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Grain Free Naan with Cassava Flour! A simple and flavorful Indian Inspired bread recipe, made grain free with simple ingredients! No oven required. Great with hummus, yogurt sauce, or by itself. Paleo and vegan option.
Disclosure – We are grateful to be partnering with Bob’s Red Mill on this post. Thank you for supporting the brands that allow me to create wholesome gluten free recipes.
The best gluten free naan (Indian bread) recipe!
Hello Loves! We’ve recently updated one of my favorite grain free recipes, Naan bread with cassava flour! (To see original photo, click HERE!)
Oh yes, this flatbread recipe has been a favorite of mine for YEARS now! It’s doughy, it’s soft, it’s paleo and vegan friendly, but more importantly, it’s EASY to make.
Heck, I’m even going to show you two ways to make it, just in case you’re a texture person like me. Sound good? Let’s discuss!
Working with gluten free flour
One of the hardest things about gluten free baking/cooking is finding a good flour (gluten or grain free) that is interchangeable with that white or whole wheat flour.
Tapioca, almond flour, coconut flour, and rice flour are all great gluten free flours, but you usually have to combine them with other flours. Which is why we opt for the gluten free all-purpose flours or gluten free 1:1 flours (I love Bob’s Red Mill, obviously).
That being said, what if you can’t tolerate grains or nuts? Finding a grain free and nut free flour mix can be tricky! Enter Bob’s Redmill Cassava Flour!
What makes Cassava Flour special?
Cassava flour is said to be a great 1:1 replacement for whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour. But, in my experience, it still takes some tweaking.
Cassava flour has a very similar consistency but it is lighter than all-purpose flour. And it absorbs more liquid! So best to weigh out the flour when using it for baking.
Is it healthy?
Yes yes yes!
Cassava, also known as yuca, cassava is a delicious root vegetable. It’s a long tubular root with a thin brown skin and white inner flesh. Although, don’t ever eat it raw. Nope, not good for you!
Many cassava products are naturally vegan as well as nut-, grain-, and gluten-free, making them a great choice for those on an “Healing diet” or with food allergies and sensitivities.
The extracted starch from cassava goes into products like tapioca and arrowroot.
Think of Cassava flour as the sister starch for the tropical roots like yam, plantains, and taro.
Cassava Flour Nutrition Facts
- It’s rich in carbs and glucose –> Great for refueling glycogen into those muscles.
- Cassava flour is healthy and good for the gut!
- Anti–inflammatory and gluten-free! It also aids in the digestive process acting as a prebiotic fiber..
- Good source of minerals, especially Copper and Potassium, Thiamin, Folate, Manganese.
How is it different from tapioca flour?
Tapioca Flour, also known as Tapioca Starch, is the starch component only. Cassava flour is less processed and is ground from the whole root of the plant.
Okay, back to my recipe here…
How to make cassava flour naan bread.
I have tested this recipe out several times using just cassava flour! No extra flours needed. I’ve also tested out the naan bread recipe with yeast and tapioca, giving it a little rise and fluff! You’ll see that in the video coming soon. Both methods work and both are DELICIOUS!
Grain Free Naan Bread (No oven required, Vegan option)
Ingredients to make grain free naan
Quick Version – Without Yeast
Cassava Flour
Oil
Yogurt or non dairy yogurt/cream
Baking Soda/Cream of tartar
Seasoning
To make, combine your flours and mix in the wet ingredients. Roll into balls then roll out each ball, flat. Place on a cast iron skillet and watch the naan bread magic happen (2 minutes or so)! Flip, then bam! DONE!
Note that this QUICK VERSION is in the recipe card! The naan with yeast (longer prep) is below.
Grain Free Naan with Yeast (Softer Version)
Active Yeast
Honey or Sugar
Water
Cassava Flour and Tapioca Flour
Oil
Yogurt or thickened (chilled) coconut cream
Baking powder
Seasoning (salt/pepper)
PRO TIP – For a little extra fluff and softness, I recommend giving the yeast version a go!
To make cassava flour naan bread with yeast, first activate the yeast mix. You’ll follow the initial mixing instructions as above, but adding in the yeast and letting the dough rise for a couple hours before rolling into balls. I PROMISE it’s not hard!
- Combine warm water, yeast, and sugar in small bowl. Let it sit for 10 minutes until fizzy (proofed). Set aside.
- In a bowl or stand mixer, sift the flour, baking powder, plus salt. Mix well! Next add in your yeast mixture. Combine with flours.
- Next, slowly mix in your yogurt or milk, 1-tbsp oil, vinegar, and a mix together with spatula or spoon. The batter should be thick, but not so thick you can roll it with hands. If the batter seems to dry/thick, add in ¼ cup more warm water. It should look and feel like pizza dough.NOTE– You might need more or less water depending on the brand of cassava flour you use.
- Knead the dough for 5 minutes with dough hook or with hands.
- Place the dough in an oiled bowl and cover with cloth. Place in warm dark place and allow to rise for 90 minutes or until doubled in size.
- Once the dough has risen, flour your hands and counter space to prepare dough.
- If the dough is extra sticky, let it chill for 20 minutes. Printable version here.
BONUS —THIS NAAN DOUGH IS FREEZER FRIENDLY! So if you don’t have time to make all the naan bread, simply roll into balls, cover with plastic wrap, and place in the freezer or fridge until ready to use.
Our favorite things to serve with Naan Bread!
One of my favorite new found discoveries while living abroad in Europe was Middle Eastern Food. The best Naan bread and hummus I ever had was in Germany a this little hole in the wall restaurant close to the Czech border! I know, not really authentic Turkish food but it was as close as I was gonna get as an exchange student. This is where I fell in love with hummus, dolmas, and the oh so soft delicious and fluffy Naan bread. The aroma of this place itself would immediately make you salivate.
Fast forward to today and I still love all those foods! And LOVE making this naan to serve on big platter.
Build your own platter with the following!
Fresh herbs, rice or potatoes, fresh vegetables, chickpeas, hummus, curries, creamy dips, and spicy soup! All to serve with this naan bread. If you’re a carnivore, you can add in bowl of stewed meat (lamb or chicken).
Other Ways to use Naan Bread!
- Flatbread pizza crust!
- Make a Naan Sandwich!
- Use it as a wrap or soft taco
- Cut into triangle for naan “pita” chips
You can’t go wrong yall!
Gluten Free Naan Recipe (Quick Version)
- Author: Lindsay Cotter
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 pieces 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Grain Free Naan made with cassava flour. Vegan option. Yeast free and yeast breads options included. The yeast version will have more fluff.
Ingredients
Scale
Note – This recipe has been updated January 2020 adding a yeast option to soften bread. If you’d like the yeast option, you can print it here or see blog post. Quick (no yeast) version below!
- 1 ¼ cup cassava flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- pinch black pepper, optional
- ¼ – ⅓ cup plain yogurt or non dairy milk – adjust with thickness of batter, if needed
- 1–2 Tablespoons refined avocado or light olive oil
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
- ½ – ⅔ cup water (add a little at a time until a dough-like batter forms)
- Extra high heat oil (avocado or coconut, naturally refined) or butter for cooking
Instructions
- In a large bowl or stand mixer, whisk the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt and pepper until combined.
- With a dough hook, spoon, or hands slowly mix in the yogurt, oil and vinegar.
- Slowly add in the water, a little at a time, until the batter is similar to a pizza dough-like texture. You might need more or less water depending on the brand of cassava flour used.
- Roll the dough into 4 to 6 medium-sized balls (a little smaller than a baseball).
- Place dough balls on wax paper and roll each one out between 2 pieces of wax paper until an oval shape forms or use a tortilla press to make the dough even. (The thinner the dough, the crispier the bread on the outside and less dough texture in the middle.)
- Heat a nonstick or cast iron pan with oil on medium high heat. Place each flattened dough in the pan one at a time and cover with a lid and wait 1-2 minutes or until the edges puff up.
- Drizzle a splash of oil on top of the dough and flip to the other side. Cover and cook an additional 1-2 minutes. The thicker the dough, the longer it takes to rise or puff and cook through.
- Remove and repeat until all the naan is cooked.
- Serve with hummus or yogurt sauce. Once cooled, store in the fridge in a ziplock bag for up to 4 days.
Notes
Cooking Tip – Cassava flour is a little chewier in texture, so the middle of the bread might be chewier than typical naan bread. Adding yeast takes away the chewiness.
WITH Yeast Version-PRINTABLE RECIPE HERE or see video.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 min
- Category: bread/appetizer
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: middle eastern
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 170
- Sugar: 0.7 g
- Sodium: 365.4 mg
- Fat: 3.2 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 32 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 2 mg
Keywords: bread, appetizer, naan, grain free, paleo, healthy, vegan, gluten free flatbread
Ever Tried Cassava Flour or making your own Naan? I think now is the time!
Cheers,
LC
MORE HEALTHY YEAST-FREE BREAD RECIPES HERE!
This recipe is part ofour Healthy Yeast-free Bread Recipes collection. Check it out!
