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This Gluten Free Naan Bread recipe is the perfect side dish for your favourite curry! These soft, slightly chewy gluten free naan breads are the real deal. Making homemade gluten free naan is way easier to make than you might think and super fun too!
A gluten free naan bread is a bit like gold dust: impossible to find in the shops, but the best thing ever when you do stumble across one.
Which is why I developed the best gluten free naan bread recipe ever to share with you! And there’s a simple option to make them vegan too.
Being gluten free should not mean missing out. And now you can make authentic, soft, pillowy, gluten free naan bread at home. It’s so easy!
I know a lot of people use my gluten free flatbread recipe (and this is perfect is you need a yeast free naan bread). But these are the real deal.
Yeasted, doughy breads, cooked in a dry pan and brushed with butter or ghee to create the ultimate naan bread for any gluten free curry!
Serve with dishes like my coconut chicken curry, my slow cooker chickpea and potato curry, or my leftover turkey curry recipe.
And if you fancy some other tasty Indian side dishes like gluten free samosas and gluten free onion bhajis, you can find them in my cookbook, along with this naan recipe too!
Ingredients
There’s a printable recipe card below with the quantities. But for the shopping list you’ll need the following ingredients for my easy gluten free naan recipe:
- Water
- Sugar: A small amount of caster sugar helps to activate the yeast.
- Yeast: I always use the FREEE Gluten Free Yeast or the Allinson’s Easy Bake yeast.
- Gluten Free White Bread Flour: I always use the FREEE Gluten Free White Bread Flour as it has tapioca starch, creating a slightly chewier texture. You can use a plain gluten free flour blend or an all purpose gluten free flour blend instead.
- Xanthan Gum: A little goes a long way, but this helps to replicate the stretch of gluten. Do not skip this as it will make your dough hard to handle and bread crumbly.
- Salt
- Nigella Seeds: Also known as black onion seeds, to give that authentic naan flavour.
- Natural Yoghurt: Full-fat or zero fat yoghurt will both work. Use coconut yoghurt for a vegan naan bread.
- Olive Oil: You can use a vegetable oil or even ghee if you prefer.
- Butter or Ghee: I brush the cooked gluten free naan breads with this to keep them super soft. Use a vegan butter equivalent for dairy free.
You can also add some fresh minced garlic and chopped coriander (cilantro) to your melted butter for a garlic and coriander naan bread too.
How to make gluten free naan bread
There’s a printable recipe card below with the method. But here are some step-by-step photos to show you how easy these naan breads are to make:
To make the naan bread dough:
Pour the water into a large jug and heat to 40C (104 F). I recommend buying a food thermometer to avoid any errors.
Stir the caster sugar into the water, add the yeast and then stir to mix. Cover with a tea towel and leave in a warm spot for 5-10 minutes.
The yeast will froth and form a head like beer – see the FAQs below if it does not do this.
Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl add the gluten free bread flour, xanthan gum, salt and Nigella seeds. Mix well to combine.
When the yeast mixture is ready, pour into the flour mix and add the yoghurt and olive oil.
Mix with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes together into a dough – it should be a little sticky.
Once mixed, cover the bowl with cling film and place in a warm spot to prove for 1 hour. The dough will expand and puff up a little but won’t double in size.
To shape and prove the naan breads:
Divide the dough into four equal-sized pieces and shape each one into a ball – you will want to flour your hands as they’ll be a bit sticky.
Lay a sheet of baking paper down on a worktop. Dust with gluten free flour and then place the ball of dough down onto it.
Dust some extra gluten free flour on top and then use your hands to press the dough into a teardrop shape, around 1cm thick.
To cook the naan breads:
Place a frying pan on a medium-high heat. Carefully remove the baking paper from the dough and lay the dough in the dry, hot pan.
Cook for 2-3 minutes, until the bread starts to go golden and puff up in places, then flip and repeat on the other side.
Once the naan bread is cooked, remove from the pan, brush with melted butter (or ghee) and wrap in foil or a clean tea towel.
Repeat the process with the other three pieces of dough and serve the naan breads warm.
Storing and Freezing
The best thing about making your own naan bread is that you can whip up a big batch and freeze them for whenever you want to make a curry.
I always recommend eating gluten free naan bread fresh (they only take a few minutes to cook once you’ve made the dough).
But I know sometimes this isn’t always possible so here’s some guidance if you need to make them ahead of time or want to batch cook them for the freezer.
To make the dough ahead of time:
If you want to make the dough earlier in the day, simply prove it and then place it in the fridge.
It will be fine overnight but I wouldn’t leave longer than 24 hours before shaping and cooking the naan breads.
To store leftover naan breads:
If you have any leftover naans (or you do need to cook them a while before eating) let them cool completely before placing in an airtight container.
They should keep for a couple of days but will need reheating before eating. Either zap them in the microwave or sprinkle with water and warm in the oven.
To freeze naan breads:
Allow the cooked naan breads to cool to room temperature. Stack them between sheets of baking paper (so they don’t stick together) in a bag or tub before freezing.
Either defrost at room temperature before refreshing as above, or reheat them straight from frozen in the microwave or oven.
And to prove how much I love this recipe, here are some of the times I’ve made this gluten free naan bread while perfecting it:
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some FAQs about this gluten free naan bread recipe. If you can’t find the answer to your question here or in the post above, please comment and I’ll try answer!
When activating your yeast in sugar water it should go nice and frothy like the photos in the step-by-steps above. However, if it doesn’t you’ll need to discard it and start again. Check the yeast is in date. If it has been open for a long time you may also need fresh yeast. And always ensure the temperature of the water is 40C. Too hot and it’ll kill the yeast – too cold and it won’t become active.
This gluten free naan recipe is actually really easy to make dairy free and vegan too. Simply swap the yoghurt for a vegan yoghurt (I prefer coconut yoghurt) and the butte/ghee for a vegan butter. The rest of the recipe is vegan anyway.
This gluten free recipe is based on a traditional naan so it uses yeast. If you want a gluten free naan bread with no yeast, try making my gluten free flatbreads instead and adding a small amount of Nigella seeds for flavour. Brush with ghee for that naan bread finish too.
In the UK you used to be able to buy gluten free naan breads in most supermarkets but a lot of these have been discontinued. The only naan breads I have found have been not at all how I remembered naan – which is why I developed this recipe.
I have only found the BFree Gluten Free Naan Bread (which I’m sorry, I really disliked, it is basically a giant pitta bread and non naan-like at all IMHO!) and the Asda Free From Plain Naans which are okay but a bit bland for my liking.
I much prefer going to a small effort to make a batch of homemade naans and freeze them for whenever we have a curry night!
If you make this recipe and love it, please do let me know by tagging me on my Instagram or using #theglutenfreeblogger. You can also share your creations in my Facebook group! And please do leave a 5* review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ to let others know you loved it too! It would mean the world to me and really helps support my website.
Gluten Free Naan Breads
Equipment
Ingredients
- 120 ml warm water
- 1 tsp caster sugar
- 7 g dried active yeast
- 250 g gluten free white bread flour
- 1 tsp xanthan gum
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp Nigella seeds
- 100 g natural yoghurt
- 2 tbsp olive oil
For brushing
- 20 g melted butter or ghee
Instructions
- Pour the water into a large jug and heat to 40C – I find the best way to do this is to pour approximately 25ml of freshly boiled water, and then top up with cold water. It should feel like skin temperature if you dip your finger in, but I recommend buying a food thermometer to avoid any errors.
- Stir the caster sugar into the water, add the yeast and then stir to mix. Cover with a tea towel and leave in a warm spot for 5-10 minutes until the yeast starts to froth and form a head like beer.
- Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl add the gluten free bread flour, xanthan gum, salt and Nigella seeds. Mix well to combine.
- When the yeast mixture is ready, pour into the flour mix and add the yoghurt and olive oil. Mix with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes together into a dough – it should be a little sticky.
- Once mixed, cover the bowl with cling film and place in a warm spot to prove for 1 hour. The dough will expand and puff up a little but won’t double in size.
- Divide the dough into four equal-sized pieces and shape each one into a ball – you will want to flour your hands as they’ll be a bit sticky. Lay a sheet of baking paper down on a worktop, dust with gluten free flour and then place the ball of dough down onto it. Dust some extra gluten free flour on top and then use your hands to press the dough into a teardrop shape, around 1cm thick.
- Place a frying pan on a medium-high heat. Carefully remove the baking paper from the dough and lay the dough in the dry, hot pan (it should come off easily if you’ve floured it well – if not, flip the dough into the pan so the paper is on top and then peel it off).
- Cook for 2-3 minutes, until the bread starts to go golden and puff up in places, then flip and repeat on the other side.
- Meanwhile, add the butter (or ghee) and garlic to a pan and melt on a low heat. Once the naan bread is cooked, remove from the pan, brush with the garlic butter and wrap in foil while you repeat the process with the other three pieces of dough. Serve warm.
Notes
- Weighing Scales vs Cups: You can toggle this recipe card to convert the ingredients into cups – I have weighed each item individually to ensure the conversion is accurate as possible. However, I always recommend using weighing scales – these are cheap to buy and much more accurate. And in gluten free baking, a tiny variation can make a huge difference!
- Step-by-Step Photos: Check out the blog post above for step-by-step photos to guide you through how this naan bread recipe should look at each stage.
- Storing, Making Ahead and Freezing: Check out the post above this recipe card for more information on how to make these naan breads ahead of time and how to freeze any leftovers.
- Serving Suggestions: There are some links below this recipe card to some of my favourite curries to serve with these gluten free naan.
- Like this Recipe? It would mean SO much to me if you could leave a 5* rating and tell all your gluten free friends about this Gluten Free Naan Breads!
Nutrition
Serving Suggestions
More gluten free bread recipes
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Want more gluten free meals inspiration? My debut cookbook, Delicious Gluten Free Meals, has 100+ gluten free recipes, from breakfast and lunch ideas to dinners, desserts and sides.
As always, a super tasty recipe that’s easy to follow. The links to other recipes to accompany it are extremely useful.
Thanks Mo, glad you enjoyed it!
YUMMMMMMM! i made it to go along with a sweet potato/red lentil dal. Thanks for the recipe!