This authentic homemade naan bread recipe makes use of a hot cast-iron skillet, not a tandoori oven, and just 6 ingredients that you probably already have on hand. It’s airy, yet chewy and has just a bit of crunch that creates the most addictive bread.

I love naan bread, but brush it with a little bit of my honey-garlic butter and watch out. This bread quickly goes from delicious to I-can’t-stop-eating-it. Seriously.

What to serve naan with?

Freshly cooked naan is wonderful with Chana Masala, Chicken Tikka Masala, Butter Chicken, and all kinds of soups or stews, especially curries.

Homemade naan bread wrapped in a white towel

Is homemade naan easy to make?

Very! Making naan at home is a cinch. The biggest things to keep in mind are making sure your yeast is fresh  (don’t want to use expired stuff or your dough won’t rise) and having a bit of patience. The process of making naan is inherently simple, you’ve just got to be patient with the rising process.

If you aren’t into the three separate 30-minute rises, you can prep the dough a day in advance and do a slow rise in the refrigerator, so simple and so hands-off! You can find make ahead instructions in the notes section of the recipe card.

Homemade naan being cooked in a cast-iron skillet

Is homemade naan healthy?

Naan isn’t unhealthy, but I also wouldn’t say it’s overly wholesome. This recipe does make use of healthy fats from Greek yogurt, olive oil, and egg yolk. However, traditional naan uses all-purpose flour which doesn’t bring much of anything to the table other than carbs.

Finish it with a few brushes of melted butter or my addictive honey-garlic butter and you’ll really gild the lily. Maybe not the healthiest part of your day, but will definitely be the most delicious. I choose to live a little.

Homemade naan bread wrapped in a white towel
Minced garlic, honey, and butter in a small glass bowl

Is homemade naan gluten-free?

Traditionally, no. Naan is not gluten-free. I haven’t tested this naan bread recipe with gluten-free flour mostly because I wanted to create an authentic naan bread recipe.

However, I do plan to test this down the road with a gluten-free flour blend, as well as few different flours such as whole-wheat and buckwheat. Would you like to see alternative naan bread recipes?

Homemade naan bread wrapped in a white towel

What does tandoori mean?

Tandoori refers to a type of Indian cooking that utilizes a tandoor oven. A tandoor oven is most often made of clay with mud or concrete packed around the external sides as insulation. Circular in shape, tandoor ovens often resemble a bottle, slightly tapering at the top to concentrate heat.

To prepare a tandoori oven, a fire is started at the base then allowed to die down before cooking. Letting the fire die down and relying on the hot coals ensures an even cooking temperature for hours.

Naan is often cooked in tandoor ovens by slapping the dough against the sides of the clay oven. Long skewers of marinated meats are also cooked in tandoor ovens.

Homemade naan bread wrapped in a white towel
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Homemade naan bread wrapped in a white towel

Homemade Naan Bread with Honey-Garlic Butter

  • Author: Lauren Grant of Zestful Kitchen
  • Prep Time: 2 hours (hands-off time)
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 2½ hours
  • Yield: 4 loaves (4–6 servings) 1x

Description

Make homemade naan bread today with this authentic, yet simple recipe that uses a cast-iron skillet—no tandoori oven required. Just 6 ingredients is all you need! The brush the warm naan with a super simple honey-garlic butter for even more flavor.


Ingredients

Scale

For the naan:

  • ½ cup ice-cold water
  • ⅓ cup plain full-fat Greek yogurt
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 2 teaspoons honey
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour (10 ounces)
  • ½ teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 teaspoons vegetable oil

For the honey-garlic butter (optional):

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 teaspoons honey
  • ½ tsp minced garlic
  • Salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

For the naan, combine water, yogurt, oil, yolk, and honey in a liquid measuring cup.

Process flour and yeast in a food processor to combine. With processor running, slowly stream in water mixture until just combined and no dry flour remains, about 10 seconds. Let dough rest 10 minutes.

Add salt to dough and process until a satiny, sticky dough ball forms and clears the sides of the bowl, about 1 minute.

Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, 1 minute. Shape dough into a tight ball and place in a large, lightly oiled bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, fold partially risen dough over itself 8 times by gently lifting and folding edge of dough toward middle, rotating bowl 90-degrees after each fold. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise 30 minutes more. Repeat folding, then cover tightly and let rise one last time for 30 minutes.

Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and divide into 4 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a smooth, tight ball and transfer to a lightly oiled baking sheet, spacing two inches apart. Cover loosely with lightly oiled plastic wrap and let rise 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 200°F with a baking sheet set inside.

Transfer 1 ball to lightly floured surface and sprinkle with flour. Roll piece of dough into an 8–8½-inch round of even thickness, sprinkling with more flour as needed. Using a fork, poke entire surface of dough 30 times.

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium until shimmering, wipe oil out of skillet with paper towels.

Mist top of dough with water, then transfer to skillet, moist-side down; mist top surface of dough with water and cover. Cook dough until bottom is brown in spots across surface, about 2 minutes. Flip naan, cover and cook until golden brown in spots across surface, about 2 minutes. Transfer naan to baking sheet in oven to keep warm.

Repeat rolling and cooking with 1 more dough ball. Add last teaspoon of oil to cast-iron skillet, wipe out oil, then repeat rolling and cooking remaining 2 dough balls.

For the honey-garlic butter, combine butter, honey, and garlic in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave 30–45 seconds on high until butter is melted; whisk to combine then season with salt and pepper. Brush butter mixture over top of cooked naan and serve.


Notes

Make ahead tips

Don’t want to make this recipe all in one day? You can prep the dough 1 day ahead and let it slow rise overnight.

Follow recipe through kneading and placing in large oiled bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 16–24 hours. Then follow recipe instructions beginning with forming into four equal dough balls.

What you’ll need to make homemade naan

Equipment

  • Food processor
  • Liquid measuring cups
  • Dry measuring cups
  • Whisk
  • Baking sheet
  • Rolling pin
  • Ruler

Ingredients

  • Instant or rapid-rise yeast
  • Greek yogurt
  • Egg yolk
  • All-purpose flour
  • Olive oil
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About The Author

Lauren Grant is a professional culinary food scientist, food writer, recipe developer, and food photographer. Lauren is a previous magazine editor and test kitchen developer and has had work published in major national publications including Diabetic Living Magazine, Midwest Living Magazine, Cuisine at Home Magazine, EatingWell.com, AmericasTestKitchen.com, and more.

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