These Vegan Naan Breads are made using coconut based dairy-free yogurt for soft naans that are perfect served with your favourite curry. Get the recipe below.
Indian flat breads
Nothing beats the warm, pillowy softness of freshly made naan bread. Whether you're pairing it with a fragrant curry, using it as a wrap, or enjoying it on its own, this vegan naan bread recipe will quickly become a staple in your kitchen.
Made with just a few simple ingredients - strong white bread flour, coconut yogurt, fast-action dried yeast, water, and salt - this recipe delivers all the flavour and texture of traditional naan without any dairy. Plus, it’s incredibly easy to make at home!
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Ingredients
To make these delicious vegan naan breads, you only need 6 simple ingredients:
- Strong White Bread Flour – This gives the naan its perfect chewy texture. The high protein content helps develop gluten, which results in a soft yet sturdy bread.
- Coconut Yogurt – A dairy-free alternative that provides moisture, tenderness, and a subtle richness to the naan.
- Fast-Action Dried Yeast – Essential for giving the bread its signature airy rise.
- Water – Helps bind the ingredients together and hydrates the flour to create a soft dough.
- Salt – Enhances the flavour and strengthens the dough structure.
- Nigella seeds – A classic additon to naan breads which have a slightly bitter taste.
I top my naan with a little garlic butter and fresh parsley too.
How to make Vegan Naan Breads
1. Mixing the Dough
Combine the strong white bread flour, fast-action dried yeast, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the coconut yogurt and gradually mix in the water until a soft dough forms.
2. Kneading
Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead for about 8-10 minutes until it becomes smooth and elastic. Kneading helps develop gluten, which gives the naan its chewy texture.
3. Resting
Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover it with a clean kitchen towel, and let it rest for about an hour or until it doubles in size. This resting period allows the yeast to work its magic, making the dough airy and soft.
4. Rolling Out
After the dough has risen, punch it down and divide it into equal portions. Roll each portion into an oval or round shape, about ¼ inch thick.
5. Cooking
Heat a dry pan over medium-high heat. Cook each naan for about 1-2 minutes on one side until bubbles form, then flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes. The high heat creates the classic charred spots and gives the naan its signature texture.
Substitutions
- Flour – If you don’t have strong white bread flour, you can use all-purpose flour, though the texture may be slightly less chewy.
- Coconut Yogurt – Any unsweetened dairy-free yogurt, such as soy or almond yogurt, will work.
- Yeast – If you only have active dry yeast, dissolve it in warm water with a pinch of sugar before adding it to the flour.
Variations
- Garlic naan – Mix minced garlic into the dough or brush cooked naan with garlic-infused oil.
- Coriander naan – Add chopped coriander to the dough for extra flavour.
- Stuffed naan – Fill your naan with spiced mashed potatoes, vegan cheese, or sautéed onions for stuffed naan.
Storage
You can keep your cooked naan breads at room temperature for up to 2 days so long as they're in an air tight container.
They will last a little longer (up to 5 days) if you refrigerate them but you will want to warm them up before serving.
If you want to keep them much longer you can freeze the naan breads for up to 3 months and reheat them in the oven before serving.
Serving suggestions
You might want to serve these naan breads with some of my other favourite Indian inspired recipes:
Top Tips
- Use warm water to activate the yeast properly.
- Roll evenly to ensure the naan cooks uniformly.
- Cook on high heat for that authentic charred effect.
- Brush with melted vegan butter for extra softness and flavour.
FAQ
Check that your yeast is fresh and that your water was warm but not too hot (hot water can kill yeast).
The recipe
Vegan Naan Breads
Ingredients
- 275 g strong white bread flour
- 10 g fast action dried yeast
- 125 g vegan coconut yogurt
- warm water
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 tablespoon nigella seeds 1 tablespoon for the dough, 1 for topping
- 2 tablespoon vegan butter
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix the flour, yeast, salt and 1 tablespoon of the nigella seeds.
- In a jug, mix together the yogurt and water.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until it forms a dough.
- Knead the dough for 8 - 10 minutes until it forms a smooth, springy ball of dough.
- Place into a greased bowl for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
- Once risen, knock back and divide into 8 equal sized pieces.
- Roll out until ¼ of an inch thick into round or oval shapes.
- Heat a frying pan on a high heat.
- Add the first rolled out naan to the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes on one side until bubbles form, then flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
- Repeat for each of the naan breads.
- In the meantime, heat the butter and minced garlic in a small pan until the butter is melted and garlic is fragrant.
- Once the naans have finished cooking, brush with the garlic butter.
- Sprinkle over the remaining nigella seeds and parsley and serve.
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