Easy Gluten Free Naan Bread

Gluten-free naan bread? In 15 minutes? Easy! 

Because these easy gluten free naan breads contain no yeast, they are so quick and simple to make. You don’t need a fancy bread maker or even an electric mixer, it can all be done by hand!

You will never have to feel left out on curry night again! These flatbreads have a crisp, slight chewiness to the outside with a soft fluffy texture on the inside and taste SO much better than any of the pre-made gluten free breads that you can buy (and cheaper too!). 

In fact, I will go so far as to say they are so good you will not even know they don’t contain gluten!

Using only 5 simple ingredients to make the actual bread, they are so versatile and can be topped with oil and fresh herbs to really lift the flavour.

After lots of recipe development, I have also adapted this homemade gluten free naan recipe to include vegan and dairy free options, which you can find below in the main post.

For your next curry night, why not pair your naan bread with my Boneless Chicken Curry With Peppers & Really Easy Keema Rice? 

❤️ Why You Will Love This Recipe

• It’s Gluten Free! - Unlike traditional naan bread, this recipe is totally free from gluten making it ideal for those with Coeliac disease or a gluten intolerance.
• Dairy Free & Vegan Options -  You can easily adapt this recipe to be dairy free or vegan too, with no compromise on taste!
• No Yeast - This gluten free naan bread recipe is yeast free, which means you can whip it up in no time as the dough doesn’t need time to prove.
• Ready In Just 15 Minutes - Due to there being no yeast in the bread, you can serve these naan breads in just 15 minutes!

🥘 Ingredients Needed

• Gluten Free Self Raising Flour - As always I use my trusted brand Doves Farm Freee self raising flour. It is best to use a gluten free flour blend like Doves Farm for this recipe, I wouldn’t recommend using one type of gluten free flour (e.g almond flour) as the recipe may not work. If you cannot find self raising flour, you can use plain flour, but you will need to definitely add baking powder, otherwise the bread wont puff up.
• Plain Yoghurt - Any plain yoghurt or Greek yoghurt will work. I have used coconut plain yoghurt to keep it dairy free too.
• Xanthan Gum-If you are using gluten free self raising flour, this may already be in the flour, however, I like to add a little more just in case! If you are using plain flour you will definitely need to use xanthan gum. It helps to replace some of the elasticity you would normally get from gluten.
• Baking Powder - Again, if you are using self-raising flour, baking powder will already be added, but I like to add a bit more for extra rise! If you are using gluten free plain flour you will definitely need to use baking powder to achieve any rise on the bread.
• Salt - Added to intensify the flavour. You can leave this out if cooking for small children.

Optional

• Butter -This is melted and brushed over the top of the bread once cooked to provide a gorgeous, shiny texture and to add moisture and flavour to the naan bread. 
• Parsley - This is finely chopped and sprinkled over the top of the bread once cooked for added colour & flavour. Make sure you use fresh parsley as dried parsley just won’t taste the same.

Scroll to the recipe card at the end of the post for quantities.

⚡ To Make This Recipe Dairy Free / Vegan

• Use a dairy free plain natural yoghurt or dairy free Greek yoghurt.
• To brush over the top of the naan bread once cooked, replace standard butter with a dairy free butter or spread. Alternatively, you can also brush extra virgin olive oil over the bread.

⚡ Variations

• Garlic Naan: Add minced garlic and chopped fresh coriander (cilantro) to the naan dough before cooking. You can also brush the cooked naan with garlic butter for extra flavour.

• Make A Naan Bread Pizza! - These make a great base for a naan bread pizza. Cook the bread as normal in the frying pan, then load up with your favourite toppings and bake in the oven at 180˚C Fan / 200˚C / 400˚F for 6-8 minutes. We love dairy free cheese and pepperoni!

✏️ How To Make Easy Gluten Free Naan Bread

⬇️ Here you will find an overview of how to make the recipe. For full information on ingredients and quantities please see the recipe card at the bottom of the page ⬇️

It really couldn’t be simpler. You just mix all the ingredients together, roll out and dry fry!

Step 1: Start by mixing together all of the ingredients in a large bowl and stir with a wooden spoon or spatula until it begins to come together. Then get stuck in with your hands and mould the mixture together into a ball.

Step 2: Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead the dough with your hands for a minute or so until soft and fully combined.  If the dough is a little bit sticky, the extra flour will help it all come together.

Step 3: With a knife, cut the dough in half and in half again so you are left with four equal-sized balls.

Roll out each dough ball into a naan bread shape with a rolling pin. (See tips & tricks below) Smooth the edges out with your hands and gently transfer onto a plate with a spatula ready to dry fry. 

Step 4: Heat the bread’s one at a time in a hot cast iron skillet or frying pan on a medium heat. You do not need any oil as the bread will dry fry in the pan. Cook for a few minutes until starting to brown and puff up, then flip over with a spatula and cook on the other side for a few more minutes.

Brush the melted butter onto the bread with a pastry brush and sprinkle over the fresh, chopped parsley.

💡 Tips & Tricks

• Rub flour all over your rolling pin, this will help the dough not to stick to the rolling pin when rolling out the dough.
• To make a naan shape with the dough, roll the mixture into a ball and flatten it a little with your hand. Squeeze the sides of one end in with your hands, so the shape looks like a teardrop, then roll out!
• Don’t overcrowd the pan. You won’t get the brown, crispy finish as all of the steam will not be able to escape from under the bread and will cause them to go soggy. I would cook one or two at a time at most, depending on the size of your frying pan.

🤔 My Dough Is Sticky - What Can I Do?

As long as you are able to pick up the dough with your hands, once you knead it a little on the floured surface, this should be enough to lose the stickiness in the dough and it should come together nicely. Add a little more flour if it is still sticky but add very slowly as you don’t want to dry the dough out.

🥡 How To Store

These gluten-free naan breads taste divine when eaten fresh and warm, straight from the pan and drenched in lovely melted dairy free butter!

You can however, store them in the fridge in an airtight container for 2-3 days and when ready to eat, reheat in the oven for 5 minutes at 200˚C until they are warm and start to crisp up. 

You can also reheat them in the microwave for 30 seconds but you will lose the crispiness on the outside and the whole bread will become soft.

The naan bread can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Either wrap the bread in clingfilm or store in separate containers. When ready to eat, cook them in the oven from frozen at 200˚C for 10-15 minutes. 

You can also store the dough uncooked, see FAQs below for more info.