Making garlic naan at home, from scratch is easier than you think and I am going to show you exactly how with my easy, foolproof, step-by-step recipe. These garlic naans are soft, pillowy and perfect for dunking into my creamy dal makhani or restaurant style butter paneer. They also freeze well, so that you can enjoy one whenever you crave it!
You only need a few basic ingredients to make these naans at home, and I am pretty sure you have them already in your pantry. Once you make these, you would never want to buy frozen ones again.
We grew up eating warm homemade roti at home on a regular basis, and naan was something we enjoyed at restaurants and parties too. I know, a lot of folks in the US think that Indians eat naan everyday but that’s simply not the case. In India, it was easier to get good naan from outside but once I moved to the US, I quickly realized that I need to make naans at home. The frozen, rubbery naans were just not making the cut.
After making these naans multiple times over the years, and multiple rounds of recipe testing, it’s safe to say these are my favorite homemade garlic naans. They are not chewy, or stretchy or rubbery. They are just perfectly soft to enjoy with your favorite curries.
My Garlic Naan Secret Ingrdient: Yogurt~
Like most breads, naan is made with basic ingredients like flour, yeast, water/milk, sugar. I like adding some yogurt to keep them soft (I make my butter naan the same way too!). I have tested this recipe with and without yogurt and the one with yogurt always yields softer naans.
Since this recipe is for garlic naan, I also add some grated garlic to the dough and then brush the naan with lots of garlic butter. The additional garlic butter on top takes them to the next level.
I made this garlic naan on the stove top. Traditionally naan is made in a tandoor (clay oven) but at home, I prefer the stove-top method because they are much softer and better when cooked on a stove-top compared to when cooked in an oven.
I highly recommend cooking these on a cast iron skillet. I have made these on non-stick and other pans; they taste so much better when made on a cast iron because the cast iron gets really hot (like tandoor) and retains heat (and distributes heat evenly), making the naan chewy. It also gives the naan a smoky flavor which you don’t get with non-stick pans.
Troubleshooting My Garlic Naan Recipe
- Dough too sticky: my recipe results in a sticky dough, but resist the temptation to add more flour as this will make then naans dough-y. Let the dough rest if it’s becoming difficult to roll and then roll gently. Apply some oil on your hands while handing the dough- it helps.
- Yeast not rising: If there’s no froth after 5 to 10 minutes of adding active dry yeast to warm water, discard the mixture and start over again. It most probably means either your yeast is old or the water you added was too hot (hence killed the yeast) or too cold (yeast couldn’t activate). Optimal range for active dry yeast to activate is between 105-115 F degrees.
- Unable to roll the naan: the dough is sticky so rolling the naan can feel tricky. Let the dough rest and then roll gently. Apply some oil on your rolling pin also while rolling these naans. Roll lengthwise first and then roll sidewise.
Let’s See How I Make Garlic Naan At Home!
- Let’s activate the yeast first
Since I use active dry yeast for the recipe, it needs to be activated first. Mix the yeast with warm water and some sugar and let it bloom. It should be nicely frothy within 5 to 10 minutes. Only then add milk, yogurt and oil.
- Mix in the dry ingrdients
Once the yeast is activated, add the flour and salt and make a sticky dough. This is a sticky dough, so do not try to add more flour at this point. I also add some grated garlic to the dough.
- Wait for the dough to rise
It will take around 60 to 90 minutes for the dough to double in size. If you live in a cold place, you can place the bowl in the oven with the oven lights on (but oven should be off).
- Then get to rolling!
Give the dough rest after each step. After dividing the dough into 8 equal parts, let the dough balls rest for a while before rolling them. Roll the dough gently using a rolling pin.
- Cook on a hot pan!
Once rolled, cook them on a cast iron skillet and and finish by cooking them on direct heat for that smoky flavor. Brush with more garlic butter before serving.
Freezing the naan
You can easily freeze these garlic naan- both cooked and uncooked.
Freezing cooked naan: You can freeze the naan after cooking them completely, just skip the step of brushing them with garlic butter. Let the naans cool down completely and then store (with layers or parchment paper in between each naan) in a zip lock bag for up to 3 months. Reheat in the microwave or pan and then brush with garlic butter before serving.
Freezing uncooked naan: To freeze the naan uncooked, make the dough and let it rise. Then divide the dough into equal parts and roll all the naan. Place a piece of parchment paper and then place a rolled naan on top of it. Now place another piece of parchment paper on top of the rolled naan and then place another naan on top. Basically, you stack them one by one, with a layer of parchment paper in between each naan. Once you have stacked them all, place them in a freezer bag, squeeze out as much air as possible and freeze. Cook on the skillet directly from the freezer when you want to eat them and brush with garlic butter before serving.
Restaurant Style Garlic Naan (Soft & Pillowy)
Ingredients
- 3 & ¼ cups + 3-4 tablespoons all purpose flour, 423 grams + 27-36 grams , also known as maida
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup water, lukewarm, 8 oz
- 1 tablespoon sugar, 12 grams , I used granulated white sugar
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- ⅓ cup milk, 80 ml lukewarm, I used whole milk
- 2 tablespoons plain yogurt, I used plain whole milk yogurt
- 3 tablespoons oil, 45 ml , I used vegetable oil
- 2 large garlic cloves, grated
- nigella seeds/kalonji, optional, to sprinkle on top of naan
Garlic Butter, to brush on naan
- 3 tablespoons butter, I used unsalted
- 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
Instructions
- In a bowl whisk together 3 & ¼ cups all-purpose flour (423 grams) with 1 teaspoon salt. Set it aside.
- To the steel bowl of your stand mixer, add 1 cup lukewarm water (8 oz) and then add 1 tablespoons sugar and 2 teaspoons active dry yeast. Give it a quick stir and let it bloom for 5-10 minutes. You will know the yeast is activated when it’s all bubbly and frothy on top.
- Once the yeast is activated, add 1/3 cup milk (lukewarm), 2 tablespoons plain yogurt and 3 tablespoons oil. Add the flour mixture and mix using the paddle attachment on your stand mixer until combined. Also add 2 garlic cloves (grated).
- Start adding the remaining 3-4 tablespoons of flour (27-36grams). Add 1 tablespoon at a time and add more if the flour feels very sticky. The dough will always be a little sticky, so do not add more flour to make it dry. I ended up adding extra 4 tablespoons flour (36 grams) at this point.
- Knead with hands or with the dough hook attachment of your stand mixer for 1-2 minutes until the dough is smooth. Transfer the dough to a greased bowl.
- Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let the dough rise in a warm place for 60-90 minutes. If it is cold where you live, pre-heat your oven for few minutes and then turn it off. Then place your dough inside the oven (remember the oven should be off!)After around 90 minutes, the dough will be more than double in size. Punch the dough gently to release the air.
- Divide the dough into 8 equal parts (around 100-105 grams each). Dough will be sticky so oil your hands while dividing the dough. Cover the dough balls with a kitchen towel and let them rest for 10-15 minutes.
- Meanwhile melt 3 tablespoons butter, add 2 teaspoons minced garlic and 3 tablespoons cilantro (chopped) to it. Mix well and keep the garlic butter ready to brush on the naan.
- Heat up a cast iron skillet on medium-high heat. I highly recommend using an iron skillet to make these naans. Take a dough ball and roll it into an oval shape, around 10 to 11 inches long and 6 inches wide. Apply a little oil on top of the dough before you try to roll it. Also oil your rolling pin. Do not try to roll the dough like you roll a tortilla/roti/paratha. Simply stretch it length wise and then width wise.Dip your finger in water and then sprinkle some nigella seeds on top. This is optional.
- Transfer the rolled naan onto the hot skillet. Let it cook for a minute or two until you see bubbles on top. Brush the naan at this point with the prepared garlic butter. You can skip the step of applying butter at this point and apply it directly once the naan is cooked. I like applying it twice –>more garlic flavor!
- With the help of a tong, remove the naan from skillet, flip and transfer directly to the gas. There will be a little mess as the butter will pour down (cover the sides of the burner with aluminum foil to make cleaning easier if you want). Cook the garlic naan for 15-20 seconds (directly on gas) until nicely golden brown from both sides.
- Remove from heat and brush with more garlic butter. Serve these homemade garlic naans with dal makhani or butter paneer!
To Cook Garlic Naan in Oven
- To cook the garlic naan in oven – pre-heat oven to 500 F degrees. Arrange rolled naan on a baking tray and then bake for 4-5 minutes or until golden brown. Remove naan from oven and apply the garlic butter. If you want, you can then place the naan in the oven under broiler to get them charred.
Notes
- You can make smaller naans if you want, these are pretty big, like the ones you get in restaurants.
- The cast iron skillet needs to really hot before you add the naan on it. This way the dough rises faster and you get puffy naan!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Best Homemade nan recipe I’ve ever tried, thank you so much…you should have your or own cooking show!!!
you are too kind! thanks so much, glad you liked it!
Lovely.
My children say that they don’t like naan. So I made it up into little balls and called them garlic balls and they loved them. My man and I love them the normal way.
Thanks for sharing.
LOVE this recipe! So delicious, airy, fluffy. I have previously had a hard time making naan which stays soft and flexible. With this recipe, they’re perfect! Also, I make it vegan using margarine, oat-based yoghurt, non-dairy milk (once with pea-milk and once with cashew milk). So if anyone out there is wanting to try veganizing this recipe, I can tell you that it works wonderfully with vegan substitutes 🙂
Can I substitute either sour cream or buttermilk for the yogurt? I don’t have yogurt but want to try these tonite. Thanks for your reply.
sour cream might work
Hi Manali! This recipe sounds amazing! If I have plain Greek Whole Milk Yogurt would that work for the plain yogurt? Thank you for your help!
yes will work!
Hi, love your recipes!
What kind of milk and yogurt are you using for the naan? Thanks
plain milk yogurt and dairy plain milk (whole or 2%)
Good morning
I have a tandoor oven and just want to be sure they will cook equally as well in it, which I certainly will but just thought I’d check. I also want to make it a day or two in advance, and again I’m assuming this will work
Thank you
they should cook well in tandoor. You want to make the whole naan before and re-heat later? should be okay though won’t taste as fresh as it tastes when freshly made.
Amazing recipe with great results. Thank you for the easy to follow detailed instructions. I made smaller portions & ended up with 10 naans, looking forward to pulling the leftovers out of the freezer as needed. My family loved how tender the naan turned out, not rubbery or chewy at all.
I really want the world to know this was great and easy to make using these instructions. Thank you for sharing this with us!
thanks for trying! 🙂
Can’t get enough of this recipe absolutely delicious thank you
These were fantastic! I don’t have gas so I just did it in my carbon steel frypan on my electric stove and it still turned out delicious!
Manali I love how detailed your instructions are, can’t wait to try some of your other recipes 🙂
glad to know!
this is the 3rd time ive made these now and thry get better each time , am waiting for it to rise now tyvm all the family love them too
glad to know!
Tried it first time and turned out amazing… so much more better or i say best than restaurant.. i cooked it and freeze it and just warmed in oven and it was sooo fresh.. thank you for the recipe.
glad to know!
Loved it. I added 1/3 wheat flour. I cooked the nan on a pizza stone on the grill at 500 F and then toasted it top side down on charcoal.
A wonderful recipe. Thank you!
Hello,
Would i be able to substitute soy milk instead of regular milk for this?
Thanks!
should work
Dear Manali
I have never got naan so right before. Your recipe was just perfect. I have also frozen a few – will find out soon how that went. Thanks a tonne. By the way, I guess it will work also for keema naan if I stuff little keema while making the ball after the dough has risen and then roll?
it would work with the stuffing, glad you liked it! 🙂
Very good naans. Better than I had in restaurants! Only problem was it took sometime for me to master the thickness when rolling. It would have been great if you had mentioned a rough thickness for beginners like me.
I made your Dal Makhani to go with the naans. It was a delicious combination. Whole family agreed that it was a great meal and far better than what we found in a restaurant.
I just made this too and its suuuuuuuuuuuper yummy <3 the naan is nice and chewy i think ill put more garlic next time in the dough <3 im just a bit addicted with garlic hahahah thank you so much for sharing this wonderful recipe and for covering all the bases!
Hi Manali, after having tried and failed a few naan bread recipes, I promised myself that yours was the last recipe i will try…And i did..and its the 10th time i am making this bread, its now my weekly go to recipe that my family enjoys..Thank you for sharing.
I am so glad to hear that!
Hi! I want to try this recipe, but like some others here, I have an electric stove. You mentioned using a wire mesh to the others. I am not sure what that is. I looked it up, but can’t seem to find it. Could you please let me know? I love all your other recipes, btw, especially the instant pot ones. They’ve made my life so much easier. Thank you! 🙂
I am talking about this Deepa: https://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Multi-Purpose-Stainless-Square-Roaster/dp/B07D239V6H/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=wire+mesh+for+roti&qid=1602039477&sr=8-3
and thanks, glad you like the recipes! 🙂
I don’t have a gas cooker just an induction hob. Will I ever be able to get good results like this?
if you have a wire mesh, use that!
Hi there! If I want to make 3 batches of the recipie together, do I need to use 6 teaspoons of yeast or can I get by with less? looks like an awesome recipie, Thank you (:
hmm I am really not sure since I have never tripled this recipe but if you want, yes triple everything. hope it works
Do you grease the iron skillet before dropping in the naan bread. If so do you use oil or butter Thank You in advance
no I don’t grease it
Absolutely perfecTT! These were beyond delicious and worked perfectly!! The tip about putting them over the flame on the second side made all the difference. They were just like the restaurant and not too finicky to make. Will definitely be making these again! Thanks for sharing your recipe.
I am so glad to hear!
Can I make similar receive with curd instead of yogurt
curd and yogurt are the same thing
I have tried naan a couple of times with other recipes but it never came out as good. Excellent recipe. I would recommend changing the title to ‘ “Better than restaurant…”.
haha I should change it then!
This is the perfect recipe for garlic naan. Naan I made today was just amazing, exactly as we get in restaurants or even better!
glad to know Marina
Can we make these naan with whole wheat flour instead of all purpose flour?
do 50% whole wheat and 50% all purpose, 100% whole wheat will make them dense
Love this recipe. Naan came out perfectly. Soft, buttery and delicious. Thank you for sharing.
Hi Manali ,
I am using g your method for naan with same method . Dough is so sticky . What should I do ? Do I have to throw away ? I don’t think I will be able to roll at all it is very sticky . Please let me what to do ?
Hi Neha, looks like the ingredients were not measured correctly, this dough is not that sticky, it’s a tried and tested recipe. That’s why I have given the measurements in grams too since cups measurements are off sometimes. Add little more flour, grease your hands with oil and then try rolling. This recipe has such great reviews so I am not sure why it wouldn’t work for you. Just add little flour, let the dough rest a bit and try again
Hi! Could I use 1.5 cups whole wheat flour and 1.5 cups all purpose flour? Thank you!
yes should work
Hi!
1. How can I make this without the yoghurt?
2. Can I use almond milk?
Thanks!
1. have not tried this recipe without yogurt, you can check this naan recipe which doesn’t use yogurt: https://www.cookwithmanali.com/easy-no-yeast-naan/
2. almond milk should work
I used vegan yogurt and soy milk. And it turned out well.
Made this a second time. This time with non dairy substitutes. Used coconut yogurt and even bought the wrong one (vanilla). Also substituted hemp milk. Still came out very very close to the original recipe. Only a very slight taste difference. When you eat it with butter chicken or whatever curry you’d like you’d never notice the difference. Wish I hadn’t told the family my substitutes so I could see if they’d even notice a difference at all.
What if you have an electric stove? Just cook both sides in the cast iron? Thank you!
If you have a wire mesh, put the naan on top of that and roast from both sides
Tried your recipe today …. naans were a super hit in our family…. took half the proportions and made medium sized 7 naans. Thank you for this recipe!!!
glad to know Vaidehi!
Just made a batch 7 nans well worth the effort 5 going into freezer ladish xx
This recipe was way out of my comfort zone but thanks to your detailed recipe they turned out brilliantly! I am beyond thrilled! No more yucky bland supermarket naan breads for us. Thank you. I’m now excited to explore the rest of your recipes.
Hi. I don’t have a stand mixer, or a steal bowl. I’d like to make this recipe.
how can I do this without these things?
use your hands!
Awesome recipe!
For oven method
After u bake 4-5 min
u need to start broiler for how long
2-3 mins until it gets little charred
These were absolutely delicious!! Better than any naan bread I’ve eaten at a restaurant recently. Method is very detailed, follow it and you’ll be happy with the finished product!
Absolutely awesome. My critical husband loves it too. Thanks for sharing.
yay! 🙂
Thanks a lot. This recipe is so detailed and the results are perfect, i have made twice already!!!
awesome
Hi Manali
Thank you so much for the amazing naan recipe. We really enjoyed it and the detailed instructions made it very easy.
glad to know!
Hi I tried ur recipe.it came out really well .every one loved it .thanks
glad to know 🙂
Brilliant recipe. I used and old ken hom skillet and preheated it in oven before placing dough on and they were great
awesome!
Recipe looks amazing. How do you thaw and cook the frozen naan?
freeze and then straight to the pan, I would not thaw it.
Amazing, so happy to make know how to make this for my family. Thank you Manali!
welcome 🙂
I halved the recipe and made four. They were fantastic. Thank you!!
Hi Manali,
I recently made naan with your recipe and they turned out absolutely perfect! Thanks for sharing and I really enjoyed the organization of your page and the detail you provide. Keep cookin’!
glad to know 🙂
Awesome recipe!