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 naan is ? My family is loving it, it’s su soft and delicious and I did it without the coconut cream because u didn’t have it. I’ll try again with it and see how we like it, but I’m sure it’ll be just as tasty.
Thanks for sharing Brandi! I’m glad you guys are loving the naan!
Can you substitute white flour for coconut or almond flour, so it is grain free?
Unfortunately, I don’t think it would work with either of those. I’m sure whole wheat, white whole wheat or spelt flour would work quite well, but almond and coconut flour are quite different to work with. I hope this helps!
Great naan breads easy recipe, takes a bit of getting used to dealing with the sticky dough, but thats what make the naan bread so soft. I freeze left overs for another day and they still taste as good. Always use vegan yoghurt instead of coconut cream.
Thanks for recipe
Hi Bill. Thank you for taking time to share your wonderful comments and review. I’m happy you are loving the naan!
These tasted better than un vegan normal nanns that I’v made in the past Really good.
I’m glad you enjoyed the naan, Veronica! Thank you for sharing your comments!
Hi Nora!
If I freeze the dough, is there a certain thawing process I should use? Thank you so much!! Great recipe!
Caroline
I’ve never frozen the dough personally for naan, but I think it would be fine. It’s best to thaw it in the refrigerator overnight until it’s soft enough to work with. Thanks!
Hi Nora, this recipe looks amazing! Was wondering if the naan can be stored after you have made it?
Would like to store them overnight 🙂
Yes, I just wrap them and store at room temperature overnight. They are better the first day, but totally edible the next day. Probably not longer than that though, as they dry out. Thank you!
Hi nora,
Can i make the dough in advance and keep it in the fridge or let it rise untill use?
Thanks!looking forward to try them tonight
Yes, you could make the dough ahead of time, even freeze it if you wanted to. Enjoy!
I was intimidated by this at first, but I decided to try it and I’m so glad I did! My toddler and I make this every Thursday to go with your lentil Dahl recipe. He rolls out the dough, and when it’s cooked he paints on the vegan butter and sprinkles on the parsley. It’s very bonding for us, and it gives him a purpose while we are in the kitchen and a chance to contribute! At dinner time, he always tells his dad, “I made this naan bread for you!” Thank you so much for this lovely addition to our weekly routine. We are making memories in the kitchen!
Hi Lindsay. Your story makes my heart so happy! I’m so glad you and your toddler are making such a beautiful memory. Thank you for taking time to share your review, and I’m glad you love my naan recipe! Thank you for using my recipes!
Simply amazing!! I had never made naan myself before and my yeast was pretty old so I did not expect much, but they turned out sooo fluffy and light and perfect :’) Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe!!
Thank you for sharing your review, Sinah! Glad the naan turned out wonderful for you!
It didnt turn out how I thought it would, didnt bubble up when cooking, maybe I made a mistake in the ingredients. BUT was still delicious , tasted like naan and everyone I served it to was impressed.
You might have added too much flour, if the dough is too dry it won’t really bubble. Glad you still enjoyed it though!
Love this recipe, I normally triple it to get more naan bread. Also, makes great naan pizza.
Thank you for sharing your review, and I’m glad you love the naan!
Love this recipe, I normally triple it to get more naan bread.
Amazing! So fluffy and light!
Thank you, Natalie, for sharing your review!
Absolutely wonderful!! Everyone loved it!!
Thank you for sharing Ellie! I’m glad the naan was a hit!
Hi Nora! I love your recipes! Especially this one, easy and delicious! Any tips to help reduce how sticky/wet the dough is? Mine never looks as dry as your pictures!
Hi Alexia! Thanks so much. If your dough is very wet (which can happen based on the humidity where you live, how you measured the flour, etc) simply add a little flour at a time until it’s not super sticky. But don’t add so much that you take away all the stickiness, you actually want a little stickiness for this dough. Then carefully handle the dough pieces, and flour your hands, as well as your counter. If the dough is too dry, your naan will be dry as well. Hope that helps!
Thank you for this recipe. I saw it just in time for tonight Greek bowl dinner. I didn’t have any pitas. You use what you have. Ha
The kids loved it. I realized I need/want a cast iron skillet.
Next up- funetti cake.
Hi Jennifer. Thank you for sharing your review! It sounds like you are having fun, which I love. I’m glad the naan was delicious for you all! Let me know how the cake turns out for you!
YUM!! I used spelt instead of white flour in this recipe and they turned out great! I will be making this again:)
So glad the naan turned out great for you Ellie! Thank you for sharing!
So easy and delicious even my hubby loved them
Thank you for sharing your review, Tracey! Glad you loved the naan.
I did these without the coconut cream, and they were fantastic! Really nice and springy and cooked perfectly whilst bubbling up.
Glad they turned out great for you! Thanks for sharing, Kate!
I will try it tomorrow it sounds good and easy to make
Let me know how it goes for you, Frances!
Hi! Can I use coconut milk instead of cream?
It would probably work fine, yes. I’ve also used cashew yogurt.
This turned out perfect! Delish and looked just like your picture.
Thank you!
I am 10 years old and I love to cook
Hi Julia. How fun! I’m glad you love cooking! It’s so great to find things you love to do! Thank you for sharing, and happy cooking!
This naan is so good we made it twice ????
Thanks Julia! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
IT WAS PERFECT!! ❤️
Thanks Tess!
LOVED THEM! It’s so cool you can make your own naan bread so easily with simple ingredients. The texture is exactly the same as store bought. Im just wondering if it still works the next day. I kept the rest of the dough in the fridge because i was scared they would get too dry if they we’re already cooked. Anyways! Thanks for the recipie !
The naan will still be good the next day, if it lasts that long! I’m glad you loved it, thanks!