13 Naan Recipes | Indian Naan Bread Recipes | 4.50/5.0

Best Occasion to Prepare this Recipe

How many of you DON’T order (some variety of) Naan and side dish when you visit a North Indian Restaurant? I don’t expect any votes on this… but if you haven’t tasted one yet, you SHOULD. Why you ask?… let me get an American friend answer this for you. Yes- Americans LOVE “Naan Bread”.

This quintessential accompaniment to Paneer Butter Masala, Kadai Paneer, Malai Kofta and every other Paneer gravy there is has existentially been a favorite among lovers of Indian Cuisine all over the World. This Tawa/oven-baked Indian Flatbread’s name “Naan” has an Iranian origin, and is cooked in kitchens of Middle East, Central Asia and South Asia. A typical naan recipe involves mixing white flour with salt, a yeast culture, and enough yogurt to make a smooth, elastic dough. Possible seasonings in the naan dough include cumin and nigella seeds.

Ever since its origin, Naan has been prepared in numerous varieties, such as the popular Butter Naan, Garlic Naan, Peshawari naan and Kashmiri naan (filled with a mixture of nuts and raisins); in Pakistan, Roghani naan is sprinkled with sesame seeds; Amritsari naan (a.k.a Amritsari kulcha ) is stuffed with mashed potatoes, onion (optional) and lots of spices.

One unfortunate observation is that Naan and its variations are still perceived as the “dish of the Restaurants”, atleast that’s how it is in the South India. One thing I would like to achieve through this blog is for more people to try it at home, so they wont have to wait for a Restaurant visit every time to relish this amazing dish!

PS: Try and enjoy it with Malai Kofta, Paneer Makhani, Kadai Paneer, Paneer Tikka Masala, Palak Paneer, Chole Masala, Methi Malai Paneer, Dum Aaloo gravy, or even with Dal Makhani.

My Top Recipe Recommendations

Note: I haven’t rated the recipes here, rather handpicked the best recipes for each category

1. Classic Homemade Naan

• Includes Yeast and Egg – Skillet/Tawa Preparation
  • Budget Bytes’s Naan Recipe
  • Eat East Indian’s Naan Recipe
• Includes Yeast, no Egg – Skillet/Tawa Preparation
  • RasaMalaysia’s Homemade Naan Recipe
• No Yeast, No Egg Instant Homemade Naan in 30 minutes!
  • MyFoodStory’s Instant Naan without Yeast or Eggs
  • Tawa Naan without Tandoor, Oven, Yeast and Eggs

2. Ingredient Based Variations

• Butter Garlic Naan/ Garlic Naan Recipe – quick, easy and delicious garlic naan at home using a regular Tawa without the use of any Oven, Tandoor, Eggs or Yeast.
• Cheese Naan Recipe – super soft and flavorful flat bread filled with melted cheese in every bite. Mozzarella Cheese and chopped Coriander leaves are stuffed inside the dough
  • Cheese Garlic Naan Recipe–   This recipe is as flavorful as it can get. I would call this Indian Pizza Bread. Be sure to buy a packet of active dry yeast
• Peshawari Naan Recipe – this Naan recipe rich in nuts (cashews, Badam and Pista). Also added in crushed Saunf that enriches the flavor!
• Aaloo Naan Recipe  – Stuffing prepared using Aaloo, Carom seeds, crushed Ginger Garlic paste, Chaat Masala, Garam Masala and Red Chilli Powder
• Stuffed Paneer Naan Recipe  Tastes like in the restaurants!
• Amritsari Naan/Kulcha Recipe – Watch his preparation style. He’s given tip to make your dough extra crisp and flaky – something apparently followed across the Dhabas
• Roghni Naan – Pakistani special Naan recipe popularly consumed by people in Gulf countries. Try this with Garlic Cheese Dip!

My Improv & Notes

Here are some notes before you jump into preparing Naan at home today:

• For getting the bubbles, don’t roll out the ball of dough until just before it is ready to be placed in the skillet. I experimented with different skillet temperatures and found that a medium heat produces the most bubbles in the dough and does not burn the surface
• Smudge the Dough in a cup full of chopped Coriander leaves before rolling them into shape of Naan. They get evenly spread out consistently and look very much like they serve in Restaurants
• No Yeast, no Egg Naan Batter can also be used to make instant Bhaturas

Restaurants Serving Best Naan in Bay Area

• Pakwaan Restaurant 16th Street
• Naan N Curry Daly City
• A Desi Cafe
• Raavi
• Curry Leaf
• Om Indian Cuisine
• Satkar Indian Cuisine