How Long Does Naan Bread Last After Expiration Date? (+ How to Store Naan Bread)

Naan is leavened flatbread baked in the oven or tawa-fried. It is a popular flatbread in West and Central Asia, including the Indian subcontinent. 

You can serve naan bread with a filling or use it to scoop other foods. So the bread is highly delicious. The only thing of concern is that it has a short shelf-life. 

Understanding how to store your naan bread is crucial as you can extend its shelf-life via proper storage. But the question is, how long does naan bread last?

Naan bread lasts 3 to 4 days when stored at room temperature. However, when stored in the freezer, naan bread can last nearly indefinitely. Our practical recommendation is to freeze your naan if you don’t plan to eat it within the next couple of days.

If you’re a regular naan bread eater, this post is for you.  Read on as we discuss all you need to know about naan bread’s storage. 

How long does naan bread last once open?

As earlier mentioned, naan bread’s shelf-life isn’t long. As with other breads, it is best to consume the bread once opened.

When kept in the pantry, your naan bread will stay fresh for 3 to 4 days. Consuming it earlier is the best option to avoid spoilage. 

Placed in the pantry without any container or wrapping, your naan will go bad super quick. You have to place it in an airtight container or Ziploc bag, then store it in a cool and dry place.   

Protecting it from oxygen helps ward off bacterial growth. When stored this way, your naan bread should stay fresh and edible for 3 to 4 days.

How long does naan bread last in the freezer?

Many bread-lovers swear by storing bread in the fridge to increase its lifespan. What does this do to naan bread?

Naan bread can remain fresh for 2 to 3 months when stored in the freezer. It doesn’t matter whether it’s store-bought or homemade naan bread. 

While the culinary community loves to bicker and assert their opinion on whether bread should be stored in the freezer, it’s perfectly safe to store your bread in the freezer.

And no, it won’t compromise the quality. As long as you follow our tips for warming up your naan bread properly, it will taste nice and fresh.

You might be wondering why the freezer is better for storing bread than the fridge. Cold temperatures in the fridge produce stale bread; by freezing the bread, its freshness remains intact.

If you’re still questioning, “How long does naan bread last in the fridge?” the answer is 7-14 days.

Regardless, it is better to store your naan bread in the freezer than in the refrigerator. The quality and longevity will thank you for it.

How to tell if naan bread has gone bad?

Naan bread can go bad. All bread types do. It’s safe to consume naan bread that has become stale, though most people prefer not to. Freshly baked naan is far superior!

However, once your bread has gone bad, it’s unsafe to eat and may cause foodborne illness. Here are 4 common signs your naan bread has gone bad:

• Change in texture
• Change in smell
• Change in appearance
• Change in taste

Let’s take a deep dive and inspect the various symptoms of bad naan bread.

Change in texture

If you begin to notice that the bread isn’t nearly as soft as it used to be, you should consider discarding it.

Dry and rigid bread is a sign that naan bread is on its way out. This is because the bread loses significant moisture over time and becomes susceptible to staleness.

Sometimes, dry bread is safe to eat but less than pleasant. Nobody likes stale naan.

To be on the safe side, toss your stale naan.

Change in smell

Fresh naan bread smells inviting. The smell alone can entice you to consider adding naan bread to your meal plan even though you have other options. 

Spoiled naan bread is the opposite of inviting; spoiled naan will possess a moldy, putrid odor instead. 

If your naan starts to smell noticeably sour, you should throw it in the trash right away. A sour smell is indicative of mold growth that can cause serious food poisoning if consumed.

If you’re unsure about the smell of your naan, the next step is to do a visual inspection.  

Change in appearance

You may find mold or fungus on the bread when the naan is bad and unfit for consumption. 

Visible mold on your naan saps the nutrients from the bread, as well as produces white, pink, black, and even green spots. If you see mold, throw your naan away immediately.

If you’re crafty and think you can get away with cutting the mold off your naan and consuming it anyway, think again.

Any sign of mold is a tell-tale sign you should not be eating the bread. Just because you cut the mold off doesn’t mean the spores are gone.

Change in taste

Naan bread tastes great. Yogurt, bread flour, and garlic come together to create an Indian party in your mouth.

If your naan bread isn’t so delightful anymore, you should throw it out. A funky taste is indicative of spoiled bread.

If your naan bread has passed the other tests and you eat it only to find out it tastes out of the ordinary, throw it away.

Even if there isn’t visible mold, there can be small spores that can cause serious sickness.

Can naan bread be frozen to prevent spoilage?

Highly debated is whether bread should be frozen. What about for naan?

Yes, you can freeze naan bread. It doesn’t matter if it’s homemade, store-bought, or leftover naan bread. Naan bread freezes fine, just as tortillas and other flatbreads do. 

Additionally, the taste of frozen naan bread when defrosted isn’t much different from freshly baked naan bread. 

Freezing your naan bread is simple! All you have to do is place the naan in an airtight container or wrap it in aluminum foil and then pop it in the freezer.

Can naan bread be reheated?

Eating cold or frozen naan bread is less than ideal.

Can naan bread be reheated, and if so, what is the best way to reheat your naan?

Yes, you can absolutely reheat naan bread. You can reheat your naan in the microwave, in the oven, or on the stovetop.

Let’s shed more light on various ways to reheat naan bread to restore its fluffy texture. 

Using a microwave

Heating naan bread in the microwave is quick and easy. The first step is getting a microwave-safe plate. Check the plate for the microwave-safe mark to ensure that you’re using the right plate. 

If you plan to reheat only a slice of naan bread, spritz the bread with water and place it on your microwave-safe plate before sending it to the microwave to reheat for 1 minute on medium-high. 

However, if you plan to reheat several slices of naan bread simultaneously, you need to proceed slightly differently.

Spritz some water on each slice of naan bread, and place parchment paper on the surface of each of the bread before placing another on top. 

Lining the bread with parchment paper prevents the individual naans from sticking together during the microwave process.

After lining the pieces of bread, put them in the microwave and heat for a minute.  

Remember that every microwave heats differently; your naan may reheat faster or slower than what we recommend. Trial and error is your best friend!

Using an oven (or air fryer)

Reheating naan bread in an oven is simple and quick and will help return your bread’s fluffiness in a heartbeat. Here’s how to do it. 

Firstly, get your oven preheated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. While preheating, place the bread on a baking sheet (in a single layer and spritzed with water) in the oven. 

Ensuring the naan has been spritzed with water is instrumental to retaining the fluffiness in naan that we all know and love.

Heat the naan for 3-5 minutes. Keep in mind you’re only reheating the naan, so it doesn’t have to be in the oven for a super long time.

Using a stovetop

This is another easy way to reheat naan bread. You can consider using this method if you don’t have a microwave or oven or you don’t feel like using either of them.  

Apply a dab of olive oil to the pan to prevent the bread from sticking to the pan. To ensure there isn’t excess oil, you can take a paper towel and give the pan a quick wipe down.

Set the stovetop to medium heat and position the pan on the stove. If you plan to reheat more than one piece of naan, take it one at a time. 

Place each side of the bread on the pan for 2 minutes and be careful not to burn the bread.

How long does naan bread last after the expiration date?

Buying food from the store reveals two different dates: a “best before” date and an “expiration” date. How long does naan bread last after its expiration date?

Naan is an item sold with a “best before” date, meaning there is no expiration date on the package when sold. Naan can be consumed past the “best before” date so long as you are cautious to check the bread for mold.

Eating naan after the “best before” date is perfectly okay as long as your naan isn’t showing any symptoms of having gone bad.

Will it be the same quality after this date? Nope, but at least it’s edible.

So, while there isn’t any expiration date, you can expect your naan to be best within 3 to 4 days of purchasing from the store.

How do you store naan bread?

The single most important factor in the lifespan of your naan bread is how you store it.

Proper storage can double or triple how long your naan bread is good for, while carelessness yields moldy naan within days.

Naan bread is best stored in an airtight container in a cold and dry area of your house. Better yet, it can be frozen to further extend its lifespan.

As with other foods, minimizing oxygen exposure is the name of the game. Depriving potential bacteria and mold of oxygen keeps your naan fresh and fluffy!

Airtight containers are an excellent way to accomplish this. Whether you use glass Pyrex or plastic Tupperware makes no difference as long as it seals.

Freezing bread further extends the life of your naan. You can store your naan the same way (in an airtight container), just in the freezer instead of at room temperature.

If you don’t have any airtight containers, the next best thing is to tightly wrap your bread in aluminum foil.