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Vegan Gluten free Naan Flatbread. Grain-free Naan Recipe. No Yeast. 6 Main Ingredients, 1 Bowl, and 20 Minutes. Serve with curries or slice and serve with dips or add to bowls. Soyfree Nutfree options. Jump to Recipe
We always need a good, fluffy, soft Naan flatbread to serve with curries, soups, stews or dips. My favorite Naan is obviously the one with gluten. But this one today is totally gluten-free! This Gluten free Naan has no grain, no yeast, no egg, no nuts, no need to sit and rise, no need to roll out. They are super quick and simple!
They need 1 Bowl, 6 Main ingredients and are ready within 30 mins. Just whisk the batter, spread on parchment lined sheet, add toppings and bake!
These flatbreads are soft and pliable when warm and will tend to dry out or get more cakey as they sit. Cover and store. I prefer the baked version, but you can make them on a cast iron skillet as well. See notes. To reheat, slice and grill or warm on a skillet or in a microwave. They also are great to serve with dips. Top with different seeds of choice and serve with creamy bean dips for a protein filled snack. These Naans are a slightly modified version of the chickpea Naans from my Indian Kitchen cookbook. That book is a treasure of amazing recipes!
Ingredients for Vegan Gluten free Naan Bread
- Chickpea flour is the main ingredients in these Naans. Chickpea flour is a flour of white chickpeas, while besan is a flour of skinned brown chickpeas. Besan is also more finely grounnd than chickpea flour. Because of these differences, chickpea flour needs more water to make a batter and also has a better volume when you need airy baked result. If using besan, use less water to keep a thicker batter.
- Some flaxseed meal and starch help as binders and also for texture. You can use both, or atleast one for best results.
- baking powder and baking soda leaven the flatbread instead of yeast.
- Garlic powder adds a bit of flavor.
- Yogurt or blended tofu adds the volume and moisture. Gluten free flours tend to dry out a lot during and after baking, so volume moisture ingredients such as these are very helpful to make a soft non dry result. Use plain non dairy yogurt or 1/2 cup silken tofu blended with 1 tsp lemon juice or 1/3 heaping cup firm tofu blended with 1 tsp lemon juice and few tsp water.
- water and oil are the other liquid ingredients to make the batter
- Toppings can be anything from garlic, herbs, to seeds of choice.
More flatbreads to try
- Cauliflower Flatbread – GF Grainfree
- Herb Garlic Flatbread – Yeast-free.
- Spinach flatbread – Palak Paratha or Spinach Tortillas. Yeast-free
- Pita Bread – Yeasted
- Pumpkin rosemary flatbread – Yeast-free
- Sweet Potato gluten-free flatbread. Chickpea flour base. yeast-free. GF
- Naan bread.
Step by Step Photos:
Assemble the ingredients. Mix the dry ingredients in bowl. Use a whisk to combine well.
Add the oil and yogurt or tofu. Since yogurt is not always available (plus the vegan brands sometimes change the probiotics, which gives me migraines), I end up using blended tofu more often.
Add some water and whisk to combine well. Keep adding water to make a thick batter. See video for reference.
Prep the toppings. Preheat the oven to 425 deg F. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Cut out another parchment sheet that fits the baking sheet and set aside.
Spread the batter on the parchment. Add toppings. Cover the sheet lightly with the other parchment and bake. Covering the naans allows them to steam and bake at the same time and also holds the moisture in. Otherwise chickpea flour flatbreads dry out.
Brush oil or vegan butter and serve.
Vegan Gluten free Naan ( Chickpea flour Naan Grainfree)
Vegan Gluten free Naan Flatbread. Grain-free Naan Recipe. Yeastfree 6 Main Ingredients, 1 Bowl, and 20 Minutes. Serve with curries or slice and serve with dips or add to bowls. Soyfree Nutfree options
Ingredients
- 2 cups chickpea flour, See note if using besan
- 1 tbsp flaxseed meal, , optional
- 1 tbsp starch, , cornstarch or tapioca starch, optional
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder, or 1/2 tsp garlic paste
- 1/3 cup non dairy plain yogurt, or 1/2 cup silken tofu blended with 1 tsp lemon juice, or 1/3 cup firm tofu blended with 1 tsp lemon juice and a tbsp or so water
- 2 tsp organic safflower or canola oil
- 3/4 to 1.5 cup water
- oil for brushing
- Nigella seeds or sesame seeds, , minced garlic and cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 C). Line a baking sheet with parchment. Cut out another parchment sheet that fits the baking sheet and set aside.
- In a bowl, add chickpea flour, flaxmeal, starch, salt, baking powder, garlic powder, baking soda and baking powder and whisk well.
- Add the yogurt or blended tofu, oil, and 3/4 cup water. Mix well to combine. Add more water if needed to get a thick smooth batter (slightly thicker than pancake batter). Let sit for 5 minutes. (You will need more water with chickpea flour and less water with besan, start with 1/2 cup water for besan and add more)*
- Drop a ladlefull of the batter on parchment lined sheet. Spread into an oval (7-8 inch)with the ladle. Repeat to make 2 or more Naan to fit the sheet.
- Sprinkle Nigella seeds or sesame seeds or other seeds of choice. Add garlic and cilantro. Spray oil on top. Cover the Naans lightly with another parchment that covers the entire baking sheet.
- Bake for 7-10 minutes (depends on size of naans and how many being baked together) Remove top parchment, Brush melted vegan butter or spray oil. Let cool for 2 minutes before removing from parchment. Repeat for the next set.
- The batter can thicken as it sits. Mix in a few tsps of water if needed before the next batch. Serve hot with curries, dips, soups. Keep covered with a kitchen towel on the counter for the day. Refrigerate for upto 4 days, freeze for upto a month. Reheat by grilling or microwave.
- Cook on Stove top: Heat a Cast iron skillet over medium heat. When hot, spread some oil. Add ladleful of the batter and spread. Top with seeds, garlic, cilantro. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 3 to 5 mins. Flip to cook for a minute if needed.
Notes
*Keep the batter thick and spread the batter thick for fluffy fat bread. Fat Naan will be more cakey and crumbly.
Keep batter thinner and spread thinner for more pliable and less cakey Naan.
Besan: Chickpea flour is a flour of white chickpeas, while besan is a flour of skinned brown chickpeas. Besan is also more finely ground than chickpea flour. Because of these differences, chickpea flour needs more water to make a batter and also has a better volume when you need airy baked result. If using besan, use less water to keep a thicker batter.
Variations: Add other toppings such as everything bagel, seeds, fresh herbs, or spice blends mixed with sesame seeds.
Nutrition is for 1 Naan
Nutrition
Calories: 143kcal, Carbohydrates: 19g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 3g, Saturated Fat: 0.2g, Sodium: 240mg, Potassium: 327mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 10IU, Vitamin C: 1.2mg, Calcium: 56mg, Iron: 1.6mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this recipe? Rate and comment below!
I followed the exact recipe and I will have to put these to waste. I hated the taste. Although I am used to plant-based recipes and cooking with chickpea flour, this recipe unfortunately did not pass the test.
I am sorry it didnt work out. Chickpea flour can add a strong flavor to baked dishes and it might be something that is not pleasant to everyone and thats ok. It might work if you make a thinner batter and cook them on a cast iron skillet as that is higher heat and it will roast the flour a bit during cooking. I have an oat and almond based gluten free naan in my book that is pretty neutral flavor that might work for you as well.
The absolutely best vegan bread recipe ever! My wife loves it!
yay
Yum, chickpea flour is such a fabulous ingredient–you can use it for omelets, frittatas, pancakes, and now naan! I’ve been meaning to find a delicious lower carb and vegan flatbread recipe. This one using chickpea flour and flaxseed is PERFECT!
This is very really unique helpful information. keep it up. Thank you so much!
Whipped these up after seeing the video on Instagram. and served this morning buttered with tofu scramble! All clean plates!
yay!
I’m excited to try these! Thank you so much for sharing this!
Can these be made without oil?
yes just omit it. Make sure to cover them well when baking. and store well covered too as they will tend to dry out more without the oil.
Thank you, this is perfect, do you think I could air fry these?
probably, you want to cover them with parchment even in air fryer.
There are no words for how delicious this is when you’ve been grain/gluten free for 2 months and miss bread! My only suggestion would be to spray the parchment paper first (though I haven’t tried it yet), but they definitely stuck to the bottom sheet.
It depends on the brand of parchment. Mine never sticks !
I can’t wait to try these! I’m always on the lookout for grain-free recipes such as this. I really appreciate how much you understand the function of each ingredient and you share that in your posts. And I agree – your Indian cookbook is a treasure trove of amazing, delicious recipes. Thank you for all you do!
Thanks! I recently started adding the ingredient information to the posts, so that it helps in case someone is looking to substitute. Sometimes subs are too different to work well.
Yes indeed, the book is always on the counter for reference!
Thank you very very much for making it yeast-free!!
<3