This grilled naan is filled with melting mozzarella and pesto, requires no yeast, and can be cooked in a skillet or outdoors! You can have it ready in an hour and vary the flavors of the filling.

This appetizer recipe skyrocketed to the top of my starch-filled list. It is truly amazing and one you'll want to make often. We like to serve it alongside our favorite cocktail sausages and marsala olives with garlic.
This naan recipe is made with yogurt but no yeast, filled with melting mozzarella and green onion pesto and grilled on a skillet. Or outside on the grill or barbecue.
For all of you who are afraid of working with yeast or making bread, this dough is as easy as the pizza mix with baking powder that you can buy in the supermarket.
About naan
Naan means bread and is a flatbread very popular in Indian and other Asian cuisines, made with yogurt, and yeast and baked in a tandoor or clay oven. But they can easily be grilled in a cast iron skillet or outdoor grill.
There are many types and recipes for naan.
Today we're focusing on this no-yeast recipe, made with yogurt and baking powder. It comes together in ten minutes and needs to rest for 1 hour. So take that extra time into account.
But even with the resting time, you can have warm cheese-filled naan bread in an hour and a half. So it's great to make it as an appetizer when grilling outside. It only takes about 30 minutes of actual hands-on time.
How to make stuffed naan
- Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl and add wet ingredients (images 1 and 2). Start by mixing with a fork or wooden spoon until you have a rough mixture.
- Knead for about 5 minutes (with a stand mixer or by hand on a floured counter) until you have a slightly sticky but smooth dough (image 3).
- Shape into balls and let rest for 1 hour (image 4).
Fillings
- Cheese: use a cheese that melts well. Mozzarella (the one used for pizza is the best) is a good one, but whatever you use for your favorite grilled cheese sandwich will work.
- Pesto: You can go with not-so-traditional pestos like the one here - more ideas here for other Condiments & Sauces - and even use purchased ones.
- Grilled veggies are perfect too. Just remember you need the final filled bread to be flat to cook evenly. It might be a good idea to process or cut in small bits the vegetables first.
Pesto filling
The word pesto is very loosely used here, this was more a mixture of green onions, almonds, and parsley with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Maybe we should say paste?
Maybe, but pesto or paste will not change the awesomeness of the filled pieces of dough, grilled on the stove and eaten right there, almost hot to the touch.
Make your own fillings, most Mediterranean pizza toppings will go well, or something like this Chorizo Tomato filling. or the Sun-dried Tomato Pesto. The original recipe hails from this wonderful blog and uses garlic scapes, but I couldn't find any.
Use no more than a tablespoon for each piece of bread, it is enough. Using too much will hamper the correct cooking of the dough.
What type of skillet is used?
In a very fortunate turn of events, I found a million years old steak iron that belonged to my grandmother.
Steak irons (similar to cast-iron steak skillets) are flat surfaces with ridges, two handles but no sides, made of cast iron, and used to cook mainly steak, obviously. I live in Argentina, and we consume a huge amount of meat, so having a steak iron was a regular staple in all kitchens when I was growing up. All are made from good, sturdy iron, meant to last forever.
Many electric gadgets appeared throughout the years, but it took many years for the faithful steak iron to be replaced. Nowadays, it’s still sold and used, but not as much.
So the grilling of the filled naan is very easy, not even smoking because you don’t need to use oil.
You can drizzle some right before eating the bread, and maybe sprinkle with some coarse salt. What’s unavoidable is to use a good melting cheese, like the mozzarella I used here, which is the type we label pizza mozzarella, not fancy but buttery in flavor and great for melting.
Kitchen notes
- Organization: read the recipe first and make sure you have ingredients at the right temperatures, equipment needed, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier!
- Dough: make sure you take into account the resting time. The dough is somewhat sticky, so refrain from adding too much extra flour, It will be less sticky by the time you have to assemble the bread.
- Filling: Don't use more than 1 tablespoon of pesto and 1-2 thin slices of cheese. If the final pieces of bread are too thick they will not cook properly inside.
- Grilling: you can use a cast iron steak skillet as I used or a regular one, like the ones used for baking skillet cookies. And you don't need to butter or oil it. This bread produces no smoke while cooking. Or use an outdoor grill.
- Freezing: Unfortunately, these do not reheat well after freezing, probably because they’re not yeasted.
Related recipes you might like:
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Cheese Naan (no-yeast)
This grilled naan is filled with melting mozzarella and pesto, requires no yeast, and can be grilled in a skillet or outdoors! You can have it ready in an hour and you can vary the flavors of the filling.
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 5 to 5 ½ cups (700g to 750g) all-purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ cup plain yogurt (natural, unsweetened)
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup olive oil + extra to brush the bread
- 1 ½ cups warm water
- ½ cup pesto (any type works)
- 7 ounces (200g) of mozzarella cheese (or another melty one) cut into thin slices
Instructions
- In a large bowl or the mixer, mix flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.
- In a medium bowl mix yogurt, egg, warm water, and oil. Mix and pour into a well in the flour mixture.
- With the dough hook start mixing at low/medium speed, until a smooth dough forms that sticks around the hook, about 5 minutes. If it is too wet, add a tablespoon of extra flour. If making by hand, integrate the ingredients inside the bowl and then knead until smooth.
- On a floured counter, divide the dough into 10 equal portions.
- Form buns and put them on a plate dusted with flour.
- Lightly brush the surface of each with olive oil, cover with loose plastic, and let rest for 1 hour.
- Divide each bun into two parts.
- Flatten half of the dough portions, and put a tablespoon of pesto in the center, spread it a little without breaking the dough, and put a piece of cheese on top.
- Cover with another piece of dough, joining the edges well and taking care that the filling does not escape.
- Turn on the skillet or grill, brush it with olive oil and add the bread.
- Cook slowly over low heat until the dough is dry and the loaves are golden brown.
- Repeat on both sides, allowing time for the dough to cook well.
- Eat right away.
Notes
- Organization: read the recipe first and make sure you have ingredients at the right temperatures, equipment needed, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier!
- Dough: make sure you take into account the resting time. The dough is somewhat sticky, so refrain from adding too much extra flour, It will be less sticky by the time you have to assemble the bread.
- Filling: Don't use more than 1 tablespoon of pesto and 1-2 thin slices of cheese. If the final pieces of bread are too thick they will not cook properly inside.
- Grilling: you can use a cast iron steak skillet as I used or a regular one, like the ones used for baking skillet cookies. And you don't need to butter or oil it. This bread produces no smoke while cooking. Or use an outdoor grill.
- Freezing: Unfortunately, these do not reheat well after freezing, probably because they’re not yeasted.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Resting time: 60 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Bread, Appetizers
- Method: Grilling
- Cuisine: International
Keywords: cheese naan
Naan recipe from Feasting at Home
Pabs says
Que buena receta, pinta rico. !!,Lo voy a hacer y quizá le agregue pago que tengo en el freezer de acción de gracias! Saludos
Paula Montenegro says
Gracias por tu mensaje Pablo! Que tengas una buena semana.
Macarena says
This bread might be one of our favorite appetizers ever! We make it before a barbecue or when we watch tv. Thank you for the recipe!
★★★★★
Saima says
Amazing naan bread recipe without yeast! I am very fond of naan and have it with most of my meals. (Indian meals have to have some kind of bread to go with). I would absolutely love to try this mozzarella and pesto stuffed naan. The ingredients for the pesto are so yum- almonds, green onions, parsley etc. I would make a tiny addition here - garlic!
★★★★★
Paula Montenegro says
Yes, you're right about the garlic! Hope you like it!
Claire | The Simple, Sweet Life says
I love a good naan bread, and when they're stuffed with mozzarella and pesto, they must be downright divine! We're definitely going to have to give these a try.
Elena says
This naan bread looks absolutely delicious! Love the creative spin you put on it. So many amazing flavors packed into these! Your instructions look so easy to follow. I will give it a try for sure!
★★★★★
Paula Montenegro says
thanks Elena!
Kathryn says
This looks like a cross between grilled cheese and a quesadilla which means I've got to give it a try!!
Amanda Mason says
OMG these look amazing!!! I love pesto and the fact that these are no yeast just made my day! My daughter is allergic to yeast so we are so excited to find this recipe!! I'll let you know how it turns out!
★★★★★
Paula Montenegro says
I never knew you could be allergic to yeast. Hope you like this bread, it's amazing!
Vanessa says
This looks so delicious! I love that it's easy and can be made by anyone.
★★★★★
Tammy says
Gorgeous photos!! That melted cheese is calling to me...I love the sound of this grilled cheese with the pesto and honestly, I love melted mozzarella over any other! Yum!
★★★★★
Eva says
I love making creative pesto variations and I can't wait to try them in this filled naan bread. Love the idea those can be made on the stovetop!
★★★★★