No-fail recipe for soft and fluffy Vegan Naan!

These naan taste so much better than store bought and pair perfectly with your favorite curry.

Naan needs no introduction, it is popular everywhere! However, when we eat out at Indian restaurants here in the US, I often don’t like their naans.

They are mostly dry or hard and just not how I want my naan to be. And it’s the same with the ones that you can buy at stores.

I definitely think homemade naan is so much better and there’s a reason you guys have loved the garlic naan recipe so much on the blog.

Whenever I post a naan recipe, I often get questions on how to make it vegan and so I worked on a vegan naan recipe for you guys.

This is absolutely full proof and makes amazing, soft and fluffy naan- just the way they should be!

These Vegan Naan

✔are soft and pillow-y.

✔made with basic pantry ingredients.

✔are so much better than store bought naan.

✔pair so well with any dal or curry.

I ate way too many while testing this recipe. This always happens with me when it comes to making breads at home- I eat way too many.

There’s a reason I can’t lose the excess 10 pounds!

Ingredients

The recipe calls for basic ingredients and if you are vegan or use non-dairy ingredients in your cooking often, then you must already be having these in your kitchen.

Flour: these naans are made with simple all purpose flour and that’s what works best in the recipe.

Yeast: I always have a big jar of active dry yeast in my refrigerator and so I always use that in my recipes.

If you buy a big bag, just keep it in the fridge in an air tight container and it would last for months.

Sugar: a little bit of sugar is needed to activate the yeast and it also adds to flavor. I have used granulated white sugar here, make sure the one you are using is vegan.

Cashew milk: of late, I have loved using cashew milk in vegan recipes and it works wonderfully well here too.

But if you don’t have cashew milk, other non-dairy milk should also work.

Cashew milk yogurt: makes the naan soft. If you don’t have cashew milk yogurt, almond milk yogurt is another good option.

Oil: I have used avocado oil here, you can use olive oil, vegetable oil or any oil of choice. 

And there’s some vegan butter to brush the naan once done! You can also add garlic, nigella seeds, cilantro to flavor the naans.

Tips To Make Good Naan

Whenever making homemade naan it’s important to keep few things in mind.

1.Make sure the yeast is active before adding dry ingredients: in this particular recipe, we are using active dry yeast and so it has to be activated before adding in the dry ingredients.

In order for the yeast to activate, it’s added to warm water (not hot, but warm) with some sugar and then let it proof for around 5-10 minutes. This step is important.

Make sure water is not super hot, else it will kill the yeast, it should be around 110F degrees. It should also not be cold else yeast will not activate. 

So proceed only when mixture is frothy and bubbly on top else discard and make a new batch. 

2. Resist the temptation of adding more flour: this dough will be a little sticky and that’s okay. Do not try to add more flour than mentioned and make the dough dry, the results will not be so good then.

Just use oil on your hands while handling the dough and the process will be much easier.

3. Use oil liberally: since the dough is sticky, use oil liberally while handling the dough. When you roll the dough balls, when you punch out the air, when you roll the naan- at all times, don’t be afraid to use oil on your hands.

4. Use cast iron skillet to cook the naan: it gives great results and I highly recommend cooking on cast iron. You can either cook the naan entirely on cast iron or if you have a gas stove, you can directly cook it on heat to char it.

5. Don’t forget the butter: in this case don’t forget to brush the naans with vegan butter once cooked. Gives them flavor and keeps them soft. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you use whole wheat flour?

If you want, try substituting 50% of the flour with whole wheat. The texture of these naans will change if you replace 100% of the flour so I wouldn’t recommend that.

Can almond milk be used?

Yes, almond milk and almond milk yogurt should both work easily in place of cashew milk and cashew milk yogurt.

Can you freeze the naan?

You should be able to freeze cooked naans and also uncooked naans. Stack them between layers of parchment paper so they all don’t stick together and then freeze using a freezer bag. 

Can instant yeast be used in place of active dry yeast?

You may, although I haven’t tried it, try using somewhere around 1 & 1/4 teaspoon or 1 & 1/2 teaspoons in place of 2 teaspoons that the recipe calls for active dry yeast. 

What temperature to bake these in the oven?

Pre-heat oven to 500 F degrees. Arrange rolled naan on a baking tray and then bake for 4 to 5 minutes or until golden brown. Remove naan from oven and apply the butter.

If you want, you can then place the naan in the oven under broiler to get them charred. Honestly though, I prefer them so much more cooked on skillet. 

Serving Suggestions

Here are my favorite vegan curries to serve the naan with-

Mixed Vegetables Spinach Curry

Tofu Matar

Tofu Tikka Masala

Method

1- In a large bowl mix together 3.5 cups (455 grams) flour and 1 teaspoon salt until combined. Set this aside.

2- To another bowl (I am using the steel bowl of my stand mixer here), add 1 cup (240 ml/8oz) warm water (not hot but warm, optimal temperature around 110 F degrees) and to that then add 2 teaspoons active dry yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar. Give a quick mix and let it proof for 5 to 10 minutes.

3- After 10 minutes, the mixture will be bubbly frothy on top indicating the yeast is active (if your mixture isn’t like this, throw it away and start over).

4- Now add 2 tablespoons (30 ml) oil.

5 &6 – And 1/3 cup (80 ml) cashew milk and 2 tablespoons (35 grams) cashew milk yogurt. Mix until it’s all combined.

7- Now start adding the dry ingredients, ½ cup at a time and mixing after each addition.

8- After you have added all the flour, you can add extra 1 tablespoon flour (9 grams) here at this point if the dough feels very sticky (I did add) but resist the temptation of adding more flour and making the dough dry. The dough will be sticky and that’s okay. Just grease your hands while handling it. If you add too much flour, the naan won’t turn out as good. 

Now knead the dough for around 5 minutes using the dough hook attachment of your stand mixer or you can knead with your hands for around 8 to 10 minutes.

9- Now transfer the dough into a greased bowl. I like using my Instant Pot here- grease the steel bowl of your Instant Pot and place the dough inside the bowl, grease it with little oil on top as well and then cover with a kitchen towel and press the yogurt button.

Set the time for around 45 minutes. The yogurt setting maintains an optimal temperature which is perfect for the dough to proof quickly.

If you don’t have an Instant Pot, no worries place the bowl anywhere in a warm place. I often pre-heat oven to 200 F degrees, then turn it off and then place the dough inside the oven. And if you live in a warm place or it’s summer right now, then just place the dough on counter.

10- After 45 minutes in the Instant Pot, the dough had more than doubled in size. The dough proofs rather quickly in the Instant Pot on yogurt mode, if you have kept in inside oven (with oven off) it might take 1 hour 30 minutes or so depending on the weather.

11- Punch to release the air from the dough and then divided it into 8 equal parts, around 100 grams each.

12- Heat a cast iron skillet on medium-high heat. Roll a dough into an elongated shape around 8-10 inches long and 5-6 inches wide. You can also press some garlic on top (first wet your hands with water and then push some chopped garlic on top of naan).

13- Place the rolled naan on the hot skillet.

14- Cook for 1 minute, then as you see bubbles on top of the naan, flip the naan.

15 & 16- And cook the other side for another 1 to 2 minutes until it’s golden brown from both sides. If you have a gas stove, you can place it directly on heat too to cook it (the naan gets little charred that way).

Cook all naans similarly.

Brush with vegan butter and sprinkle chopped cilantro on top (if desired). Serve vegan naan with curries, dal and enjoy.

If you’ve tried this Vegan Naan Recipe then don’t forget to rate the recipe! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram to see what’s latest in my kitchen!