Indian Fry Bread

This Indian Fry Bread is easy, made with very basic ingredients (no yeast required), and versatile for so many recipes. We serve Indian fry bread with our favorite taco toppings. But it's also amazing with soup or chili and you can even drizzle it with honey and a sprinkle of powdered sugar for dessert!

Originally posted March 2020, updated January 2024

Jump to:

• Why You'll Love Indian Fry Bread?
• Elephant Ears vs. Indian Fry Bread
• Indian Fry Bread Ingredients:
• Shop for ingredients & supplies:
•  How to Make Indian Fry Bread
• Frying Indian Fry Bread
• Pro Tips
• Serving Suggestions
• Storage Instructions
• More Delicious Recipes
• Recipe

This very simple version of Indian Fry Bread came from my dear friend Patti. We were living in Idaho from 1996-1999 when our hubbies were both stationed at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho when she shared it with me. 

I lost the recipe for several years, but when we reconnected on Facebook, she shared it with me again and I made sure to keep up with it this time! 

Yesterday I decided to make Indian Fry Bread for supper for us to have tacos. The last time I shared a picture of this recipe some local peeps asked for the recipe so I thought I'd post it here. You're going to love this delicious fry bread and all the options you have for eating it!

Here in rural Mississippi, anytime storms or ice come, people often lose electricity and then things get crazy at the grocery stores and milk and bread start selling. out. This happened last week which is why I had fry bread on my mind.

So I thought this Native American fry bread recipe might come in handy if you're facing a similar crisis and have these pantry items on hand. On the other hand, we make this delicious bread even when we're not in crisis mode - just because it's easy and we love it!

Why You'll Love Indian Fry Bread?

It's versatile. If my memory serves me right, Patti served her fry bread with strips of steak (think, fajita meat) with beans and other toppings! 🥙🌮 I remember using Mexe beans over the top when we lived in Idaho but I can't find those in Mississippi.

This week we had "Navajo Tacos" with traditional taco fillings: taco meat with black beans, cheese, sour cream, lettuce, tomato, and homemade salsa.

Except for my baby boy who is sometimes anti-vegetable. He had his with meat, sour cream, and cheese (see below).

But as I mentioned in the intro, you can also use this as a side dish for chili or soup.

For a dessert or sweet treat, you can add a sweet topping - spread on some honey butter or sprinkle with powdered sugar.

It's inexpensive. This fry bread is made with the most basic ingredients for pennies per serving. You cannot beat that for homemade bread.

Kids can make it (and have fun)! My kids can and do often make this flat dough bread. I remember when they were younger, it was a whole group effort. The oldest made the bread dough, one of the middle kids made the taco meat, another cut up the lettuce and tomatoes, and my youngest child made the salsa. 

Find the easy salsa recipe here --> https://rosebakes.com/easy-homemade-salsa-recipe/ 

What is Indian Fry Bread?

Indian Fry Bread, which is sometimes called Navajo Fry Bread, is a Native American quick bread that’s been around for ages. There are many versions of fry bread on the internet - some with yeast and cornmeal - some with eggs or shortening. But that's not how it started.

I am not a history expert but from what I understand, Indian Fry Bread became a thing in the mid-19th century. During the period known as the Long Walk, the U.S. government forced the Navajo tribes from their homelands in Arizona to embark on a journey to New Mexico. The government provided very minimal food and very simple ingredients which included canned foods, processed sugar, white flour, and lard. 

With survival being the only priority, the ingenious Navajo people created something nutritious and filling from these meager supplies and one of those staple foods was Indian Fry Bread. This Native American bread was born out of the hardship and struggles of the Navajo nation. 

Elephant Ears vs. Indian Fry Bread

Elephant ears and fry bread are similar but unique. Fry bread is generally thick and round and about the size of your average tortilla (around 6-8 inches). It is served with savory toppings (like a taco) or sweet toppings (like maple syrup and brown sugar). 

On the other hand, elephant ears are thinner and much larger, sometimes 10-16 inches in diameter. They are customarily sprinkled only with cinnamon sugar.

Indian Fry Bread Ingredients:

So let's get started. The ingredients for this fry bread dough are very simple:

• 5 cups of all-purpose flour (plus extra for rolling)
• 5 teaspoons of baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups warm milk
• 2 teaspoons of oil
• ¾ cup oil for frying

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Baking Powder

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Flour

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Salt

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Tongs

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Cuisinart Large Saute Pan

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Pizza Wheel

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 How to Make Indian Fry Bread

This Indian Fry Bread recipe is simple and quick to make. Since there's no yeast, there's no special or fancy way to do it. 

1. Mix or sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. We did not sift ours but just mixed it thoroughly with a fork.
2. Add the warm milk and mix until a dough forms. Then use your hands to knead it into a ball.

3. Flip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.
4. Roll the dough out until it's about ¼-inch thick (or a little thinner).
5. Using a pizza wheel, cut into shapes. Normally I wouldn't have done pieces quite so small, but we let the kids help and we get what we get. It all tastes the same 😊

Rolling out and cutting... or flattening? The traditional way to do Indian Fry Bread is to tear off small portions (balls of dough) & roll them out or flatten them into circles. 

But when Patti first shared the recipe with me more than 20 years ago, she rolled out the dough with a rolling pin and cut it into rough diamond shapes. So that's how I've always done it. You can do it either way, but my pics and instructions are for cutting it into diamond or triangle shapes.

Frying Indian Fry Bread

1. Pour ¾ cup of oil into a large shallow pan or large skillet. You do not want more than an inch of oil. Heat to medium heat. I use vegetable oil, but melted shortening or canola oil works well too. I don't have a specific temperature to suggest - I always flick a tiny drop of water into my pan and if it sizzles, it's ready. I know - so scientific!
2. Gently place the pieces of dough into the hot oil and fry for about a minute on each side until bubbly and golden brown. Each piece should be done in 2-3 minutes tops. If it cooks faster than that, your oil is too hot. I like to set up a cookie sheet lined with paper towels so I can move the cooked pieces straight from the cooking pan to the lined pan to drain.
3. Use tongs or a fork to lift the fried bread out of the oil.
4. Let the fried dough drain and cool for a couple of minutes, then they're ready to eat!
5. Enjoy by placing your Indian Fry Bread Tacos on a plate and adding whichever toppings you love.

I have this set of Cuisinart pans and they are amazing. I've had them or years and never had a single complaint. Since buying the original set, I've added other pieces here and there. I use the large saute pan to make this quick bread!

Asher made one round piece of Indian Fry Bread for himself... then made it into a smiley face. It was the cutest smiley face ever! ❤️️

Pro Tips

For bubbly bread: if the bubbles are small, you don't have to do anything but now and then you will get a huge bubble. When that happens, I just use a fork to poke a small hole and flatten it with a spatula. It's nothing to stress over!

Serve fresh! This Indian frybread is best served warm or at room temperature.

Serving Suggestions

This very simple fry bread recipe is so very versatile.

Indian Fry Bread Tacos: Use a piece of fry bread instead of a taco shell and add your favorite toppings. Seasoned ground beef, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, sour cream, salsa, guacamole, taco sauce, refried beans, etc. are most popular.

Side Dish: Use as bread to serve with chili, soup or stew.

Dessert: Drizzle with honey and powdered sugar for a yummy dessert.

Storage Instructions

​While we much prefer our fry bread fresh, you can keep and use leftover Indian Fry Bread.

​Room Temperature: cooked bread can be wrapped in plastic wrap or placed in a ziploc bag and kept for 1-2 days.

Reheating: Preheat your oven to 350°F. While the oven is warming, wrap the fry bread in aluminum foil and cook for about 15 minutes. You can also warm it in the microwave but I'd recommend 10 seconds intervals just until warm. Over-cooking in the microwave will make it tough. 

read for himself... then made it into a smiley face. It was the cutest smiley face ever! ❤️️

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