Easy Vegan Naan Recipe

This Oven-Baked Easy Vegan Naan recipe creates a puffy bread that’s just a little crispy on the outside, but soft and pillowy on the inside. Perfect for soups and salads and hummus. You name it! See tips for making this into gluten free naan as well.

I originally made this Oven-Baked Naan Bread to go with that One-Pot Chickpea Coconut Curry, but now I just can’t stop making quick vegan naan recipes. Do you blame me?

The thing about vegan naan is it’s crispy on the outside, and soft and dreamy on the inside. If you love vegan baked, savory bread, be sure to check out my Vegan Pecan and Cheese Artisan Bread recipe. Oh, and don’t forget my Vegan Cheesy Pull-Apart Bread!

Of course, the first question I asked is whether I could make naan vegan. With a little time in the kitchen I was pleased to find it’s not only possible, it’s easy!

It’s like a family thing – we all love this bread. Is it the fact that it comes in these individual portions? Is it the tasty flavor? Or maybe just the brown swirly parts on top!

I just don’t know!

All I know is that I love making this bread. And I really love seeing the people I love, love it so much.

Please help me…

What is Naan?

First, let’s begin with describing this dish: Naan is a leavened flatbread recipe that originated in Asian and India. The kind of naan we mostly eat today is inspired by the recipe that originated in India.

Is Naan Bread Vegan?

Most naan breads you buy in the store are not vegan. So, I wondered if was even possible to make a naan recipe vegan at all! I was so pleased when I got into the kitchen and made it!

What Vegan Ingredient Can be Substituted for Yogurt in Naan Bread?

Yogurt is a key ingredient in naan bread. That means naan without yogurt seems like a stretch. I mean, is it possible to do this: naan recipe no yogurt? I have good news, the answer is yes! You can use either vegan sour cream or a plain vegan yogurt in place of cow-based dairy in making homemade naan bread.

How to Make Vegan Naan Bread

Now that I’ve figured out how to make vegan naan bread, I want you to make it too. So, here’s how. Let’s begin with the naan ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need: active dry yeast, water, brown sugar, all-purpose flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, vegan sour cream (or vegan yogurt), olive oil.

Of course, if you want to make a vegan garlic naan recipe, add some garlic powder to the list! Also, if you want whole wheat naan, use whole wheat pastry flour instead of all-purpose flour. Just know that they might not be as pillowy soft!

Step One: Combine Yeast + Water + Sugar

In a small bowl combine the yeast, warm water and brown sugar. Give it a gentle stir and allow it to sit until the mixture becomes frothy.

Step Two: Combine Dry Ingredients

In the meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Stir to combine.

Step Three: Add Sour Cream and Make the Batter

Next, add the vegan sour cream and oil to the yeast mixture. Stir to combine. Pour this sour cream mixture into the flour and stir.

The mixture will be sticky. Once the dough has come together, cover with a kitchen towel and place in a warm place in the kitchen. Set aside to rise for about 45 minutes.

Step Four: Make Dough Balls

Once the dough has doubled in size, get out a small bowl and place some extra flour in it. Also get out a pan sprayed with vegetable spray. Now punch down the dough and make 8 -10 balls that are approximately the size of a golf ball. Use the flour to help shape the balls because the dough will be sticky (which is what you want). Set these aside to rise another 30 minutes.

Step Five: Bake

When you’re ready to bake your Naan, turn your oven to 350. I used a pizza pan and gave it a light coating of vegetable spray. Use the flour to help flatten the dough balls into small, flat pieces, about 6″ in diameter.

Spray the top side with a light layer of vegetable cooking spray or olive oil. Place on the prepared pan. When you have them all arranged on the pan, carefully place them in the hot oven. Allow them to cook for 4-5 minutes on one side. Use tongs to pull up one of them to see if it is adequately brown on the bottom side. If so, remove from the oven and flip the Naan and cook on the other side for 4-5 minutes as well.

You will see some recipes call for preparing Naan in a skillet. And that’s fine. I’m sure you could do that with this recipe too. But I really like baking them. I think it helps them stay fresh longer too.

As if we needed to worry about keeping these babies around. In fact, you might want to make a double batch of this vegan Indian bread recipe!

The Best Baked Naan Bread

I remember the first time I tried Naan bread. My friend Suraj and his wife and family had me and Adee come to visit them for a week in Toronto. It was so much fun and I have so many stories I could share with you about that trip. OMG!

But the thing I loved most was how on Friday night all the extended family came over to enjoy a home-cooked meal, games, and wine. And once the food was done, they put on some Bollywood-style Indian pop music and everyone from children to grandparents danced; it was a a multi-generational dance in the living room!

Ever since that day I’ve said, the family that dances together…stays together!

There’s more to love about this easy naan recipe than dancing, though. Because it’s relatively easy to make and it adds something special to your favorite meals. You can even make the dough ahead of time so that you can make the naan right before serving time. Because, if you’re  like me, having fresh-baked bread with dinner is just so good!

Wondering how to make vegan naan pizza? Once the naan is cooked, top it with pizza sauce followed by your favorite veggie pizza ingredients (like vegan pepperoni), and vegan mozzarella. Bake it in the oven until the cheese melts and voila! Vegan Naan Pizza!

A Gluten Free Naan Recipe

As is, this is the perfect dairy free naan recipe. However, you can transform this into vegan gluten free naan bread recipe by using a gluten free baking flour in place of the all purpose flour.

Gluten free naan bread is a delicious side bread for soups, salads, and more!

Don’t you just healthy naan recipes! Me too!

I hope you love this recipe as we do! Have you tried it? Be sure and leave a comment and a rating of this recipe below and then take a quick photo and share it with me using #namelymarly on Instagram. I love seeing your creations!

Homemade Vegan Naan Bread

Oven-Baked Naan Bread – is easy to make and delicious to eat with soups, stews, salads, and lots of other things!

4.67 from 3 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Bread

Cuisine: Indian

Keyword: Vegan Naan Bread

Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes

Servings: 8

Calories: 169kcal

Author: Namely Marly

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
• ¾ cup warm water
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• 3 tablespoons vegan sour cream
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

• In a small bowl combine the yeast, warm water and brown sugar. Give it a gentle stir and allow it to sit until the mixture becomes frothy.
• In the meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Stir to combine.
• Next, add the vegan sour cream and oil to the yeast mixture. Stir to combine. Pour this sour cream mixture into the flour and stir. The mixture will be sticky. Once the dough has come together, cover with a kitchen towel and place in a warm place in the kitchen. Set aside to rise for about 45 minutes.
• Once the dough has doubled in size, get out a small bowl and place some extra flour in it. Also get out a pan sprayed with vegetable spray. Now punch down the dough and make 8 -10 balls that are approximately the size of a golf ball. Use the flour to help shape the balls because the dough will be sticky (which is what you want). Set these aside to rise another 30 minutes.
• When you’re ready to bake your Naan, turn your oven to 350I used a pizza pan and gave it a light coating of vegetable spray. Use the flour to help you flatten the dough balls into small, flat pieces, about 6″ in diameter. Spray the top side with a light layer of vegetable cooking spray or olive oil. Place on the prepared pan. When you have them all arranged on the pan, carefully place them in the hot oven. Allow them to cook for 4-5 minutes on one side. Use a tong to pull up one of them to see if it’s adequately brown on the bottom side. If so, remove from the oven and flip the Naan and cook on the other side for 4-5 minutes as well.

Nutrition Facts

Homemade Vegan Naan Bread

Amount Per Serving

Calories 169 Calories from Fat 36

% Daily Value*

Fat 4g6%

Sodium 354mg15%

Potassium 60mg2%

Carbohydrates 27g9%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 1g1%

Protein 4g8%

Calcium 10mg1%

Iron 1.5mg8%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Enjoy!

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