Vegan Naan
Soft and fluffy vegan naan, made right at home! Perfect for dipping or just slathering with garlic butter.
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Servings: 6
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Equipment
- Rolling Pin
- Cast iron skillet or griddle
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup warm water plus up to 1/4 cup extra, as needed
- 1 teaspoon active dry yeast see notes to substitute baking powder
- 1/4 cup plain unsweetened nondairy yogurt I like Forager brand
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil plus extra for the bowl
- 2 cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled, plus extra for kneading
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
To Finish
- 1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter
- pinch salt
Instructions
Make the Dough
- Proof the yeast: In a mixing bowl, stir together 1/3 cup warm water, granulated sugar, and active dry yeast. Allow the mixture to proof for about 5 minutes, or until foamy.
- Mix wet ingredients: Whisk olive oil and yogurt into the proofed yeast mixture.
- Add dry ingredients: Add all-purpose flour and fine salt into the wet ingredients. Mix with your hands or a spoon to form a rough dough. If there is still some dry flour at the bottom of the bowl, add in extra water as needed, 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring between additions, until there is no dry flour left.
- Knead the dough: Lightly knead the dough for about 5 minutes, or until smooth. I like to knead directly in the bowl, but you can knead on a clean surface if you prefer. The dough should be on the slightly firm side — not overly soft and sticky.
Rise and Shape the Dough
- Rise the dough: Shape the dough into a ball. Lightly oil the mixing bowl (or a new clean bowl if you prefer). Place the dough ball in the bowl, giving it a turn to coat its surface with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic or a lightly dampened kitchen towel, and allow to sit for about 1 hour. Since the dough is firm it may not double in size — that's ok.
- Divide the dough: Divide the dough into 6 portions. (You can use a scale for precision.) Shape each portion into a ball by tucking the edges in toward the center. Loosely cover the dough balls with the same plastic or damp towel you used to rise the dough. Allow them to rest for about 10-15 minutes so the gluten relaxes.
- Roll out the naan: Roll out each dough ball into a circle or oval about 1/8" thick. Since the dough is quite firm I usually don't need to flour my work surface, but you can use a very light dusting of flour if needed. You can also roll the naan out between two pieces of parchment if it is sticking a lot. (Too much extra flour tends to burn when cooking the naan, so I recommend using as little as possible when rolling.) Keep the rolled out naan covered so it doesn't dry out.
Cook the Naan (Stovetop Method)
- Preheat a cast iron, carbon steel, or stainless skillet over medium heat. Make sure the pan is thoroughly preheated (a droplet of water added to the pan should hiss and evaporate right away). Do not oil the pan.I recommend running the vent fan or opening a window because this process can make your house smell a bit smoky.
- Lightly wet your hand and brush some of the water on one side of the naan. Place the naan in the pan with the dampened side down.
- Cook for about 60 to 90 seconds, until the naan is very puffy. Then flip and cook for another 60-90 seconds, until there are some blistered and slightly charred bits.
- Gas stove option: If you are using a gas stove, rather than flipping the naan you can carefully flip the entire pan over and finish cooking the naan over the flame. The naan should stick to the pan due to the water we brushed on. Cook the naan over the flame for about 1 minute until it begins to char. (This is trickier to do with cast iron because it's very heavy. It works great with a lighter pan.)
Cook the Naan (Oven Method)
- Preheat oven to 500°F with a pizza stone in the middle rack. Preheat for at least 30 minutes (preferably 1 hour) to ensure the stone is nice and hot.
- Depending on the size of the pizza stone, cook a few pieces of naan at a time. You can slide them on using a peel or the back of a cookie sheet. Bake them for about 3 minutes total.
Finish the Naan
- Brush the cooked naan with melted vegan butter and enjoy!
Notes
- Baking powder: You can use 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder instead of yeast. Skip the step where you proof the yeast, and add in the baking powder along with the flour. You will still need to cover and rest the dough for at least 30 minutes; it will not rise during this step but it's necessary to achieve the right texture. Otherwise follow all the same steps. The texture of the naan is slightly different — a little chewier and less fluffy (similar to a fresh tortilla), but still delicious.
Did you make this recipe?We’d love for you to leave a review on the website! You can also share a photo on IG and tag @sarahsvegankitchen_ or #sarahsvegankitchen.