Fry Bread is a flatbread made with simple pantry staples. Just mix the dough, fry it, and enjoy plain or with sweet or savory toppings.
My Favorite Fry Bread Recipe
I grew up eating these Utah scones—they’re a total Utah staple. Naturally, I became an expert at making Fry Bread way too young. It’s the best!
Don’t let the short ingredient list fool you—this is hands-down the best Fry Bread I’ve ever had. It fries up with a lightly crisp exterior and a soft, chewy, flavorful inside.
Another great thing? The dough comes together fast. No rising time like you’d need for white bread, honey whole wheat bread, or dinner rolls!
What Is Fry Bread?
Also known as Navajo or Indian Fry Bread, this flatbread is quick to make and fried in oil. It puffs up as it cooks, with a golden crust that’s crispy outside and soft inside.
There are numerous ways to enjoy it:
- Right out of the fryer (It practically melts in your mouth!)
- Sweet fry bread: Top it right out of the fryer with honey, honey butter, jam, syrup, and/or a sprinkle of powdered sugar.
- Dredge in cinnamon sugar: Right out of the fryer, dredge both sides in a mixture of 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- Top with savory toppings such as shredded beef, pork, chicken or seasoned ground beef
- Use as a flatbread or a replacement for bread (make sandwiches with the fried bread)
- Use to replace tortillas in a taco-like meal (like Navajo Tacos)
- Dunk in your favorite crockpot chili or soup recipe
Quick Tip
There is a fun Fry Bread House restaurant close to where I live that has some fun and unique toppings. Browse through their menu for more inspiration for how to top your fried bread!
How To Make Fry Bread
The dough for this basic Fry Bread comes together quickly and doesn’t require rising time — score! The dough does rest for a little bit which is the perfect time to heat up the oil for frying.
Once the dough has rested, it’s time to fry. A couple of different options here:
- Use a deep fryer (We love this deep fryer). It makes frying very easy and less messy than using a pot– thanks to the deep fryer lid. It also ensures the temperature stays consistent (you can set a temperature and forget about it!), which is important for even frying.
- If you don’t have a deep fryer, you’ll want a heavy-bottomed deep pot (I recommend using a large (5 quart) cast iron pot) and thermometer to gauge the temperature of the oil and ensure it maintains the right heat throughout frying. We want to ensure the temperature stays consistent and doesn’t get too hot (or too cool) which affects how the bread fries.
- If you don’t have access to a thermometer, try this trick: stand a wooden spoon handle in the hot oil. When bubbles gather around the stick, the oil is ready to fry.
Quick Tip
By using a large, deep pot instead of a shallow skillet, you’ll have much less mess! The oil won’t pop out on you or all over your stove.
Recipe Notes
- Yeast. There is yeast in the dough, but it does not require rising time. We do rest the bread for 15-20 minutes to allow the gluten to relax; this makes it easier to form pieces of dough before frying.
- Kneading. No kneading is required for this dough! In fact, the less you touch the dough, the better.
- Dough texture: It should be slightly sticky but workable. Add extra flour sparingly if needed, and a bit more milk if too dry. Variations can occur due to climate, humidity, and measuring differences.
- Rustic is the goal. The more bubbles and bumps on the bread, the better! This is the perfect surface area to add lots of toppings! Roughly press the dough out with your hands — don’t use a rolling pin– it’s not needed!
Storage
How Long Will Fry Bread Stay Fresh?
Like most fried foods, this bread is best right out of the fryer! I don’t recommend frying ahead of time, but the dough can be prepared ahead of time!
Make-ahead: Cover the dough tightly and place it in the fridge. Refrigerate up to 8 hours. When ready to fry, remove dough from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature before frying.
Keep it warm: Add an oven-safe cooling rack to the top of a sheet pan. Place Fry Bread pieces straight from the fryer onto the cooling rack in a single layer. Place sheet pan in a 200 degree F heated oven until the rest are fried.
Store: Store Fry Bread loosely wrapped with plastic wrap for 1-2 days. The texture and flavor do suffer the longer the bread has been out of the fryer.
More Fried Foods To Love
- Churros with two different dipping sauces
- Air Fryer Donuts with only four ingredients
- Cronut sweet croissant-donut pastries made simple (in 35 minutes or less!)
- Churro Ice Cream Sandwiches two churro rounds with ice cream in the middle
- Air Fryer Dutch Baby with a vanilla syrup
Fry Bread
Equipment
- Deep fryer or a large/deep cast-iron pot with thermometer, see note 1
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 2-1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder not baking soda!
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon yeast instant or active dry yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk I use whole
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil plus more for frying
Instructions
- Melt butter in the microwave. Let the butter cool back to room temperature (it’s important it’s not hot!). Microwave the milk until just warmed (see note 2) but not hot. Mix together melted butter and milk and set aside. In a large bowl, add the flour, sugar, baking powder, yeast, and salt. Whisk to combine. Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together.
- Dough should be rough, shaggy, and fairly sticky, but not so sticky you can’t work with it. Lightly flour your hands and knead the dough just a few times to shape it into a ball, being careful not to overwork/overhandle the dough. In the same bowl used for mixing, drizzle a tablespoon of vegetable oil. Rub oil on the bottom of the bowl and slightly up the sides. Add the dough ball back into the bowl and turn it to coat in the oil. Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel. Let it rest for 15–20 minutes. We don’t need the dough to rise, just the gluten to relax!
- Add 1 inch of oil to a large, cast-iron pot and heat to 350°F. Divide the rested dough into 8 equal portions (cut the dough ball in half then half again to get 4 large triangle pieces. Cut each triangle into 2 pieces to get 8 equal triangles). Lightly flour your hands and work with 1 dough piece at a time (keep the rest covered). Holding the piece of dough with your hands, gently work the dough into a circle, pressing it out with your fingers. (Don’t roll it out with a rolling pin or flatten on the table.) The dough should make a thin 5- to 6-inch circle and doesn’t need to look pretty—it’s supposed to look rustic! The thinner the pieces, the better; keep working the dough outward, being careful to not rip it.
- Gently drop only one piece of dough at a time into the fully heated oil. Fry about 30 seconds to 1 minute per side (if not using cast-iron pot, it will be longer)—fry pieces to a dark golden brown color, flipping the dough with 2 forks (or tongs) halfway through. Use a large slotted spoon (or tongs) to remove it onto a paper-towel-lined plate. Repeat to fry the remaining dough.
Video
Recipe Notes
-
- Use a deep fryer.
- If you don’t have a deep fryer, you’ll want a heavy-bottomed deep pot (I recommend a large (5 quart) cast-iron pot) and thermometer to gauge the temperature of the oil and ensure it maintains the right heat throughout frying. You want to ensure the temperature stays consistent, which will affect how the bread fries. If you don’t have a thermometer, try this trick: Stand a wooden spoon handle in the hot oil. When bubbles gather around the stick, the oil is ready to fry.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
We have tried out a few different fry bread recipes and this is hands down our family’s favorite one. I do like to divide the dough into 10-12 pieces instead of 8. We like to eat them as a treat and it slows my kids down on how fast they eat them. If I were making them for Navajo Tacos dividing into 8 would be perfect.
I am so thrilled to hear this! Thanks so much Lacy! 🙂
Would this recipe work with an air fryer? If so, any tips or suggestions?
Sorry I don’t know! I haven’t tested in an air fryer!
Cant wait to make this soon can i use vegan butter and almond milk i never had fry bread before cant wait to try this in my air fryer perfect for my office snacks
Delicious! You’ll have to let me know what you think! 🙂