Name: Air Fryer Naan Bread
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 3 h 35 min
Yield: 10
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 300ml (1 1/4 cup) milk; 7g (1 tsp) dried yeast; 2 Tbsp sugar; 3 eggs; 300ml (1 1/4 cup) Greek yogurt; 900g plain white flour plus more for kneading and dusting; Scant 1 Tbsp salt; 1 Tbsp baking powder; 3 Tablespoons melted butter or ghee (optional)

Jump to Recipe

If you love a warm, fluffy naan bread then you are in for a treat with this Air Fryer Naan Bread recipe.

After many years of tried and tested naan bread recipes on this blog, you are guaranteed to achieve perfect results with this Air Fryer Naan bread recipe. A crusty exterior with a soft inside perfect for dipping in your favourite curries.

There are so many different ways to prepare naan bread. From Tandoori Naans and Stove Top Naans to Homemade Naans on a Karahi! Now you can try this Air Fryer Naan Bread and expect excellent results.

Yes, I know... 'Naan Bread' means 'Bread Bread' but that is what people search for and I want to ensure everyone who wants to gets to try this air fryer version.

Naan breads served up in a basket — Cooked perfectly every time. Hassle-free naan breads ready for a delicious Indian Feast.

About this Air Fryer Naan Bread

Although the cooking process in this recipe is a long way off the traditional cooking method for naan breads, I have ensured the naan dough is prepared the traditional way and prepared this way gives you the soft and chewy bite you want from a good naan bread.

You can use an instant dough for this recipe instead to save time if you like. Follow this Instant Naan Recipe to prepare the dough in a fraction of the time.

How about a Garlic Air Fryer Naan bread?

Garlic adds an extra delicious flavour to the fluffy and chewy bite of a naan.

I love a buttery garlic naan with my curries. You can add Garlic to this recipe at the end of the cooking process. You can fry some garlic and prepare a garlic butter for the top just like it is done in this Garlic Naan recipe.

Or place some chopped garlic and butter on the naan at the end of cooking. Be sure to watch it though so that you don't burn the garlic.

Can I freeze Air Fryer Naan Bread?

Yes absolutely. You can freeze leftover dough or already cooked naans.

If you are wanting to freeze the leftover dough then sepearate the dough into portion sizes and wrap individually in clingfilm. Defrost fully before rolling it out and preparing as per the instructions below.

To freeze cooked naans, let the bread cool completely, then place it in a freezer bag or airtight container and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat, defrost fully and then warm it in the air fryer for a few minutes until heated through.

Pro Tips:

Preheat Your Air Fryer: Just like with an oven, preheating some but not all air fryers is essential for even cooking and achieving that perfect texture. Preheat it to around 180C/350F for a few minutes before adding your naan bread.

Cooking Time: Air fryers can vary in temperature and cooking times, so it's essential to monitor your naan bread closely. Typically, naan bread cooks quickly in an air fryer, around 5-6 minutes but it's a good idea to flip the naan halfway through cooking to ensure even browning.

Experiment with Toppings and Flavours: Don't be afraid to get creative with your naan bread! Brushing it with garlic butter, sprinkling it with herbs like coriander (cilantro) or parsley, or even adding fillings just like these Peshwari Naans or Keema Naan Recipe.

Step by step photographs...

Yeast that has activated. — Mix the sugar and yeast with the hot milk. Set it aside for about 30 minutes or until it becomes frothy.

mixing liquid ingredients together in the bowl. — Whisk the eggs and yoghurt together in a separate mixing bowl. When the yeast has frothed up, add this to the bowl and stir.

dry ingredients in the bowl. — Sieve half of the flour, add the baking powder, salt and onion seeds (if using).

Wet dough nearly ready — Mix the dough until smooth and it has no lumps.

dry dough nearly ready — Add the remaining flour.

Kneading dough. — The dough will still be quite wet. Add just enough flour so that it is manageable to knead for 5 minutes.

Finished dough ready to rise. — Return the dough to the bowl, cover and allow to rise for a few hours or over night.

Dough proving. — When ready to use, knead the dough for a further few minutes then separate the into 10-12 smaller balls. Allow to rest for at least 30 minutes.

Rolling out naan bread. — Roll out each individual dough ball into a shape that will fit into your air fryer.

Air Fryer Naan Bread cooking — Place in a preheated air fryer and (180C/350F) and cook for 3 minutes, flip them over then cook for a further 3 minutes.

delicious Air Fryer Naan Bread ready to serve — Brush with melted ghee or butter. Serve warm and enjoy!

If you like this Air Fryer Naan Bread recipe, you might like to try some of these air fryer recipes too…

Air Fryer Shrimp

Air Fryer Whole Tandoori Chicken

Air Fryer Samosa

Air Fryer Chicken Shawarma

Air Fryer Bang Bang Chicken

Air Fryer Chicken Tikka

Air Fryer Onion Bhajis

Have you tried this Air Fryer Naan Bread recipe?

If yes, please give it a star rating in the recipe card below and leave a comment. I love receiving your feedback and I’m sure other readers of my blog do too. Thank you.

If you are not already doing so, please follow The Curry Guy on Instagram and Facebook for all our latest recipes.

Yield: 10-12

Air Fryer Naan Bread

Expect perfect results every time with this Air Fryer Naan Bread recipe. Warm, fluffy and chewy, perfect to accompany your favourite curry. The preparation time does not include the time it takes to prove the dough.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Additional Time 3 hours

Total Time 3 hours 35 minutes

Ingredients

300ml (1 1/4 cup) milk
7g (1 tsp) dried yeast
2 Tbsp sugar
3 eggs
300ml (1 1/4 cup) Greek yogurt
900g plain white flour plus more for kneading and dusting
Scant 1 Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp baking powder
3 Tablespoons melted butter or ghee (optional)

Instructions

Heat the milk in a jug in the microwave until it is hand hot. Stir in the yeast and sugar and cover with a cloth. Place in a warm place for 30 to 60 minutes to awaken the yeast. It will become quite frothy.
While the yeast is foaming up, whisk the eggs in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the yoghurt and whisk until smooth. Once the yeast has bubbled up, pour it all into the bowls with the eggs and yoghurt. Whisk again until smooth.
Now mix the baking powder and salt with the flour and sift half of it over the liquid mixture. You can mix this all by hand in the bowl or pour it all into a stand mixer which is easier.
The dough will be way to sticky to handle. Add just enough flour so that you can work it into a soft dough that is sticky but not sticking to your hands. You might need to add quite a lot more flour but add it slowly so that you have a soft dough. If you add too much, you will have a stiff dough that isn’t good for naans.
Knead this hard for about 5 minutes and then form into a large, neat dough ball. Place the dough ball in a mixing bowl and cover. Allow to rise for a few hours or overnight.
Once the dough has risen, punch in down and knead for another few minutes. Then separate the stick dough into 8 to 10 smaller, equal sized pieces. Knead each a little and form in neat balls and rest for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat your air fryer to 180°C/400°F. Spray your air fryer basket with a little oil and roll one of the dough balls out into a circular or oblong naan and then cook for 3 minutes at 180C/350F. Flip your naan over and cook for a further 3 minutes. The naans need to cook in one layer so you may need to work in batches and keep the cooked naans warm.
Brush with melted butter or ghee to serve if you like.

Notes

Roll your naan breads to fit your air fryer shape. If you have a particularly small air fryer you may need to reduce the size of each dough ball so that they aren't too thick. Aim for 1/2 cm to 1 cm thickness in this recipe.

Air fryers can vary in temperature and cooking times, so it's essential to monitor your naan bread closely.