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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!
Looks fantastic–every time I’ve tried to eat regular naan I’ve had an allergic reaction to the wheat so I just gave up on them.
I can vouch for how wonderful “Vegan Richa’s Indian Kitchen” really is; thank you Richa for your excellent advice about substitutions (allergic to most peppers but can use jalapenos). Thanks again!!
Didn’t work for me at all. Dont know what went wrong because I followed the recipe exactly. Tried in the oven and pan fried with coconut oil, they ended up like tough pancakes. Not good at all. Binned them.
oh no! make sure not to over bake/cook. Even if they crisp up they should be tasty, just wont be bready.
This is a brilliant recipe , so easy and my daughter loves them ! Can you store them in the fridge or leave at room temperature? I made a big batch ! Thank you for sharing this ☺️
leave at room temp ina covred container for the day, but refrigerate to store for upto 5 days
Is there a way to sub out the tofu or yogurt with something else? I haven’t thought of anything, but I cannot have either.
cashew cream
Would this work without oil and salt?
without salt yes. Without the oil, the flatbread will tend to dry out a lot. You can keep them thin and add serve then very fresh out of the oven
I’m allergic to lemon. Can I substitute vinegar for the lemon juibe when using tofu rather than yogurt?
Thanks for this recipe – I look forward to trying it.
yes
Delicious!!!
Yes!! I love naan, but haven’t found a vegan recipe that I’d liked until now. Simple ingredients and tastes amazing!!
I love this flatbread! I’ve made it twice now. I served it with yellow dal and we we so pleased. We used it last night as buns for veggie burgers and they were so good. Fluffy and light, but also filling. Thank you for the easy, delicious recipe. 💙💙💙
yay! awesome! yes indeed they will make great buns too. make a thicker batter and youll get thicker buns.
Goodness! This is so easy and yummy. The perfect accompaniment to yellow daal. I fried them in a cast iron skillet. I will make this recipe many times again. Blessings.
yay!