This vegan naan is soft, fluffy and so flavorful. It’s also so easy to make and the perfect accompaniment to a delicious curry.
I am honestly thrilled about this vegan naan recipe because it is sooo easy.
We love a good vegan curry and when you have a good curry, well, a delicious naan is the perfect companion.
And when it’s this easy to make it yourself, there’s no reason not to.
That being said, it’s not super quick to make these, but it is super easy and really worth it.
Naan is an Indian style flatbread that is usually baked in Tandoor ovens in India. But a homemade version can be done in a hot frying pan or skillet on the stovetop too, and it’s really, really good.
And there’s nothing like the pride you get from making things yourself from scratch.
To make these vegan naan you simply mix up the dough, let it rise for 30 minutes, cut it into 8 pieces and then roll each piece out and fry it up with a tiny bit of oil in a hot pan. It only takes 2-3 minutes for the vegan naan bread to brown nicely on both sides, so the cooking part only takes around 20 minutes.
So all in all, you can have hot and delicious freshly made vegan naan within an hour (or a little over an hour) if you start right now! Serve it alongside a vegan potato curry (pictured at the bottom of the page) or a vegan korma.
And if you love super easy bread recipes then you’ll also love our vegan focaccia and vegan tortillas.
How To Make Vegan Naan
You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
- Add all purpose flour, instant yeast (rapid rise yeast) and salt to a mixing bowl and mix together.
- Mix maple syrup with warm water and pour it over the dry ingredients. Stir it in with a spoon. Flour your hands and a work surface and get in there with your hands, kneading the dough about 20 times so that it forms into a nice big ball. The dough will be quite soft.
- Place the ball of dough into an oiled dish and turn it over a couple of times so that the dough is lightly coated in the oil, then cover the bowl with a cloth and leave to rise on the countertop for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes bring out the ball of dough and place it onto a parchment lined board. Alternatively use a floured baking mat.
- Cut the dough into 8 roughly even sized pieces.
- Roll each piece of dough into a roughly oval shape and then fry it in a very hot pan with a teeny tiny bit of oil.
- Allow to cook until nicely browned on each side (if the pan is hot enough, it should only be 2-3 minutes before it’s perfectly done both sides).
Garlic Naan or Butter Naan
I went with the easiest version of this recipe that I could, I didn’t want to add any bells and whistles because it’s not really necessary.
However, you can definitely fancy up these naan breads by adding crushed garlic or cilantro or even turn them into butter naans.
Garlic naan. If you would like to make garlic naan, then once you’ve rolled out your naan bread, dip your finger in water and lightly dab the water onto the surface of the naan bread, add crushed garlic and press it in, it will stick because of the dampness of the dough from the water. Then fry it as usual.
Butter naan. If you want to make a butter naan, then melt some vegan butter and brush it onto the naan bread during cooking or just after it’s finished cooking. A sprinkle of sea salt on top of the vegan butter is also delicious to add.
Storing Tips
These vegan naan are best served fresh. However, if you have leftovers, store them at room temperature where they will stay good for up to 2 days.
They’re easy to reheat, you can microwave them or warm them in the oven until heated through.
Serve This Vegan Naan Alongside These Recipes
- Vegan Butter Chicken
- Vegan Tikka Masala
- Vegan Korma
- Vegan Chickpea Curry
- Vegan Potato Curry
- Vegan Chana Masala
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Vegan Naan
Ingredients
- 3 cups All Purpose Flour (375g)
- 2 teaspoons Instant Yeast
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons Warm Water (270ml) must be warm and not hot
- 1 Tablespoon Maple Syrup
- Olive oil for oiling the dish and for frying
Instructions
- Add the flour, yeast and salt to a mixing bowl and mix together.
- Add the maple syrup to the warm water and mix them together. Pour it over the dry ingredients and stir in with a spoon.
- Flour your hands and a work surface and get in there with your hands, kneading the dough about 20 times so that it forms into a nice big ball. The dough will be quite soft.
- Place the ball of dough into an oiled dish and turn it over a couple of times so that the dough is lightly coated in the oil, then cover the bowl with a cloth and leave to rise on the countertop for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes bring out the ball of dough and place it onto a parchment lined board. Alternatively use a floured baking mat. Cut the dough into 8 roughly even sized pieces.
- Heat up a non-stick frying pan with a tiny bit of olive oil – it really must be a very small amount, like a half a teaspoon (*see notes).
- Roll out the first naan into roughly an oval sort of shape and place into the hot frying pan. Allow to cook until nicely browned on each side (if the pan is hot enough, it should only be 2-3 minutes before it's perfectly done both sides).
- Repeat for the rest of the naan.
- Add more oil as needed if your pan starts to look too dry, but use only a small amount at a time.
- If you would like to make garlic naan, then once you've rolled out your naan, dip your finger in water and lightly dab the water onto the surface of the naan, add crushed garlic and press it in, it will stick because of the dampness of the dough from the water. Then fry it as usual.
- If you want to make a butter naan, then melt vegan butter and brush it onto the naan during cooking and just after it's finished cooking. A sprinkle of sea salt on top of the vegan butter is also delicious to add.
Video
Notes
- The reason for only using a tiny bit of olive oil when frying is so that your naan doesn’t end up oily, as it tends to soak up the oil. However if you like them like that then go ahead and use more.
- These vegan naan are best served fresh. However, if you have leftovers, store them at room temperature where they will stay good for up to 2 days.
- Prep time includes the time spent rising.
Ria says
I made these with a combination of wholewheat flour and spelt. More water was required. I incorporated garlic, dried parsley, salt, carom seeds and a splash of sunflower oil.
It was delicious and I have extra for tomorrow.
Thank you.
Alison Andrews says
Fantastic! Thanks so much for sharing your adjustments and for the great review Ria! 🙂
Alanna says
These were delicious and so easy to make!!
Alison Andrews says
So happy to hear that! Thanks so much Alanna! 🙂
Sarah Mabbott says
Hi. Can I make these in advance and warm them up?
Alison Andrews says
Hi Sarah, yes you can, they stay good for around 2 days. You can reheat them in the oven or in a pan or in the microwave.
Eileen says
These were so easy and fun to make and tasted great we all enjoyed them, we have missed naans since going vegan I thought I would be more complicated. Will definitely try other of you recipes. Thank you x
Alison Andrews says
Wonderful! So happy you found them easy to make and they tasted good! Thanks so much for the awesome review. 🙂
The Book of Food says
I way prefer this recipe over the regular ones ! Thank you very much. It’s simple and yet just perfect. Thanks again.
Alison Andrews says
Wonderful! Thanks for the great review. 🙂
Rainie says
Soooo perfect! I did use honey instead of syrup, but everything else according to recipe. I appreciate that there isn’t any fat in the recipe, and so few ingredients. Thank you!
Alison Andrews says
So glad you enjoyed it, thanks for the great review. 🙂
Vanessa says
Next batch of curry I make, I’ll be giving them a shot. My New Year’s “Resolution” (of sorts) is to stop buying things that I can make easily at home… these don’t look too difficult, I’m kind of mad at myself for being too intimidated to even look at a recipe, lol.
Do you happen to know if these are freezable?
Alison Andrews says
Hi Vanessa! Cool, hope you’ll enjoy the recipe. They are very easy. 🙂 And yes they are freezable!
Danielle says
My husband and I tried this recipe last night and loved it! I am curious … can you use active dry yeast instead of instant? Does that change the finished product at all? Would we need to make changes to the recipe? Already excited to make this again!
Alison Andrews says
Hi Danielle, so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the great review. Regarding active dry yeast vs instant yeast, I have had comments on other recipes of mine (like our wholewheat bread) saying that people used active dry yeast instead of instant yeast and it worked fine. I wouldn’t think it would change the recipe at all, you would just need to follow the usual instructions for using active dry yeast (which I think is a little different than instant yeast).
Alison Andrews says
I found an article about it, saying they can be used interchangeably. 🙂
Moko says
Oh my, these were so good! I made these with my kid today and we ate them all, couldn’t stop eating! I’ll definitely try your other recipes too 🙂
Alison Andrews says
Fantastic! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Val says
It looks really delicious! Although, I don’t eat refined flour. So is it possible to try this recipe with any whole one?
Thank you for inspiring us!
Alison Andrews says
Hi Val, I haven’t tested this recipe with different flours, but I am thinking a wholewheat flour might also work, as long as it is a gluten containing flour. If you were to make this gluten-free I think that would require a lot of changes to the recipe and probably best to just look for a gluten-free recipe. But a gluten flour like wholewheat might be great for this! Let us know how it goes if you try it like that! 🙂
Mary says
I have made this three times now. It is delicious and surprisingly easy. I cannot thank you enough for your amazing recipes. You have revived my love of cooking and meal time is much more tasty thanks to you!
Alison Andrews says
That is the best comment to read today! I am so pleased you like the recipe. Thank you so much for sharing Mary! 🙂
Casandra says
Can I use rice flour?
Alison Andrews says
No, using a different flour here would be very risky and unlikely to work.
Dimitra says
Sounds great – we’ll definitely try it.
For a non-vegan version, do you think it would be fine to use honey instead of maple syrup?
Alison Andrews says
Sure!
Sheri says
SO good! Thank you so much!
Alison Andrews says
You’re so welcome! 🙂 Thanks for the awesome rating!
Anna Andrews says
Super bread, ideal for curry