Refined flour, yoghurt and often butter — the richest of the Indian breads.
Naan is made from refined white flour (maida), leavened with yeast or yoghurt, and
traditionally baked in a tandoor. Restaurant versions are usually brushed generously with
butter or ghee afterwards.
That combination — refined flour plus added fat
— makes naan considerably more calorie-dense than roti. A single large restaurant naan
can carry 300–400 calories before anything is put on it, and garlic or butter naan runs
higher.
It is a special-occasion bread that has quietly become an everyday one.
Per 100g. A large restaurant naan is often 130–160g.
Based on the nutrients and fibre this food supplies. These are supporting foods, not treatments.
Roti is the everyday bread; naan is not. That is the honest framing. Naan
is refined flour with fat added.
Skip the butter brush if you make it
at home — it saves a meaningful amount with little
loss.
Whole wheat naan is a real thing and worth asking for.
One naan between two people alongside a curry is usually plenty.
Maida is wheat flour with the bran and germ removed and often further refined, so it
digests quickly. Adding fat slows that slightly, but the fat also roughly doubles the energy
density.
The yoghurt in the dough does add a small amount of fermentation, which is
part of why naan is softer and slightly more digestible than a plain white flatbread. It is
not enough to change the nutritional category.
Coeliac disease: wheat, barley and rye must be avoided completely,
and cross-contamination counts.
Diabetes: portion and pairing matter
more than banning. Eat bread with protein or fat rather than alone.
IBS:
wheat is a common trigger — for many people it is the fructans rather than the gluten,
which is why sourdough is often tolerated when ordinary bread is not.
This is information, not a prescription. If you are managing a diagnosed condition or taking medication, talk to your doctor before making a large change to your diet.
Nutrition figures on this page come from standard food composition data. These links let you check the numbers and read the underlying research yourself rather than taking our word for it.