Buttery Garlic Naan Bread is pillowy soft, chewy with crispy edges, and full of flavor. It’s perfect for sopping up delicious curry sauces and soups like Chicken Korma, Palak Paneer, and Chicken Curry Laksa. It’s also great on its own as a snack or for dunking into chutneys or sauces.

Overhead shot of garlic butter naan on a plate.

What is naan?

Naan is a pillowy soft flatbread from India. It’s traditionally cooked in a tandoor or clay oven. Traditionally, naan can be topped with butter, garlic, onions, coriander seeds, or topped or stuffed with cheese or sweet fruit-and-nut fillings.

You can get creative and top your naan bread with anything you like. Popular toppings I’ve seen lately include Za’atar seasoning mix, Everything but the Bagel seasoning mix, caramelized onions, or pesto.

Lots of people like to make them into Naan Pizza, using the naan in place of the standard pizza crust and topping it with traditional pizza toppings like tomato sauce, shredded mozzarella cheese, and pepperoni or veggies.

This Garlic Naan is topped with a savory garlic butter that makes it impossible to stop eating.

Low angle shot of a pile of garlic naan.

Why you’ll love this butter garlic naan recipe

EASY TO MAKE—This Indian flatbread is super easy to make and requires very little hands-on prep work.
ADDICTIVE—You may not be able to stop yourself from eating the whole batch.
VERSATILE—You can serve garlic butter naan on its own as a snack, offer chutney or other dips to dunk it into, make it into naan pizza, or serve it alongside saucy dishes like Chicken Korma to use to sop up the flavorful sauce.
BASIC PANTRY INGREDIENTS—The ingredients in this garlic naan are basic pantry staples that you most likely already have in your kitchen.
COOKS ON THE STOVETOP—Cooking the naan in a cast-iron skillet on the stovetop makes it super easy, too.

Overhead shot of the ingredients needed to make butter garlic naan.

Ingredients you need

For the complete list of ingredients with quantities and detailed prep and cooking instructions, please see the recipe card that appears at the end of this post.

This Garlic Naan recipe uses basic pantry ingredients, and not even that many of them! Here’s what you need:

Yeast—Use active dry yeast for this recipe.
Sugar—This gives the yeast extra fuel to do its thing.
Milk—This makes the bread nice and tender and pillow-soft.
Yogurt—The enzymes in yogurt aid the leavening process and give the bread flavor.
Neutral oil—Use any neutral flavored oil you like (coconut, avocado, safflower, sunflower seed, canola, etc.)
Baking Powder—This gives a little added leavening.
Salt—Gotta have that flavor balance!
Garlic—Lots of fresh garlic is what this naan is all about!
Butter—Brushing melted butter (that’s full of minced garlic!) on top of the naan just after they’re cooked makes them absolutely to die for.
Cilantro or parsley—A little bit of green makes them pretty and also adds a nice fresh, herby flavor, but it is optional.

A cup of coffee placed on a wooden table, alongside garlic naan.

A metal mixing bowl filled with garlic naan ingredients.

How to make it

For the complete list of ingredients with quantities and detailed prep and cooking instructions, please see the recipe card that appears at the end of this post.

Garlic Butter Naan recipe is surprisingly easy to make! Here’s how:

Proof the yeast in warm water with a little sugar.
Add the milk, yogurt, flour, oil, garlic, baking powder, and mix.
Knead the dough in a stand mixer or with your hands until it is smooth and elastic.
Let rise in a warm spot (like on the countertop in the kitchen or in your oven with the light turned on) for about 2 hours, until it doubles in size.
Divide the dough into 10 pieces, roll them into balls, and let rest for 10 minutes more at room temperature.
Roll each ball out into an oval 3 to 4 inches wide and 6 to 7 inches long.
Cook the ovals in a hot cast-iron or other heavy-bottomed skillet until golden brown.
Mix melted butter, garlic, and cilantro or parsley if using.
Brush the melted garlic butter generously onto the naan bread.
Serve warm and enjoy!

Tips for success

I prefer using a cast-iron skillet to cook Garlic Naan. The superior heat conduction of a cast iron skillet helps get that bubbly, crisp exterior while keeping the bread itself nice and soft inside.
If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, you can use a heavy-bottomed nonstick skillet.
You can store extra Garlic Naan at room temperature in an airtight container or plastic bag for up to 3 days.
You can freeze Garlic Naan in an airtight container or zip-top bag for up to 3 months. Thaw it on the countertop and then heat it in the oven before serving.

Low angle shot of butter garlic naan piled on a white plate.

What to serve with it

I like to serve Garlic Naan with Indian curries like Palak Paneer, Chicken Korma and Butter Chicken or with soups like Chicken Curry Laksa, Dal Soup or Mulligatawny.

It’s also great by itself as a snack or for dunking into sauces like Cilantro Mint Chutney, Cilantro Yogurt Chutney, Tamarind Chutney, Cucumber Raita, or spicy Zhoug Sauce.

Use it to scoop up Kachumber Salad. Serve Samosas, Air Fryer Samosas, Chicken Pakora, or Paneer Pakora alongside because they also go well with these dipping sauces!

If you’ve got leftover Garlic Naan, save it for making naan pizza the next day. To make the naan pizza, simply top with your favorite pizza sauce, cheese, and toppings and bake in the oven.