This herbed garlic naan will be the best thing you’ve made all day! Made with yogurt or sour cream this light, fluffy naan bread recipe is truly a keeper. Goes perfectly with your favorite curry recipe, soup or as sandwich bread. Garlic naan freezes great… if you have any leftovers that is!
Need a quick, delicious coconut curry lentil soup to scoop up with your garlic naan? This tasty recipe takes about 30 minutes. So easy.
Naan without yogurt? What can I substitute?
Go ahead and substitute sour cream for yogurt if that’s all you have on hand. Yogurt vs sour cream- both work just fine. Yogurt does add a bit more zing but that’s OK, you can make up for any lost flavor with a zesty butter!
Herbs for garlic naan
I’ve found that cilantro, parsley and chives work great in this recipe in any combo. Fresh herbs always win in my book for their bright, fresh flavor but sometimes dried herbs step in to save the day. Note that dried herbs tend to have a more concentrated flavor, but not always.
Substitute salt with Tajin for zestier flavor in your dough. Tajin is just a spice blend of chili, lime and salt. Its not spicy but its so good! I put a photo below so you can see what it looks like.
Zesty garlic butter/oil
Use all butter for the finishing butter if you’d like a richer flavor… or using all oil works too. I prefer to cut my butter with half vegetable based oil so I diversify my fat sources. Cutting butter with oil also keeps it from solidifying so it’s easier to brush onto the naan using a basting brush.
Works great as a dip too or spooned over soup as an extra flavorful garnish.
Substitute the salt, pepper and lemon juice with a teaspoon of Tajin if you’d like. I do it all the time! Addicting.
Freezing naan
This garlic naan freezes so well! I wrap mine, maybe 2 or 3 together, in plastic wrap and store them in gallon sized ziplock freezer bags. I pull them out as needed and zap in the microwave for a few seconds or toss them in a warm oven or toaster oven for a minute or two.
What to serve garlic naan with?
Naan goes great with all kinds of curries, soups/stews, folded for pita style sandwiches, served with dips, as individual pizza crusts, torn into small pieces and toasted to make croutons and more. It’s great just with garlic butter too!
Easy Herbed Garlic Naan
Ingredients
- ½ cup warm water
- 2 tsp yeast (active dry)
- 1 tsp sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup oil (I love avocado oil) melted butter or olive oil work great too!
- ⅓ cup yogurt or sour cream
- 2½-3 cups flour (all purpose)
- 2 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tbsp minced fresh herbs (parsley, cilantro or chives) optional
*optional* Herbed garlic lemon butter
- 2 tbsp Softened butter
- 2 tbsp oil (avocado or olive oil work great)
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder really rounds out the flavors
- 1 tsp minced fresh herbs (parsley, cilantro or chives) reduce to ½ tsp if using dried herbs
- 1 Generous squeeze of lemon more to taste
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Combine yeast, sugar and water. Let it foam up a bit, about 5 minutes.I like to do this in a 2 cup clear measuring cup. I can easily add oil and yogurt without dirtying another dish using the markings on the side.
- Once the yeast is frothy add salt, oil and yogurt. Add egg. Stir to combine.
- Transfer to a large mixing bowl or a stand up mixer. Add flour, garlic and any seasonings. Knead for a few minutes until everything is well incorporated.
- Cover and rise until doubled, about 1 hour. (Cover with plastic wrap or a plate.)I like to nestle mine in a warm place. If I have a nearby pot of soup or a warm oven, the back of the stove top is ideal. A warm laundry room works too! Get creative, If it's cold it will take much longer to rise.
- Once the dough has risen, heat up a skillet over medium heat. The heavier the pan the better. I love using my cast iron skillet.
- Use lightly floured hands to pull dough into about 8 equal sized pieces. Does not need to be exact! Form into balls and flatten them out on a floured surface.I've used my fingers to pull and press flat but find that using a lightly floured rolling pin yields prettier results. Both taste great!For the biggest bubbles try using a rolling pin and flattening them as you need them.
- Add a touch of oil to the hot pan and toss in a flattened naan. I usually find two at a time is perfect. cook 2-3 minutes per side.
- Serve warm. Brush with herbed garlic butter if you'd like! Ohhhh it's SO GOOD.
For the herbed butter
- Simply combine all of the ingredients into a small bowl and whisk together. If you prefer to use fresh minced garlic instead of garlic powder I suggest warming the butter/oils in a small sauce pan over medium heat then adding the fresh garlic. Stir for about one minute. Remove from heat and add the rest of the ingredients.
- Use a basting brush to spread the butter over your naan. If you'd like a more spreadable consistency put it in the fridge for a few minutes. Stir and spread.
Notes
Nothing is better than garnishing your home cooked meals with a handful of home grown herbs! If you’d like to do the same but are not sure how, I’ll show you… it’s fun and easy! Check out this post where I show my 12 month gardening guide and this post where I cover how to grow cilantro indoors.
Enjoy that fluffy, buttery garlic naan! And don’t forget to check out the easy curry lentil soup linked at the top of this post!
XO, Myra
