How to keep naan bread soft?

The moisture from the cloth will penetrate the bread and make it softer. Brush it with water and heat in the oven: Lightly brush the surface of the naan with water to add moisture. Then, preheat your oven to a low temperature, around 300°F (150°C).

Why is my naan not fluffy?

If the pan is not hot enough then the naan will not rise well. So ensure it is hot but not extremely hot.

Soft Naan Bread (2024)

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Soft Naan Bread with beautiful golden brown spots just the ones you find at the best Indian restaurants. The BEST Naan recipe out there!

Not justa flat bread, naan is just incredible! The pillowy soft bread is so addictive and perfect for mopping up curries, you’ll find it hard to stop at one! Our quick and easy recipe that will become your new favorite yeast bread recipe!

SOFT NAAN BREAD

A traditional flat bread from India, naan breads are normallybaked inside hot Tandoor ovens with charcoal or wood fire.They cook on the inner walls of the oven at a very high heat of up to 900°F. The breads fill with air pockets and cook perfectly.

Because most of us don’t have Tandoor ovens, ournaan bread recipe has been altered to include a combination of yogurt and oil to give them that irresistible soft and fluffy texture. Cook them right on the stove in a hot cast-iron skillet and watch them puff up into glorious breads right in front of you!

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN NAAN BREAD AND PITA BREAD?

Both are flatbreads made with a yeast raised dough, however Pita breadhas a harder texture when compared to Naan. While pita breadsonly contain flour, water, yeast, salt and some olive oil;naan is made with a fattier, more enriched dough including ghee (clarified butter), oil, yogurt and sometimes eggs. This gives naan its different texture.

TIPS ON HOW TO MAKE NAAN

First, you’re going to activate your yeast.
Then, mix all of the ingredients together until the dough comes together with your hands.
Knead until smooth, then transfer to a lightly greased bowl. You can use the same bowl you mixed the dough in to save dishes.
Cover with plastic wrap and let double in size.
Divide dough into 10 balls and roll each piece into large ovals about 6-inches long and 1/8-inch thick. The thinner you roll them, the more air pockets form inside them while cooking.

Get a lightly greased skillet nice and HOT. The high heat makes the dough rise fast and fills the breads with air.
Cook until bubbles form, then flip and cook until large golden spots appear on the underside. Flatten the breads with a spatula while cooking to ensure they cook through.

Wrap cooked naan in a clean kitchen towel and keep them wrapped while cooking remaining breads.
Optional: brush warm cooked naan with a little melted butter; top with coarse salt and fresh chopped cilantro.

Serve with anything, from soups to stews or curries like Tikka Masala or Butter Chicken. Naan can also be eaten on its own or used to make wraps. Substitute them for tortillas for quesadillas, or for simple naan pizzas!

HOW TO STORE NAAN

When cooked, let cool completely to room temperature to prevent condensation. Transfer to ziplock bags and store at room temperature for up to 2 days, or refrigerate for up to 4 days.

FREEZE NAAN

Follow steps above and store in the freezer for up to 2 months. Frozen naan thaws quickly at room temperature. Reheat in the microwave or on a skillet at low-medium heat.

Print Recipe

5 from 38 votes

Soft Naan Bread

Soft Naan bread with golden brown spots just like the best Indian restaurants. The BEST easy recipe out there! Perfect to mop up curries.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time10 minutes mins

RISE1 hour hr

Total Time1 hour hr 25 minutes mins

Course: Bread

Cuisine: Indian

Keyword: naan bread

Servings: 10 serves

Calories: 289kcal

Ingredients

NAAN BREAD

1/4 cup warm water
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast, or instant (rapid rise)
3/4 cup warm milk
3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt, or natural plain yogurt
1/4 cup vegetable oil, plus 2 tablespoons extra for cooking
4 cups plain flour plus extra for dusting -- (19 1/2 oz. or 560g)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

GARLIC BUTTER TOPPING

1/4 cup butter, melted (optional)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh chopped cilantro or parsley

Instructions

FOR NAAN BREAD

Combine together the water, sugar and yeast. Let sit for 5-10 minutes or until the mixture begins to bubble on top
Add in the milk, yogurt, oil, flour baking powder and salt. Mix until the dough comes together with your hands.
Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Use floured hands to knead the dough until smooth, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Lightly grease the same mixing bowl with a small spray of cooking oil. Transfer dough to the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rest at room temperature for about an hour until doubled in size.
When ready to cook, divide the dough into 10 equal pieces. Roll into balls, then use a rolling pin to roll each piece of dough into a large oval, about 6-inches long and 1/8-inch thick. Repeat with remaining dough.
Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Grease skillet all over with 1/2 teaspoon of the extra oil.
Place one piece of the naan on the oiled hot skillet and cook until bubbles form on top, about 1-2 minutes. While cooking, brush the top with a little oil.
Flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes, until large golden spots appear on the bottom.
Remove from the skillet and wrap in a clean kitchen towel. Repeat with the remaining naan (keep them wrapped in a towel while you work).

FOR OPTIONAL GARLIC BUTTER TOPPING

Combine melted butter and minced garlic together in a bowl. Brush each naan with the garlic butter and top with the fresh herb of your choosing.

Nutrition

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Reader Interactions

Comments

Kimberly W. says
December 31, 2023 at 12:01 am

The best naan recipe EVER and so addictive. All your recipes are amazing that I have tried. Which is why I’m a fan for life!
Reply
Ashley says
December 04, 2023 at 11:01 am

We have made this recipe at least 5x now and it’s great every time! Question though – if I’m making this ahead of time, how would I store the dough?
Reply
SusanL says
November 22, 2023 at 10:24 am

Cut the recipe down to two servings and regretted instantly when I took my first bite. SO GOOD! Only change I made was to brush with melted garlic butter as I cooked them.
Reply
Jamie Leighton says
September 29, 2023 at 1:19 am

Delicious. I didn’t get so many bubbles, and I wonder if I did something wrong? Also, I found that as I went on cooking them I started to make them longer and thinner– just my personal preference. Great recipe. Made garlic and butter naan!
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Dai says
September 26, 2023 at 2:18 am
I made this recipe a couple of months ago with chicken tikka masala and garlic butter rice. OMG, it was so good. I am doing it again tonight. Thank you. The bread is so soft. Everything was divine.
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Samantha says
September 15, 2023 at 3:32 pm
Is there a version of this with cheese? Like a garlic cheese naan?
Reply
Francesca says
September 09, 2023 at 9:48 pm

Thanks for finally talking about > Soft Naan Bread – Crave It All < Liked it!
See Also
How to make the perfect naan bread Why do we sprinkle naan breads with water? - Civic Type-R Owners Club & Forum What to Order -- and Avoid -- From Indian Menus Naan vs. Pita Bread: What’s the Difference? – Stonefire Authentic Flatbreads
Reply
Jordan says
July 17, 2023 at 4:10 am
Can I use olive oil instead of vegetable oil? What would be the difference in taste or texture – if any – between the two?
Reply
Greta says
July 16, 2023 at 1:10 am

What a brilliant recipe. My husband prefers these naans to shop ones. And my 18 month old granddaughter absolutely loves them.
Reply
Cortney says
March 16, 2023 at 5:14 am

Made these for a side to my butter chicken (also your recipe) and they were so good! Never buying premade naan bread again and always going to make my own butter chicken. Both delish!!
Reply
Johanne says
March 09, 2023 at 5:34 am
This is a fantastic recipe. I use it to make homemade shawarma with toum. YUMMMM!
I’m having a large group this wkd and was wondering if I double the recipe, do I double everything?
Thanks,
Jo
Reply
Claudia says
February 27, 2023 at 4:01 pm

Is the calorie count and the nutritient numbers for 1 naan, or for the whole recipe of 10?
I think that should be specified in the recipe. Thanks very much!
Reply
Greta Savill says
January 13, 2023 at 12:04 am

Omg, what a fantastic recipe. They are wonderful and taste delicious and they definitely go well with the Butter Chicken. Thank you
Reply
Food Junkie says
October 16, 2022 at 10:30 am

Great bread! So easy. We cooked it on an iron griddle on the BGE. It was fabulous. Definitely a do-over.
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Lena says
October 03, 2022 at 7:19 am

My second time making it already.. so ridiculously good. This time I did not have any milk and just substituted part water, part half and half. The dough came out so fluffy and perfect. This recipe freezes and reheats really well in the microwave!
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Jeanne says
September 26, 2022 at 8:06 pm

Absolutely gorgeous
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Anthony says
August 06, 2022 at 1:19 pm

I made the recipe as written and they are the rave. This was the best na’an bread I’ve ever eaten. Thanks for sharing such a wonderful recipe.
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Patty says
May 07, 2022 at 4:08 am
Is plain flour the same as all purpose? Just making sure 🙂
Reply
- Admin says
  January 31, 2024 at 3:30 pm
  Hi Patty, yes it is.
  Reply
Léa Heppner says
March 07, 2022 at 11:51 am
I’ve made this recipe however converted it to sourdough naan by using 1 cup sourdough, no water, half cup warm milk, 3.5 cups flour nd the rest of the ingredients.it was a hit
Lea
Reply
Bron says
December 16, 2021 at 8:32 pm

I made these tonight for dinner with butter chicken and rice. WOW !! This recipe is SENSATIONAL – So easy and foolproof. I was looking for the difficulty. There was none. Thank you so, so much. My partner and I thoroughly enjoyed… So fluffy and yet with just the right amount of “rubbery” texture you also look for in a naan. I will be making them for other family members now. So much cheaper to make than store bought, and so much yummier! Thank you!
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Jayne says
November 29, 2021 at 3:32 am
These were the best ones I’ve ever made. I added some crushed coriander seeds to the dough. They were delicious – light and fluffy, much better than any I’ve tasted in Indian restaurants. I will be making them again and again.
Reply
Sadie says
October 27, 2021 at 4:44 am

I’ve tried several recipes for naan in the last few weeks and these are the best so far. Unlike many of the other naan doughs, this wasn’t sticky to work with and I didn’t need any flour to roll it out on the counter. The cooked naan were nicely charred, thick, soft, pillowy, slightly chewy, and had a great flavor. I fermented the dough in the fridge overnight before cooking. They froze beautifully. To serve I let them thaw, covered, at room temperature, brushed with herb garlic butter, and cooked for less than a minute on both sides in a cast iron skillet preheated to medium-high. Excellent!
Reply
kathleen pacilio says
October 16, 2021 at 4:20 am

I made these for dinner last night and they came out fantastic!! The dough was so easy to work with. I cooked them on the cast iron grill on top of my stove. Thanks!
Reply
Daniel Magee says
See Also
Heating Naan | Storing Naan | Panjimi Flame-Baked Naan
October 14, 2021 at 5:48 pm

So yummy and so greasy. Better than takeaway.
Reply
Robbone says
October 08, 2021 at 12:11 pm

I halved the recipe and used my stand mixer. It turned out great! My skillet may have been a little hot because some of my brown spots were black. It was still delicious though and I will definitely make again! So fluffy! Garlic next time! I’ll never buy naan again! Thank you!
Reply
Melissa Leblanc says
July 28, 2021 at 1:29 pm

Excellent recipe. It turned out perfectly. my hubby couldn’t stop eating them! . I substituted Greek yogurt With coconut vegan yogurt as it was what was on hand. I was worried it wouldn’t turn out but worked out great.
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Pam says
July 19, 2021 at 1:05 am
This is the best of all the recipes I’ve tried and I’m never going back. Thanks a lot. My family beg me for it.
Reply
Ryn says
June 05, 2021 at 12:52 pm

This recipe is a keeper. I’ve been making this for my family. Paired it with butter chicken and palak paneer!
Reply
Meghan Porter says
April 30, 2021 at 3:54 am
i followed it using olive oil, 1 tablespoon of salt + each rolled out naan, I sprinkled salt on it and used the rolling pin to press the salt into it. otherwise, this would have been pretty bland. In terms of the texture, ease, and consistency of this recipe? I’m glad I found it. it was fun and easy to make and they were a hit at the picnic
Reply
Karen says
April 06, 2021 at 12:07 am

This naan bread recipe is a keeper. I’d convinced myself naan bread would be too hard so I never tried it. Last week I made the Chicken Tikka Masala and Garlic Butter rice recipes (both absolutely incredible), and decided to go ahead and make the Naan bread too. So glad I did. We love it! Just love it. I froze the remaining pieces and it’s so good we’ve been pulling pieces of Naan out of the freezer to eat with just about everything since. It’s that good. This is going to be a staple from now on. Many thanks.
Reply
Dave says
April 02, 2021 at 11:49 am

Made this recipe tonight. The Naan was FANTASTIC! Better than any naan our family has ever tasted which is saying a lot. Note I heated the yogurt slightly with the milk and the dough rose just fine. Thanks for sharing such a great recipe. If in doubt, be sure to try this recipe!!!!
Reply
Micah says
February 13, 2021 at 2:53 am
“naan bread”
aight lemme just make some bread bread lol
Reply
Emma says
December 13, 2020 at 3:52 am

This was the creamiest, most succulent butter chicken I’ve ever tried (restaurants included!). The whole family devoured the sauce and the naan bread, and my kids are usually very picky. Instant success! Thank you for the receipes!
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David says
November 27, 2020 at 4:52 am

I added 1tsp additional salt. Substituted ghee for oil.
Placed baking stone in center of oven preheated oven then switched to Broil 550° placed naan on non-stick pizza pan brushed garlic butter and sprinkled with cilantro, chili flakes, & salt.
About 1 1/2 minutes in oven,
perfect bubbles, light and fluffy.
This is best recipe for awesome naan bread!
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RK says
October 28, 2020 at 5:10 am

First time making Naan bread and it came out great!! Thank you.
Reply
Miru says
October 20, 2020 at 3:10 am

I just made it, my husband ate most of it before it made the dinner table.
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Jo says
August 30, 2020 at 3:06 am

I’ve made many different naan recipes and this one is the fluffy kind that I love! Even two days later, the leftover naan was great heated up and remained soft. Really a great recipe! Thank you!
Reply
Rani says
August 28, 2020 at 11:53 pm
Great recipe I’ve made twice already! Thinking of using ½ whole white wheat flour. Will it work?
Reply
Rani says
August 22, 2020 at 8:28 pm

Excellent recipe! Family stated it’s better than restaurants; we’re desis so high praise indeed! I served these naan with seekh kebab and it really was a meal similar to one of our favorite dhabas in Toronto!
Reply
Michele says
July 18, 2020 at 12:31 am

Great recipe, I followed to a T! Myself and my family loved it. I will definitely make again!
Reply
ILOveFood says
July 17, 2020 at 12:12 pm

I just made this to go with chicken tikki masala and it was perfect! They came out looking just like your photo and it was so soft. The dough was easy to work with as I was able to hand stretch them for a more rustic look. Thanks for the awesome recipe! My search for the perfect naan recipe is over 🙂
Reply
Ann says
June 18, 2020 at 4:12 am
Can u make it with gluten free ??
Reply
- Admin says
  June 18, 2020 at 7:04 am
  Yes you can
  Reply
- Hattoe says
  January 16, 2023 at 4:24 am
  
  My family LOVED this recipe!
  Reply
ZUZANA says
June 15, 2020 at 7:20 pm

So delicious recipe!!! everything so yummy! butter chicken garlic rice and naan bread!
Reply
- Millsy says
  December 17, 2020 at 10:22 pm
  
  Haha, Yes, so often people choose either rice or naan bread but I like yourself love both. Btw, have you ever tried accompanying the curry with mashed potato? My dad went through a phase of serving curry with a 50/50 mix of mashed sweet and normal potato or 50/50 pumpkin and normal potato. It’s surprisingly nice with any wet curry and a nice alternative to rice if you feel like a change, best with naan bread in addition of course 😋 a word of caution though, if you choose the combination of normal potato and pumpkin, the added moisture in the pumpkin means it tends to carry chilly heat more so than the alternative.
  Reply
carmen rios says
June 10, 2020 at 2:34 pm

thanks for this fabulous recipe, I just made for dinner and was excellent, my family could’n stop eating.
I wonder if instead do on the pan can I bake?
Reply
- Admin says
  June 10, 2020 at 4:03 pm
  Unfortunately no. They need to be cooked on the stove at a high heat for the best results. If you do try to bake them, please let us know how they work out!
  Reply
  - Millsy says
    December 17, 2020 at 10:35 pm
    
    You can but in a similar manner to pizza. You can use a pizza stone, ceramic tile or large cast iron frying pan but make sure you preheat the oven to very hot for a decent length of time and the desired cooking surface such as the cast iron frying pan Must be heated from cold in the oven as it heats from cold and do Not oil the surface as it will at the very least smoke and potentially set on fire. Easiest way to transfer the bread dough onto the cooking surface in the oven is by preparing the naan bread on baking paper and simply sliding the dough baking paper and all onto the cooking surface, turning the bread as the surface is cooked. Another option is to cook your naan on an upturned wok, ie on the outside base of the wok over a gas burner.
    Reply
- Gabrielle says
  February 04, 2022 at 2:34 pm
  I bake mine in the oven if I am in a hurry, just heat oven tray or pizza stone first, when oven is up to heat and fought is rolled out/shaped, grease the tray and place dough, you do not really need to turn them either, but be careful they can cook quickly. They can be a bit different in. texture sometimes but that could be the flour. lazy kneading or quick rising. they are still soft, chewy and moreish! You can cook 3-4 at a time this way.
  Reply
  - Gabrielle says
    February 04, 2022 at 2:35 pm
    Sorry, the oven has to be hot – about 200-210C fanbake or 220-230C conventional
    Reply
Kylie says
June 10, 2020 at 9:41 am

Added to my to-do list! I cannot wait to try this!
Reply
- Rose says
  June 18, 2020 at 8:02 pm
  Can I omit baking powder
  Reply
  - sunantha joshi says
    October 14, 2021 at 5:36 pm
    
    Tried today with ‘bear dough kneading machine’ and cooked on skillet, turns out super soft even after the naans cooled. I added extra half cup flour while kneading . Brushed with garlic butter
    Reply
Rachel says
June 10, 2020 at 5:01 am

Just made the naan to go with the chicken curry. Outstanding! So soft, I’d say better than the restaurants.
Reply
- Kat says
  July 30, 2021 at 11:01 am
  
  Making this again for dinner tonight, it’s my man’s favourite. We enjoy the combo of your garlic rice and naan with your butter chicken recipe quite frequently. Thanks for a flawless recipe!
  Reply
- Yani says
  May 04, 2023 at 10:11 am
  Absolutely the softest naan I’ve ever eaten it was so tasty. Thanks for the recipe 10/10 delicious and easy to make.
  Reply
Jennifer Roberts says
June 09, 2020 at 4:08 pm

An awesome recipe, thank you! It looks so delicious!
Reply
- Mrs Grant says
  September 18, 2023 at 8:16 am
  I made this fantastic meal today. It was so delish and after cooking for years and years this was my first attempt to make naan breads. Perfect in every way. So happy about that. I will certainly make this curry again.
  Reply