Homemade Garlic Naan Bread (Printable)

Soft, fluffy Indian flatbread flavored with garlic and butter, perfect alongside savory dishes.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Dough

01 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 teaspoon sugar
03 - 1 teaspoon instant dry yeast
04 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
05 - 1/2 cup warm water
06 - 1/4 cup plain yogurt
07 - 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

→ Garlic Butter

08 - 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
09 - 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
10 - 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)

# Directions:

01 - Combine flour, sugar, yeast, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
02 - Add warm water, yogurt, and vegetable oil; stir until a shaggy dough forms.
03 - Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for 5 minutes until smooth and elastic.
04 - Cover the dough and let it rest for 10 minutes.
05 - Mix melted butter with minced garlic and set aside.
06 - Divide dough into 6 equal portions and roll each into an oval approximately 1/4 inch thick.
07 - Preheat a skillet or cast-iron pan over medium-high heat.
08 - Place one naan in the hot skillet, cook 1 to 2 minutes until bubbles form, flip, and cook another 1 to 2 minutes until golden brown spots develop.
09 - Immediately brush the hot naan with garlic butter and sprinkle with chopped cilantro if desired.
10 - Repeat with remaining dough portions and serve warm.

# Expert Hints:

01 -
  • It comes together in 30 minutes flat, even if you've never made bread before.
  • The garlic butter hits different when brushed onto naan straight off the heat—it soaks in instead of sitting on top.
  • You'll finally understand why restaurant naan costs what it does, and you'll stop paying for it.
02 -
  • Your skillet temperature is everything—too low and you get dense, pale bread; too high and the outside burns before the inside cooks through.
  • Brushing the naan immediately after cooking makes all the difference; the heat opens the bread's pores and lets the garlic butter soak in instead of sitting on the surface.
03 -
  • Don't skip the 10-minute rest between mixing and shaping—it hydrates the flour and makes rolling easier.
  • If your dough feels sticky after kneading, you've likely used warm water that was too hot and activated the gluten too quickly; just dust with a bit more flour and knead gently for another minute.
Go Back