Gluten Free Naan Vegan Flatbread

You may have noticed from my blog, that I love wholesome, hearty dishes like soups, stews, curries, etc. What do all of those dishes have in common? They are just begging for some bread to mop up the juicy sauces (yum x1000). This is where this deliciously fluffy gluten-free naan bread comes in! While naan bread is often served alongside Indian cuisine, this flatbread has origins across Asia and the Middle East.

Quick, Gluten-Free Naan Bread (No Yeast!)

With just six base ingredients, 1 bowl, a rolling pin, a frying pan, and not much time at all, you can whip up fluffy and flavorful vegan naan. The results are a soft, flexible, and tender pan-fried Indian flatbread. Yes, traditionally, this Indian naan is cooked in a tandoor oven. However, you’ll be amazed how quick and impressive these pan-fried versions are. Best of all – this is a super quick naan recipe thanks to the fact that it’s yeast-free! You can fry up a whole batch in no time at all.

Is Naan Vegan?

Traditionally, this Indian bread is not vegan friendly. It often contains ghee or butter, yogurt, milk, and even eggs. Luckily, this naan recipe is not only gluten-free, but it’s also 100% vegan. I have been working on this recipe for many months, trying out different flour combinations, etc. Honestly, it’s not easy to make vegan, gluten-free naan without yeast, and the result can never be identical to “regular naan” because of all these dietary restrictions. However, finally I am happy with the outcome! Here are the ingredients that you will need:

How To Make Gluten-Free Naan?

Step One: Combine Dry Ingredients

Add the flour, baking powder, and salt to a medium-sized bowl and stir to combine.

Step Two: Add Wet Ingredients

Pour in the warm water, yogurt, olive oil, and aquafaba. Stir with a spoon, then use your hands to gather and knead the dough. It should be soft and pliable, more on the wet side but not too sticky.

Step Three: Make 4 portions

Divide the dough into four portions (by eye or by weight) and sprinkle the work surface liberally with tapioca flour.

Step Four: Roll Out The Dough

Preheat a large skillet over high heat. Meanwhile, roll out each dough ball with a rolling pin (or glass) into an oval/teardrop naan shape. Add a little more tapioca flour if needed to avoid sticking.

Step Five: Cook it

Once the skillet is hot, add the flatbread and cook it with a lid for a few minutes until bubbles begin to form on the surface (for me, that was around 3 minutes). Then flip the naan and let it cook for a further few minutes before removing it from the pan. Repeat this step with the remaining naan. Serve them warm drizzled with a little oil or vegan butter, crushed garlic, salt, and fresh herbs (like parsley). Enjoy! For the full ingredients list, ingredient measurements, and nutritional information, read the recipe card below.

How To Serve Flatbread

This vegan naan is perfect served alongside hearty, saucy dishes like curries, stews, and soups. Some of my favorite options include:

Easy Red Lentil Dahl (Masoor Dal) – pictured below Sweet Potato Curry with Spinach Easy Potato Curry Easy Veggie Stew Recipe German Potato Soup (Kartoffelsuppe) Vegan Broccoli Cheese Soup

You can also top this gluten-free flatbread with this French Onion Dip, add some grated vegan cheese, then bake or broil it! So yummy!

How To Make Ahead & Store

To Make Ahead: The prepared gluten-free naan bread dough can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. That way, you can bake them fresh every day as and when needed. However, since the dough is gluten-free, it will dry out a bit. The dough is also freezer friendly for up to 3 months and can be thawed overnight in the fridge before using. You can freeze as smaller, portioned sections for faster freezing/thawing. To Store: These gluten-free naans are best eaten immediately while warm for the best crispy, fluffy texture. However, feel free to keep leftovers in an airtight container for between 2-3 days (though they will dry out, so I do not recommend it). Reheat the naan in the oven for 5-8 minutes at 200C/ 390F until warmed and slightly crisp, or place back in the skillet for a few minutes (be careful not to burn them!). Using a microwave will lose its crisp exterior, so it’s not recommended. To Freeze: The cooked bread is also freezer-friendly for up to 3 months and can be reheated from frozen at 200C/ 390F for 10-15 minutes.

Useful Recipe Notes

Gluten-free flour: You can use a store-bought gluten-free flour blend (e.g., Bob’s Red Mill GF 1:1 baking flour) or even self-raising gluten-free flour (skip the baking powder if using self-raising flour). I made my own GF flour blend with the following ingredients: 60 g precooked corn flour (e.g. Masarepa), 40 g tapioca flour, and 40 g white rice flour). I wouldn’t recommend using almond flour or coconut flour in this recipe. If you aren’t gluten-free, you can use regular all-purpose flour or spelt flour. Depending on the flour, you might need to adjust the liquid. I recommend using less water, you can always add more if needed. Aquafaba: It’s the clear liquid in a can of chickpeas. It adds moisture and acts as an egg replacement. You can replace it with more yogurt if you don’t want to use it. Dairy-free yogurt: I used soy yogurt, but any yogurt should be fine, i.e. coconut yogurt. I replaced the yogurt once with canned coconut milk and the dough turned out softer but a little more brittle when shaped. The naan was still tasty but not as fluffy as with yogurt.

More Tips & Variations

You could optionally add a teaspoon of nigella seeds/black onion seeds to the batter for the authentic Indian bread naan flavor. Keep the gluten-free flatbread covered with a tea towel to keep them warm and fresh before serving. If you prefer the Indian flatbread to be crispy, I recommend cooking it without a lid. For a softer, and flexible bread, cook it with a lid. To make stuffed naan from this recipe, you can either roll the dough out thinner, spread the filling, and then fold it over and seal the dough. OR divide the dough into two pieces and roll into the same shape, then top one with the filling (e.g. sauteed spinach, pureed spiced potato, etc.) and then top with the other piece of dough and seal. Then fry as usual (I haven’t yet tried this myself). For a low FODMAP version, you can use garlic-infused olive oil rather than garlic. Make sure to use a low-FODMAP flour blend (i.e., oat flour or cassava flour- which may need a little extra liquid). Use a plain, low-FODMAP yogurt too. Make a sweet Peshwari naan by adding 1-2 tbsp of shredded coconut and some finely diced dried apricot to the dough before baking. You may need an additional tbsp or so of yogurt.

Gluten-Free Pita Bread Potato Flatbread (Gluten-Free) The Best Gluten-Free Bread Gluten-Free Light Buns Multigrain Bread Rolls (German Brötchen) Easy Spinach Tortillas Recipe Gluten-Free Tortillas Gluten-Free French Bread (Baguette Recipe)

If you give this gluten-free naan recipe a try, I’d love a comment and ★★★★★ recipe rating below. Also, don’t forget to tag me in re-creations on Instagram or Facebook with @elavegan #elavegan – I love seeing your recreations.