This No Yeast Naan recipe doesn’t require any yeast or eggs and takes only 30 minutes from start to finish. It also doesn’t need an oven or a tandoor and can be made on the stove in a skillet. This is the answer to all your impulsive cravings!
When the hankering for naan strikes, which is often, this is the recipe I turn to! This is how my grandma would make naan at home and then my mom and now me. The only difference is – my grandma would cook them on an open fire, which gave them that beautiful char and crispy edges that everyone would fight over.
Naans were originally made in tandoors, which is an Indian clay oven. I’ve tested and retested this recipe to mimic that same look and flavour but without one.
Yes, this can be easily done on a home gas stove or electric cooktop.
Try this No Yeast Naan today
- You probably have all the ingredients in your pantry. This recipe only need 5-6 main ingredients that are common in most kitchens
- The actual process of cooking the naan takes all of FIVE MINUTES. The rest is a little kneading time and resting time. Which makes this naan bread super fast to make
- You don’t need an oven for this recipe. It’s actually faster to cook it on the stove.
- The same recipe can be used to make bhaturas, no yeast pizza and kulchas which is why I like to call this my magic dough
- The result is soft, fluffy naans and nobody will believe these are so effortless
Magic Dough
I call this my MAGIC DOUGH because it is so versatile. You can use it for naans, a super fast no yeast pizza, bhaturas (Indian fried breads) and even kulchas.
Yes, it’s the same dough and you can use it FOUR different ways.
Resting Time
The resting time is important here for ingredients like yogurt and baking soda to do their magic. You only need to rest this for about 25-30 minutes. It might take slightly longer if you live in a place with a colder climate. You can go up to two hours if you like. Or refrigerate it for a couple of hours.
Rolling out Naan
A lot of people may be intimidated by rolling out naans. Like I say with every Indian bread – rotis or naans, don’t get hung up on the shape, especially if you are making these for the first time. Just go with the flow, roll it out and cook. You’ll forget what shape they were when you taste these.
Naan Toppings
You can use this recipe to make a variety of naan flavour and use different toppings. Here are some ideas:
- Garlic Naan: This is what I’m making in the video below. You can either press chopped garlic into the dough as I’ve shown you or brush the naan with garlic butter once its cooked or do both for an extra garlicky naan
- Plain Naan: Don’t like anything on your naan? Keep it simple and just brush it with butter or ghee once its cooked.
- Mint Naan: Sprinkle dried mint on the naan or make a dried mint butter to spread on the naan once its cooked
- Cheese Naan: Stuff the naan with cheese before rolling it out
- Chilli Naan: Brush the naan with chilli butter once its cooked or knead some chilli flakes into the dough for an extra spicy kick
This No Yeast Naan is an absolute winner in my book, and definitely tops my list of favourite Indian recipes. I hope it becomes one of your favourites too.
Pair this Instant Naan with
Watch How to make No Yeast Naan Video Recipe
This recipe was originally published on September 16, 2015 and has been updated with new images, a video and an improved recipe
Instant No Yeast Naan in 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour
- 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 teaspoon Sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 cup Yogurt
- 1/4 cup Water
- 1 tablespoon Oil
- 2 tablespoons Garlic chopped
- Sesame Seeds Onions Seeds (for sprinkling and melted butter for brushing)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, sugar and salt. Stir to combine well.
- Add yogurt and oil and knead into the flour. Start adding water little by little and knead as you go till you get a soft, supple dough. You may not need the entire quantity of water so add only as much as you require. If the dough feels too dry, add water by the teaspoon or some extra flour if the dough feels little wet. (watch the video above to see how the dough should feel)
- Cover with a damp towel and set aside in a warm place for 25-30 minutes. If you live in a cold place, rest the dough for 1.5-2 hours. But in warmer climate, 30 minutes is sufficient.
- Heat a flat non-stick pan or skillet or tawa. I love using a cast iron tava.
- Divide the dough into lemon sized balls. Dust a ball of dough in flour. Lightly roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thickness without applying too much force. Use a little dry flour if the dough is sticky. The shape doesn’t matter.
- Brush the top lightly with water, and sprinkle with sesame and onion seeds (kalonji) and chopped garlic. Lightly press so that they stick to the dough. Turn it over, and brush the other side well with water as well – this helps the naan stick to the tawa.
Direct Flame Method:
- Make sure your pan is really hot. Now place the bottom side down on the tawa so that the side with sesame seeds is facing up. Wait for 5 seconds and cover with a lid, which should be big enough to cover the naan. The naan starts forming air pockets. Wait for 45 seconds. Now flip the tawa so that the naan is in direct contact with the flame (watch video to see this in action). Cook the surface of the naan, moving the tava slightly as you go. Once the surface is brown, your naan is ready. Brush immediately with hot butter. Alternatively, you can also use tongs to cook the naan directly on the flame by transferring it once the bottom is cooked.
Induction or Electric Cooktop Method:
- Make sure your pan is really hot. Now place the bottom side down on the tawa so that the side with sesame seeds is facing up. Wait for 5 seconds and cover with a lid, which should be big enough to cover the naan. The naan starts forming air pockets. Wait for 45 seconds and then flip the naan to cook it on the other side. Cook for approx 30 seconds, pressing down lightly to help it cook evenly. The naan is ready. Brush it with butter immediately and serve!
Video
Notes
- Storing and Reheating: These naans can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge once they are cooked. To reheat, warm them on a pan. Microwave will make them dry.
- Dough: The dough can be refrigerated for 1 day.
- Swap Yogurt for Buttermilk: You can swap the yogurt and water for 1/2-3/4 cup Buttermilk as well
- Freezing naans: These naans don’t freeze very well and since they are so quick to whip up, its best to make and eat them when you want
Mine turned out doughy in the middle. Why? It was tasty though.
Hey Evelyn, its important not to roll them out too thick and the thickness should be even throughout. Also, was your pan really hot?
Hi Richa!
You have me coming back to your blog again and again thanks to your super delicious and absolutely doable recipes!
Tried out your No Yeast (magic dough) Naan last night and I have to confess, though I was a little intimidated initially, it was way more easier than it looked. Very delicious, just like restaurant naan. It was a big hit with my hubby too! Thanks once again for all your lovely recipes! Can wait to get cooking on the next one of your recipes! 🙂
Wohooo! Thanks for trying out this recipe SD and leaving a comment. Soooo glad you liked it.
This came out soo soo well that I was amazed with my cooking skills….only to recall that it was Richa’s easy recipe that made this delicious and easy! Not a combination many a times!
You are soooo sweet Shubha! Thank YOU!!
Thanks for this recipe Richa. They were really yum. I did incorporate some of the tips shared below by one of your followers (Dueep Jyot Singh in 2018). That helped too 🙂
Thank you for this great recipe!
Thanks for trying out this recipe and leaving a comment Michael. Soooo glad you liked it!
So easy, and so good! The naans fluff up quite a bit, and the cook method is amazing–we had super thick, super yummy naans with great flavor! Delicious!
Thanks for trying out this recipe and leaving a comment Sangita. Soooo glad you liked it!
Richaaaaa, first of all your bright smile in the video and the love with which you make a dish is just amazinggggg😘
Made Butter chicken and Naan which turned out to be superb, my boys just loved the food. Wish I could send the pics.
You are sooo sweet Swatti! Thank YOU!!
Richaaaaa, first of all your bright smile in the video and the love with which you make a dish is just amazinggggg😘
Made Butter chicken and Naan which turned out to be superb, my boys just loved the food. Wish I could send the pics.
Easy and delicious!
Thanks for trying out this recipe and leaving a comment Camila. Soooo glad you liked it!
Fabulous recipe, video and fabulous result! So delighted!
First of all, I definitely made these wrong (lol). I used part bread flour and part whole wheat flour (the bread flour was an oversight; I thought I was using all purpose flour), and I also didn’t have enough yogurt so I used part yogurt part sour cream. The naan did not form air pockets like it was supposed to and I had to cook multiple minutes on each side (I did not use the direct flame method because I was afraid I’d mess up) but this was probably because of my substitutions… BUT I took one bite and I didn’t mind. They tasted wonderful! I used parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes, onion and sesame seeds. Loved this combination.
Thank you for leaving a comment! Sooo glad you liked it Susan. Also love the additions you make
I love your recipes and your style of writing is unbeatable, waiting for more…..
Thank you so much!
Amazing recipe, thanks for sharing it. Will enjoy trying some of your other recipes, thanks for inspiring.
So happy you liked the recipe Jayshree! Thank you for leaving a comment
Can you use dairy free yogurt?
Yes that’ll work!
I was looking for some instant naan recipes Without yeast..almost every recipe needed rest time of 2 hours but then I came across….”The magical dough” recipe and its indeed magical😊🍽
Tried it for dinner today and these were super soft n yummy.
So happy you liked the recipe Avni! Thank you for leaving a comment
An easy and simple recipe for home-naans and Pizzas. A must try! 👌🏽
Soooo happy you liked the recipe Palash! Thank you for leaving a comment
Naans turned out soft and yummy. This recipe is perfect 👌
Soooo happy you liked the recipe Vidisha! Thank you for leaving a comment
I love the video and the recipe. It’s easy, to the point and tasty. Keep the good work. Kudos!!!
Thank you so much for leaving a comment Gerry! So happy you enjoyed it!
Very easy and absolutely delicious 👍
Thank you so much Swati! So happy you enjoyed it!
Tried out the Naan and it turned out fantastic. Explained nicely in easy to follow steps and easy to make. Thanks for the recipe.
Can’t wait to try it
I hope you like it
I tired it..though I tried other recepies as well earlier but didn’t turned out so well and tried ur recepie today so easy and turned out super well….loved it taste softness its lovely and easiest recepie..
Thank you so much for leaving a comment Meeta! So happy you liked it! I hope you’ll try the other recipes too
I give full 5 stars as it’s actually a magic dough..very easy and result is amazing we had amazingly soft naan …perfect just like restaurant
Thank you so much Shivani! So happy you liked it! I hope you’ll try the other recipes too
I don’t think I’ll ever order these from a restaurant again. Simply amazing!
Wohooo! This made my day Harshita
Great recipe!
Thank you!
Hello
Does it have to be a non stick pan or tava? Could I use a well seasoned iron skillet?
Absolutely! Iron skillet works best
I tried this today on my electric stove and these are so good!
I am so happy it worked with an electric stove and not gas as I was worried it would not go as good.
I’ll need some practice to get them perfect but Thank you so much for the recipe!
Yay! Thats the beauty of this recipe Maryne
Hi Richa
How would I cook this recipe in the oven?
Hey Rashana, I’ve never tried making this in the oven. But pre-heat your oven to 220C and then place the naan on a baking tray. Bake for 4-5 minutes or till the naan puffs up.
How many naans from this?
This should make 6-8 naans depending on how big you make them
Hi, I wanted to ask at what heat should the tawa be when you are making the naan? I tried medium flame and the naan was slightly tough. Maybe low heat?
Hey Rishi, the tawa should be hot when you place the naan on. Then you can reduce the flame slightly while the naan cooks.
Really easy and tasty recipe. I won’t have NV today but my man and son need NV. So decided to prepare butter paneer for me and butter chicken for kids and hubby. Needed a quick recipe to match this side dish. Finally stopped here and prepared Garlic naan with this base recipe. Must say awesome. Everyone liked it very much. No one can find this is a quick version. Amazing…
Thanks so much! So glad you liked it.
I mixed some chopped coriander In the butter, before brushing on top of the garlic naan. As they do in the Punjab, traditionally, instead of butter, they normally use desi ghee. Also, they prick the naan with a fork before placing it on the cast iron tawa so that air bubbles do not get trapped during the cooking process,But then, they do not use a cover to cook The bread, they turn the tawa upside down, on the flame, when one side has been cooked. Do not worry about the garlic , cooked this way getting burned it just gets slightly golden and crisp.Watch where you are placing the tawa above the flame! Not directly. Just to one side… And also, the water with which they do the brushing is salt-water– 2 Small pinches of salt,In a little bit of warm water. This helped it to stick by the sides of the clay tandoor and it is going to do the same, when placed on the tawa.
Thanks for the tips! Sounds great!
I made this tonight, it came out fabulous! Never thought Naan could be this quick and easy. Thank so much.
So glad you liked it!
Thanks Vaidehi, so glad you liked it! And that garlic version sounds heavenly
This was a big hit! My family loved it! Thank you so much Richa! Plus I used finely chopped garlic to make the garlic naan version of the same.. 😛
Hey Bandung, yes you can. Heat your oven to the highest setting possible (Between 220-250 degrees). Place the naan on a silicon mat or greased parchment paper and bake for 4-5 minutes till it starts puffing up and brown spots appear on the top. If you don’t have a tawa, just use a skillet or non stick pan.
Can we use oven for this? If yes, the temperature and the setting? I made the dough, but don’t have tawa
Oh I hope you do Paige! You’ll love it!
If I don have whole wheat flour, how many cups of flour should I use.
2.5 cups of maida or all purpose flour will work
Where did you use wheat flour?
I had tried this recipe sometime in April and I remember the recipe having wheat plus all purpose floor.
Hey Namrata – I’ve updated and improved the recipe since then. You can still add wheat flour in the ratio of 1:2 atta to maida.
This looks so delicious! I have never tried making Naan, but I may have to give this recipe a go! Yum!
Thanks for this recipe
Thanks guys!
Quick bread recipes always get my approval! This looks amazing and so tasty!
I love Naan, this is a great recipe to have on hand, pinning!
I love naan
Richa
Kathryn she totally deserves it for not reading each and every one of my posts as soon as it’s posted 😛 But she’s such a sweetheart. She’ll be thrilled to know that people like this recipe of hers.
Thank Sarah, you are always so sweet 🙂 I was surprised at how easy this is. And fantastic for curries, dals and kababs!
I adore naan but have never made it myself – you’ve just inspired me to give it a try! What a wonderful quick recipe!! Thanks to your mom (and I love that you called her out on not reading – haha!)
This looks amazing -like it takes waaay more than 30 minutes! As always – love all your photography – so beautiful!
Thanks Nisreen. I agree, they are timeless!
Moms recipes are the best… Beautiful photos????????????
Moms recipes are the best… Beautiful photos????????????
Athletic, absolutely, this is crazy easy and crazy delish!
Ramya I loves that board too 🙂
I love making naan bread! Love that this is made in 30 minutes! win-win!
I loves that board!! Since I got to taste this yumminess I have to say this is just awesome!!