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This One-Bowl No-Mixer Homemade Naan is soft, puffy and impossibly delicious! It rivals the naan at your favorite Indian restaurant and you can make it yourself at home with minimal effort!
If you've followed The Café for a while now, I'm sure you've noticed that we love traveling around the world, in a culinary sense. If you look in our archives you'll find recipes from France, Italy, England, Peru, Thailand, Vietnam, India, Turkey, Ireland and more. We love them all and it's difficult to pick a favorite. However, if you pinned me down and forced me to make a choice, it would probably (at least today) be South Asian which includes a myriad of delicious curries and Indian-inspired dishes. This delicious homemade naan is a fabulous side for any South Asian/Indian entree and you can make it yourself so easily at home!
One-Bowl, No-Mixer
I've tried lots of homemade naan recipes in the past but haven't been thrilled with any of them. They were either too complicated, too last-minute or had inferior results. I decided to experiment and come up with my own version that would be easy, make-ahead and super delicious. It's taken me awhile, actually years on and off, but I think this One-Bowl (besides a measuring cup), No-Mixer Homemade Naan is "the one" that finally has my whole-hearted seal of approval.
No bread making experience needed!
I love that you can stir up this homemade naan in about 5 minutes, even if you've never made bread before. How does it work? Simply combine flour, instant yeast, sugar, salt, baking powder and a pinch of baking soda in a medium-size bowl. Then heat milk and butter in the microwave long enough to melt most of the butter. Whisk in a scoop of Greek yogurt and combine the wet and dry ingredients. That's all for now on your part. The yeast, however, will be working magic for the next 60-90 minutes, yielding a soft, puffy dough.
On a floured work surface, divide the dough into 6-8 (depending on how large you like your naan) equal pieces, forming each portion into a ball. Cover the dough, check your emails, make a phone call, whatever you need to do. Come back in 15 minutes and the dough will be ready to shape and finish. Heat a cast-iron or nonstick pan and set up a little workstation with two bowls (water and melted butter), a clean kitchen towel and a spatula.
The dough is easy to work with and roll into circular or oval-shaped naans. You can roll them all at once and stack them for an easy workflow. When the pan is hot, brush one naan with water, place it (wet-side down) in the hot pan and cover. The water will create steam which, in turn, will create air bubbles as the dough heats. It will only take about 30-40 seconds for the top surface of the naan to form the lovely bubbles which help make the pillowy-soft, final product. Flip the naan over and cook just until the bubbles have turned a deep golden color. This will take less than a minute.
As each naan comes off of the stovetop, brush it lightly with butter and keep warm, stacked together in a kitchen towel. You can either enjoy the naans now, fresh and warm OR allow them to cool and store in a ziplock bag. When you want one or two naans, simply heat a nonstick pan over high heat, add a naan and rewarm on each side for 15 seconds. They will be fresh and tasty; like you had just made them!
The history of naan
According to The Chicago Tribune, "The South Asian clay oven bread known as naan came to India from Central Asia with the 16th-century Mogul emperor Babur." The Indian Express writes that, "The first recorded history of Naan is found in the notes of the Indo-Persian poet Amir Kushrau, which dates this unleavened bread to 1300 AD." Either way, naan has been a beloved specialty food in South Asia for a long, long time.
It's also gained popularity over the past 20 years here in the U.S. probably due to the increase in Indian and South Asian restaurants where warm naan is frequently served as a side to curries, tandoori dishes, Rendang, Tikka Masala and dahl. Most major grocery stores carry at least one brand of naan and often also have frozen versions as well.
How to serve naan
There are so many delicious ways to use homemade naan:
- As mentioned above with any Indian/South Asian entreé such as this Shrimp and Cashew Chicken Curry, or this Butternut Chicken Coconut Curry.
- One of our favorite meals is warm homemade naan spread with hummus and topped with fresh wedges of tomato, thin slivers of red onion, cilantro, basil (and/or other fresh herbs), grilled or rotisserie chicken, Feta cheese and a drizzle of Zoey's Copycat Dressing. Such a fresh, healthy and delicious lunch or dinner!
- Make a wrap with it. Fill the naan with seasoned ground lamb or beef, halved cherry tomatoes, sliced red onion and fresh herbs. Top with Greek yogurt or Tzatziki sauce.
- Make pizza out of your homemade naan! It's so nice to have a bag of naan in the freezer. Pull out one or two and thaw for 20 minutes. Then brush lightly with olive oil. Top with your favorite pizza toppings and bake on a pizza stone or preheated sheet pan. Delish!
- Make your favorite sandwich with it, egg salad, club, ham and cheese, roasted veggies, etc ...
- Cut it into wedges, brush with oil and bake on a sheet pan until crisp for a delicious dipping chip for hummus and dips.
- Serve warm with peanut butter, honey and chopped peanuts, so good!
- Check out this coming Sunday's post, it will have a bunch of delicious recipes to serve this homemade naan with!
Café Tips for making this Homemade Naan
- It's important to use instant yeast (vs dry active yeast). Instant yeast is available at most grocery stores right next to the regular yeast. I like to purchase it at Aldi (so reasonable) or in bulk online (ridiculously cheap. It can be frozen and kept for a year or more in the freezer). Instant yeast does not have to be activated in warm water, so there's much less chance of yeast failure.
- Keep the Greek yogurt in the refrigerator until you're ready to add it to the milk/butter mixture. The cold yogurt will cool down the milk to a perfect temperature for the yeast to grow.
- Look for a nice cozy place to let your dough rise. Yeast loves to grow in a warm atmosphere. I often will boil some water in my microwave to create a warm steamy environment and let my dough rise there. You can also preheat the oven for 1 minute, then turn it off and let your dough rise in the oven with the light on.
- Keep your work surface generously floured when shaping and rolling your naan. I like to keep a small cup of flour on the counter to sprinkle on my rolling pin and surface with. If at any point, the dough seems sticky, you need to roll it in a bit more flour.
- When cooking your naan, it should only take 1-2 minutes, total time. It might take a few practices to get the heat just right. You should see bubbles appear within 20-30 seconds.
- Don't worry about making perfect shaped naan. Naan are meant to be a bit rustic. The more you make this recipe, the better you will get at rolling!
- To reheat naan, simply heat a nonstick pan over high heat, add a naan and rewarm on each side for 15 seconds. They will be fresh and tasty, just like as if you just made them!
- It helps to use a pan with a glass cover to be able to view the naan as they cook. I love this All-Clad 12-inch pan. It's heavy-duty and well made.
- Roll the naan nice and thin, into an oval approximately 8 x 6-inches. They will puff up when you cook them so you don't want the final product to be too thick.
- Like garlic naan? Just add one clove finely minced garlic to the butter before melting.
If you enjoyed this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review! It’s so helpful to other readers to hear other’s results and ideas for variations.
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ teaspoons instant dry yeast not active dry yeast, (1 packet)
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ⅔ cup whole milk
- ½ cup full fat plain greek yogurt cold
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro or parsley optional
- flaky sea salt optional
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Combine the flour, instant yeast, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Stir well to combine.
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Combine 2 tablespoons butter and the milk in a microwave-safe, measuring cup. Microwave on high power for 1-1½ minutes or until butter is almost completely melted. Whisk in the Greek yogurt until well combined.
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Make a well in the middle of the flour and add the yogurt mixture. Stir with a sturdy spoon or rubber spatula until all of the flour is incorporated and the dough comes together. Drizzle a little oil over the dough and turn to coat. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot to rise until doubled in bulk, 60-90 minutes.
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Turn out the dough onto a generously floured work surface. Flip the dough over several times to coat it completely with flour. Divide the dough into 6-8 equal pieces (depending on how large you want your finished naans) and form each one into a ball on the floured work surface. Cover the dough balls with a clean kitchen towel and let them rest for 15 minutes.
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Roll out each portion into an oval, approximately 4x6 inches (for 8 naans) or 5x7 inches (for 6 naans). If the dough is sticky, dust it with a bit more flour. Keep your rolling pin, lightly coated with flour. Stack the naan on top of each other as you roll them.
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Set up a work area with the stack of naan, a cup or bowl with 2 tablespoons melted butter and a small pastry brush, the chopped herbs (if desired), a small bowl of water and a second pastry brush (or you can use your fingers here), a clean kitchen towel and a metal spatula for flipping.
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Heat a 9-12-inch nonstick sauté pan over medium heat. When the pan is hot, add a ½ teaspoon of olive oil. Wad up a few paper towels and wipe the oil around the pan. You want the pan to be just very lightly coated with oil.
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When the pan is heated, brush one side of one naan with water (or use your fingers to lightly coat one surface with water) and place it in the pan, wet side down. Immediately cover the pan and allow the naan to cook for about 30-40 seconds or until bubbles appear over the top surface and the bottom is golden brown. Uncover and flip the naan to the opposite side. Cook for another 20-30 seconds (uncovered) until the bubbles on the bottom or deep golden brown. (You may have to adjust your heat a bit, up or down, so that the bubbles appear by 20-30 seconds.)
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Remove the naan from the pan to the towel, brush lightly with butter (and sprinkle with fresh herbs and flaky sea salt, if desired). Repeat for remaining naan, stacking them on top of each other, covered with the other half of the towel. (You can also stack them between pieces of parchment paper, if desired.) If the pan seems to be accumulating flour, repeat the oiling and wiping with a wad of paper towels.
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Serve immediately or allow to cool and reheat when desired as directed above in the post. Naan can also be frozen. See the Café tips above in the post.
See Café Tips above in post for more detailed instructions and tips
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ann says
Our go to recipe! Thanks for sharing the tip on water before cooking in the pan
Chris Scheuer says
Wonderful! Thank you, Ann!
Janet says
Does the naan freeze well? And can you reheat in microwave?
I have made it previously and it is delicious. But didn’t have any leftover for freezer! Would like to make some ahead for Christmas appetizers.
Love your recipes!
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Janet, it freezes perfectly. You can warm it in the microwave or just let it thaw on the counter and warm in a pan.
Charlotte says
Okay. I’m a well seasoned cook (I make everything from scratch and I’m very picky; i.e everything has to turn out perfect). This recipe is PHENOMENAL. I’ve made it more than 10 times already. I make it maybe once every couple of weeks and I quadruple the recipe so I have extra in the freezer for lunches etc. I make the recipe as written with no changes. It’s perfection. Thank you for sharing this recipe with the world!
Chris Scheuer says
Thank you so much for your review, Charlotte! So glad you're enjoying it 🙂
Tracy W. says
Delicious! The only negative - my family said they can never go back to purchased Naan again 🙂
Chris Scheuer says
Haha! I love that, Tracy!
Grace says
This was so so easy and delicious! 10x easier than other Naan recipes and I feel like it could even have other applications!
Chris Scheuer says
Awesome! Thanks, Grace!
Nadine Dunker says
Wow,,,fun...easy and oh so delicious. Thank you for all your instructions and a great recipe to have on hand.
Danni says
Hi
I absolutely love your recipes. Mostly because they are easy and use no electronics. All by hand.
My question for this recipe. Are you able to make dough night before? Or is it better to do on same day?
Thank you. Love Love Love.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Danni. I haven't tried making this dough the night before but I find that making it ahead and storing it in the refrigerator works for most doughs.
Susan P says
I'm confused, in the dough instructions you say to divide the dough into 6 equal pieces and then in the finish instructions you say to divide the dough into 8 portions. Should each of the six balls be divided into 8 pieces?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Susan, sorry that it was unclear. I have clarified it in the post and recipe. You can make 6 or 8. I started out making 6 out of the dough but they are quite large so now I make 8.
rebecca says
How would I make this a garlic version?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Rebecca, I would just add a few finely minced garlic cloves to the butter mixture and let them steep a bit.
Susan says
Hi Chris,
Would this work with half white and half whole wheat flour? Can I use dried herbs? Thanks!
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Susan, I haven't tried this recipe with half and half flours but I think it should work fine. And yes, either dried or fresh herbs are wonderful in this naan.
Ruth says
I think these were simply wonderful, so much so that I don't ever want to go back to purchased naan. I consider the discovery of your website with delicious recipes and beautiful photos to be one of my blessings of this stay-at-home period. Thank you so much, Chris.
Connie says
This looks so good! I wondered if it would still be good if I use almond milk instead of whole milk? Thanks for the recipe!
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Connie, I think that should work fine although I haven't personally tried it. Will you still use the yogurt?
Jen says
Hello from quarantine! We are going to try this with gluten-free flour mix (1:1). Has anyone tried this yet? Hoping for a win!
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Jen, please share your results! It will be helpful for others!
Polly says
Ready to make my second batch! So easy and wonderful even after frozen. Great way to prepare for the days ahead. Thank you.
Chris Scheuer says
Yay! Thanks so much, for sharing your results, Polly!
Penny Currie says
This is Delicious! SO EASY!
Chris Scheuer says
Yay! So happy you enjoyed it, Penny. Thanks so much for sharing your results!
Jen Fisher says
Finally!! I found the perfect and East Naan recipe!! I don’t have to buy the frozen ones from Trader Joe’s anymore!! I think it is even better than my favorite Indian joint down the street!! Thanks so much for posting!! Happy in Seattle!!
Chris Scheuer says
That's awesome, Jen! Thanks so much for taking the time to share your results! Isn't it nice that we can make our own and know exactly what goes into them!?
Susan Freeman says
Ooooh my!!! I just finished making a double batch of these Naan. I usually buy and freeze Naan because we love them with soups and stews, but unfortunately the grocery store shelves are a bit bare lately. Your recipe came at the perfect moment! I used a big Silpat mat for all the dough ball making and then rolling. It sure makes the whole process easier. Since I only have one non-stick saute pan, I used the shallow side of the cast iron Combo Cooker I use for making Tartine Bread. When I ordered my cooker, I also purchased the glass lid which worked out great for this recipe. I also used my own homemade Greek yogurt. I found that the cast iron pan needed a swipe with olive oil saturated paper toweling to allow the Naan to release properly after the steam cook portion of the recipe. With two pans going, these cooked up so quickly and my husband (who's working from home now due to COVID-19) loved the one I brought him for a snack. Yum! This recipe is a real keeper. Thanks, Chris!
Chris Scheuer says
I'm so happy you had success with this recipe, Susan. Thanks so much for sharing your great review!
Kathryn says
Can you use fat free Greek yogurt? Will it make a big difference? Thank you
Chris Scheuer says
I think it will be just fine with fat-free yogurt, Kathryn!
Tonya says
What can I sub for Greek yogurt? I don't want to run to the store for 1 item.
Chris Scheuer says
Do you have any sour cream or buttermilk?
Mary says
This is a fantastic recipe! I made these last night and used then to make sandwiches with pesto, roasted peppers and zucchini and fresh mozzarella . The naan were perfect and soooo easy to make.
Chris Scheuer says
Oh how delicious that sounds, Mary! Thanks so much for sharing your results!
Annamarie Mangili says
Excellent recipe. Minimal effort for the results. I made the dough but didn't get around to actually portioning and allowing the second rise. I popped the bowl in the frig and picked up where I left off the next day. They were still puffy and oh so tasty. They never made it to the dinner part of the evening, but went well with our pre-meal Oregon Pinot Noir!
Chris Scheuer says
Haha, they would make a tasty appetizer! Thanks so much for sharing your review, Annamarie!
Liz says
It's been a few years since I've made homemade naan! SO tasty....and it's the perfect weekend to hunker down and make bread!!
Chris Scheuer says
It is a good time to enjoy bread! Thanks, Liz!
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers says
Beautiful and they look absolutely delicious! I love having Naan in the freezer, so I'm always ready for an Indian meal (dipping the Naan is my favourite part 🙂
Chris Scheuer says
Haha! You're so nice! 💕 It's totally me, not you or your computer. It's all fixed now though. Thanks so much!
Robin Tharaldson says
I think a few directions are missing or else my computer is having a hissy fit.