Exactly How To Reheat Naan Bread – I Test 7 Methods [Pics]

We’ve all been there. Eyes bigger than our stomachs.

A whole load of curry and naan bread leftover after a monstrous meal.

I’m here to save the day and show you how to get your leftover naan bread (nearly) as fresh and moist as the moment it was cooked.

And you know you can trust me because I’ve personally tried and tested each method that I discuss below.

Here’s the short answer:

The best way to reheat naan bread is to first soften it by soaking the naan in milk or water. Then fry the naan in a piping hot skillet to get it crispy. You can also use the microwave to soften it. If you have a large batch of naan bread to reheat, put it in a 400 degree oven for 5-7 minutes.

A note on my experiment

I ordered (way too many) portions of garlic naan from my favorite curry house and left everything I couldn’t eat wrapped up overnight.

The next day, I tested the following reheating methods:

• On the stove – I really liked the flavors and the crispy but soft texture
• In the microwave – quick and easy, but no crispy texture
• By steaming – sounds strange, but great for stale naan
• In the oven – good if you need to reheat a big batch of naan
• In an air fryer – good if you want some crunch
• Bonus method: using an open flame – you get delicious charred spots
• In the toaster – I didn’t like this method (avoid)

I was looking for a method that gave me a crispy base, a bubbly top, and a steamy moist interior.

That to me describes the perfect naan.

My favorite method for reheating naan bread was on the stove, make sure you take steps to soften the naan before frying it!

The best way to reheat naan bread (on the stove)

To reheat your naan bread, first you need to soften it. You can soak it in milk or water, or cover it with a damp paper towel and microwave it for 5 seconds. Melt some butter in a piping hot skillet and add the naan face down. After 10 seconds, flip the naan and cook for another 1-2 minutes.

Reheating the naan in this way ensures a soft, steamy inside while crisping the bottom.

How to reheat naan bread:

1. Melt a little butter in a skillet on high heat.
2. Meanwhile, soak your naan bread in milk or hold it under a running tap. Or cover the naan bread with a damp paper towel and microwave it for 5 seconds.
3. Place the damp naan face down in the piping hot skillet for 10 seconds.
4. Flip the naan over and cook for another 1-2 minutes.

Step two is really important. Leftover naan is going to be dry, so you need to reintroduce moisture in order to soften it again.

Soaking it in milk or water may sound extreme, but trust me – it’s delicious!

And the skillet will be hot enough to crisp the outside again.

Ideally, I’d have used melted ghee in place of butter.

But most of us don’t have ghee randomly lying around, and butter is a great substitute. You can also add more flavor to the naan by sautéing some garlic, chili, or herbs along with the melting butter.

Psst… I cover more ways to jazz up your leftover naan below.

Tip: for a more authentic method, you can use the open flame of a gas oven to heat the naan (again, more on this later).

Verdict

This was by far my favorite method of reheating naan.

The bread was soft and chewy, while also regaining its bubble and crunch.

It does require a little more work than the other methods though, and isn’t super practical if you’re reheating more than 2 or 3 naans (in that case, you can use the oven).

Reheating naan bread in the oven

To reheat naan bread in the oven, spray each naan lightly with water and wrap it in foil. Place the wrapped naan on the middle shelf of a preheated oven (400°F/200°C) for 7-8 minutes. To crisp the naan, remove the foil for the last few minutes of heating.

Or you can skip the foil completely if you want extra crispy naan.

How to reheat naan bread in the oven:

1. Preheat your oven to 400°F/200°C.
2. Sprinkle a few drops of water over each slice of naan bread or brush them with melted butter.
3. Wrap the naan in foil (optional – skip this step if you prefer extra crispy naan).
4. Place the naan on the middle shelf of the oven.
5. Heat for 7-8 minutes (3-5 minutes if you’re not using foil).
6. If you used foil, open it for the last minute of heating time to slightly crisp the outside of the naan.

It’s a really fine balance between crisping the naan and drying the naan out with this method.

Spraying the naan with water will mitigate some of the ovens drying effect by creating steam, but don’t use too much water or you’ll end up with soggy naan!

I would stick to heating 2-3 naan in a single foil parcel. If you have more to heat, make multiple parcels.

The more naan in each parcel, the longer they’ll take to heat through, and the more chance there is of the middle one being cold.

If you’re not using foil, keep the naan in a single layer.

Verdict

This method wasn’t my favorite, but it’s admittedly very useful if you have a lot of naan to reheat at once.

If you like soft naan, definitely use foil!

I thought that skipping the foil left my naan a bit dry, but others in my family liked it so some personal preference is involved here.

Reheating naan bread in the microwave

To reheat naan in the microwave, follow these steps:

1. Cover the naan with a damp paper towel
2. Heat it on full power in 10-second intervals.
3. Continue until the naan is warm and soft.
4. Don’t overheat the naan or it will become like cardboard.

Naan can become rubbery and tough in the microwave, but a damp paper towel helps avoid this.

If you don’t have a damp paper towel, you can put a glass of water in the microwave with the naan.

Or simply mist the naan with water before microwaving it.

Once the naan is warm, don’t wait around to eat it.

The naan will become hard and brittle if left for an extended period of time after reheating.

Verdict

We all know microwaves completely fail at making anything crispy, and that also holds true with naan bread – my naan bread was very chewy once it came out of the microwave.

But it’s oh-so-convenient.

And if your naan is stale, it works wonders to remoisturize it.

Reheat naan bread by steaming it

If you want really soft naan, then you can reheat it by steaming it. Use a steamer basket if you have one, but if not you can use a sieve and a pot of water. Bring the water to a boil and cover the naan. Leave it to steam for 1-2 minutes.

This method helps to reintroduce moisture into the naan, but the naan will lack ‘crunch’.

If the naan is too soggy for your liking, crisp it under a hot broiler or in a searing hot pan for 30-60 seconds once you’ve steamed it.

One downside to this method is that you can’t introduce new flavors to your naan – so it can end up a little bland.

Verdict

This method works great for naan that appears to be too far gone, or stale enough to throw out.

All credits to the following YouTube video that inspired me to try the steaming method.

It really is super underrated if your naan is already just a bit hard and stale.

Reheating naan bread in the air fryer

To reheat naan bread in the air fryer, follow these steps:

1. Set your air fryer 400°F
2. Wet the surface of the naan with a generous amount of water or milk to help soften it.
3. Place the naan in the air fryer and heat for 3-4 minutes.
4. Brush the naan lightly with butter before serving,

The naan doesn’t need long in the air fryer because the heat is so strong.

For best results, spread the naan out as much as possible in the air fryer and avoid too many overlaps.

If the air fryer is overcrowded, the air won’t be able to circulate efficiently and the naan bread will suffer.

Note: this method isn’t great for stale naan. The air fryer is just too drying!

Verdict

Good for a quick refresh and if you want some crunch – but if you want soft a chewy naan, use another method.

Bonus method: reheating naan bread on an open flame

If you like getting adventurous in the kitchen, you can warm naan bread over an open flame. Set your gas stove to medium and wet the surface of the naan with water. Grab the naan with some tongs and place it over the flame, flipping constantly for around 90 seconds.

Do not set the naan down over the flame and walk off – this will end in disaster!

Brush the naan with melted butter before serving… yum.

Avoid reheating your naan in the toaster

Do me a favor and don’t do this.

I’ve seen a few sources online suggesting that sticking a piece of naan in the toaster is a great way to reheat it.

Well, I tried it and it’s a terrible, terrible thing to do. (On par with telling an Italian how to cook spaghetti).

Naan bread doesn’t work as toast!

Here’s why:

• The naan turns out really dry
• You can’t add any meaningful amount of water before toasting (Seriously, toasters and water don’t mix)

You’ve been warned.

How to store naan bread

The best way to store plain naan bread is in an airtight container or freezer bag at room temperature. Stored this way, naan can last up to 3 days.

For longer-term storage, freeze the naan. If your naan bread has butter or fillings on it, it’s best to keep it in the fridge (but be aware it will go staler faster).

For homemade naan, make sure the bread is completely cool before you store it. If the naan is still warm, condensation can build up in the container and leave you with soggy bread.

Store-bought naan bread may have different storage instructions to the ones I’ve mentioned above and will generally last longer because they use preservatives.

This is likely due to different ingredients and preservatives being used. When in doubt, follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

Can you freeze naan bread?

Naan bread freezes really well, so freezing it is a great way to preserve its freshness. Ensure the naan bread is in airtight packaging with minimal air exposure to avoid freezer burn. Naan bread will stay at best quality for up to 3 months.

It will remain safe to eat beyond that, but you may notice a stale taste.

How to freeze naan bread:

1. Let the naan bread cool to room temperature.
2. Separate individual pieces of naan bread with parchment paper.
3. Place the naan bread in a freezer bag.
4. Remove all the air from the freezer bag.
5. Freeze the naan bread for up to 3 months.

The best way to remove air from the freezer bag is to use a vacuum sealer, but if you don’t have one of those you can suck the air out with a straw.

Or you can dunk the freezer bag in a bowl of water. The water will force the air out and you can seal the bag.

Another option is to wrap the naan bread tightly in plastic wrap followed by a layer of foil.

The parchment paper will stop the naan bread from sticking together so you can take one out at a time rather than having to defrost the whole lot.

How do you thaw naan bread?

To defrost naan bread, you can either leave it at room temperature for 1-2 hours or defrost it in the microwave.

To defrost in the microwave, cover the naan with a wet paper towel and microwave for 30 seconds.

If you leave the naan bread on the counter, keep it wrapped while it defrosts so it doesn’t dry out too much.

I recommend reheating the naan on the stove once defrosted.

Frequently asked questions

Here are some answers to the most commonly asked questions about storing naan bread.

Can you refrigerate naan bread?

It’s best to avoid refrigerating naan bread because doing so speeds up the recrystallization of starch molecules within the bread.

In layman’s terms, cooler temperatures make the bread go stale much faster.

Instead, keep the naan in an airtight container at room temperature (away from light, heat, and moisture).

Can you freeze naan bread dough?

The best way to freeze naan bread dough is to pre-portion it into small balls and wrap it tightly with plastic wrap.

Freezing naan bread dough in this way helps to keep it protected from freezer burn. For best results, use the naan bread dough within 3 months of freezing.

Another method of freezing naan dough is to flatten the balls into small discs, and then stack them on top of each other separated by parchment paper.

This enables you to cook the naan discs directly from frozen, without having to thaw the dough beforehand.

Brilliant, right?

How long does naan bread last?

Leftover naan bread stored at room temperature will last between 2-3 days.

Frozen naan bread kept in a tightly sealed bag will last up to 3 months in the freezer.

Store-bought naan bread may last significantly longer than the above guidelines, as it’s usually made with additional preservatives. For example, Stonefire prepackaged naan breads claims to last up to a year in the freezer.

How to keep naan bread warm

The best way to keep naan bread warm is to place it in an oven at 200°F. Spray the naan bread with a light coating of water and cover with foil to ensure that they don’t dry out prematurely in the oven.

For parties and other occasions where you don’t have access to an oven, another great solution is to wrap the naan in foil and place them under a heat lamp.

This heat lamp is perfect for the job and unlike most other commercial lamps, won’t break the bank. You’ll have fresh, hot naan ON TAP without any hassle.

What toppings can I add to my naan?

Here are some delicious toppings and combinations you can add to your naan:

• Melted ghee (melted butter also works great in its place)
• Sesame seeds
• Cilantro
• Freshly chopped chili
• Garlic (garlic naan anyone? Mmm, also see: How To Reheat Garlic Bread)
• Ginger
• Cheese (Paneer is so good, but most cheeses work well)
• Onion bhaji crumbs (Related: How To Reheat Onion Bhajis)

If you’re after more naan bread topping ideas, check out this Pinterest board full of creative ideas or my guide to what to eat with naan bread. Cinnamon and sugar naan dippers, anyone?

Related: Reheat Pita Bread – Exactly How To Warm, Soften & Revive Stale Pitta Bread

How To Perfectly Reheat Naan Bread

I go through the best ways to reheat your naan bread so it's soft on the inside and crispy on the outside.

5 from 2 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Indian

Prep Time: 2 minutes

Cook Time: 4 minutes

Total Time: 6 minutes

Servings: 1 person

Calories: 137kcal

Equipment

• Microwave
• Skillet
• Paper towel

Ingredients

• 1 portion naan bread
• 1 portion melted butter/ghee

Instructions

• Dampen a couple of squares of paper towel and use them to cover the naan bread.
• Microwave the covered naan bread on full power for 10 seconds.
• Next, add the naan face down to a piping hot skillet (400°F).
• After 10 seconds, flip the naan and cook for another 30-60 seconds.
• Reheating the naan in this way ensures a soft, steamy inside while crisping the bottom.
• Optionally, brush the naan with some melted butter or ghee for an extra decadent treat.

Nutrition

Serving: 100g | Calories: 137kcal