Why you’ll love this dairy free garlic naan bread
Making naan at home is way easier than you might think, and when you make it yourself, you can skip the dairy that’s in most store-bought versions. Traditional naan bread is made with yogurt, so most of the store bought and takeout versions are not going to be dairy free.
This recipe uses dairy free milk with a bit of lemon juice to replicate the subtle tang that yogurt typically provides, and the result is soft, fluffy naan that’s perfect for sopping up your favorite curry.
It takes some time for the dough to rise, but the actual effort needed is minimal, and you’ll end up with fresh, garlic-topped naan that’s better than takeout.
This recipe goes great with: dairy free butter chicken / chicken tikka masala / grilled chicken tenders / beef and lamb kofta
Ingredient notes:
- Active dry yeast – Active dry yeast is a key ingredient in making any naan bread, it adds the necessary leavening to achieve the bread’s light and airy texture. Using instant yeast will work, but your rise time will be shorter.
- Warm water – Using active dry yeast requires warm water, to activate the dry yeast which results in bubbles that rise that give naan its characteristic fluffiness.
- Dairy free milk – You can use your favorite, unsweetened dairy free milk – we used almond milk to make this, but you can use an milk alternative.
- Lemon juice — Just a teaspoon adds subtle tang that makes this taste more like traditional naan. Don’t skip it. If you don’t have lemons on hand, lime juice or vinegar will work instead.
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions listed below are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
Melissa’s tips + tricks:
- Let the dough rise in a warm spot. If your kitchen is cold, turn your oven to the lowest setting for just a minute or two, turn it off, and then put the covered bowl of dough inside to rise. The gentle warmth helps the dough rise faster.
- Use a hot skillet. Medium-high heat is key here. The naan should bubble and puff up quickly. If your pan isn’t hot enough, the naan will be dense instead of light.
- Make them ahead. You can make the naan a few hours ahead and reheat them wrapped in foil in a 350°F oven for about 10 minutes. They’re best the day you make them, but you can store them in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
Frequently asked questions
After you mix the yeast with warm water and sugar, let it sit for about 5–10 minutes. It should get foamy and bubbly on top. If nothing happens, your yeast might be expired or your water was too hot or too cold.
Yes, you can mix and knead the dough by hand. It’ll take about 8–10 minutes of kneading to get a smooth, elastic dough. Add the flour gradually and knead on a lightly floured surface until the dough is no longer sticky.
Absolutely. Just skip the garlic and brush the naan with plain olive oil or melted dairy free butter as it cooks. You can still add a sprinkle of coarse salt and fresh herbs if you want.
Yes, you can make the dough and let it rise, then cover it tightly and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Let it come to room temperature before dividing and rolling out the pieces.
Yes, naan freezes well. Let it cool completely, then stack the pieces with parchment paper between each one and store in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Reheat from frozen in a 350°F oven for about 10 minutes.
Dairy Free Garlic Naan Bread
Ingredients
For the vegan naan:
- 1/2 cup warm water, ideally between 105˚F – 110˚F
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 0.25-ounce package active dry yeast
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup almond milk, or alternative milk of choice
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, for frying
For topping:
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- Coarse salt, optional, for garnish
- Fresh parsley or cilantro, optional, for garnish
Instructions
- Make the dough. Gently stir the water, sugar and yeast together in a small bowl or directly in a liquid measuring cup. Allow it to activate until it is foamy on top.In a large bowl with an electric mixer (dough hook), add activated yeast, flour, and remaining ingredients. Beat with dough hook at medium speed until a ball has formed.
- Allow the dough to rise. Remove bowl from mixer and cover with a damp towel. Let sit in a warm place for about 1 hour. Once the dough has doubled in size, divide it into eight small balls.
- Make the topping. In a small bowl, combine the garlic and oil.
- Fry the dough. Heat olive oil in a large, cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Roll each dough ball to about 1/4-inch thickness and place them one at a time in the hot pan, brushing with the garlic oil mixture.When the dough starts to bubble, flip it over, brush it with oil again, and season with salt and fresh herbs. Repeat the process with the remaining dough.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
I had to add some water for it to come together, and add some salt like the other comments suggested. Other than that this recipe is great! You can make it a dessert by adding some dandelion honey as well 🙂 Thank you so much for this recipe 🥰
Love this recipe, they turn out so soft and the perfect texture. Little tweaks I make is adding a bit of salt and parsley flakes as I’m making the dough. I also roll in some garlic and green onions as I’m rolling out the dough so it really sticks in there!
Thank you so much 🙂
This was my first time making naan bread and it worked out very well!
I added salt & pepper to the dough, 1 garlic clove and some bread spices I had at home. I used cashew milk instead of almond milk and 1 cup spelt flour combined with 1½ cup wheat flour. Unfortunately, my dry yeast was too old, so it didn’t work (the yeast mixture wasn’t foamy on top and the dough didn’t rise at all). So I decided to just place it in the skillet and try it anway. Luckily it worked and I got 8 breads out of the dough, although the yeast didn’t do its job. :))
I spread a mixture of olive oil, garlic, garlic powder, onion powder, salt & pepper on the baking bread and it tasted great in the end! I had to use more oil than descriped in the recipe to have enough for each bread though. 😉
Summed up I am very pleased with the outcome and I’m gonna use this recipe again, since I like that it doesn’t require soy yoghurt or anything, because I never have that at home.
My parents also liked the naan breads. 🙂 We served them with couscous salad & dips like selfmade vegan garlic butter or hummus.
seems like you made a whole new recipe lol
It seems like a great recipe…my dough is proving right now. for those who found the mixture too dry or too wet.. flour is a funny ingredient and you need to adjust the liquids.. every time you make it because the flour will react differently depending on the humidity in the air.. the warmth of the day etc. Well off to roll it out and cook!! Woo hoo..
Bev
May I ask what the lemon juice does? And is it necessary?
Because yogurt is typically used, lemon juice gives it the acidity it needs.
love it. needs salt and less flour. thanks for the recipe
DELICIOUS! Added salt to dough like others mentioned. Halfway through cooking I started folding garlic into dough ball before rolling out because garlic was burning in cast iron skillet. Hubby said it is the best naan he has ever had!. I have dietary restrictions while nursing our kids so this is perfect!
Oh and used Ripple “milk”. Worked great!
I made two versions of this. The first one I relalized after mixing that I used vanilla almond milk. But the end result was fine as it was unsweetened. The second was made with 2 cups of flour and almond yogurt (nondairy) instead of almond milk. I also warmed the olive oil slightly and added my garlic and fresh parsley and let it sit while cooking the naans. I used an inverted pressure cooker on my gas burner, a trick that mimics a tandoor I learned from an Auntie.
Loved this, easy to make, added garlic, Nigella seeds and coriander, kneaded it in and then rolled out, agree needs a little salt but that can be added at the same time!
Thanks Melissa. Last week I was at a pita-making demonstration (with pre-mixed dough), cooking it on a flat pan on a pit fire. That failed because a pocket didnt open in the pita. That means…it made naan! So how to make the dough–>I found your recipe useful as I had to go dairy-free to go with the (sorry) hot dogs I was going to serve it with (no diary with meat in Jewish tradition).
I sort of agree with the ppl who say less flour; my recommendation to make 8 pieces is actually use more almond milk & oil. I probably added ~1/4C more milk & a few T’s of oil. I did manage to do with hand-mixing only as I dont have an electric. Was able to press it to thinner than 1/4in by hand without a roller. Then I cooked it not on pan per se but as I saw it in the pita demo, except no open flames allowed–>2 electric stove burners on med hi, flipped over a broiler pan, put it over the burners, dough on the pan bottom, flip in ~2minutes. Fresh basil worked well in the topping. Y-y-y-yumm! Thanks again.
So I’m using gluten flour (supposed cup for cup as wheat) and had to add 2 1/2 T of extra water. After a hr it did not rise😭. The yeast did become foamy. What do you think I should do next?
I really don’t know anything about gluten free baking. I would suggest finding a recipe that is developed for gluten free flour.