Locating vegan naan can be a challenge. That’s no problem though, because it’s way easy to make at home, and these buttery loaves are a million times more delicious than anything you’d find in a store!
One thing I rarely post on this site is yeast bread recipes. Why might that be? When I was a kid and just learning to cook, yeast breads were my favorite. I think at some point I decided they were a pain. Kneading takes forever, and it’s a lot of work! So I abandoned the whole yeast bread thing in favor of quick breads and store bought loaves.
So Why Make Homemade Naan?
Store-bought vegan naan can be tough to find. Sometimes you can get lucky and find a vegan variety at an Indian market or Trader Joe’s, but quite often you’re on your own. So I decided to go ahead and make some vegan naan of my very own.
A few awesome things happened. First, the kneading wasn’t really that difficult. The dough is soft, and to ten minutes of squishing it on the countertop, to my surprise, turned out to be a great way to relieve stress after a rough week.
In fact, the entire process of making this naan was easy. Once you’ve got the kneading out of the way, just roll it into loaves, and each one cooks up in a skillet in all of four minutes!
Also, this stuff was way better than any store-bought naan I’d ever tried. Like, Indian restaurant delicious, and good luck at finding dairy-free naan at an Indian restaurant. Eaten right out the skillet it was OMG heaven.
I might just make homemade vegan naan all the time.
How to Make Vegan Naan
It’s actually kind of fun!
Make the Dough
Start by warming up some non-dairy milk in a small bowl or liquid measuring cup. Now whisk in some sugar and a packet of yeast. Set it aside for a few minutes, until the liquid becomes frothy, which should take about 10 minutes.
While you wait for the frothing to start, grab a mixing bowl and add some more non-dairy milk to it, along with a bit of vinegar. Conventional naan is made with yogurt, but I don’t always keep yogurt on hand, so I find that a mix of non-dairy milk and vinegar is a good replacement. Note that if you’re using a higher protein milk, such as soy, it will probably curdle after you add the vinegar. This is totally fine!
Once the yeast mixture has gotten frothy you can add it to the vinegar mixture. Stir the two mixtures together, then stir in some oil and salt.
Next you can start adding flour, a bit at a time, until you have a dough that’s just firm enough for kneading (but still pretty soft).
Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead it for about eight minutes, until it becomes smooth and stretchy.
Let it Rise
Roll the dough into a large ball, rub some oil on it, and place it into a large mixing bowl. Cover it with a damp tea towel, stick it in a warm spot, and let it rise for about an hour, until it doubles in size.
Shape & Cook It
When the dough has finished rising, cut it into 4 equal portions. Sprinkle some flour on the counter and roll each piece of dough into a large oval.
Now it’s time to cook your naan!
Melt some vegan butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Place one of your dough ovals into the skillet and cover it. Within about 2 minutes the dough should have gotten very puffy and developed some brown spots on the bottom.
Take the cover off of the skillet and carefully flip the naan. Let it cook for about 2 minutes more on the other side.
Serve with cilantro and extra vegan butter.
Vegan Naan FAQ & Tips
- Homemade naan is best served right away. But if you have leftovers, they’re best reheated in a 400°F oven for a few minutes, until warm.
- Can this naan be made gluten-free? I’m not sure! I have very little experience with gluten-free yeast breads. If you try a gluten-free version, please let me know how it works out!
- Naan is freezer-friendly. Place it in a sealed freezer bag and freeze it for up to 3 months.
- The dough is also freezer friendly! After rising, lightly oil the dough and stick it in a sealed freezer bag for up to 3 months. Let it thaw and come up to room temperature before rolling and cooking.
- This recipe makes 4 pretty large naan loaves. Feel free to divide the dough into smaller portions to make six or even eight mini loaves.
- Need a delicious Indian-inspired curry to serve with your naan? Try my vegan saag paneer, vegan tikka masala, or easy mixed vegetable curry.
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Vegan Naan
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup warm unsweetened and unflavored non-dairy milk (about 110°F)
- 1 teaspoon organic granulated sugar
- 1/4 ounce active dry yeast (1 packet)
- 1/2 cup unsweetened and unflavored non-dairy milk (room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus an additional 1/2 cup, if needed
- 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or another cup of all-purpose)
- vegan butter, for grilling
Instructions
In a small bowl or cup, whisk together the warm milk, yeast, and sugar. Allow the mixture to sit for 10 minutes, until it becomes frothy.
While the warm soy milk mixture sits, stir the room temperature milk and vinegar together in a large mixing bowl.
Pour the yeast mixture into the bowl with the vinegar mixture. Stir in the oil and salt.
Stir in 1 cup of all-purpose flour and 1 cup of whole wheat pastry flour, to form a soft dough. Continue adding up to an additional 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour, a bit at a time, until the dough is firm enough for kneading (it will still be very soft).
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead it until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes, adding up to 1/2 cup additional flour as needed.
Rub the dough with a bit of oil and place in a clean bowl. Cover it with a damp towel and allow it to rise in a warm location until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Use a knife to cut the dough into 4 equal portions, then use a rolling pin to roll each into an oval shape, about 10 inches by 4 inches.
Melt about 2 tablespoons of butter in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Place one of your dough ovals into the skillet and cover it.
Allow the dough to cook for 2 minutes. Take a peek, and if the dough has gotten puffy and formed brown spots on the bottom, flip it. Cover and cook it about 2 minutes more, until brown spots form on the other side.
Remove the naan from the skillet and transfer it to a plate to cool slightly.
Repeat for the remaining dough portions, adding vegan butter to the skillet as needed between loaves.
Serve your naan warm with additional butter and optional cilantro.
Recipe Notes
Make sure your skillet is fully heated before adding the dough. I've been finding that the first loaf I make isn't as fluffy as the others, and I suspect this is because I'm impatient and adding the dough too soon. Give it a few minutes.
Good morning! I’ve been looking for vegan Naan for sooooo long and I’m thrilled you’ve shared this recipe, thank you. My question to you is, do we have to use soy milk? Soy and I don’t get along very well and I use almond milk for all recipes calling for nut milks. Thank you, in advance, for your response,
PS I can hardly wait to try this!
Hi Marcia! I think almond milk will work out. It won’t curdle when you add the vinegar, which might change the consistency of the dough a bit, but I can’t see it being a huge problem. You’re not the first person to ask, so I’ll need to test that out soon. I’ll update with my findings. :)
Alissa, how about cashew or walnut milk? I also prefer to not use soy, and while I can get real raw imported almonds instead of the pasteurized US almonds, I normally just make milk with pre-made cashew or walnut butter since I can make it in a matter of minutes instead of hours.
I’ve had a bunch of people asking about an alternative, so I just grabbed some cashew milk today so I can try the recipe out with that. I’m pretty sure it will work, but I want to check before updating the recipe. I’ll be back in a day or two with an answer. :)
Okay, the cashew milk worked! I’ve updated the recipe to include almond, cashew and soy. The only thing I’d stay away from is coconut milk from a can. I also found that I needed a bit more flour (varying humidity levers going on here), so I upped that just a bit in the recipe too.
Just made this last night, and it was PERFECT. I used almond milk, and it did everything it was supposed to. Thanks so much for this recipe!
Glad it worked out for you! Thanks so much Steph!!
Hello my nam is Petra. I tried this recipe to see if we could use it for our communion bread at the church. I loved how it came out.I will certainly make more of it.
I also used Almond milk and olive oil.
My son was gobbling it up.
Thank you for sharing.
Question: have you ever doubled the recipe to make larger amounts? Do you know the best way to keep it? Freeze or fridge? Thanks again for an amazing recipe♡♡♡
Hi Petra! I’m so glad you enjoyed this! You can keep it in the fridge for a day or two, and if you want to store it much longer I’d seal it up and freeze it. The last time I made this I even portioned up some of the dough and froze it before rolling and cooking, and then after a few weeks I thawed it and cooked it up – it was just like it was freshly made. :)
Can I substitute with gluten free flour? Maybe add some xanthan gum to compensate for the lack of gluten?
Sorry, but I’m not sure! I know gluten-free flour can be hit or miss, and I’ve never used it with a yeast bread before. Please let me know how it works if you try it!
Hello for the vegan recipe, I changed it a bit since I didn’t have bread flour. I used plain white flour with wheat germ and Bran, flax seed, oats. Also I added carrots to it it taste so delicious
Thanks for the vegan recipe
I’m glad you liked it! I’ve been meaning to try it with some add-ins. Carrots sound delicious. :)
A success! I substituted white vinegar with apple cider-, and cooked the breads on a griddle, and they turned out fluffy and tasty.
Yay! I’m glad it worked out!
Hi, I wanted to use coconut milk from tin can…. has anyone tried that yet?
Thanks, I’m so excited to make this!
I’d be careful about using canned coconut milk. Because the fat content is so high it can really mess with the texture of breads and baked goods. I’ve had a few recipe flops where I tried that substitution! :)
Great recipe!! I recently found Toufayan Bread and they make an amazing organic vegan naan! I was so pleased when I found it, I bought all the loaves from the store.
Oh that’s great! Vegan naan is so hard to find!
Just wanted to let you know that I had success with rice milk. We don’t do soy and my husband is allergic to nuts. He said this was the best naan I’ve ever made. Even before we were Vegan!
I also used ACV instead of regular vinegar and olive oil instead of vegetable oil. I added in 1/2t black pepper and a heaping tablespoon of minced garlic. Oh and I cooked it in a cast iron skillet over low heat with great results. I did let the skillet warm for about 15 minutes before adding any dough.
Also used all unbleached regular flour as I didn’t have whole wheat.
This is so delicious. My husband’s jaw dropped the first time I made it. Recipe is perfect. Thank you!
Yay! I’m so glad you liked it! And thanks for letting me know how all of your modifications worked out – I always get a ton of questions about substitutions. :)
Good Morning,
I was curious if we knew anything about storing this bread.
Shelf-Life? Anything like that?
It’s not a terribly hard recipe, so my question isn’t super important, but if it does serve well a day or two later I might just double the recipe and make a bigger batch now to save some cooking time in the future.
Thanks!
It’s definitely best the first day, but you can keep it up to a day or two sealed up in the fridge. It’s also freezer friendly, and you can even freeze the dough and then let it thaw and cook it up later! Enjoy!!
I read that it’s 475 calories. This can’t be true for one serving. Or, are you talking the entire bread piece?
I haven’t tried making it yet, but am excited to try it.
I just double checked, and it’s 475 calories for 1 piece (the recipe makes 4). It is a lot! But they’re pretty big and I’d be happy with a half of one or less alongside some curry. You could cut back on the calories a bit by limiting the amount of oil or vegan butter use to cook them – the nutrition info assumes abotu 2 tablespoons for that.
Would GF all purpose flour work as a substitute?
I’m afraid I’m not sure! I haven’t worked much with gluten-free flours in yeast breads.
My second batch of these bad boys is rising as I write this. I used oat milk and it was lovely. This is now my got to naan recipe. My carnivore SO says he prefers these to the non-vegan breads he’s tried.
Awesome!! I’m so glad you’re both enjoying them! Thanks Erla!
Hi! I was wondering if this only works using a skillet, just newly moved into our property and having a dinner party this weekend and I haven’t yet purchased a skillet, is it necessary or can i use a regular frying pan?
Thanks,
Kirsty
A frying pan will work! :)
This naan was amazing! I was sure I would screw it up, but the recipe was easy to not follow and it urned out perfectly! We are definitely going to have this every time we have Indian food. It was so easy I might have to make a double batch next time and freeze some (if it lasts long enough to make it to the freezer). :)
Thanks awesome!! I’m so glad it worked out and you enjoyed it!
Oops! That was supposed to say it was easy to follow. Oh, auto-correct! :)
Lol. Happens all the time! :)
Can you eliminate or substitute something else for the oil? Thanks.
You might be able to substitute extra soy milk in the dough, and then just use a non-stick skillet to grill them. I haven’t tried this though, so no guarantees!
I made these on Thursday and they were so good I made them again Friday. My husband ate 3 both evenings (don’t worry, he is slim ;) These are seriously the best Naan we have ever had, and so easy to make. I am trying to reduce our plastic intake and usage, and buying bread can be a plastic nightmare. I’m so glad I am adding Naan to my list of home made, not store bought again. Lastly, I used olive oil to cook them the first night, then I used “Melt” vegan butter on Friday. Both were great but the (vegan) Butter Naan was so authentic. I can see this being a regular at our house, now :) Thanks so much for the recipe!!
Yay!! I’m so glad they were a hit! Thanks so much Denise!
I have tried several recipes for naan and this one is my favorite! I cut them down to about 6 to 8 pieces and add garlic. Everyone I have made them for absolutely loved them!
I’m glad they were a hit!!
I see the comments say no coconut milk from a can. Would the cartons of silk coconut milk in the refrigerated section work? We are dairy, soy and all nut free. Coconut is the only one my son can drink. I can’t find rice milk st my stores.
That should work! The issue with canned coconut milk is that it’s that the high fat content messes with the texture, but the stuff in cartons generally has much less fat, so it should be fine.
I’ve been thinking about vegan naan for a while. Wondering about 1) whether you tried different cooking methods like using the broiler and the outcome(s) 2) using store-bought pizza dough as a cheat.
I haven’t tried different cooking methods, though I think grilling it it would work well. I’m not so sure about the broiler though. Pizza dough is a bit tougher and chewier than pizza dough, so the texture would be different, though I think it would work!
This is a great recipe. I placed my naan on my outdoor grill cooking one side then pulling it off and placing pizza toppings on the cooked side then returning to grill to cook the other side. Family was in heaven!
Oh, great idea! I got into grilling pizza last summer. I’ll have to try it with naan this year!
This looks amazing. I miss garlic naan in particular. What could I do to make this into garlic naan? Do I just mix raw garlic into the dough, or do I sauté garlic and then mix it into the dough, or do I do something completely different? Thanks so much!!
Garlic naan is usually just topped with garlic butter! So I’d just briefly cook some minced garlic in a bit of vegan butter, then brush the naan with the butter right before serving.
Awesome. Thanks! I’ll give it a try!