This instant naan recipe can be made quickly for that last minute fresh naan craving!
If you want to make restaurant quality naans at home, this instant naan recipe will get you those results. Using self-raising flour is the trick and it’s how naans are prepared at most restaurants. I do have a lot of delicious naan and chapati recipes for you to try here on the blog but this is the quickest!
These naans are amazing served as a side for curry house style curries and other curries. They are also delicious used as wraps for chicken tikka and lamb tikka with a good homemade chutney or raita.
You can make homemade naans like these in minutes.
How is this instant naan recipe different?
No yeast is required to make this instant naan recipe and you can make your naans in about 30 minutes. At busy curry houses, it is nearly impossible to know just how many naans they might need every evening.
There is a lot of profit in naans so the chefs don’t want to run out of dough. There isn’t the time to prepare more authentic recipes using dry yeast and/or yoghurt so they make the dough just like this recipe.
Are these instant naans better than authentic?
As mentioned above, these are just like you get at most curry houses. So there is a good chance you will recognise the flavour and texture. These instant naans are really good and you might even prefer them to more authentic methods.
Working ahead…
Although this instant naan recipe can be prepared from start to finish in about 30 minutes, you can and should work ahead if time allows.
By preparing the dough balls a day or so ahead of time, you will get even better results. Letting the dough rest, covered with plastic wrap will improve the flavour and also make it easier for you to work with the dough.
How to cook Instant naans
If you have a tandoor oven, use it. That’s how I usually cook this instant naan recipe. That said, they are also very good cooked in a frying pan!
I have featured photographs and instruction on how to do this below. I’m telling you, these instant naans are so much better than anything you can purchase.
How does this instant naan recipe work?
The idea behind this instant naan recipe is to prepare the dough using ‘bakers measures’. This means using equal amounts of dry and liquid ingredients. If using 250g of flour, you need to use 250ml of liquid. So this naan recipe can easily be upscaled or downscaled.
I demonstrate this instant naan recipe at all of my cooking classes and it is always a big hit. For the classes, we make this small version of the recipe but I also make a large batch which we cook in the tandoor.
How to you upscale the recipe?
To make the large batch, I use 1 kilo of flavour and a litre of liquid. Where I use only one egg in this small instant naan recipe to serve 4 to 6, for the large batch, I use three.
Stick to the rule of equal amounts of dry and wet ingredients – roughly speaking – and you can scale this recipe up and down easily.
That dough looks more like a batter than a dough!
That’s right. The dough is very wet, like full fat cream when you first make it. That is how it is stored and restaurants. If you keep it covered in the fridge for one or two days, it comes alive and the flavour gets even better.
This is an instant naan recipe, however that you can make on a whim and enjoy fresh naans immediately.
This instant naan recipe will get you restaurant quality results, every time!
Can the dough be frozen?
Yes! You can freeze it wet or roll it into balls with more flour. Then place in the freezer, covered tightly. This instant naan recipe can be frozen for up to 6 months.
How to make these instant naans
When you want a naan, just take some of the dough and slowly add flour until it is soft and slightly sticky to the touch dough ball. It should be sticky but not sticking to your hands and soft enough that you can form it into a flat naan without the need to use a rolling pin.
Place the flattened naan in a hot frying pan and wait until big bubbles form. If cooking over gas, you can turn the pan toward the flame to char the top some. If not, you could just flip it over but some of the bubbles will deflate.
Special instructions if cooking over gas…
Cooking over gas will get you the best results. That or an open flame on a barbecue. To do so, use a pan that is not non-stick.
Lightly wet the underside of your naan and then slap it into the pan. The naan will stick securely to the pan. Doing this will allow you to be able to turn the naan toward the flame to brown it.
Then just use a metal spatula to pry the naan off which should come off easily once cooked.
Pro Tips
- If you are not in a rush, prepare the dough balls or just the dough a day or two ahead of cooking. The flavours will develop and your instant naans will be even better.
- You don’t really need to knead the dough but do work with it some. Each dough ball should be soft, easy to flatten and not so sticky that it is sticking to your hands.
- Use a pan that is not non-stick. This is most important if cooking over gas as you can turn the naans toward the flame to char them.
Here are all the ingredients you need. Get them all together before starting. It’s easier that way.
Pour the liquid, onion seeds, salt and sugar in a bowl.
Slowly add the flour, stirring as you do.
The dough will be very wet. Too wet to use.
Add more flour when ready to cook your naans. I used about 7 handfuls.
Divide the dough and form into balls. The dough should be soft enough to flatten without a rolling pin.
Cook the naan in a very hot pan until bubbles form.
Turn the pan over if you have a gas burner. Otherwise, just flip the naan.
Toast the top to your preferred doneness.
If you like this instant naan recipe, you might like to try some of these naan recipe too…
Naan Recipe - Instant and Delicious Stovetop Naans
Ingredients
- 250g (2 cups) self-raising (self-rising) flour, sifted plus extra as needed
- 125ml (1/2 cup) warm full-fat (whole) milk
- 110ml approx. (scant 1/2 cup) water
- 1 1/2 tbsp caster (superfine) sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1 1/2 tsp nigella seeds (black onion seeds)
- 35ml (1/8 cup) rapeseed (canola) oil
- Ghee or butter, for brushing
Instructions
- Pour the milk and water into a large mixing bowl. Add the eggs, salt, sugar and nigella seeds and whisk well.
- Now start pouring in the flour, whisking as you do. Once you’ve added all the flour, it will still look very soupy and far too wet to work into dough balls.
- I recommend covering the dough at this time with a wet cloth and letting it sit for at least 3 hours or overnight for best results. That said, you could just jump right into finishing the recipe at this stage.
- When ready to cook your naans, slowly start adding more self-rising flour. The idea here is to add just enough flour so that the dough is workable. For reference, I ended up adding about 7 handfuls of flour.
- It should be very soft and slightly sticky but not so sticky that it sticks to your hands. If it does, dust with a little bit more flour until you can easily divide and form the dough into six spongy dough balls.
- Once your dough balls are formed, you could let them sit, covered for about 30 minutes but again, you could push forward and make your naans immediately.
- As the dough is so soft, you shouldn’t need a rolling pin. Dip you fingers in the oil and this start patting the first dough ball to flatten it. Continue slapping it until it is thin and flat. Repeat with the remaining dough balls.
- Dust off any excess flour and then lightly brush the tops of the naans with oil.
- Heat a dry frying pan over a medium–high heat and slap the first naan into it, oil side up. As it cooks, bubbles will form on the top and it will begin to look like a
real naan! - If you have a blow torch, use it to brown and blacken the bubbles. If you are cooking on gas, and have a cast irong pan, you could also do as I did in the picture above and turn the naan toward the flame. Another option would be to just flip it over. This will pop a lot of the bubbles but the naan will still be delicious. Brush with a little melted ghee to serve.
- Keep warm and repeat with the remaining naans.
Tracy
Friday 10th of February 2023
Hi Dan, could you tell me the best way to add the coconut etc to make the peshwari naan, thanks
Dan Toombs
Saturday 18th of February 2023
Just mix it into the dough. Thanks Dan
Mark
Saturday 4th of February 2023
Yep, it really works! And I'm very demanding about my naans. Not quite up the best curry house standards but very good nonetheless, which I haven't come close to with any other recipe. It takes a keema filling very well, too. The dough (minus nigella seeds) also works extremely well asa pizza base. Scorch side one, flip over to just get a light skin on side two, then top and put under a hot grill.......
Dan Toombs
Tuesday 7th of February 2023
Thanks very much for letting me know, all good to hear. Dan
Liz Hardwick
Friday 27th of August 2021
Out here on the West Coast of Canada we can't get self raising flour. Live a hour from the nearest town so buy my flour in 20kg bags - go shopping about every two months. Going to have to make up a batch of SR Flour just to try these naans, much quicker than the recipe I have been using. Also have a bread recipe that uses some old dough kept back at least 24 hours and it makes such a difference to the flavour.
Dan Toombs
Sunday 29th of August 2021
Thanks for your message, that is certainly dedication so hopefully the end result will be worth it. They are good! Dan
Chrissy
Tuesday 2nd of March 2021
I didn't know what to do with the oil so i put it in with the rest of the ingredients. Didn't realise it was just for your hands. They still came out bubbly and fab!
Dan Toombs
Thursday 4th of March 2021
Great it worked, nothing wrong with an extra bit of oil! Thanks Dan
Ben
Tuesday 16th of February 2021
Hi Dan,
Just attempted this for the first time, but my whisked mix ended up very very tough. Added a full cup more of milk (misreading thinking I’d missed off when looking at cups of flour). The new mix now looks like your but must be wrong as it’s got triple milk 🙈
Are the written amounts the same as what you did in the video?
Not sure where I went wrong at first
Dan Toombs
Wednesday 17th of February 2021
You just need to add enough milk to make it the right consistency as my video on Facebook and Utube. The amount of liquid to add varies depending on lots of factors but it sounds like you got there in the end. Thanks Dan