Learn how to make the best Garlic Naan at home from scratch! It turns out so soft, fluffy, and perfect for mopping up your favorite Indian curries or use as a wrap - Ready in one hour!
This homemade naan will be delicious served with Indian butter chickpeas or beet and chickpea curry.
A Quick Look at the Recipe
✅ Recipe Name: Garlic Naan
🕒 Ready In: ~ one hour
👪 Serves: 8 naan breads
🧑🍳 Main Ingredients: flour, baking powder, yeast, oil, yogurt, garlic and butter
📌 Difficulty: Easy recipe made in a skillet
Why you’ll love this naan recipe?
Naan was always a must-have whenever we went to an Indian restaurant—warm, soft, slightly chewy, buttery, and lightly charred from the tandoor. It was the kind of flat bread you’d use to scoop up every last bit of curry!
But for the longest time, I never tried making it at home because I was convinced you just couldn’t recreate that same texture and flavor outside a tandoor. That changed when I finally developed this naan recipe.
It took me several years of testing and refining to get it just right—but the result is even better than restaurant-style naan. It stays soft even after it cools, isn’t chewy, and has that perfect buttery finish.
I’ve also shared all my tips and tricks in this recipe so you can get consistent, bakery-style naan right at home.
- maria doss
Jump to:
Unlike most restaurant naans, this one stays soft even after it cools. The secret is using both yeast and baking powder together. Yeast gives the dough its flavor, softness, and that light chew, while baking powder helps it puff up quickly while cooking. Together, they create naan that’s soft, airy, slightly chewy, and beautifully puffed—even when cooked quickly on a skillet or tawa.
In my first attempt at garlic naan, I pressed chopped garlic directly onto the rolled naan dough and cooked it in a skillet. I quickly ran into a few issues—most of the garlic fell off while flipping, the bits that stayed on burned before the naan was properly charred, and the naan didn’t puff up as much because the garlic created small holes that let the air escape.
That’s when I realized a better method: brushing the naan with hot garlic-infused butter after cooking. I use plenty of freshly chopped garlic melted into butter, and it gives you much better flavor without burning—plus the naan stays soft and beautifully fluffy.
How to make garlic naan?
You can find the full printable recipe below, but here is a quick overview of the procedure along with step-by-step photos.
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Tips for Success
- Cooking temperature: Cook naans over medium-high heat. Low heat takes too long to brown the naan and can make it turn out less soft. Whereas high heat will brown it much faster, before it cooks through.
- Cooking time: About 2–3 minutes on the first side and 1–2 minutes on the second side.
- Dough texture: The naan dough should be soft and slightly sticky, but not so sticky that it’s hard to handle. Avoid firm dough—it will make the naan less soft.
- Yogurt temperature: Use room-temperature yogurt. Cold yogurt can slow down the dough’s rise. If needed, warm it briefly in the microwave for 8–12 seconds, stirring every 4 seconds.
- Greek yogurt substitute: Use 6 tablespoons of Greek yogurt and 2 tablespoons of water.
- Choice of pan: A cast-iron skillet is best since it holds heat well. If not, use any heavy-bottomed pan.
- Rolling the dough: Roll to about ¼ to ⅛-inch thick. Too thick and it won’t cook through; too thin and it may turn crisp instead of soft.
- Keeping naan soft: Stack hot naan in a kitchen towel-lined pan and keep it covered immediately after cooking to trap steam and maintain softness.
- Type of yeast: You can use active dry yeast, instant or rapid-rise yeast.
- Use lukewarm water: The foolproof method is to use a thermometer - aim for a reading between 105°F to 110°F (40°C to 43°C). An easier method is to place a few drops of water on the inside of your wrist. The water should feel neither hot nor cold, and barely be warm to the touch. This method is similar to testing a baby's bottle temperature.
What to serve with naan?
Garlic Naan Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon rapid rise yeast
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ cup luke warm water refer notes
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup plain yogurt at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Garlic butter
- 6 large cloves garlic finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
- 1 pinch salt if using unsalted butter
Instructions
- Proof yeast. Add the yeast and sugar to lukewarm water in a small cup and stir gently. Cover with plastic wrap and let it sit for about 10 minutes.1 teaspoon yeast, 1 teaspoon sugar, ½ cup lukewarm water
- Combine dry ingredients. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, add the flour, salt, and baking powder. Whisk together for a few seconds. 2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon baking powder
- Knead the dough. After 10 minutes, add the proofed yeast mixture, yogurt, and oil to the bowl. Stir with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together and is evenly moistened. Then knead for 1–2 minutes, until the dough is soft and fairly smooth. If it feels too sticky, add a little more flour as needed. 2 tablespoon oi, ½ cup yogurt👉 The dough should be soft, but not so sticky that it’s hard to knead. If it feels too sticky, add 1-2 tablespoons of flour as needed.👉 Use room-temperature yogurt. Cold yogurt can slow down the dough’s rise. If your yogurt is cold, warm it briefly in the microwave for 8–12 seconds, stirring every 4 seconds.
- Rise. Cover the dough with plastic wrap, then place a tea towel over it. Let it rise for 30 minutes.
- Make garlic butter. Add the chopped garlic and butter to a small saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until the garlic is fragrant and lightly golden. Be careful not to let it brown. Remove from heat, then stir in the cilantro and salt. Set aside.
- Roll into balls. Once the dough has risen, divide it into 8 pieces. Gently roll each piece into a roughly even ball—you don’t need to make them perfectly smooth. Keep the dough covered with a kitchen towel to prevent it from drying out.
- Cook. Heat a large, heavy-bottomed pan (cast iron preferred) over medium-high heat. Take a piece of the dough and roll it on a lightly floured surface into a circle or oval shape (about ¼ to ⅛ inch thick). Keep the dough moving between rolling, so that it doesn't stick to the counter. Place the dough on the hot pan (make sure it's hot to ensure good puffing) and cook until large bubbles have formed and the bottom is golden brown (about 2 to 3 minutes). Flip and cook 1-2 minutes more until that side is golden brown as well.
- Brush with garlic butter. Transfer the hot naan to a pan lined with a kitchen towel. Brush with garlic butter and keep the pan covered—this helps the naan stay soft and warm until serving time! Repeat with the remaining pieces.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information, based on third-party calculations, should be seen as estimates, not guarantees, as various factors like product types, brands, processing methods, and more can alter the nutritional content in recipes.
Serving suggestions
Naan is traditionally served as a side dish with any curry, korma and endless other Indian dishes. I especially love serving naan with my red lentil daal, butternut squash and cashew curry or the Indian butter shrimp.
It’s also great used as a flat bread for wraps since it’s so soft and pliable. Use it to make air fryer naan pizza or even as a wrap for shawarma, as we did in the instant pot chicken shawarma recipe.
My kids love enjoying the warm, buttery garlic naan by itself! It’s too heavenly to resist!
Frequently Asked Questions
Personally, I think nothing beats hot, freshly cooked naan! However, you can store it in the freezer for up to 2 months. Wrap the pieces in plastic wrap and aluminum foil to prevent them from drying out. Warm in the microwave before eating.
Restaurants cook naan in a very hot clay oven called a tandoor, which creates those signature charred spots and smoky flavor. At home, you’ll need a very hot skillet to get a similar effect. A cast iron pan works best because it retains heat well and gives a better char compared to other types of pans.
It depends. Yeast dough can be refrigerated, which often improves both flavor and softness—similar to pizza dough. Just bring it back to room temperature before rolling. However, this naan recipe uses both yeast and baking powder for an extra-soft texture, so it’s best cooked right after resting.
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Hi, I’m Maria! I share easy, flavor-packed dinners, high-protein meals, and irresistible baking ideas. If you’ve ever asked, “Don’t know what to cook tonight?” you’re in the right place. And yes—there’s plenty here for breakfast, snacks, and dessert too. More about maria ->
