Specially Selected Naan Flatbread

My family likes Indian food, so we are always up for trying Indian or Indian-inspired cuisine from local grocery stores. Aldi sells some decent jarred simmer sauces, and it occasionally sells very good samosas and an excellent frozen butter chicken as limited-time specials.

Another product I’ve been purchasing for years from Aldi is naan. Naan is a leavened flatbread baked in a special oven, and it has a light, soft texture. People often use naan instead of a fork or other utensil to help scoop up food, including many classic Indian dishes that have a lot of sauce.

The Aldi naan comes in both original and garlic varieties. It is as good as anything I’ve gotten from an authentic restaurant, and it’s always a hit with my family. Besides serving this alongside all kinds of Indian food like korma chicken, biryani, and paneer tikka masala, Aldi naan also makes a fantastic base for all kinds of flatbread pizzas.

The packages state these are “Tandoor baked and hand stretched.” The fine print on the back of each package states these are “baked in a patented tandoor tunnel oven.” These are products of Canada.

Specially Selected Naan Flatbread is a Regular Buy. That means you should be able to find it at Aldi all year.

This cost $4.49 for a 17.6-ounce package at my local store at the time of writing. That comes out to about 26 cents per ounce. With four pieces of flatbread per package, that’s around $1.12 per piece.

Note: you can also buy these in mini versions that sold for $4.49 for a 12.7-ounce package at my local store at the time of writing. That’s about 35 cents per ounce. So you get a better deal if you buy the packages with the larger pieces of naan rather than the mini pieces.

These typically have best-by dates of several days out from the date of purchase. I buy these often and freeze them so I always have naan on hand. They thaw quickly sitting on the kitchen counter.

If you’re looking out for allergens, both varieties contain wheat, milk, and eggs. They may contain soy and sesame.

The packages have instructions for heating these in a conventional oven, on a grill, or in the microwave.

To bake in the oven, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Remove all packaging and place naan on a baking sheet. Sprinkle or mist lightly with water. Optional: brush naan lightly with olive oil. Place the baking sheet on the middle rack in the oven. Heat for 2-3 minutes or until hot.

To grill, preheat the grill to medium or 350 degrees. Remove all packaging and sprinkle or mist the naan lightly with water. You can also lightly brush the naan with olive oil. Place naan directly on the grill. Heat for 2-3 minutes or until hot.

To microwave, remove naan from packaging and wrap completely in a paper towel. Heat on high for 13-15 seconds.

Read more about each flavor variety below.

Specially Selected Naan Flatbread:

This is classic, original naan. It’s light, fluffy, doughy, and ideal for serving alongside Indian dishes or also for making flatbread pizzas. This has been my family’s preferred flavor over the years versus the garlic version, and I always have at least one or two packages of this in my deep freezer.

Ingredients include enriched wheat flour, buttermilk, water, soybean oil, cultured wheat flour, eggs, sugar, baking powder, sea salt, ghee, wheat gluten, dextrose, dextrin, carrot fiber, and yeast.

One third of a piece of naan is considered one serving, which will net you 130 calories, 3 grams of total fat (4% DV), 0.5 grams of saturated fat (3% DV), 340 mg of sodium (15% DV), 22 grams of total carbohydrates (8% DV), 1 gram of dietary fiber (4% DV), 2 grams of total sugars, 1 gram of added sugars (2% DV), and 4 grams of protein.

If you eat a whole piece of naan, that has 390 calories, 9 grams of total fat (12% DV), 2 grams of saturated fat (10% DV), 1,010 mg of sodium (44% DV), 64 grams of total carbohydrates (23% DV), 2 grams of dietary fiber (7% DV), 6 grams of total sugars, 2 grams of added sugars (4% DV), and 12 grams of protein.

The back of the package has a pizza recipe.

Grilled Chicken & Cheese Naan Pizza: 

Ingredients — 

• 1/2 package Specially Selected Original Naan  (2 pieces out of a 4-pack)
• 1/2 cup basil pesto sauce (homemade or store bought)
• 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup grilled chicken breast, diced into small pieces
• 1/4 cup roasted red peppers, diced into small pieces
• 1/4 cup sliced black olives
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions — 

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Spread pesto sauce over both naan, bubble side up. Add roasted red pepper and diced grilled chicken breast. Top with mozzarella cheese, sliced black olives, chopped basil, salt, and pepper.
3. Place naan directly on middle rack in the preheated oven. Cook for about 6-7 minutes or until toppings and naan are heated through and cheese is fully melted and starting to brown. Remove from the oven, slice, and serve.

Specially Selected Garlic Naan Flatbread:

Aldi garlic naan has a mild, savory garlic flavor that nicely complements Indian food, or it’s also perfect for making personal homemade pizzas. I love spreading Aldi pizza sauce on top of a piece of garlic naan, topping it with mozzarella cheese and turkey pepperoni, and baking at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes. The garlic naan crust adds something extra to the whole pizza, and my family really likes it.

Ingredients include enriched wheat flour, buttermilk, water, soybean oil, roasted garlic, cultured wheat flour, eggs, sugar, baking powder, sea salt, ghee, wheat gluten, cilantro, dextrose, dextrin, carrot fiber, and yeast.

One third of a piece of naan is one serving, which will net you 130 calories, 3 grams of total fat (4% DV), 1 gram of saturated fat (5% DV), 330 mg of sodium (14% DV), 21 grams of total carbohydrates (8% DV), 1 gram of dietary fiber (4% DV), 2 grams of total sugars, 1 gram of added sugars (2% DV), and 4 grams of protein.

A whole piece of naan has 390 calories, 9 grams of total fat (12% DV), 2.5 grams of saturated fat (13% DV), 970 mg of sodium (42% DV), 64 grams of total carbohydrates (23% DV), 3 grams of dietary fiber (11% DV), 5 grams of total sugars, 3 grams of added sugars (6% DV), and 13 grams of protein.

The back of the package has a panini recipe. You will need a panini press or a hot grill to make this.

Roasted Chicken & Arugula Panini: 

Ingredients — 

• 1/2 package of Specially Selected Garlic Naan (2 pieces out of a 4-pack)
• 2 tablespoons basil pesto
• 2 tablespoons sundried tomato pesto
• 2 cups roasted chicken, cut or pulled into bite-sized pieces
• 1/2 cup shaved parmesan
• 4 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
• 2 cups baby arugula

Directions — 

1. Preheat your panini press.
2. Mix the pesto together and spread over the bottom side of the naan (bubbly side down). Top with shaved parmesan, roasted chicken, toasted pine nuts, and arugula.
3. Place the second naan, bottom side (not the bubbly, charred side) down, on top, pressing the two naan firmly together. (The “bubbly” side of each naan should be on the outside of the sandwich.) Place the sandwich into the preheated panini press, or on a hot grill, and toast for 4 to 6 minutes, or until filling is heated through and grill marks appear. Let cool about 1 minute before slicing and serving.

The Verdict:

Specially Selected Naan Flatbread comes in original or garlic varieties, and you can buy regular-sized or mini versions. This is delicious when served with Indian food, or you can make flatbread pizzas or panini with them. It also freezes well. If you asked us to make a list of the best products at Aldi, this would make the cut.