Buttery Garlic Naan Bread is so soft and perfect for mopping up curries, like our Creamy Butter Chicken. I guarantee you’ll find it hard to stop at one!
This Garlic Naan Bread recipe is better than the naan you’ll find at the some of the BEST Indian restaurants! These pillowy soft naan breads are so easy, you’ll be making them every weekend. Safe to say, it’s our favourite yeast bread recipe yet!
GARLIC NAAN BREAD
This garlic naan bread recipe is our favourite spin on a traditional flat bread from India. Normally baked inside hot Tandoor ovens with charcoal or wood fire, our naan bread recipe has been altered to cook right on the stove in a hot, cast-iron skillet.
We use a combination of yogurt and oil to give them an addictive, soft and fluffy texture and add minced garlic right into the dough to create that unmistakable garlicky flavour. It could just be us but we love the way the garlic pairs with the flavours of traditional Indian curries like Chicken Tikka Masala, Coconut Shrimp Curry and of course, our infamous Butter Chicken.
You’ll be amazed as you watch your dough puff up into glorious, bubbly naan right before your eyes!
NAAN BREAD VS PITA BREAD
Both flatbreads are made with a yeast raised dough, however pita bread has a harder texture when compared to Naan. While pita bread only contains 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. While pita is slightly thicker making it perfect to fill with greek meats like our Greek lamb souvlaki.
HOW TO MAKE GARLIC NAAN BREAD
We start off with a basic naan dough, like our super soft naan bread recipe.
- First, you’re going to activate your yeast.
- Mix all of those 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 ⅛ 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 bread with air.
- Cook garlic naan bread 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 garlic naan bread in a clean kitchen towel and keep them wrapped while cooking remaining bread.
- Optional: brush your warm cooked naan with a little melted garlic butter; top with coarse salt and fresh chopped cilantro.
Serve with one of your favourite curries or use them to make wraps. Substitute garlic naan bread for tortillas for quesadillas, or make simple naan pizzas!
HOW TO STORE GARLIC NAAN BREAD
If you plan on storing your garlic naan bread, do not brush them with the garlic butter. 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.
When ready to eat, heat them up on a pan over low-medium heat, or in the microwave for 10 seconds. Brush with garlic butter and enjoy!
FREEZE NAAN
Follow the same steps above (store plain – no garlic butter) and store in the freezer for up to two months. Frozen naan bread thaws quickly at room temperature. Reheat in the microwave or on a skillet over low-medium heat, then brush with garlic butter.
MORE BREAD RECIPES
Easy Flatbread Recipe (No Yeast)
Garlic Naan Bread
Ingredients
NAAN BREADS
- ¼ cup warm water
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast or instant, rapid rise
- ¾ cup milk warm
- ¾ cup Greek yogurt or natural plain yogurt
- ¼ cup vegetable oil plus 2 tablespoons extra for cooking
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 4 cups plain flour plus extra for dusting
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
GARLIC BUTTER TOPPING
- 3 tablespoons butter melted
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh cilantro or parsley, chopped
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, minced garlic, 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 ⅛-inch thick. Repeat with remaining dough.
- Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Grease skillet all over with ½ 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 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.
Lucy73 says
I don’t usually review recipes, but this is the best garlic naan recipe I’ve tried. So light and fluffy, and the dough was incredibly easy to handle, very unlike some other recipes I’ve tried. It was just a little bit sticky (I didn’t add any more flour) but I kept a bowl of water handy as using slightly wet fingertips to lift up rolled out dough is a great tip. I’m looking forward to using these to make piadina sandwiches for lunch tomorrow. THANK YOU for the fantastic recipe!
Kristie says
Made these once and they were amazing! Was curious how they would be if I pre-made the dough the day before. Would they still turn out ok if I made the dough and placed it in the fridge until ready to use?
Gabby says
Just made this to go with chicken korma and OMG !! Amaaazing, thank you!
shakira says
wowowowowowo fantastik
Marie says
I LOVE this recipe, as does my family. One of my sons described this bread as “the inside part of garlic bread”… which is accurate. It comes together beautifully and is just out of this world.
Patti says
This was my first try making naan but your directions were perfect. The naan is delicious. I did think it needed more salt but didn’t read that until I had made it, so I sprinkled the top with very little Maldon finishing salt.
Thanks for the recipe!
Lis Clark says
Made these to have with homemade lamb curry. Thought they were excellent, easy to follow recipe, best of all store cupboard ingredients, so know trip to the supermarket.
Nice one. I have frozen the balls uncooked, so 🤞that’s ok.
Avisha Sukhessan says
Quick and easy👌 …..super delicious 🤤
Love this recipe 😀
Helga says
I made these and they were amazing I’ve frozen the rest and will use them tonite as I have my grandson and girlfriend coming for a three course Indian meal all made to your recipe thankyou for these amazing recipes 👍🥰
Gail says
Dough was quite wet…added a fifth cup of flour to get it correct.
Tasty! Agree with comment above to add additional salt. Appreciate the good instructions.
Mimi1022 says
I have n
Made these 3 or 4 times . My girls love this . I was requested today to make this by my lovely foster daughter. I obliged but I had no Greek yogurt 🙂 so using what I had I substituted vanilla yogurt. The naan was delicious and I don’t think the girls even knew 🙂 Win all the way around ! Thank you for this delicious recipe!
Karina says
Hi Mimi, that’s wonderful to hear! I’m glad you and your girls enjoyed the naan, and it’s great that you found a delicious substitute with vanilla yogurt. Thank you for the positive feedback!