24 Recipe For Fresh Indian Breads

Indian cuisine is perhaps some of the most varied on the planet.

With plenty of recipes containing elements of both sweet and savory flavors, as well as using a wide palette of different ingredients, there is an Indian dish for just about every kind of food that you could want.

So why wouldn’t Indian bread be just as colorful and varied as the rest of this cuisine?

Yes, most of us have likely heard of naan bread and maybe even rotis, and love how they taste.

But there is so much more out there than just these two examples.

This lack of knowledge about other bread recipes means that, when it comes to preparing your Indian bread, you’ll often be hampered by just the one, two, or maybe three types that you do know.

You never quite expand your palette, and you’re left with a sense that there should be more variety, further perpetuating this cycle, and depriving you of new bread to work with.

Fortunately, we’re here to break that annoying habit, by providing you with a range of Indian bread recipes that you can try out for yourself, right now!

1. Homemade Naan

Starting off this recipe list, we have your classic naan, ready to be eaten with a delicious korma or another curry!

Yes, there are plenty of other amazing Indian bread recipes out there, and we will get to them shortly.

However, we can’t exactly have a recipe list of the best and freshest Indian bread out there without mentioning the most popular of them all!

This particular kind of flatbread is known for its fluffy texture and mild flavor that can be paired with pretty much any other kind of Indian recipe.

2. Chapati

Another classic variety of Indian flatbread here, the chapati is often known as a variety of Naan bread and is also known by many other names across South Asia and the world.

This particular recipe is incredibly simple for pretty much anyone to try baking for themselves, with just 5 ingredients necessary to make this one on your own.

Try for yourself today!

3. Basic Homemade Naan Bread

Yes, we are here with another variety of naan for you to make.

But with so many little spins on this classic bread, we could hardly just leave it at one now, could we?

Fortunately, this is also a very easy recipe for pretty much anyone to make themselves, with a little variety allowed for the ingredients that help fluff up your naans.

Make sure that you’ve got enough Greek yogurt in there!

4. Bhatura

So, finally moving away from the naan bread recipes for a moment, we have here a bhatura recipe, a kind of fried bread that is very popular in India, similar to naan bread.

However, unlike naans, many versions of this recipe allow the dough of the bread to rise, especially when mixed with baking soda.

Interestingly, this recipe manages to create an amazing bread, without using yeast at all, allowing the dough to rise and ferment naturally overnight.

Even without yeast, this recipe still makes some of the fluffiest fried bread that you can imagine.

5. Khakhra

Going from a beautifully soft recipe to one that is satisfying and crunchy, we have a Khakhra recipe that you can try for yourself right now!

As we’ve mentioned, this is a crunchy kind of bread that snaps easily, making it a great food for sharing!

With its thin wheat, almost cracker-like texture, this is a variety of Indian bread that is pretty distinct from virtually any other we’ve covered so far.

If you’re looking to try something a little different next time you are preparing an Indian meal for yourself, your friends, or your family, you should consider this recipe!

6. Garlic Naan Bread

Okay, back to the naan bread recipes we go!

This particular recipe adds a little spice, heat, and flavor to the classic naan, however, by throwing in a little crushed or blended garlic into the mix.

Like virtually every food that garlic is improved by, this adds so much extra flavor that you’ll realize that you’ve been missing it the whole time you’ve been making naan dough!

Plus, the garlic adds natural antioxidants to the mix, making it healthier for you to eat as well!

Plus, the mild antimicrobial compounds found in garlic also help the bread stave off mold and other bacteria, keeping it fresher for longer, and allowing you to eat it over a longer period.

7. Poori

Time for another traditional fried bread that is eaten across the Indian subcontinent!

This variety of bread requires no leaving to proof, making this a very quick bread recipe that you can quickly whip up for yourself!

Once the little dough balls are fried, you’ll have a puffy little pillow of ready goodness to eat with whatever dish you feel like eating it with!

8. Bhatura

However, if you do love leaving your bread dough out to proof overnight, you can’t go wrong with a good bhatura recipe.

We’ve already covered one bhatura recipe here, so we thought that we’d give it some company with another!

Think of these bhatura recipes as the big brother to poori recipes, just a little bigger, and being left overnight!

Add whatever sides and topping you want with this delicious bread recipe!

9. Authentic Malaysian Naan

Time for another spin on the traditional naan recipe, this time from a country that is just a short pond skip away, over the Bay of Bengal, in Malaysia!

So, people may be wondering what exactly makes this kind of naan recipe different from the others that we’ve so far covered.

Well, generally speaking, this kind of naan bread is made with maida, although all-purpose flour will also work.

Plus, the rava that is added to the dough before throwing it in the fryer also makes Malaysian naans a little crispier to bite down on when they are finished.

However, they still are just as great for Indian food too, especially once you have just the right amount of golden brown spots on the outside!

10. Aloo Paratha

This flatbread that this recipe makes is a little different from the many recipes we have already covered. This is a fact that becomes clear once you break down the whole name.

With ‘paratha’ in Hindi means some variation on ‘flatbread that is unleavened’, whilst ‘also’ is some variation on ‘potato’

The stuffing that this recipe calls for uses mashed potatoes that get flattened between two pieces of this… well, flatbread, that is then fried.

Sure, this recipe is a little high in carbs. But it also makes a great base for toppings to be added to your aloo paratha.

If you want to make your Indian-themed pizza, this is the recipe for you!

11. Goan Sanna

This particular kind of Indian bread is quite different from any other that we have covered.

Rather than combining flowers with sugar, yogurt, and oil as you would with a naan, this recipe creates instead a steamed rice cake that absorbs flavors and moisture like nothing else in this guide!

Just make sure that you soak and wash the rice overnight, to get the best results that you can!

12. Original Indian Naan

Okay, back to the naans we go.

Whilst there have been thousands of variations of naans that have been made over the years, this one is a truly authentic version of the dish, utilizing plenty of extra Indian spices like nigella seeds.

When crushed and added to the dough while you are mixing it, it creates a naan that has quite a strong and distinct flavor to it.

Be sure to lather this naan with butter while it is still fresh!

13. Khasta Paratha

This particular Indian bread has been compared, at least by the author, to a kind of puff pastry-like bread that is light and fluffy.

Like other types of puff pastry dishes, you’ll need to make sure that the dough is chilling right between each time that you brush the dough.

And, of course, you can’t forget about the garlic butter once it is finished!

14. Baati

So, many of the bread we have covered so far, whilst all having distinct ingredients, preparation methods, or flavors, have all kind of looked similar to one another.

Well, it’s time to shake things up with this Baati bread dish!

These particular rolls of Baati bread look pretty distinct from other Indian bread, as well as being noticeably harder to bite too.

However, this bread lasts a long time, and is packed with tons of nutrients too!

Plus, when paired with mashed potato, or even roasted eggplant, you have the perfect bread with which to wipe that delicious dish up!

15. Afghanistan Naan-e Roghani

As the name suggests, this variety of naan is a favorite in Afghanistan, and is generally known for being a little lighter and fluffier than your standard naan too!

16. Chapati

Chapati is just as popular as naan bread in many parts of the world, so it’s no surprise that there are plenty of recipes for them!

Soft and puffy, these are exactly as this classic recipe should be!

17. Naan

Once again, it’s hard to resist the allure and fresh aroma of a classic naan recipe, no matter how many other Indian bread recipes we find.

However, you may be surprised to know that naans are a very popular side dish in Caribbean cuisine too!

Add a little Indian goodness to your next mutton curry with this recipe!

18. Naan-e Afghani

That being said, it’s very hard to argue with a naan bread recipe that is so soft, you could sleep your weary head on it, like this one!

19. Ladi Pav

Don’t be fooled. These Ladi Pavs may look like dinner rolls and smell like dinner rolls.

They are, in fact, dinner rolls. But with a fresh Indian twist to them!

20. Sheermal

The saffron used in this particular flatbread recipe gives it its character here!

21. Nawabi Naan

If you’re looking for just a small change to make to your naan recipe, you can always try adding nuts, as this recipe does!

22. Kulcha

So, think of parathas, but made with maida flour instead.

That’s basically what makes this Kulcha recipe so great!

23. Thepla

If you’re looking for an Indian flatbread recipe with just a little spice to it, then this is the recipe for you to try!

24. Mango Chutney Naan Bread

Finishing off this list with just a little extra dash of sweetness, this mango chutney naan is perfect for getting a fruity flavor with your flatbread!

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Type Of Indian Bread Is The Most Popular?

In case this list of different recipes wasn’t a clear enough indication, Naan bread is the most widely popular type of Indian bread in the country, and maybe even the world.

When you consider that many countries have some variety of naan as their national bread, it isn’t hard to see that Naan is the most popular variety of Indian bread out there.

Consider that, even amongst people that don’t really know, or even like Indian cuisine, many will still know broadly what naan bread is.

That’s how popular this variety of bread is.

Is A Roti Healthier Than A Naan?

Generally speaking, roti is quite low in terms of calories, especially when compared to other kinds of bread, such as naans.

Is Naan A Healthy Type Of Bread?

On the subject of food and health, with so many naan recipes out there, many people often wonder if naan bread is a healthier variety of bread for them to eat.

Well, this may not be the case. At least, for traditional naan bread.

Certainly, many naan recipes use several healthy ingredients that might make them seem healthy at first, or at the very least, healthier than traditional European or American bread recipes.

For example, many naan recipes will use Greek yogurt as an ingredient, to get the fluffy texture that many are known for. And Greek yogurt is famous for its many health benefits, such as aiding with weight management, as well as boosting your metabolism.

However, the fact that naan bread also contains a lot of other, less healthy ingredients, such as white refined flour, sugar, and oil too, these benefits are somewhat of the high-cholesterol ingredients of this particular food.

However, Naans, when consumed in moderation, are still perfectly fine bread to eat, especially when paired with tons of healthy vegetables and dips!

Final Thoughts

As you can see, there are plenty of delicious options open to you for amazing-tasting Indian bread out there!