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Indian

Garlic butter naan (yeast-free, pan-cooked)

Vegetarian

A quick naan leavened with baking powder, soda and yogurt, cooked in a covered frying pan and finished with garlic and coriander butter. Ready in about 90 minutes, no oven needed.

Garlic butter naan (yeast-free, pan-cooked) is an Indian bread, ready in about 1 hour 35 minutes and made with all-purpose flour, garlic and butter. It serves 6 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking
Appetizing garlic naan bread on a white plate, garnished with herbs.
Photo: Alberta Studios / Pexels · Pexels License
Prep
15 min
Cook
20 min
Rest
1 h
Total
1 h 35 min
Serves
6
Level
Easy
Calories
252

Ingredients

6 naans

For dusting

Garlic butter

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Whisk the flour, baking powder (opens in a new tab), soda, sugar (opens in a new tab) and salt. Add the yogurt (opens in a new tab), milk (opens in a new tab) and oil and knead for 4–5 minutes into a soft, slightly sticky dough. Cover and rest for 1 hour so the gluten relaxes and the soda reacts with the yogurt.

    Eggs being whisked in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Warm the butter (opens in a new tab) with half the garlic (opens in a new tab) over low heat for 2 minutes without browning; stir in the coriander.

  3. Step 3

    Divide the dough into 6, roll each into an oval about 5 mm thick, scatter with the remaining raw garlic (opens in a new tab) and a little coriander and roll once more to press it in.

    Fresh herbs scattered over a finished dish
    How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Heat a heavy frying pan or tawa over medium-high heat. Lay a naan garlic (opens in a new tab)-side up, cover with a lid and cook 1–1½ minutes until bubbles rise and the base has brown patches.

    A flatbread cooking on a hot griddle
    How it looks · Photo: Muhammad Khawar Nazir on Pexels

  5. Step 5

    Flip and cook the garlic (opens in a new tab) side 40–60 seconds until spotted brown (or hold it over a gas flame with tongs if your pan is iron). Brush generously with the garlic butter (opens in a new tab) and keep wrapped while you cook the rest.

    • 10 min
    • medium-high heat

About this dish

Origin
India · Commonly attributedGarlic naan is a popular restaurant variation; this chemically leavened pan version is a modern home method.More food from India
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Breads & flatbreads
Cooking method
Pan-fried, Toasted
Taste
garlicky, buttery, herby
Diet
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredients
All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Child-friendly
Cook more with
All-purpose flour · Garlic · Butter · Baking powder · Baking soda · Sugar
Techniques
Toasting · Pan-frying · Spice roasting (dry-roasting) · Kneading

Allergens

  • Contains: Milkfrom yogurt, milk, butter
  • Contains: Wheatfrom all-purpose flour, baking powder
  • Contains: Glutenfrom all-purpose flour, baking powder

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

252 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 78 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 9%
  • Carbohydrate 58%
  • Fat 33%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g
Energy252 kcal322 kcal
Protein5.8 g7.4 g
Carbohydrate36.5 g46.6 g
Net carbohydrate35.2 g45 g
Sugars2.3 g3 g
Added sugars0.7 g0.9 g
Fibre1.3 g1.7 g
Fat9.1 g11.6 g
Saturated fat4.3 g5.5 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol18 mg23 mg
Sodium482 mg615 mg
Salt equivalent1.2 g1.5 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
117 mg
Calcium
96 mg
Iron
2.2 mg
Magnesium
15 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
61 µg
Vitamin C
2 mg
Vitamin D
0.2 µg
Vitamin B12
0.1 µg
Folate (DFE)
128 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • The lid traps steam and helps the naan puff without an oven.

Common mistakes

  • Browning the garlic in the butter makes it bitter — keep the heat low.

Serve with

  • Good with butter chicken, kadai paneer or dal tadka.

Storage

  • Best fresh; keeps 1 day wrapped.

Reheating

  • Warm in a covered pan for 1 minute.

Variations

  • Cheese garlic naan: Fold grated mozzarella or cheddar into the dough round before rolling.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 3

Baker’s notes

Customise in Bread & Bakery

Timeline and readiness cues

  1. Mix and knead · about 35 min

    Mix only until no dry flour remains — overmixing makes it tough and tunnelled.

  2. Rest · about 1 h

    Covered so it doesn't dry out; relaxed dough rolls and shapes without springing back.

  3. Start to finish: about 1 h 35 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.

If something goes wrong

  • Pale crust

    Likely causes

    • Oven too cool
    • Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
    • Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)

    What to do

    • Check the oven with a thermometer
    • Brush with egg wash or milk
    • Shorten the fermentation
  • Burnt bottom

    Likely causes

    • Tray too close to the heat
    • Dark tray absorbs more heat
    • Too much sugar in the dough

    What to do

    • Bake on the middle shelf
    • Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
    • Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
  • Tough or chewy flatbread

    Likely causes

    • Dough too stiff
    • Not rested
    • Cooked too slowly on too cool a pan

    What to do

    • Add water until the dough is soft and slightly tacky
    • Rest 20–30 minutes covered so the gluten relaxes
    • Cook on a very hot tawa or pan — quickly

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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