Gluten Free Naan Recipe | Vegan & Lower Carb
Easy Gluten Free Naan Recipe – 4 Ingredient Vegan Naan!
Naan is a type of traditional Indian bread, typically made with refined flour and cooked in loads of oil. But, now you can make your own, healthier version! Made with almond flour and tapioca starch, this isn’t just a gluten free naan recipe—it’s also VEGAN and lower in carbs!
And, with only 4 basic ingredients, it’s so simple to whip up. Since this is a gluten free naan recipe, you don’t have to bother with prepping a yeast-based dough or even turning on the oven. Just make and shape your dough, then cook your naan breads in a skillet!
Cutting the Carbs in this Gluten Free Naan Recipe
Instead of refined grains, this lower carb, gluten free naan recipe uses almond flour—a fuel-filled and totally grain free alternative! And, it adds a generous dose of satiating fats that makes this healthier naan more filling than most traditional breads. But, to create a true bread-like texture in this gluten free naan recipe, I also use some tapioca starch, or tapioca flour.
Tapioca is just the starch extracted from the cassava root, which is a starchy root vegetable. It’s still rich in carbs, but it can be a cleaner alternative to cornstarch and is also naturally gluten free (and grain free). That means this gluten free naan recipe is also paleo friendly!
Traditional vs. Gluten Free Naan Recipe
I’ve also nixed the added sugar that’s standard in most naan recipes (and bread recipes in general) and replaced the traditional oil and yogurt with full fat coconut milk. It’s the perfect, double-whammy substitute—rich in fats like oil, smooth and creamy like yogurt!
You don’t taste the coconut milk, but it’s crucial to creating a soft, fluffy, and chewy texture. And, it keeps this gluten free naan recipe totally vegan!
Is Gluten Bad for You?
There’s a whole lot of debate surrounding gluten and gluten free lifestyles. A small portion of people have an allergic reaction to it, known as Celiac disease. Others, though, may have a food sensitivity to it. Overall, nothing about gluten itself is ‘bad’ for the general population.
But, that’s as far as research has proven now. And, gluten is one of many hard-to-digest plant proteins, known as a lectin. And lectins of all kinds—in other non-glutinous grains and even legumes—can cause digestive strain for some people. We’re all different!
Whether you’re concerned about how gluten affects your body, looking for a healthier naan recipe, or just wanting an EASY way to make naan, this gluten free naan recipe is too good to not try!
*To learn more about how gluten, grains, and legumes affect the body, check out our blog post: Are Grains Bad for You?
Gluten Free Naan Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1 cup tapioca starch
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- 2 cups full fat coconut milk
Instructions
- Whisk together dry ingredients. Add milk. Adjust seasonings to taste.
- Heat a pan over medium heat. Spray or add a bit of oil to the pan.
- Pour ½ cup batter into pan. Pan fry 3-5 minutes. Spray pan with cooking spray, flip naan, and fry on other side. Cool slightly on a baking rack.
- Store in an airtight container or plastic bag at room temperature for 4-5 days. If you live in a particularly hot or humid environment, you may want to consider storing in the fridge for maximum freshness.
14 Comments on “Gluten Free Naan Recipe | Vegan & Lower Carb”
Yup it rocks.
I added scallions to the last bit of batter to attempt a scallion pancake …
Not bad if I do say so!
Jane, so glad to hear that you enjoyed this gluten free naan recipe! Such a wonderful idea to add scallions to the batter 🙂 We’ll have to give that a try!!
Storage? These came out great in my mini cast iron skillet thank you!
Hi Mari, so glad this recipe worked out well for you! These are best stored in an airtight container or plastic bag at room temperature for 4-5 days. If you live in a particularly hot or humid environment, you may want to consider storing them in the fridge for maximum freshness. Thanks for giving the recipe a try 🙂
Mine came out gummy in the centre. Do you know what I might have done wrong? Otherwise very good.
Hi Sam, gumminess in the center might be due to undercooking the naan slightly! If you try the recipe again, I’d recommend cooking for a bit longer and/or turning up the heat a bit on your stove. It may need longer than 5 minutes to get the texture how you’d like it.
When we made this recipe it was surprisingly soft and bread-y, but do keep in mind that this is a gluten-free naan recipe so the texture may be a bit different than the glutinous naan that most of us are used to! It may be a bit less fluffy, a bit more spongy. But if you’re noticing a true gumminess in the middle, my best advice is to try cooking for a bit longer until it’s more fully cooked through 🙂
What brand of full-fat coconut milk did you use? I try to avoid things that come out of cans. Thanks!
We generally use canned full-fat coconut milk, often from the Thai Kitchen brand or from Thrive Market. (Most recently when we purchased Thai Kitchen coconut milk, it was packaged in a carton instead of a can!)
My daughter is allergic to coconut. Could I substitute cream or almond milk?
We haven’t tried substituting for the coconut milk personally so I can’t say for sure how it would work. But using full-fat/heavy cream could work – but I’m not 100% certain! You’d have to do some experimenting 🙂
Greatly appreciated, thanks!
Hi Very interesting content!
thank you!
nice!