Woolworths has Gluten Free Naan!
Posted: June 1, 2023 Updated: June 1, 2023
Finally, googling gluten free naan is giving me an option other than a recipe, and I can buy it at Woolworths! Some time around April or May 2023 I saw gluten free naan popping up in my Instagram feed.
I had seen this brand once last year in Sydney in a small store, but never since. So it is great news that it’s available in one of the ‘big two’ across the country.
The brand is Haldiram’s Minute Khana which actually make a few gluten free products, including gluten free chapati.
Where in Woolworths are the gluten free naan?
I had to travel to a few different Woolworths stores before I found these gluten free naan. I thought they would be in the gluten free freezer section, but they were actually in the Asian freezer section. To make it even more difficult they were in the wrong box and had the wrong price tag!
When I bought these in May it was $4.70, which was a total shock. I guess I’m becoming used to gluten free tax and now inflation so I expected these naan at Woolies to be at least $8. It turns out the regular price is $5.90 and $4.70 is the special for the week.
Even so, at around $1.50 a naan it’s not too bad when you consider a naan at a takeaway would be a few dollars more. And it wouldn’t be gluten free!
About Haldiram’s gluten free naan
The ingredients for the naan actually look quite natural. The flour blend contains rice and gram flour as well as maize and potato starch. The rest of the ingredients are recognisable and pronounceable, which is certainly a plus. Too often gluten free products feel like a voodoo incantation, but these are made up with milk, sugar, pectin and a bit of xanthan gum.
You can read the full ingredients in the photo below.
Preparing your naan
The instructions say you can prepare your naan either in the pan or in the oven. From reading people’s posts on Instagram it sounds like both are good options. Perhaps crispier in the pan and softer in the oven.
I think it’s up to you and what is convenient at the time. I generally use the oven if I’ve got something else in there and use the pan if I’ve got enough space on the cook top. And enough clean frying pans!
I opted for the frying pan to warm up my gluten free naans. I had a previously prepared curry from the freezer and some instant rice (I have a newborn so I’m taking shortcuts at the moment) so I wanted it all as quick as possible.
First thing you’ll notice is they are huge! I have a rather large frying pan and I could only properly fit one at a time. Once I’d heated both so they were soft, I put both back on the pan to keep warm while I dished up the rest of the food.
They don’t take long to heat up but I do think they take longer than the two minutes each side described on the packet. I didn’t use any oil or butter in the pan, just a dry heat like you would for a tortilla or arepa.
The instructions suggest butter to finish your naan, I used Tru-Blue garlic spread. Why? Because it’s awesome, my family has been buying this for years. It’s basically just a ready to use spread that contains oil, butter, garlic and parsley. Perfect for at home garlic bread, and now, garlic naan.
The taste
I realised something as we sat down to eat dinner and I pulled out my phone to take notes. Before I went gluten free, I didn’t really eat naan bread. It’s not because I didn’t want to, I think I tended to go towards roti instead.
The naan softened up nicely once cooked and the edges became crispy. The naan is quite flat and thin, it’s got an air pocket in it, like you’d get with a proper pita bread.
It’s hard to comment on the taste exactly because I covered it in garlic butter! However it’s light in texture, not at all thick or stodgy. Trying it around the edges it’s not salty, and it’s not gummy – gummy breads are usually ones made with tapioca flour (like Old El Paso GF tortillas).
Now, asking my gluten-guzzling husband his thoughts he was quite happy. He said it’s just as good as supermarket naan made with wheat. I’m not sure when he last ate one but he reckons you wouldn’t notice unless you were paying attention.
Obviously nothing compares to a freshly made wheat-filled naan, but I think we’ve got a pretty good endorsement from him.
The verdict
I like these, and carbohydrate man (my husband) approves too. So we’ll certainly be buying these again. It’s not something I’d have with every curry, but if I want to go all out and do a great fakeaway meal then these will be on the menu.
PRODUCT DETAILS
Gluten free: By ingredient.
Vegetarian / vegan: Vegetarian.
Allergens: Milk. May contain: Peanut, tree nuts.
Serving size: Four naan breads.
Did you enjoy this review? Check out more gluten free products and venues reviews. Feeling hungry? Have a look at Mr Chen’s Pho kit – it’s accidentally gluten free!