Vegan Naan

This vegan naan bread is fluffy, soft, buttery and easy to make from scratch! You need just a few simple ingredients to make it for a perfect side dish. Serve it as a side dish for curries and stews, or eat with a dip of your choice. You can even turn naan bread into a pizza!

Amazing vegan naan bread

There’s nothing quite like making bread from scratch. It always tastes so much better than store-bought, and it’s also so much fun to do. And this vegan naan bread has been one of my favourites these days!

Naan is an Indian flatbread that’s typically made in a tandoor (large outdoor oven). Most versions you find in stores and restaurants contain egg and/or milk. But it’s also super easy to veganise! I’m so excited to share my favorite dairy-free and eggless naan recipe, and I hope that you love it as much as I do. 

This vegan naan bread is soft and fluffy, with a texture that practically melts in your mouth. The flavor is buttery, with a hint of garlic. I’ve been making it on repeat because it’s exactly the sort of flavor and texture I adore in a homemade bread.

You need just simple and accessible ingredients to make this wonderful bread from scratch. After making the dough, the naan is cooked in a skillet and gets from skillet to table in no time. It’s ideal for a weekend project to serve as part of an Indian-inspired plant based dinner.

Ingredients for eggless naan bread

Plant based milk of your choice. Ensure that it’s at room temperature (around 85 degrees F/30 degrees C) which will allow the yeast to activate.

Dry, inactive yeast. You can also use the instant yeast variety for this recipe. If you do so, you can skip the yeast activation process (where you set the liquid mixture aside for 5-10 minutes).

Sugar. This is a necessary ingredient to allow the yeast to activate.

Dairy-free yogurt. I would recommend using a thick and creamy soy yogurt variety (such as a Greek yogurt alternative) for the best chewy texture. Make sure that it’s unsweetened and unflavoured. You can also replace this with vegan buttermilk - see the ‘recipe tips’ section for instructions on how to do so.

Flour. I typically use plain all-purpose flour to make vegan naan bread. It also works really well with wholegrain flour, or a half and half mixture. I’ve not tried a gluten-free flour mix, but I’m sure it would achieve similar results.

Vegan butter. You can also use olive oil or avocado oil.

Baking powder. Adding this as well as the yeast gives the best results in terms of texture and fluffiness.

Garlic powder and/or onion powder. The addition of garlic powder helps to add a subtle, yet distinctive flavor.

How to make vegan naan bread

Make the dough

Start by blooming the yeast. Add the plant based milk, yeast, salt and sugar to a mixing bowl and stir together well. Cover with a kitchen towel and set aside for 5-10 minutes. You know that it’s ready when the mixture develops a foamy, bubbly consistency.

After 5-10 mixture, add the vegan yogurt to the wet ingredients and mix together thoroughly. In a different bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and garlic powder.

Now add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix together using a spoon or a spatula. When the dough starts to clump together, add the vegan butter and mix it in thoroughly.

Now knead the dough for around 5 minutes, until it becomes smooth. If it’s too dry and doesn’t stick together well, add a little bit more plant based milk, 1-2 tbsp at a time. If it’s too wet and clings to your hands excessively, add a little bit more flour. Cover and set aside to proof for an hour. The dough should at least double in size during this time.

Shape the naan bread

Transfer the dough onto a large, lightly floured worktop. Divide it into 4 equally-sized sections using a bench scraper and roll each one into a sphere. Arrange them on a floured wooden board, cover with a kitchen towel and allow to proof for a further 10 minutes. During this time, they should double in size once more.

Now, it’s time to roll out and shape the naan bread. Transfer each ball to a floured worktop and roll it out into a tapered rectangle. Flip, and continue rolling out until around a cm in thickness. Make sure to add a light dusting of flour each time you roll to prevent sticking.

Cook the vegan naan in a skillet

Now heat a couple tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan or skillet over a medium-high heat. Add the naan bread one at a time and cook for 3 minutes, or until bubbles start to form on the surface. Flip, then cook for around 90 seconds more.

Transfer the naan to a warm plate and brush with extra vegan butter before serving. Garnish with fresh cilantro and/or parsley.

Recipe tips

As with all other bread and vegan baking recipes, I would strongly encourage you to weigh out the ingredients for best results.

Instead of vegan yogurt, you can make vegan buttermilk. Use half of the milk to make the yeast mixture. Stir 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar into the rest of the milk and set aside for around 10 minutes, then add to the dough as normal.

Instead of garlic powder, you can add fresh minced garlic cloves into the dough, or even roasted garlic to make garlic naan.

Make sure to roll out the naan thin enough because this will ensure that the bubbles form on the surface.

While cooking the naan, ensure that you cover the rest of the dough balls with a kitchen towel. This will prevent them from drying out.

I like naan bread to be on the bigger side, so I used the recipe as written below to make 4 breads. You can, however, divide each section into 2 once more and make 8 smaller ones.

Storage instructions

Vegan naan bread is best eaten immediately and you most likely won't have any leftovers! However, it can be:

• Stored on the counter covered with a dish cloth for up to 2 days.
• Stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 6 days.
• Frozen for up to 2 months. Freeze the naan in individual freezer-friendly bags, and allow to thaw fully before reheating. You can reheat them either on the stove in a frying pan or skillet, or by microwaving them on 80% power for 2-3 minutes.

How to serve vegan naan bread

What I love about naan bread is just how versatile it is as a snack or a side dish. You can serve it together with your weeknight dinners for a meal that's comforting, wholesome and impressive.

• Serve it with a curry recipe of your choice together with crispy vegan samosas. For instance, I serve it all the time with my jackfruit curry and vegan tikka masala. If you're making my vegan butter 'chicken' or potato curry, be sure to make naan to take the whole meal to the next level!
• Make my red lentil cauliflower Dahl and pair it with naan bread for a dinner that's ideal for any day of the week.
• It also goes extremely well with dishes such as my vegan tomato soup, or a simple, yet incredible chickpea stew.
• Serve naan with a dip of your choice such as hummus, tzatziki, or baba ghanoush.
• Turn it into a pizza base! Add toppings of your choice such as vegetables, tofu/tempeh and vegan cheese, and then simply bake for 10-15 minutes for a fun twist on pizza.

Other homemade bread recipes

If you loved this vegan naan, you will love my other vegan breads! How about trying out my simple tomato focaccia, dinner rolls, or cinnamon bagels? They're all perfect for beginners, and come with detailed instructions to ensure it's a success every time.

If you give this vegan naan bread a go, be sure to tag me on Instagram (earthofmariaa) so I can see your creations, and leave your feedback in the comments below together with a star rating! I love hearing from you.