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Bread

Vegan Spelt Naan

May 31, 2021 by Alexandra Daum
Vegan naan made with spelt flour and just a handful of other ingredients. Naan is really easy even if you're not used to making bread, and a delicious addition to just about any meal.
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A stack of naan with parsley on top.

Naan is a South Asian flatbread – naan just means bread – and the type most often seen in the global north is typical to parts of India. It’s traditionally cooked in a tandoor, a cylindrical oven (and many Indian or other South Asian restaurants in Europe/America will make it in a tandoor). Using a pan is obviously not authentic, but it’s as close as you can get without a proper oven.

I’ve been making naan (with varying success) since I was just little. It’s one of the easiest breads to make, and turns out well at home using a frying pan. I make it all the time to have with curry, red lentil patties, just with hummus, or whatever.

Even if you’re completely unfamiliar with making yeast-leavened breads at home, you can make still make this easy spelt flatbread. Only one rising period, no baking, no complicated shaping. This is great for beginners.

This vegan version uses olive oil instead of ghee and works well for a dairy-free diet. Use either light or whole grain spelt depending on how soft you want the end result to be.

Table of Contents hide
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
Step-by-Step
Recipe Notes
Make Ahead and Store
Expert Tips
Serve with Naan
Vegan Spelt Naan
A high stack of flatbreads, front view.

Ingredients

Naan ingredients with labels.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

  • Spelt flour: use light for the most tender flatbread, or go up to 100% wholegrain for a more nutritious option. Plain white flour can be substituted for the spelt. Regular whole wheat flour is harder than spelt, so I don’t recommend going over 50%. Other ancient grains like einkorn and khorasan wheat can be used.
  • Yeast: there is no substitute for yeast, unless you want to use sourdough starter. For sourdough, make the same dough as my sourdough pizza dough, and then roll out and fry as instructed here.
  • Olive oil: I find that olive oil makes for the best texture when frying, but it does have a tendency to splatter, so be careful or use a guard.

Step-by-Step

Since the dough only needs one rising period, it’s ready from start to finish in about an hour and a half, and easy enough for beginners to make. Follow the instructions carefully and you’ll have perfect naan the first time and every time.

Spelt naan steps 1 to 4.

1. Mix the yeast: add water, sugar, and yeast to a mixing bowl and bloom the yeast.
2. Mix the dough: add the remaining water, oil, salt, and flour, and mix into a shaggy dough.
3. Knead: mix in the remaining flour, then knead into a soft, stretchy dough.
4. Rise: set aside to rise until doubled, about an hour.

Naan steps 5 and 6.

5. Divide: portion the dough into 12 balls and set aside.
6. Roll and cook: roll each ball into a very thin oval, then cook in a frying pan. Serve hot.

Recipe Notes

My trick for really good vegan naan at home is liberal amounts of olive oil in the frying pan and adding a little salt to each side as you cook it. Not the healthiest, I know, but I was told to add more sodium to my diet to help with black spots and lightheadedness and have embraced that wholeheartedly – if you follow a low-sodium diet, perhaps avoid this step.

This recipe makes a big batch, about a dozen pieces, and if you don’t want to have lots left over then I’d recommend reducing by half. It’s best fresh, but still pretty good on day two, so don’t make more than you think you can eat in two days.

Looking for something similar with no yeast? Try these spelt tortillas or sweet potato flatbread, or go with socca for a GF option. I have a sourdough naan recipe over at Baked, too, if you prefer to use starter.

Try adding different herbs and spices to the mix to change things up. There’s a garlic naan in my cookbook that’s great, or try adding cumin seeds, nigella, finely chopped parsley, and so on.

Make Ahead and Store

Make Ahead: the dough can be frozen after rising – this is great if you just want to cook half – and thawed to use later. Freeze in an airtight container, thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then roll out and cook as usual.

Storage: naan is best the day it’s cooked, but can be stored in a sealed container at room temperature for a couple of days.

Freezing: if you prefer to freeze the cooked naan, place it in an airtight container once cooled and freeze for up to three months. It will be slightly dried out when thawed, but tastes almost fresh if you reheat it slightly before serving.

Top down view of a pile of naan.

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Expert Tips

  • Make sure to preheat: the pan needs to be hot before starting to cook. If the bread doesn’t immediately start to bubble up when it hits the pan, it needs to heat up longer.
  • Use a fan: your kitchen might get a little steamy or smokey when you’re cooking this, so keep a fan on or crack a window! I’ve had the fire alarm go off several times while making naan.
  • Don’t cook the flour: if you need quite a bit of flour to roll the pieces out, try to brush as much of it off before frying as possible. This is part of what makes the kitchen quite smokey during cooking (the flour burns as it remains in the pan).

Serve with Naan

Lentil and Greens Patties
Chickpea Pumpkin Curry
Avocado Aioli
Cauliflower Tikka Masala
Smokey Eggplant Curry Dip

If you make this Vegan Naan or any other bread recipes on Occasionally Eggs, please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It’s such a help to others who want to try the recipe. For more OE, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest, purchase the Occasionally Eggs cookbook, or subscribe for new posts via email.

Yield: 12 pieces

Vegan Spelt Naan

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Rising Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
4.60 from 22 votes

Ingredients

Metric – American
  • 60 ml warm water
  • 2 ΒΌ teaspoons dry yeast*
  • 1 teaspoon coconut sugar
  • 250 ml room-temperature water
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil plus more for cooking
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 375 – 450 grams spelt flour**

Instructions

For the Dough

  • Add the warm water, coconut sugar, and yeast to a large bowl.
    60 ml warm water, 2 ΒΌ teaspoons dry yeast*, 1 teaspoon coconut sugar
  • Let the mixture rest for 15 minutes, until the yeast blooms*, or looks frothy.
  • Stir in the remaining water, olive oil, salt, and 150g (1 cup) of flour with a wooden spoon.
    250 ml room-temperature water, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon sea salt, 375 – 450 grams spelt flour**
  • Add the remaining flour 75g (1/2 cup) at a time, stirring between each addition, until it becomes too difficult to stir by hand.
    375 – 450 grams spelt flour**
  • Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface. Knead for 5-10 minutes, sprinkling additional flour as needed, until a soft and smooth dough forms. You can also use the dough hook in a stand mixer if you have one.
  • Drizzle a little olive oil into the bowl and place the kneaded dough into it, turning the dough to coat it in oil. Cover with a tea towel and plate or beeswax wrap.
  • Place the dough in a warm spot (like an oven with the light on) and let the dough rise for about 50-60 minutes, or until doubled in size.

Cook the Naan

  • Heat a large, flat bottomed pan on medium high heat with a drizzle of olive oil.
  • Portion the dough into approximately 12 equal pieces, then flour a surface and roll one out at a time into rough ovals, about 5mm – 1 cm (~.5 in.) thick.
  • Once the pan is very hot, add add a piece of rolled out dough. The bread should immediately bubble and start to puff up.
  • Sprinkle a little pinch of salt if desired, and cook for about 45 seconds. Carefully flip and cook for another 30 seconds.
  • Roll the second naan while the first is cooking. Repeat until all of the dough has been used, keeping the cooked flatbreads in a warm oven while cooking.
  • The naan is best eaten fresh but will still be good on day two, if stored in a sealed container on the counter. It freezes well and can be thawed to use as a side or a quick pizza base.

Notes

* If it doesn’t bubble or foam, buy new yeast, or start again with cooler water.
** This can be all light or whole grain, or a mix of the two. For the softest bread, use light spelt flour.

* For American cup measurements, please click the pink link text above the ingredient list that says β€˜American’.


Nutrition

Serving: 1 Calories: 129kcal Carbohydrates: 23g Protein: 5g Fat: 3g Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g Sodium: 180mg Fiber: 4g Sugar: 2g

Nutrition is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. If this information is important to you, please have it verified independently.

Β© Alexandra Daum
Course: Appetizer, Bread, Sides, Staples
Cuisine: Indian
Diet Vegan, Vegetarian
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This post was first published in January 2018. It has been updated most recently as of December 2022.

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Comments

  1. Donna says

    December 19, 2022 at 9:39 pm

    5 stars
    Loved this naan! I didn’t salt it in the pan, just forgot, and that’s the only thing I’d change. Oh, except I found 1/2 inch to be thicker than I wanted. I tried it for the first one and didn’t get the quick bubbling. The others I rolled out much flatter (more like 1/8 inch), and they bubbled quickly, cooked fast like the recipe says. I’d say were a normal naan thickness, though maybe it’s personal preference. I used sprouted whole grain spelt and it felt like a super healthy treat. Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply
  2. mkho says

    August 11, 2021 at 10:53 am

    The proportion of flour to water is incorrect I think. It adds up to 225gm and not 375gms.Please advise if this is so?

    Reply
    • Alexandra Daum says

      August 12, 2021 at 6:39 pm

      The measurements are correct. Use grams first if you have a scale, as they are listed in the recipe. 150g of flour is 1 cup using the scoop and level technique from a bag of store-bought flour, which is what most home bakers do.

      Reply
  3. Bonita says

    July 10, 2021 at 8:00 pm

    Looking forward to trying this. I’m using a blood type diet in which sweet potato rates Beneficial on the list for blood Type O.
    I have been gluten free for many years but am also now venturing to try rye and spelt as they rate neutral on the blood Type O diet.
    Thanks for all your recipes!!
    Cheers

    Reply
    • Alexandra Daum says

      July 11, 2021 at 8:48 am

      Hope you like it, Bonita!

      Reply
  4. Dawn says

    March 11, 2021 at 11:49 pm

    5 stars
    Amazing! Fluffy, soft-I used whole spelt flour and am amazed at the texture these have. Will be making these, and replacing my old recipe!

    Reply
  5. Beulah Agbabiaka says

    July 19, 2020 at 1:46 pm

    5 stars
    I had been looking for vegan spelt nan and tried several that weren’t great. This recipe has come out amazing several times and it’s now my go-to recipe.

    Reply
  6. Masha says

    June 1, 2020 at 7:45 pm

    I’ve been making this recipe for 2 years now, without fail, every time I make Indian food. So delicious! Also I have to say my boyfriend who is usually super anti spelt loves these!

    Reply
  7. Alejandra says

    March 20, 2020 at 6:17 pm

    Hi, what’s the alternative for coconut sugar? Can I use honey instead (I know this is not vegan), will it still work?

    thank you!

    Reply
    • Alexandra | Occasionally Eggs says

      March 20, 2020 at 7:14 pm

      Yes, honey will work well : )

      Reply
  8. Uma says

    March 18, 2020 at 1:08 am

    Hi, Alexandra. I’m hoping to try this recipe soon. I have one question – why the range in the amount of flour? Do certain types of spelt flour absorb more water? Does it have to do with seasonal humidity?

    Reply
    • Alexandra | Occasionally Eggs says

      March 18, 2020 at 8:10 am

      Hi Uma! It’s standard to include a range in flour amounts as the absorbability of different varieties ranges so much. Because you add a bit at a time, you can see how much you need by touch and texture. I hope that helps!

      Reply
      • Uma says

        March 20, 2020 at 12:23 pm

        Thanks for your response. Is the dough meant to be sticky, or should it be smooth and easy to work with?

        Reply
        • Alexandra | Occasionally Eggs says

          March 20, 2020 at 7:15 pm

          Once you’re done kneading, it should be quite smooth and pliable. Your questions are telling me that I need to update this recipe with more information and pictures! It’s now on my schedule for this upcoming week.

          Reply
  9. Alice says

    March 15, 2019 at 10:37 am

    5 stars
    This recipe is AWESOME !! I made it for dinner tonight, it was sooo delicious !! I didn’t even use any oil in the pan and they turned out perfect !! Thank you so much for sharing !

    Reply
  10. Alice says

    February 14, 2019 at 7:39 pm

    5 stars
    This recipe is AWESOME !! I made it for dinner tonight, it was sooo delicious !! I didn’t even use any oil in the pan and they turned out perfect !! Thank you so much for sharing !

    Reply
    • Alexandra | Occasionally Eggs says

      February 17, 2019 at 3:00 pm

      So happy you loved it, thanks Alice!

      Reply
  11. Kristin Hope says

    October 17, 2018 at 2:20 am

    This worked great! Very delicious. I used sprouted spelt flour but the only issue was I ended up needing nearly 4 cups to bring it together instead of 3. Next time I might go lighter on the water. I kept the dough in balls in the fridge and cook to order!

    Reply
    • Emerald says

      March 8, 2021 at 12:23 am

      For how long did the dough keep in the fridge?

      Reply
  12. Sam says

    September 23, 2018 at 6:56 pm

    Is it possible to have similar results if I don’t use yeast? I am unable to use yeast in my diet right now. Or do you have any substitutes?

    Reply
    • Alexandra | Occasionally Eggs says

      September 23, 2018 at 8:34 pm

      Hi Sam! I haven’t tested this recipe with an alternative rising agent, but I can highly recommend this one and you can sub spelt flour and vegan yogurt into it. If you use my recipe and simply leave the yeast out I’m afraid it won’t work, but Asha’s recipes are great. I hope that helps!

      Reply
      • sam says

        September 25, 2018 at 4:57 am

        Thank you so much for your reply! Okay I’ll check it out:)

        Reply
  13. Alexandra Daum says

    January 27, 2018 at 2:05 pm

    Woohoo thanks for letting me know, Nicky! Salt is love!

    Reply
  14. Nicky Hawthorne says

    January 26, 2018 at 7:06 am

    made them. turned out AMAZING. thank you!! lots'a salt is definitely the ticket. is a new staple xo

    Reply

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