The Best Buttery Garlic Naan Bread Recipe - Cafe Delites

Maybe your like

Get Free Weekly Recipes →

Home • Recipes

Buttery Garlic Naan Bread Recipe

By Karina Carrel

5 from 61 votes

on Jun 13, 2020, Updated Sep 23, 2025

Jump to RecipeRate Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

Buttery Garlic Naan Bread is so soft and perfect for mopping up curries, like our Creamy Butter Chicken. I guarantee you’ll find it hard to stop at one!

This Garlic Naan Bread recipe is better than the naan you’ll find at the some of the BEST Indian restaurants! These pillowy soft naan breads are so easy, you’ll be making them every weekend. Safe to say, it’s our favourite yeast bread recipe yet!

Top view image of Buttery Garlic Naan Breads on a plate with garlic butter and fresh chopped cilantro

GARLIC NAAN BREAD

This garlic naan bread recipe is our favourite spin on a traditional flat bread from India. Normally baked inside hot Tandoor ovens with charcoal or wood fire, our naan bread recipe has been altered to cook right on the stove in a hot, cast-iron skillet.

We use a combination of yogurt and oil to give them an addictive, soft and fluffy texture and add minced garlic right into the dough to create that unmistakable garlicky flavour. It could just be us but we love the way the garlic pairs with the flavours of traditional Indian curries like Chicken Tikka Masala, Coconut Shrimp Curry and of course, our infamous Butter Chicken.

You’ll be amazed as you watch your dough puff up into glorious, bubbly naan right before your eyes!

NAAN BREAD VS PITA BREAD

Both flatbreads are made with a yeast raised dough, however pita bread has a harder texture when compared to Naan. While pita bread only contains flour, water, yeast, salt and some olive oil; naan is made with a fattier, more enriched dough including ghee (clarified butter), oil, yogurt and sometimes eggs. This gives naan its different texture. While pita is slightly thicker making it perfect to fill with greek meats like our Greek lamb souvlaki.

HOW TO MAKE GARLIC NAAN BREAD

We start off with a basic naan dough, like our super soft naan bread recipe.

First, you’re going to activate your yeast.
Mix all of those ingredients together until the dough comes together with your hands.
Knead until smooth, then transfer to a lightly greased bowl. You can use the same bowl you mixed the dough in to save dishes.
Cover with plastic wrap and let double in size.
Divide dough into 10 balls and roll each piece into large ovals about 6-inches long and 1/8 inch thick. The thinner you roll them, the more air pockets form inside them while cooking.

Get a lightly greased skillet nice and HOT. The high heat makes the dough rise fast and fills the bread with air.
Cook garlic naan bread until bubbles form, then flip and cook until large golden spots appear on the underside. Flatten the breads with a spatula while cooking to ensure they cook through.

Wrap cooked garlic naan bread in a clean kitchen towel and keep them wrapped while cooking remaining bread.
Optional: brush your warm cooked naan with a little melted garlic butter; top with coarse salt and fresh chopped cilantro.

Serve with one of your favourite curries or use them to make wraps. Substitute garlic naan bread for tortillas for quesadillas, or make simple naan pizzas!

HOW TO STORE GARLIC NAAN BREAD

If you plan on storing your garlic naan bread, do not brush them with the garlic butter. When cooked, let cool completely to room temperature to prevent condensation. Transfer to ziplock bags and store at room temperature for up to 2 days, or refrigerate for up to 4 days.

When ready to eat, heat them up on a pan over low-medium heat, or in the microwave for 10 seconds. Brush with garlic butter and enjoy!

FREEZE NAAN

Follow the same steps above (store plain – no garlic butter) and store in the freezer for up to two months. Frozen naan bread thaws quickly at room temperature. Reheat in the microwave or on a skillet over low-medium heat, then brush with garlic butter.

Easy Flatbread Recipe (No Yeast)

Bacon Cheddar Biscuits

Artisan Bread Recipe

Easy Buttermilk Cornbread

If you’re looking for the perfect main dish to enjoy with your Buttery Garlic Naan Bread, my Massaman Beef Curry is a must-try. Rich, aromatic, and full of warm spices, it’s the ultimate cozy pairing for dipping and scooping up every last bite of naan.

Bloody Dip

Spoon lifting hot, melted lasagna dip with gooey cheese.

Lasagna 4 Cheese Dip

picture of an array of tacos, soft shell, hard shells some filled with meat, others with crispy chicken or fish, topped with salsa

Top 10 Recipes to Make Your Next Taco Tuesday Unforgettable!

Basque Cheesecake

Karina in a white and black dress with her hair blowing back, standing in front of her cooktop, cooking salmon in a pan

Get a free eBook!

Subscribe to Cafe Delites FOR FREE and receive recipes straight into your inbox!

Name *Email *Subscribe

SaveSaved Pin Print 5 from 61 votes

Garlic Naan Bread

By Karina Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 10 minutes Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes Servings: 10 naan breads Garlic Naan Breads are so soft and perfect for mopping up curries, you’ll find it hard to stop at one! Just as good as the best Indian restaurants, this will become your new favourite naan recipe! Save this recipe!Get this sent to your inbox, plus get new recipes from us every week!Email *Save

Ingredients USMetric 1x2x3x

NAAN BREADS

▢ 1/4 cup warm water
▢ 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
▢ 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast or instant, rapid rise
▢ 3/4 cup milk warm
▢ 3/4 cup Greek yogurt or natural plain yogurt
▢ 1/4 cup vegetable oil plus 2 tablespoons extra for cooking
▢ 2 cloves garlic minced
▢ 4 cups plain flour plus extra for dusting
▢ 1 teaspoon baking powder
▢ 1 teaspoon salt

GARLIC BUTTER TOPPING

▢ 3 tablespoons butter melted
▢ 2 cloves garlic minced
▢ 1 teaspoon fresh cilantro or parsley, chopped

Instructions

FOR NAAN BREAD

Combine together the water, sugar and yeast. Let sit for 5-10 minutes or until the mixture begins to bubble on top
Add in the milk, yogurt, oil, minced garlic, flour baking powder and salt. Mix until the dough comes together with your hands.
Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Use floured hands to knead the dough until smooth, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Lightly grease the same mixing bowl with a small spray of cooking oil. Transfer dough to the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rest at room temperature for about an hour until doubled in size.
When ready to cook, divide the dough into 10 equal pieces. Roll into balls, then use a rolling pin to roll each piece of dough into a large oval, about 6-inches long and 1/8-inch thick. Repeat with remaining dough.
Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Grease skillet all over with 1/2 teaspoon of the extra oil.
Place one piece of the naan on the oiled hot skillet and cook until bubbles form on top, about 1-2 minutes. While cooking, brush the top with a little oil.
Flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes, until large golden spots appear on the bottom.
Remove from the skillet and wrap in a clean kitchen towel. Repeat with the remaining naan (keep them wrapped in a towel while you work).

FOR GARLIC BUTTER TOPPING

Combine melted butter and minced garlic together in a bowl. Brush each naan with the garlic butter and top with the fresh herb of your choosing.

Notes

Tips: Perfect to serve with Tikka Masala, Butter Chicken or Coconut Curry Shrimp.

Nutrition

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Tried this? Leave a comment below! Like this recipe? Share it with friends!PinFacebookTweetYummlyEmail

Karina eating butter chicken from a gold fork out of a bowl with a nann bread on the side.

Hey Good Food Lovers! It’s nice to see you! My name is Karina. Welcome to Cafe Delites, my beloved space for the last 10 years where my passion for food has flourished and connected millions!

96 Comments

Hello! We love this recipe. Found out recently our middle child has a dairy allergy. Would more water instead of milk work? And even using a milk alternative? For the yogurt, would an almond yogurt work?
Reply
1. Hi Desiree, so happy to hear you love this recipe, yes all the substitutions should work well for a dairy allergy, for the yogurt a plain unsweetened almond yogurt is a great swap. For the mil using an unsweetened milk alternative like almond or soy is the best choice to keep the naan soft. Water might make it a bit tougher. Also just a reminder the garlic topping uses butter, so be sure to use a dairy free butter or olive oil for that part. Enjoy Xx
  Reply
Looooove this recipe. I’ve tried others before but this one has the perfect amount of salt and is delicious every time. Been using it for years. Thank you!
Reply
It’s very good recipe, easy to follow and success 👍🏼 it taste delicious 😋
Reply
Brilliant
Reply
The best recipe!
Reply
Thank you for this recipe, share. It has become my go to for making naan. My family appreciates the turn out of this recipe at every make.
Reply

Comment navigation

Older Comments Karina sitting on island bench wearing a black dress

Hey Good Food Lovers! It’s nice to see you! My name is Karina. Welcome to Cafe Delites, my beloved space for the last 10 years where my passion for food has flourished and connected millions!