Is Naan Gluten Free?

‍Naan is a popular flatbread and a staple in Indian-inspired dishes and cuisines. Consumers would like to know if it's gluten free or not.

Traditional naan isn’t gluten-free. It’s made using all-purpose wheat flour which has high concentrations of gluten. If you are on a gluten-free diet, you should be able to find gluten-free naan bread in a store near you. You can also make your own naan at home using gluten-free ingredients.

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‍Does Naan Have Gluten?

Is naan gluten free? If you’ve ever visited an Indian or Asian event, there’s a high chance you’ve come across naan. Naan is a thick, soft flatbread, which has been around for thousands of years.

It’s baked in an indoor tandoor oven and has an oval shape, roasted brown spots and a slightly crispy exterior.

Naan bread is served with popular Indian dishes and cuisines, including beans, lentils, curry, butter chicken, tandoori chicken, dal and paneer. This flatbread can also be used as a wrap for falafels, among dozens of other uses. It uses different ingredients such as instant yeast and coconut yogurt.

Naan is served in different forms and not just naan bread. These include the use of golden brown naan pizza.

Because naan contains ingredients such as extra virgin olive oil, it is very important in addressing inflammation of different parts of the body.  Moreover, the gluten free flour blends used in making naan are rich in fiber, and this enhances digestion.

If you are on a gluten-free diet and you are looking to try out this Indian delicacy for the first time, it’s important to first determine whether it’s safe for you or not.

Is naan gluten-free? Is naan safe for individuals on a gluten-free diet? Can you take naan if you have gluten sensitivity?

To answer these questions, we need to examine the ingredients used to make this flatbread. Traditional naan is made of flour, warm milk, yogurt, yeast, oil or butter, eggs and sugar.

Some recipes may also add garlic or other ingredients, to enhance the bread’s flavor.

Gluten is a group of naturally-occurring proteins in wheat, barley, rye and triticale. It’s responsible for helping these grains maintain their shape.

Gluten may also cause some complications for individuals with gluten-related issues like celiac disease, wheat allergy and non-celiac gluten sensitivity.

So, is naan gluten-free? Unfortunately, traditional naan isn’t gluten-free, and thus, this product is not gluten free naan bread. It has been made using all-purpose wheat flour, which is sourced from a gluten grain.

If you are planning to enjoy naan in an Indian restaurant, there’s a high chance it will contain gluten. Also, you can expect store-bought naan to have gluten.

Since naan contains gluten, then it’s not safe for individuals with gluten sensitivity and gluten intolerance. If you suffer from these conditions, then you should stay away from the naan offered in Indian restaurants, unless you are sure it’s gluten-free.

Is Naan Safe for People with Celiac Disease?

People with celiac disease must take gluten free foods including gluten free flour. Gluten free flours will ensure that one will not have to deal with symptoms that come with celiac disease. Thus, foods made with wheat flour must be avoided.

Again, if you have any gluten problem, use a gluten free version of the market foods you need to take. Products such as white rice flour should only be taken if they are gluten free,and the same case applies to all purpose gluten free flour.

All-purpose wheat flour is one of the ingredients used to make naan. Wheat flour has one of the highest concentrations of gluten. If you have celiac disease, then naan isn’t safe for you.

If you happen to consume this bread unknowingly, it may leave you with the usual gluten-related complications, including abdominal pain, gut inflammation, constipation, diarrhea, fatigue and bloating.

Unless it’s a gluten-free restaurant or the chef can confirm they have used 100% gluten-free ingredients when making the naan, you should always stay away from this bread. The complications are not worth the risk.

Can You Get Gluten-Free Naan from the Store?

Yes, you can get gluten-free naan from a store. But, the majority of naan breads you will find at the store have gluten. Some of the gluten-free naan options to look out for include Rick Grant’s Gluten-Free Naan Bread Mix and Haldirams Gluten-Free Tandoori.

In case you can’t find any of these breads in a store near you, then you can opt for other flatbreads like pita bread. If you decide to take this route, you can go for options like Against The Grain pita bread, BFree Gluten-Free pita bread, Casabi gluten-free artisan flatbread or Bob’s Red Mill grain-free flatbread mix.

Any of these options should be safe for you if you have gluten sensitivity. To be on the safe side, ensure you always check the packaging to ensure the product doesn’t have any gluten-containing ingredients.

If you have any doubts about a particular flatbread, avoiding it is always the safest option instead of taking unnecessary risks.

Can You Make Gluten-Free Naan at Home?

Yes, you can also make naan at home. Making none at home is probably the safest way to enjoy naan if you have celiac disease, gluten intolerance, gluten sensitivity or you are on a gluten-free diet for personal reasons.

With homemade naan, you get to select all the ingredients that will go into your flatbread while being certain the final product will be entirely gluten free food. You may also make yeast free naan.

As for gluten-free alternatives to wheat flour, you can opt for coconut flour, since it has a dense texture. You can mix it with arrowroot starch to add some stretchiness to the dough and potato starch for some fluffiness.

If you follow the right gluten free naan recipe, you will be able to make naan bread at home. You will have the ability to experiment with different cooking styles such as the use of gluten free flour blend and gluten free naan dough.

With home baking, you can use different ingredients including dairy free yogurt, plain greek yogurt, dairy free butter, almond flour, melted butter, coconut milk, active dry yeast, and olive oil. It is also possible to have garlic naan on your cast iron skillet.

With the right preparation, your cooked naan and homemade gluten free naan will be tasty and delicious naan.

A gluten free naan bread recipe is not difficult to follow and you will end up with an easy gluten free naan product. The good thing is that there are ample online resources which discuss gluten free bread recipes where you will get comprehensive information on making gluten free naan.

Does Gluten-Free Naan Taste the Same as Traditional Naan?

Gluten free breads such as Gluten-free naan bread may have a slightly different taste from classic naan bread. The gluten-free bread is made using gluten-free wheat alternatives like potato starch, arrowroot flour and coconut flour.

While the taste may be slightly different, the texture is almost similar to traditional naan bread. And most importantly, individuals with celiac disease, gluten intolerance, non-celiac gluten sensitivity or any other person on a gluten-free diet get to enjoy this bread.