Who doesn’t love using naan to soak up the fragrant sauce of a delicious curry? This onion- and jalapeño-studded garlic naan recipe is easy to make, dairy-free, and far tastier than the store-bought versions, which often contain milk or yogurt. Enjoy on its own as an afternoon snack, or fix yourself an entire Indian feast from scratch!

Tip: Naan will freeze well for up to a month. To freeze, layer parchment paper between naans and place in an airtight container. Reheat in an oven or toaster oven.

By Darshana Thacker Wendel,

Ingredients

  • 2½ cups unsweetened, unflavored plant-based milk
  • 1 tablespoon date paste or pure cane sugar
  • 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
  • 3½ cups + 2 tablespoons white whole wheat flour, plus more for dusting
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ cup sliced onion
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped jalapeño pepper
  • ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Instructions

  • Heat 2¼ cups of the milk until hot but not boiling (120°F to 130°F). Pour hot milk into a food processor fitted with a dough blade or a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add date paste and yeast; stir to combine. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the flour over milk mixture. Cover and set aside in a warm place at least 10 minutes or until frothy.
  • In a large bowl combine the remaining 3½ cups flour and the salt. Add flour mixture to milk mixture and process or mix on low speed 2 to 3 minutes or until a dough begins to form. Add half of the onion, garlic, and jalapeño. Process or mix 2 to 3 minutes more or until dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl and is not sticky.
  • Transfer dough to bowl and cover with a clean, damp cloth. Set aside in a warm place 45 to 60 minutes or until dough doubles in size.
  • Preheat oven to 525°F. Place a pizza stone or an upside-down baking sheet on the oven’s top rack. Line three baking sheets with parchment paper; dust each liberally with flour.
  • Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface. Divide dough into 16 equal portions and roll them into balls. Use a rolling pin to roll balls into 6x4-inch ovals and transfer to prepared baking sheets. Loosely cover with damp towels and set aside in a warm place to rise 10 minutes.
  • In a medium bowl stir together the remaining ¼ cup milk; the remaining onion, garlic, and jalapeño; the cilantro; and lemon juice. Dust a pizza peel, plate, or upside-down baking sheet with flour.
  • Place two dough ovals on pizza peel. Spread a layer of milk mixture on each. Quickly transfer ovals onto the hot pizza stone or baking sheet in oven. Bake 90 seconds or until naans puff up and show slight browning on top. (Don’ t let them get too brown or they will be dry on the inside.) Transfer to a platter lined with a clean kitchen towel; wrap to keep them warm. Repeat with remaining dough and milk mixture. Serve warm.

Comments (12)

(4 from 3 votes)

Recipe Rating

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Ps

Why are there no responses to the questions? They are all really good questions

Kim

I would like to use my sourdough starter in place of the instant yeast. What would you recommend?

Sarah Stegall

Not very useful for those of us who do not have a stand mixer or a dough blade on a food processor. Do you have a more low-tech version not requiring the use of machines? Thanks.

Sherry

Very simple and easy to use

Jojo

Kneed it by hand like grandma used to do. Nothing technical about that

Donna

This dough is very soft even though I added flour. Very tasty though

Mary

Can I use GL flour?

Debbie Bedard

Please let me know if gluten free flour can be used also clarity on temperature to cook

Sp Fernandez

Wish u had gluten free alternatives, not purchased mixes but with sorghum, spelt, etc.

Celeste

Spelt is not gluten free. You could use spelt flour for this recipe.

Noemi

Yeast needs gluten to rise. It would have to be a whole different kind of recipe.

Maria de las Rosas

My oven only goes to 500. Is this supposed to read 425 degrees?

About the Author

Headshot of Darshana Thacker

About the Author

Darshana Thacker Wendel

Darshana Thacker Wendel is a whole-food, plant-based chef and former culinary projects manager for Forks Over Knives. A graduate of the Natural Gourmet Institute, she is the author of Forks Over Knives: Flavor! She created the recipes for Forks Over Knives Family and was a lead recipe contributor to the New York Times bestseller The Forks Over Knives Plan. Her recipes have been published in The Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease Cookbook, Forks Over Knives—The Cookbook, Forks Over Knives: The Plant-Based Way to Health, and LA Yoga magazine online. Visit DarshanasKitchen.com and follow her on Instagram for more.
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