Gluten free naan bread recipe with 3 ingredients? Yes, it is possible and you’d NEVER believe this is gluten free – honestly! It’s also vegan, dairy free and low FODMAP too.
Gluten free naan bread recipe, anyone? It’s hard to believe, but you can actually make AMAZING gluten free bread dough out of 3 simple ingredients. Can anyone guess what they are before the big reveal?
Yep, you can can make gluten free beautifully soft, gluten free naan bread that tears like a regular naan bread that you’d get in a restaurant.
It’s lovely and crisp on the outside, slightly chewy, but with that soft, fluffy texture inside that’s perfect for mopping up a curry.
And the best part is that because you’re making them yourself, you can flavour them however you like! I went for garlic oil and coriander (low FODMAP FYI!) but you can happily flavour these however you wish.
Ok, ok, I’m getting to the three secret ingredients! They are…
Gluten free self-raising flour, yoghurt and xanthan gum. That’s it! I know it’s hard to believe that just two basic ingredients like that and a little xanthan gum could make actual naan bread, but trust me – it works like magic.
And the best part is that you’d never know that they were gluten free. If you use dairy free yoghurt like I do, that also makes them totally dairy free and vegan too. How crazy is that?
All you need to do is combine the gluten free flour, xanthan gum and yoghurt in a bowl and mix until it forms a dough ball. Then simply roll out on a floured surface and dry fry in a frying pan.
It couldn’t be more simple and easy to make these at home!
Ok, so here’s your shopping list for my gluten free naan bread recipe! See the links further down the post for recommendations on the specific brands of yoghurt I use…
There’s two optional ingredients here too which are gf baking powder for a little extra rise and salt for flavour. I often add them almost superstitiously, but to be quite honest, it doesn’t really need it!
Ingredients for my gluten free naan bread recipe
- 260g yoghurt (I use plain coconut yoghurt, but any plain yoghurt would work)
- 250g gluten free self raising flour
- 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
- 1/2 tsp gluten free baking powder (optional)
- 1/2 tsp salt (optional)
To make a garlic and coriander naan (optional)
- garlic infused oil
- fresh coriander, chopped
- salt
Oh and keep scrolling down this post until you see the recipe card for the method!
And here’s a few answers to some frequently asked questions, as well as a few tips and product recommendations for this recipe. Hopefully this will help you to make this recipe perfect, first time!
Can I make this recipe gluten free? Is it suitable for Coeliacs?
It is gluten free, though nobody would know just by tasting it – trust me!
Bear in mind that minimising cross-contamination is hugely important if you’re Coeliac or making this for someone who is. Here’s some tips from Coeliac UK on minimising the risk of cross contamination.
Also, make sure that all ingredients used don’t have any gluten-containing ingredients. Then make that that they also don’t have a ‘may contain’ warning for gluten, wheat, rye, barley, oats (which aren’t gf), spelt and khorasan wheat (aka Kamut).
Here’s some more info from Coeliac UK on identifying safe gluten free products.
Is your gluten free naan bread recipe dairy free?
Yep, this recipe is dairy free! Simply use dairy free yoghurt – I used Koko dairy free plain yoghurt to make this recipe.
Can I make this recipe vegan?
It is vegan if you use dairy free yoghurt as I just mentioned in the last question.
Is your gluten free naan bread recipe low FODMAP?
Yes! You can easily make this low FODMAP by using lactose free plain yoghurt – that way, it’s suitable for the elimination phase of the FODMAP diet and all other phases too.
Is this recipe nut free?
Yep, this is a nut-free recipe as far as ingredients go, BUTmake sure you check the ingredients label on ALL the products you use to bake this cake just to be safe.
Even if the products don’t contain nuts, they may have a ‘may contain nuts’ warning due to being produced in a factory that handles nuts.
You can never be too careful so always read the labels on everything first.
Do I need any special equipment to make your gluten free naan bread recipe?
Certainly not! Just a frying pan, bowl, a rolling pin, a silicone spatula and a well-floured surface to roll everything out on will suffice. No electronic equipment required!
Having a rolling pin like mine makes this recipe a doddle because you can adjust how thick you want the dough. No more guesswork!
I can’t buy gluten free self-raising flour where I live, can I use gluten free plain flour?
If you use gluten free plain flour, then the baking powder and xanthan gum go from being optional to mandatory. Gluten free self-raising flour naturally has a little xanthan gum and baking powder in it but gluten free plain flour doesn’t, so make sure you add your own.
Can I make this recipe without xanthan gum?
As I said, there’s a little xanthan gum in self-raising flour already that will help to replace the gluten in regular flour. So in a sense, yes you can skip adding more xanthan gum, though I always make mine with it just to be safe. It really helps the texture!
But if you wanted to make this with gluten free plain flour and no xanthan gum, then you’re on your own – I wouldn’t recommend it!
Can I make this recipe using other gluten free flours like buckwheat flour or coconut flour?
There’s a big difference between ‘gluten free self-raising flour’ and a *singular* type gluten free flour. When I say ‘gluten free self-raising flour’ in a recipe, I mean a BLEND of gluten free flours, not just one, singular flour.
Most gluten free flour you buy in the supermarket typically contains a blend of rice flour, potato flour, maize flour, tapioca flour AND buckwheat flour. That’s a lot of different flours!
So to replace it with just one specific type of flour… that’s not going to cut it at all. Definitely go for a gluten free flour blend.
Do I need weighing scales to bake your gluten free naan bread recipe?
In short… yes, yes and yes! And I wouldn’t advise attempting any of my recipes without them. One of the worst things you can do in any baking recipe is alter the quantities by mistake or on purpose.
A lot of work went into fine tuning ratios and quantities so I wouldn’t mess around with them unless you really know your stuff. I’d recommending using digital cooking scales like these so you know you’re getting an accurate measurement.
What yoghurt should I use for this recipe?
It’s totally up to you – I like to keep this vegan and dairy free so I used Koko dairy free plain yoghurt. It also has no high FODMAP ingredients in it.
But if you don’t mind it being NOT dairy free or vegan, feel free to use plain natural yoghurt or greek yoghurt too.
Lactose free plain yoghurt is the best for the elimination phase of the low FODMAP diet.
How long can I keep your gluten free naan bread for?
They’re best eaten fresh as they will start to lose their crisp, freshly baked exterior unless eaten a few hours after baking. However, you can keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-5 days.
Then when you want to enjoy one again, simply reheat in the oven at 200C for 5 minutes. When they’ve got back it’s slightly crisp exterior, they’re done!
Can I freeze them?
Yes! That’s what we usually do with them as I make a batch of 5 at a time. You can keep them in the freezer in an airtight container for up to 2-3 months.
You can cook them straight from frozen by placing them into the oven on a baking tray at 200C for 10-12 minutes. Again, when they’ve got back it’s slightly crisp exterior, they’re done!
Can I freeze your gluten free naan bread dough?
Yes you can! And to be honest, this is probably better than freezing the finished product as they will ALWAYS come out better when freshly baked.
Simply pop your dough into an airtight container and freeze for up to 2-3 months. I like to freeze my dough ready-portioned out in 5 small, separate containers so I have the option of defrosting as much or as little dough as I like at a time.
Simply pop in the fridge and allow to defrost overnight, or leave at room temperature for 5 hours. If you freeze one huge ball of dough without portioning it out, it will of course take much longer to defrost.
Can I reheat these in the microwave?
You can, but I wouldn’t recommend it. They’ll lose their crisp exterior! Of course they’ll still be lovely and soft and flexible, but I’d always recommend reheating these in the oven instead.
Can I reheat these in the oven?
Yes! This is the best way to do it, whether your gluten free naan breads are chilled or frozen. Simply place them onto a baking sheet and pop them into the oven at 200C for 5 minutes from chilled or 200C for 10-12 minutes from frozen.
Troubleshooting
My dough was too wet and sticky to roll. What should I do?
Firstly, it’s supposed to be a little sticky as a formed dough in the bowl. As long as you’re able to bring it together into a ball, when you start rolling it out on a floured surface, the extra flour should make sure it doesn’t stick to your surface, hands or rolling pin.
There’s only two main ingredients here (yoghurt and gf flour) so measuring them out correctly is really important. It’ll stop you from adding in too much yoghurt in the first place and making the dough too wet!
But of course, if you have added too much yoghurt by accident, you can always just add a little extra flour until it’s the correct consistency.
My dough was too dry and cracked and crumbly.
If the dough seems a little crumbly in the bowl, get it out of the bowl and knead it on a floured surface first before adding any extra wet ingredients.
This will ensure that it’s truly combined and there isn’t any yoghurt not properly mixed in at the centre of the dough. A mixture that isn’t combined well enough is usually the main cause of a dry dough. Especially if you measured out all of your ingredients accurately, you should avoid getting dough that’s either too dry or cracks and crumbles.
How do I stop my dough sticking to the surface / rolling pin?
Make sure you roll out your dough on a well-floured surface and also flour your hands and rolling pin. It’ll make all the difference!
My rolled out dough breaks when I try to transfer it to the frying pan.
Since we’re rolling out our dough to be nice and thin, obviously it needs care to get it into the frying pan in one piece.
Using your hands can be very hit and miss. That’s why I recommend using something like a metal cake lifter like this to really get underneath the dough and supporting it as you transfer it into the frying pan.
It’s not mandatory for making this recipe, but it’ll certainly make your life a hell of a lot easier! If you can, using a palette knife also works to first loosen it from your floured surface and also transfer it into the frying pan.
There’s a bit of a burning smell when I’m dry frying my naan breads.
As we’ve just rolled out the naans on a floured surface, when we transfer the rolled out dough to the frying pan, you can easily transfer dusty bits of flour with it.
This dusty flour will cook pretty quick in a hot, dry frying pan and start to burn. It’s best to clean out your frying pan (careful – it’ll be hot!) every now and then if you start to notice a build up of brown dusty flour.
Can I print your gluten free naan bread recipe?
Of course! Just hit the print button located on the recipe below ?? (otherwise you might end up printing this entire post which would probably make your printer go into early retirement)
Oh and here’s a printable version of my gluten-free naan bread recipe. Please remember to give it 5 stars if you tried it and enjoyed it as it helps people know it’s worth trying too! ⭐️
Gluten Free Naan Bread Recipe (vegan, dairy free, low FODMAP)
Gluten free naan bread recipe using 3 ingredients? Yep, it's possible and super easy to make! Plus it's vegan, dairy free and low FODMAP too.
SERVINGS: 5
PREP TIME: 10 minutes mins
TOTAL TIME: 18 minutes mins
PRINT RECIPE
4.70 from 263 votes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 260 g yoghurt I use plain coconut yoghurt, but any plain yoghurt would work
- 250 g gluten free self raising flour
- 1/4 tsp xanthan gum optional
- 1/2 tsp gluten free baking powder optional
- 1/2 tsp salt
To make a garlic and coriander naan (optional)
- garlic infused oil
- fresh coriander chopped
- salt
Instructions
Add all your ingredients into a bowl and mix together. I initially just do this with a spatula and then as it starts to come together I use my hands to ensure it's all pushed into a big ball.
Knead the dough briefly so it's smooth and combined (you might need a little flour if it's a bit sticky, it shouldn't be)
Cut the dough into 5 pieces.
On a lightly floured surface use a rolling pin to roll out your dough. I roll mine to just over 0.5cm thick in a sort of naan shape!
Heat up a frying pan - no oil needed.
Carefully lift up your rolled dough and place it in the heated frying pan (I like to use my cake lifter to lift the dough). Allow to cook on one side for a few minutes, you should start to see some puffing up.
Once some golden browning has occurred, flip the naan and cook for slightly less time on the other side.
Repeat steps 4-7 with your other pieces of dough. If there is any flour in your frying pan that might have burnt in the heat, make sure you wipe out the pan in between each naan.
To make the naan a garlic naan
Brush the naan with a little garlic oil, add some chopped up fresh coriander and a little salt.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 236kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 1031mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g
Thanks for reading all about my gluten free naan bread recipe! If you make it, I’d love to see how it turned out so don’t forget to take a snap of your creations and tag me on Instagram!
Any questions about the recipe? Please do let me know by following me onInstagram and leaving me a comment on a recent photo!
Thanks for reading,
Becky xxx
Oh and don’t forget to pin this for later!
