Make soft and pliable vegan roti at home with just 5 ingredients and an hour! They are wholesome, filling, and high in fiber. Serve your vegan chapati with your favorite curry for a simple yet delicious meal.
After learning to make my vegan roti, there is no going back to the store-bought ones! They taste so much fresher and are cost-effective too. I usually batch-make and freeze them on the weekends, so I will have chapati ready to go on busy workdays!
I usually serve it with my moong masoor dal or tofu madras curry.
💚Why you will love this recipe
- A budget-friendly recipe that only calls for simple and inexpensive ingredients
- Easy to make and ready in 30 minutes
- Versatile and pairs great with any curries or dal
- A freezable recipe that is great for meal prep
🤔What is roti
Roti, also known as chapati, is one of the simplest kinds of Indian flatbread. It is usually made from atta flour (Indian whole wheat flour), water, and salt. Ghee or clarified butter is smeared on cooked roti in some versions.
This flatbread is usually served with curries, dal, and other Indian dishes, much like how Westerners do bread with soup.
To keep this roti vegan, we will be skipping the ghee. However, you can opt to slather on a thin layer of vegan butter instead!
Difference between roti and naan
Naan and roti are popular flatbreads in Indian cuisines and are often grouped together due to their similarity in appearance and texture. However, they have distinct differences.
Naan is a yeast-leavened bread, which makes it thick and fluffy. On the other hand, roti is an unleavened bread, meaning it does not contain any rising agents. Hence, it has a denser and thinner texture. Additionally, roti is made from atta flour, while naan is commonly made from all-purpose flour.
Naan usually comes in many variations, with garlic naan and butter naan being the most popular, while roti is typically plain.
🌾What you will need
📃Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Atta flour - Also known as Indian whole wheat flour. You can find it in your local Indian grocery store or purchase it online. It can be substituted with white whole wheat flour, bread flour, or all-purpose flour. Regular whole wheat flour will work as well but will yield denser roti.
🔪How to make
Making the dough - Combine atta and salt in a mixing bowl, and gradually add water. Stir until a dough forms. Knead roti dough for a few minutes until it is soft and elastic.
Resting - Cover the dough with a damp cloth and rest for 20-30 minutes.
When the time is up, give your dough a few kneads, then divide it into 8 equal portions.
Shaping the dough - Divide dough into 8 equal portions, and roll them into smooth balls. Take a portion and flatten it slightly using the palm of your hand.
Dust the working surface and rolling pin with flour. Gently roll the dough into an oval shape. Rotate 90 degrees and repeat until a disk forms. Continue until the dough is 5-6 inches in diameter.
Cooking roti - Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, place in roti and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until roti puffs up. Flip it over and cook for another minute or until golden brown.
Serving - Optionally, brush on a thin layer of vegan butter, and serve your vegan chapati while warm!
✔Helpful tips
- Adjusting the texture of the dough - The roti dough should be soft and pliable but not sticky. If the dough is dry and stiff, add a splash of water and knead until smooth. If the dough is sticky and wet, add more flour, a tablespoon at a time.
- Allow dough to rest - This relaxes the gluten, making it easier to roll the dough.
- Dust working surfaces with flour - Ensure that the rolling pin and working surface are dusted adequately before rolling the roti. This prevents sticking and eases the shaping process.
- Roll roti evenly - Aim to roll the dough to a uniform thickness to ensure that chapati puffs up properly when cooking.
- Cover with a napkin - If you are not serving flatbread immediately after cooking, stack them and cover them with a napkin or tea towel to prevent them from turning stale.
- The shape of the roti - Don’t worry if your vegan roti is not the perfect circle. They will still cook properly and taste amazing as long as they are evenly rolled.
🍲How to serve
- Curries and dal - The most popular way to serve roti is with Indian curries like this Indian tofu curry, Chinese vegetable curry, and moong masoor dal! You can also serve them with cabbage manchurian or soya chunks Manchurian.
- Indian condiments - This Indian flatbread is also commonly served with raita or chutneys like tomato chutney or onion chutney.
- As a wrap or tortilla - Although unconventional, you can use them for Mexican-inspired fillings like TVP taco meat, refried beans, rice and black beans, and fresh tomato salsa.
- Side dishes - Serve vegan chapati and curry with other Indian sides like vegan momos and cabbage curry.
❄Storing instructions
Vegan roti are ideally served fresh. However, if you are planning to serve them at a later time, here is the proper way to store them:
Fridge - Keep chapati in an airtight container, and refrigerate them for up to 2 days. I recommend freezing them if you plan to store them any longer than that.
Freezer - Store flatbread in a freezable bag with a layer of parchment paper between each roti. This prevents them from sticking. They can be frozen for 3 months.
Reheating - Cover vegan roti with a damp cloth, and reheat them in the microwave. Alternatively, sprinkle on some water, and heat them in the pan for 1-2 minutes on both sides or until the roti is hot.
❔Commonly asked questions
Roti is usually vegan and made with flour, salt, and water. However, some restaurants may add ghee, so it's best to ask before ordering.
The best flour for making roti is atta flour, also known as Indian whole wheat flour. Unlike regular whole wheat flour, atta is finer in texture, yielding soft and pliable roti.
However, as atta can be hard to find in some areas, you can substitute it with all-purpose flour, bread flour, and white whole wheat flour.
If your vegan roti is hard and dry, you may have added too much flour while making the dough. The dough should be soft and slightly sticky. If it is too stiff, add some water, a tablespoon at a time, until you achieve the desired consistency.
To ensure that your roti stays fresh and tasty, it is advisable to cover it with a napkin or tea cloth immediately after cooking. This simple step helps to prevent moisture loss, hence preventing roti from going stale. Covering the roti can maintain its softness and prevent it from drying out.
Brushing on a thin layer of vegan butter on freshly cooked roti is recommended to keep it fresh for longer. Stack the roti on top of each other and cover with a napkin or tea cloth until ready to serve. By following the above tips, you can extend the freshness of your roti up to a few hours.
If you plan to store roti for longer, it is recommended that you either refrigerate or freeze them to preserve their moisture.
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Roti (Chapati)
Ingredients
- 2 cups atta flour or white whole wheat flour/bread flour/all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¾-1 cup water
Instructions
Making the dough
- Mix together atta and salt in a large mixing bowl.2 cups atta flour, 1 teaspoon salt
- Gradually add in water, mixing it with a spatula or your hands as you go, until a dough forms. If your dough is dry, add more water, a tablespoon at a time. The reverse is also true, so do add more flour it is sticky and wet!¾-1 cup water
- Knead dough for a few minutes, or until it is smooth and elastic. Cover it with a damp cloth and let it rest for 25-30 minutes.
- When the time is up, give your dough a few kneads, then divide it into 8 equal portions.
Rolling roti
- Roll one portion of the dough until a smooth ball forms. Using the palm of your hand, flatten it out slightly.
- Dust your work surface and rolling pin with some atta flour to prevent the dough from sticking.
- Place dough on the surface. Start by rolling it gently lengthwise until a oval shape forms. Turn it 90 degrees and do the same. A circle will form. Repeat this until your chapati dough is 5-6 inches in diameter.
- Repeat for the remaining dough.
Cooking roti
- Heat a cast-iron pan/non-stick pan over medium high heat.
- Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, place in roti and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until roti starts to puff up. Flip it over and cook for another minute or until golden brown.
- Repeat for the remaining dough, serve, and enjoy vegan chapati while hot!
Notes
- Dust working surfaces with flour - Ensure that the rolling pin and working surface are dusted adequately before rolling the roti. This prevents sticking and eases the shaping process.
- Roll roti evenly - Aim to roll the dough to a uniform thickness to ensure that chapati puffs up properly when cooking.
- Cover with a napkin - If you are not serving vegan chapati immediately after cooking, stack them and cover them with a napkin or tea towel to prevent them from turning stale.
Nutrition
Nutrition info calculated is just a rough estimate and is provided as a courtesy. Bear in mind that value will vary based on variables like specific brand or type of product used. To obtain the most accurate representation, it is highly recommended that you calculate it on your own with the actual amount and type of ingredient used.
Shellie
Making these today to have with dal. Instead of rolling them out would a tortilla press work okay?
Meesha
Sorry for the late reply, but I do think it will work.😁
Donna
I am wondering if using whole wheat flour is a better substitute than a combination of white/wheat. I didn't know what Atta flour was and looked it up. It appears to be superior to whole wheat as it contains the germ and bran. Why would you not use Western whole wheat alone as a substitute instead of adding white flour?
Here;s what I found online: The main difference between atta and wheat flour is that atta flour contains a higher fibre content than regular wheat flour. Atta flour is processed by grinding the whole wheat kernel, while regular wheat flour is often obtained by grinding the wheat kernel after extracting out its bran and germ
Meesha
I would highly recommend sticking with atta if you can get it. As atta is much lighter and fine than regular whole wheat flour, I advise adding some all purpose flour to balance out the denser whole wheat flour. You can choose to substitute with only whole wheat flour, but the texture of your roti might change slightly. Hope this helps!
Brenda
I’m wondering if whole wheat pastry flour would work, as it’s very fine. Thanks
Meesha
I have yet to tried that, but I think roti made with whole wheat flour might be too dense and dry. I recommend substituting it with either bread flour or all purpose flour in a pinch!