad you loved the naan!
Divided the dough into 6 pieces. Hubs ate 4 naan! So good and so easy. Thanks, Nora – another great recipe.
Hi Michelle. I’m happy to hear that you both loved the naan. Thanks for your wonderful feedback and review! I appreciate you using my recipes, and wish you happy cooking!
Hi, can the mixture be frozen and used again? Thanks 🙂
Amanda
I’m not sure that would work, I’ve never tried it. The bread once cooked can be frozen.
I’ve made this recipe twice. Both times, I used avocado oil instead of olive oil. The first time I omitted the coconut cream and it came out pretty good. The second time, I added the coconut cream and it was so delicious with the perfect texture! My family couldn’t get enough — and they aren’t vegan. A huge stamp of approval from my very, very picky 16 year old, too! This will be on our menu weekly–Thank you for such a great recipe!
Hi Gina. I’m thrilled that my naan recipe will be part of your meal rotation! How wonderful that this recipe was a hit with your family! Thank you for sharing your wonderful feedback and experience! Happy cooking!
Fabulous recipe so easy and really authentic DH was delighted to have Naan with curry this evening Thank you Nora
You are welcome! I’m so glad you loved the naan. Thanks for sharing your wonderful feedback!
Hi can this naan be oven baked. Whenever i pan fry it it sticks to the pan
I haven’t tried baking the naan, but it should work well. Try baking it on a parchment-lined baking sheet or pre-heated pizza stone at 450ºF for 10 to 15 minutes (flipping halfway). I hope this helps!
This is the first time I made naan and it was so easy and turned out exactly like the photos! I made the naan to go with the artichoke hummus I made. Perfect pairs! This will be my go-to naan recipe from now on!
Hi Rebecca. I’m so thrilled the naan was easy for you! The hummus you made sounds wonderful with the naan! I’m excited this is your new go to naan recipe! Wishing you happy cooking!
This is the first time I have EVER left a review(and I’m a baker)!! I thought, why make homemade naan when it’s not that expensive? But wow! This recipe is top notch! All of my family loved it! Soft and delicious. For some reason my full fat coconut milk did not have that thick layer on top so I just used 2Tbs of the canned coconut milk, but everything else I followed the recipe exactly and it was so good! Next time I will make a double batch just to have leftovers!!
Hi Lauren. I’m so glad you and your family loved the naan. I love fresh, homemade naan – it’s the best! Thanks for taking time to share your great feedback!
These were stellar! So fluffy and soft
Been a vegan for 3 years now and this naan recipe has been a go to for six months after a friend put me onto your recipes. It’s a great recipe. Thanks.
I’m so glad you are enjoying the naan! Thank you for sharing your great feedback!
I used unsweetened coconut yogurt i stead of coconut cream and it was literally THE SOFTEST naan bread ive ever made and it was so fast to make it didn’t take me 40 minutes.
It really is the best, right?! I’m so happy you loved it, Kristal, and thank you for your amazing review!
This was probably already asked, but will I be able to use a stand mixer with a dough hook instead?
I have not tried this with a stand mixer, however, I have received comments stating that it does work with a stand mixer and dough hook. Hope this helps! Let me know how it goes for you!
Brilliant. Quick. Easy. Thank you for the recipe!
You are welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed the naan. Thank you for sharing your great feedback!
Hi!
Any tips on storing the cooked naan for leftovers?
Thank you!
Hi Angela. 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!
Thank you for that another amazing recipe! Very simple and easy, and my non-vegan husband was blown away as well. We stuffed them with curried potatoes; delicious!
OMG! That sounds amazing with the curried potato stuffing! Thanks for sharing your wonderful feedback and ideas! I’m thrilled you love the naan!
Omg this recipe is amazing! Truly restaurant-quality naan! We made this with your Vegan Tikka Masala recipe with tofu, which is equally amazing and very easy! The naan dough was definitely very sticky, but I agree with other commenters that adding more flour (probably about 1 cup) as needed did the trick.
I couldn’t believe how easily it all came together, and how easy it was to cook–even with no oil in the pan. We made a double batch of the dough. We made naan with half, and quickly devoured those with dinner! 🙂 We’ll try making pizzas with the extra dough.
How long can the uncooked dough keep in the fridge? And is it possible to freeze the uncooked dough after it rises?
Thank you for another delicious recipe, Nora!
I’m so glad you and your family loved the naan so much, Kim! Thanks so much for your amazing feedback! Yes, you can store the raw dough in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for 3 months.