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.
Hello, can I use gluten free flour instead and achieve similar results?
Hi Clair, I’m really not sure!
The best naan breads I have made! Light and fluffy… I did add a little oil to each one in the pan, not a lot, and we ate them with a veg and chickpea curry with lots of my home-made (vegan) butter slathered on! The remaining four pieces are in the freezer :).
Awesome! Thanks Maureen!
I have NEVER made a bread before, but this was so easy and turned out delicious! Currently using it as a vehicle to shovel saag into my face!
Hahaha awesome! Thanks for sharing Kate!
Hi. I cant figure out the warm water in this recipe, do you just add the 240ml and 2 tbsp together at the same time? Thanks.
Hi Nadia, yes you add it all in at the same time, it’s just written that way for the quantity, which is 270ml in total.
ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS and SO EASY! I made three batches the first day because it was so easy and everyone wanted more! Thanks so much!
Wonderful! Thanks for sharing Laira!
This was so delicious, we spread on vegan butter and some salt flakes. My husband literally ate them all.
Awesome! Thanks Bianca!
Delicious! And so easy. Thanks for the recipe! 🙂
Easy and delicious, yum! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Thanks Karissa!
Such a nice and easy recipe! Made the Naan for a birthday party and it was gone in minutes 🙂 Thank you, Alison!
Awesome! Thanks Isabel!
I used dry active yeast instead and I let it rise a bit more. it was good for me, didn’t have any problems
I also used active dry yeast and let it rise for 40 minutes instead of 30. Turned out perfectly fluffy and delicious, even better than the photos!
Thank you so much for this easy, yogurt-free (thank goodness), recipe 🙂
Thanks for sharing Adriana!
just made it. Amazing!
very easy to make. its my first time making naan bread 🙂
Awesome! Thanks so much Shirel! 🙂
Can the maple syrup be omitted? I’m guessing that it’s used to “feed” the yeast? If so, won’t it rise without the syrup? We avoid added sweeteners as much as possible. (I know regular bread does not need sugar, but I’ve not ever made naan). Thank you for your help!
Hi Edie, so long as you’re using instant yeast you can omit the sugar altogether. 🙂
Absolutely love the recipe, not only for the ease, but also the finished Naan. As I am Gluten free, I substituted the all purpose flour, with store bought Gluten Free All Purpose Flour 1:1 ratio. Came out soft and my family loved it!!! Thank you!!
Fantastic! So happy to hear that! 🙂
Hi Alison,
Really looking forward to making the naan as my husband loves
his curries!
If I’ve got too many, would they freeze after cooling them down?
Love your recipes, looking forward to making your other recipes – they all look
easy and with few store cupboard ingredients – well done you!
Thanks so much Barbara, so happy you like the recipes! Yes you can freeze the naan breads and then reheat in the oven or in the frying pan again. 🙂
Thank you so much for getting back to me.
Will let you know how I get on. Can I be cheeky
and ask you if I can use my stand mixer and use
the dough hook?
Haha, you probably can! But the only small risk would be over-working the dough, but it should be fine! 🙂
I’ve made these multiple times – always to rave reviews. Tonight, when intending to make 1/2 a recipe, I messed up and added a full cup of water…which I realized as I was stirring everything together. I quickly added 1/2 of everything again and it is resting as I write this. I’d like to make 1/2 and freeze the other half.
My question is:
Can I freeze the uncooked dough and defrost them in the future?
Thanks in advance!
Hi Anne, the dough should be fine to freeze. Thaw in the fridge and then continue as usual.
Delicious.
Thanks Susan! 🙂
Hi! Thank you for the recipe!
Can I use whole wheat flour instead of all purpose flour?
Thanks!
Hi Munira, I think you could but it would have a different texture (more dense and coarse). All the best! 🙂