Keema Naan is a hearty entree, with fluffy, golden flatbread stuffed with juicy, spiced beef and a hint of fresh herbs. Each bite is packed with rich flavors, tender meat, and soft, pillowy bread. It’s wholesome, flavorful, and downright irresistible. Dunk it in some green chutney, and you’re all set.
Table of Content
What Is Keema Naan
Keema Naan is a popular flatbread in South Asia, especially in Pakistan and India. It’s a stuffed version of the classic Roghni Naan — soft, chewy, and filled with spiced, juicy ground meat. Traditionally baked in a hot tandoor (clay oven), this recipe recreates the experience in a regular oven.
This keema naan is topped with sesame seeds, baked until golden, and brushed with butter or ghee for a rich, golden crust. People often call it "naan bread," but that’s like saying "bread bread" — naan itself means bread, so there’s no need for the extra word.
Many restaurants use raw ground meat for the filling, but if you’re squeamish about that, this recipe is for you. Prefer the raw meat stuffing? Just follow the instructions here.
While roghni naan is usually served with curries or BBQ items, keema naan is best enjoyed with a simple dip like mint chutney, tamarind sauce, or plain yogurt.
You might also like my crispy Keema Samosas; spicy ground beef in an egg roll wrapper!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Soft, pillowy naan with a golden, buttery crust and a juicy, spiced meat filling.
- Baked, not pan-cooked, for a mostly hands-off, fuss-free process.
- Versatile and packed with flavour—perfect on its own or with chutney, salad, or even masala fries!
- Easy, foolproof recipe that delivers the authentic restaurant taste, without the tandoor.
Ingredients & Substitutions
This is what you'll need to make these keema stuffed naans. See recipe card for quantities.
Naan Dough Ingredients
- All-Purpose Flour: All-purpose flour keeps it soft and pliable, but you can swap with whole-wheat flour to make it healthier. It will be less soft though.
- Instant Yeast: I use Instant Dried Yeast. You don't need to bloom it like active dry yeast.
- Baking Soda: Not to be confused with baking powder.
- Sugar & Salt
- Plain Yogurt: Use room-temperature, full-fat yogurt for the best flavor and softness. It keeps the dough moist and helps in fermentation.
- Cooking Oil: You can swap it with melted butter or ghee for more flavor.
- Whole Milk
- Egg: adds richness to the naan, can be skipped.
- Warm Water: Used for kneading.
You'll also need some more milk for brushing over the naan, white sesame seeds and unsalted butter for the glaze.
Stuffing Ingredients
- Ground Meat: You can use ground beef, lamb, veal or mutton.
- Onion
- Ginger & Garlic Paste: I minced some garlic cloves and whole ginger.
- Seasonings: You will need salt, crushed red pepper, red chili powder, cumin seeds, whole coriander, and garam masala.
- Whole Spices: These are optional but a few cloves and black cardamom gives a deeper flavor to the stuffing.
- Lemon Juice
- Cilantro: fresh coriander for freshness.
- Green Chilies: skip if you don't like spice.
- Dried Pomegranate Seeds - The crunch and sweetness pairs wonderfully with ground beef. You can skip them if you prefer a simpler flavor, or swap with sumac.
How To Make Keema Naan
Here's a step-by-step process to make this authentic keema naan recipe.
- Combine the dough ingredients into a mixing bowl.
- Knead the dough and let it rise in a warm place for 2-4 hours or until it doubles in size.
- Sauté the chopped whole spices, onion, ginger paste, and garlic paste in oil until the onion turns golden brown.
- Add the ground meat and seasonings, mix and then cover till the meat is cooked.
- Dry any excess moisture, add lemon juice and garam masala, and let the keema cool completely.
- Once cooled, add the additional flavorings to the meat mixture.
- After the dough has risen, punch it down to release the air, then transfer it to a floured surface.
- Divide the dough into 5 equal portions.
- Roll each dough ball into a small disc and add the keema filling.
- Fold the edges of the dough over the filling and pinch them together to form a ball again, ensuring the filling is sealed inside.
- Roll the stuffed ball into a flat disc, about the size of a dinner plate.
- Place the rolled-out naan on a baking sheet, brush with milk, make deep indentations, and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
- Bake the naan in a preheated oven at 240°C (460°F). Flip midway to ensure both sides get evenly brown.
- Once out, spray the keema naan with water and brush with melted butter to keep it soft and shiny.
Serve hot with green raita and enjoy!
Expert Tips for the Best Keema Naan
- Make sure to knead a "soft" dough for a fluffy, pillowy naan.
- Press deep indentations into the rolled-out naan to prevent it from puffing up too much and to give it that signature look.
- Right out of the oven, splash a little water on the naan, brush with butter, and wrap in foil for 5–10 minutes to keep it soft.
- Oven temperatures can vary, so keep an eye on your naan. Look for light browning on top, then flip to get an even golden color on the bottom.
- Make sure the meat filling is dry without excess moisture before stuffing it in, or the dough may start to tear.
- Remember, the more intensely flavored the stuffing, the better the keema naan will be because the dough tends to mellow out the seasonings. So don’t skimp, even on the salt.
Variations
Here are some variations for this recipe that you can experiment with:
- Use minced lamb, chicken, turkey, or even a mix of meats for a different flavor.
- Swap the meat with spicy potatoes, paneer, or mixed vegetables for a vegetarian version.
- Add shredded cheese like mozzarella or cheddar for a gooey, melty filling.
FAQs
Yes, you can use raw keema instead. Just make sure the filling is well-seasoned and spread thinly to ensure it cooks through while the naan bakes. Bake at 220°C (425F) for 12-14 minutes. The heat from the oven will cook the meat, leaving it juicy and flavorful inside the golden naan.
If your naan turned out hard, it could be because they were overcooked at a low temperature or your oven wasn’t hot enough. Naan needs high heat to rise properly and cook quickly. Another reason could be that your dough was too tough — try adding more water next time to keep it soft and pliable for a fluffier result.
Store leftovers in a ziplock bag or wrap them in aluminum foil. They’ll keep in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat, warm them in an oven or air fryer at 180°C (350ºF) for 3-6 minutes. For the best texture, lightly spray with water, and heat on a tawa, cast iron skillet or frying pan on medium heat, until soft and warm. You can also microwave them.
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📖 Recipe
Keema Naan (Easy & Authentic)
Ingredients
Naan Dough
- 3 cups all-purpose flour plus extra for dusting
- 1 tablespoon instant yeast
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons plain yogurt room temperature
- ¼ cup cooking oil
- ¼ cup whole milk lukewarm
- 1 egg
- Warm water for kneading
Keema Stuffing
- ¼ cup cooking oil
- 1 black cardamom
- 3 whole cloves
- 1½ onions diced
- 1 teaspoon ginger paste
- 1 teaspoon garlic paste
- 700 g (1.5 lbs) ground beef veal, lamb or mutton
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder
- 1½ teaspoons cumin seeds crushed
- 1½ teaspoons whole coriander crushed
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1½ tablespoons lemon juice
Stuffing Add-Ons
- 2 tablespoons dried pomegranate seeds (anardana) crushed
- 1 teaspoon whole coriander crushed
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 3 green chilies chopped
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro chopped
Broiling
- whole milk
- white sesame seeds
- butter unsalted
Instructions
Make the Naan Dough
- Combine flour, yeast, baking soda, salt, sugar, yogurt, oil, milk, and egg in a large mixing bowl. Gradually add warm water and knead the dough either by hand or using a stand mixer, until it’s soft and smooth.
- Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let it rise in a warm place for 2-4 hours, or until doubled in size.
Prepare the Keema Filling
- Heat the cooking oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the black cardamom, cloves, diced onions and sauté until they turn a light golden.
- Add the ginger and garlic paste, frying for another 2 minutes until no longer raw.
- Add the ground beef along with ¼ cup of water. Stir in salt, red chili powder, crushed red pepper, crushed cumin, and crushed coriander. Mix well.
- Cover and cook for 15-20 minutes. Once the meat is cooked and the water has reduced, increase the heat to medium-high and cook for a few more minutes until the mixture is dry.
- Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice and garam masala. Allow the mixture to cool.
- To the cooled keema mixture, add the 'stuffing add-ons': crushed pomegranate seeds, whole cumin seeds, whole coriander, chopped green chilies, and fresh cilantro. Mix until well combined.
Shape the Naan
- Preheat the oven to 240°C (460°F).
- Punch down the dough to release any air. Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and fold it once. Shape the dough into a log and divide it into 5 equal portions.
- Roll each portion into a ball and dust the surface with flour.
- With a rolling pin, roll out each ball into a small circle, about the size of your palm, with a slightly thicker center and thinner edges.
- Place approximately 100g (6-7 tablespoons) of the cooled keema filling in the center of each dough circle. Carefully fold the edges of the dough to seal the filling inside, pinching the dough together and smoothing the seam.
- Flatten the stuffed ball gently with your fingers, then roll it out into a disc, about 21 cm (8.5 inches) in diameter.
Bake the Naan
- Line a baking tray with parchment paper and place the naan on it, ensuring they are spaced out evenly. You can bake 2-3 naans at a time, depending on the size of your tray.
- Brush each naan with lukewarm milk using your fingers or a brush. Make deep indentation marks on the surface using a stick (see stick visual here) or your fingers (see video). Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
- Bake at 240°C (460°F) for 12-14 minutes, or until golden brown and puffed up. Flip when you see the top is golden. Keep in mind oven temperature varies, so keep an eye.
Finish and Serve
- Once the naans are out of the oven, immediately spray some water on top to keep them soft and brush them with melted butter.
- Serve the hot keema naan with green chutney and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Make sure your stuffing is well-seasoned, as the flavors will mellow once it’s inside the naan.
- After spraying with milk and brushing with butter, wrap the keema naans in foil for 5–10 minutes to keep them soft, especially if not serving immediately.
- Store leftover keema naan in aluminum foil in the fridge for 3–4 days. Ideally, reheat on the stovetop in a flat pan, adding a splash of water to retain moisture.
Nutrition
PIN IT FOR LATER
Jawad says
Very delicious!