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This Gluten-Free Naan Bread is incredibly easy to make. You can whip the recipe up in the time it takes for your curry to cook. You can make it on the hob in a few minutes and you don’t need any yeast or xanthan gum. Simple and quick. You can be dipping your bread into your curry in no time.
Curry nights are not the same without some naan bread to help scoop up the curry sauce and raita. It’s almost like an alternative form of cutlery.
I have been really missing naan bread recently with my homemade curries. I used to make it myself before I was gluten-free and it was always so easy to whip up. So I have no idea why it took me so long to create a gluten-free version. And you know what, this version is just as easy and just as delicious.
What is Naan Bread?
Naan, meaning bread in Persian, is a flatbread typically made on the walls of a clay tandoor oven. The exterior is crisp and the inside fluffy. The bread is usually used for scooping other food or can be stuffed with a filling.
Now, tandoor ovens are not that usual in domestic kitchens but we can easily make Naan Bread in a searingly hot pan on the hob instead.
Naan Bread is typically leavened but in this recipe we forgo yeast and the boring rising time and use baking powder instead. It does the job excellently.
This isn’t the only yeast-free bread recipe on this website. Have you tried this delicious Gluten-Free Irish Soda Bread?
Why is this Naan Bread recipe so brilliant?
- It’s gluten-free and uses cassava flour and almond flour for the dough.
- No yeast. No xanthan gum.
- The recipe itself takes just 10 minutes to make, but do factor in the 30 minutes resting time.
- Incredibly flavourful thanks to the almond flour, cassava flour and black onion seeds.
- Made with yoghurt for deliciously soft texture and tang.
- Easy to make dairy-free.
How do you make Gluten-Free Naan Bread?
- Whisk cassava flour, almond flour, baking powder, onion seeds and salt together.
- Add melted butter, yoghurt and a beaten egg.
- Bring together into a smooth dough ball, then rest for 30 minutes.
- Divide into 4, then roll each out into a teardrop shape.
- Heat a pan then dry-fry the naan breads for 45 seconds on each side.
- Brush with melted butter then serve immediately.
Pro Tip
This dough is susceptible to cracking and tearing but I have great success rolling the dough out between two sheets of cling film. This means no extra flour and a nice smooth surface.
Do you need a curry recipe to go with this Naan Bread? Why not try this Turkey Peanut and Kale Curry.
Can you make Naan Bread dairy-free?
Yes, you just need to swap the butter for melted coconut oil and the natural yoghurt for coconut yoghurt.
How long does Naan Bread keep for?
This naan bread is best eaten straightaway. Just as well it’s so quick and easy to make.
Can the Naan Bread dough be made in advance?
Yes it can. You can make it up to two days in advance and store it in the fridge in cling film. I recommend bringing it out of the fridge an hour or so before you want to start preparing your naan bread to soften a little.
How can you switch things up?
- Garlic Naan - Lightly sauté some crushed garlic in the melted butter.
- Peshwari Naan – Add 2 tablespoons desiccated coconut and diced dried apricot to the dough. You’ll need to add a little more yoghurt to the dough – about 10-15g.
- Naan Bread Pizza – Don’t include the onion seeds in the dough and you have a fine recipe for a pizza base.
If you make Gluten-Free Naan Bread then please leave a comment below and/or give the recipe a rating. If you then go on to use this recipe as a launch pad for your own culinary creation then I’d also love it if you’d share it and tag me on Instagram. It is so lovely for me to see your versions and variations of my recipes.
Really Easy Gluten-Free Naan Bread {no yeast, no xanthan gum}
Ingredients
- 100 g almond flour
- 100 g cassava flour
- 1 teaspoon black onion seeds
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 30 g butter - melted
- 90 g natural yoghurt
- 1 egg - lightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon fresh coriander - chopped finely
Instructions
- Whisk together the flours, onion seeds, salt, sugar and baking powder in a large mixing bowl.
- Add half of the melted butter to the flour mix with the yoghurt and egg.
- Bring the dough together with your hands and knead into a smooth ball.
- Wrap the dough in cling film and leave for 30 minutes on the side in your kitchen.
- Heat up a wide flat bottomed pan.
- Divide the dough into 4 then roll each out into a teardrop shape. Roll the dough in between two sheets of cling film, shaping and patting to repair any tears.
- Heat each naan in the hot dry pan for about 45 second - 1 minute on each side or until brown spots start to appear underneath.
- Brush the naan breads with the rest of the melted butter and sprinkle with coriander. Serve immediately.
Notes
- This recipe was developed using medium sized eggs.
- You can make this recipe dairy-free by swapping the melted butter for coconut oil and the natural yoghurt for coconut yoghurt.
- The 30 minute resting time is not essential but it does help the flours to settle together and create a more cohesive dough to roll out.
- Since the dough is susceptible to cracking and tearing then best results are achieved rolling the dough out in between two sheet of cling film.
- The naan breads don’t keep well and are best eaten straightaway.
Hi Georgina.. love your recipes.
What can I replace the cassava flour with? It makes my stomach hurt every time I eat it. It is the same with bean flours like chickpea.
I saw above you said almond four. Have you tried that yet?
Will anything else be just as or almost as good?
I haven't tried another flour instead of the cassava flour so I couldn't guarantee the results. I might be inclined to try a mixture of sweet rice flour and potato starch instead so you could experiment with that. I would recommend leaving the almond flour in as per the original recipe though.
Can you freeze the cooked naans
Yes you can. Wrap up well and you can freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost fully at room temperature and you can re-heat under the grill, brushed with a little water to keep it moist.
Mine was very thin, did not fluff at all. Tasted ok but would not be able to use it to scoop anything. Possible my baking powder was too old. Or I rolled too thin? You said roll between sheets of cling wrap,but didn't say how thick to roll.
Georgina
Are the black onion seed the same as nigela seeds???
Yes - they are the same.
Love the recipe! My question is why call it a Naan Bread when Naan means bread, ?like Chai tea?
"Naan, meaning bread in Persian"
Yup - totally know what you mean. My only excuse is that I'm a hopeless Brit and that's just what it's always been called round our way.
Hi, can i omit eggs and substitute with chia seeds instead.
Thanks
Hi Anita, I haven't tried that substitution so I can't say for sure.
I didn't have cassava flour so used gf plain flour instead. Delicious!
That's great - thank you!
Thank you so much for this fabulously easy recipe! I didn't have any yoghurt left so I mushed up cottage cheese instead and it worked great! I added in coconut and flaked almonds to try to recreate the peshwari naan. I will keep coming back to this recipe for sure, and can't wait to check out more of yours 🙂
Cottage cheese sounds like an inspired substitution! And I love peshwari naan - yum!!
I cant have nuts or seeds, is there a flour I could use instead of the almond flour? do you think bejan/chickpea flour would work in this recipe?
Hi Jane, almond flour and chickpea flour are both high protein flours so it would be a decent switch but I haven't tried the recipe with chickpea flour so I can't say for sure. Let me know how they turn out.