Flatbread might be the hardest-working dough in your kitchen. It bakes fast, needs no fancy pans, and turns into dinner, breakfast, or dessert depending on what you pile on top. Whether you’re stretching pita dough by hand or grabbing a store-bought crust for a weeknight rescue, flatbread solves the “what’s for dinner” question in under 30 minutes most nights.

This collection covers the full range, from pillowy garlic naan and crackly za’atar manakish to loaded BBQ chicken and buffalo cauliflower versions. Some recipes start from scratch with yeasted dough; others use a no-yeast skillet base you can make while the oven preheats.

Quick picks:

  • Best for beginners: Quick No-Yeast Skillet Flatbread, ready with pantry staples and no rise time.
  • Best for entertaining: Fig, Goat Cheese, and Caramelized Onion Flatbread, an easy showstopper for guests.
  • Best for weeknight dinner: BBQ Chicken Flatbread, a faster spin on pizza night.
  • Best for breakfast: Bacon and Egg Breakfast Flatbread, a hearty morning plate.

1. Butter Garlic Naan

Soft, blistered, and brushed with garlicky butter, this Indian flatbread turns out best with a hot cast-iron skillet standing in for a tandoor.

Yield: 8 naan | Prep: 20 minutes plus 1 hour rise | Cook: 2 minutes per naan

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 packet (2¼ tsp) active dry yeast
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • ¾ cup warm water
  • ½ cup plain yogurt
  • 2 tbsp melted butter, plus 3 tbsp for brushing
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tbsp chopped cilantro

Method:

  1. Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water; let sit 10 minutes until foamy.
  2. Mix flour, salt, yogurt, 2 tbsp butter, and yeast mixture into a soft dough. Knead 8 minutes.
  3. Cover and rise 1 hour until doubled.
  4. Divide into 8 balls, roll into ovals.
  5. Cook each in a hot dry skillet, 1 minute per side, until bubbled and charred.
  6. Brush with garlic butter and cilantro.

For more Indian-inspired dishes, browse our best Indian food recipes.

2. Quick No-Yeast Skillet Flatbread

This is the fastest flatbread in your rotation, ready in under 20 minutes with no rise time and no yeast to proof.

Yield: 6 flatbreads | Prep: 10 minutes | Cook: 2 minutes per flatbread

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¾ cup plain yogurt
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp warm water, if needed

Method:

  1. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt.
  2. Stir in yogurt and olive oil until a shaggy dough forms; add water if dry.
  3. Knead 2 minutes, divide into 6 pieces, roll thin.
  4. Cook in a dry hot skillet 90 seconds per side until puffed and golden.

Great for griddle fans; check our best griddle recipes for more stovetop ideas.

3. BBQ Chicken Flatbread

This smoky-sweet flatbread turns a store-bought crust into a dinner that beats delivery pizza on flavor and speed.

Yield: 2 flatbreads | Prep: 10 minutes | Cook: 10 minutes at 425°F

Ingredients:

  • 2 flatbreads or naan
  • ¾ cup BBQ sauce
  • 2 cups shredded cooked chicken
  • 1½ cups shredded mozzarella
  • ¼ red onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 tbsp chopped cilantro

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
  2. Toss chicken with half the BBQ sauce.
  3. Spread remaining sauce on flatbreads, top with chicken, cheese, and onion.
  4. Bake 10 minutes until cheese bubbles.
  5. Scatter cilantro before serving.

This pairs well with the flavors in our homemade BBQ chicken pizza recipe, and you’ll find more pairing ideas in our best sides to serve with BBQ chicken.

4. Margherita Flatbread

Fresh mozzarella, ripe tomato, and basil make this flatbread taste like a trip to Naples without the plane ticket.

Yield: 2 flatbreads | Prep: 10 minutes | Cook: 8 minutes at 450°F

Ingredients:

  • 2 flatbreads
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 8 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced
  • 2 Roma tomatoes, sliced
  • ¼ cup fresh basil leaves
  • Salt to taste

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
  2. Mix olive oil and garlic, brush over flatbreads.
  3. Top with mozzarella and tomato slices.
  4. Bake 8 minutes until cheese melts and edges crisp.
  5. Scatter basil and salt before slicing.

For topping inspiration, our best fresh mozzarella recipes has more ways to use good cheese.

5. Mediterranean Veggie and Hummus Flatbread

Creamy hummus spread thick under crisp cucumber and briny olives makes this one of the lightest flatbreads on the list.

Yield: 2 flatbreads | Prep: 15 minutes | Cook: none, served cold or room temp

Ingredients:

  • 2 flatbreads, warmed
  • 1 cup hummus
  • ½ cucumber, diced
  • ½ cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • ¼ cup crumbled feta
  • ¼ cup kalamata olives, sliced
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • Pinch of oregano

Method:

  1. Spread hummus evenly over warmed flatbreads.
  2. Top with cucumber, tomatoes, feta, and olives.
  3. Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle oregano.
  4. Slice and serve.

Pair it with ideas from our best sides to eat with hummus, or explore our best Mediterranean recipes for more.

6. Homemade Pita Bread

Puffy, pocketed pita rewards patience with steam that forms a pocket perfect for stuffing or scooping dips.

Yield: 8 pitas | Prep: 20 minutes plus 1 hour rise | Cook: 3 minutes per pita at 500°F

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups bread flour
  • 1 packet active dry yeast
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1¼ cups warm water
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1½ tsp salt

Method:

  1. Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water; rest 10 minutes.
  2. Mix in flour, oil, and salt; knead 8 minutes.
  3. Rise 1 hour until doubled.
  4. Divide into 8 balls, roll into ¼-inch rounds.
  5. Bake on a hot pizza stone at 500°F, 3 minutes until puffed.

7. Za’atar Manakish

This Levantine breakfast flatbread gets its signature flavor from za’atar, a tangy herb blend brushed on with olive oil before baking.

Yield: 4 manakish | Prep: 15 minutes plus 1 hour rise | Cook: 10 minutes at 475°F

Ingredients:

  • 2½ cups bread flour
  • 1 tsp instant yeast
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • ¾ cup warm water
  • 2 tbsp olive oil, plus ¼ cup for topping
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ¼ cup za’atar spice blend

Method:

  1. Mix flour, yeast, sugar, salt, water, and 2 tbsp oil into a dough; knead 8 minutes.
  2. Rise 1 hour.
  3. Divide into 4, roll into rounds, dock with a fork.
  4. Mix za’atar with ¼ cup olive oil, spread over dough.
  5. Bake at 475°F for 10 minutes.

8. Turkish Spinach and Feta Gözleme

Gözleme is a folded flatbread cooked on a griddle, with a filling of wilted spinach and salty feta pressed inside flaky layers.

Yield: 4 gözleme | Prep: 20 minutes | Cook: 4 minutes per side

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¾ cup warm water
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 cups chopped spinach
  • 1 cup crumbled feta
  • 1 tbsp butter, melted

Method:

  1. Mix flour, salt, water, and oil into dough; knead 5 minutes, rest 20 minutes.
  2. Divide into 4, roll thin.
  3. Spread spinach and feta on half of each round, fold over, seal edges.
  4. Cook on a hot griddle 4 minutes per side, brushing with butter.

See our best griddle recipes for more stovetop techniques like this one.

9. Lahmacun

Sometimes called Turkish pizza, lahmacun tops paper-thin dough with a spiced ground lamb or beef mixture that bakes into crisp, savory perfection.

Yield: 6 lahmacun | Prep: 20 minutes plus 1 hour rise | Cook: 8 minutes at 475°F

Ingredients:

  • 2½ cups bread flour
  • 1 tsp yeast
  • ¾ cup warm water
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ½ lb ground lamb or beef
  • 1 small onion, grated
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • ¼ cup chopped parsley

Method:

  1. Make dough with flour, yeast, water, and salt; rise 1 hour.
  2. Mix meat, onion, garlic, tomato paste, and paprika.
  3. Roll dough thin, spread meat mixture to edges.
  4. Bake at 475°F for 8 minutes.
  5. Top with parsley before serving.

10. Whole-Wheat Roti

This everyday Indian flatbread uses just four ingredients and puffs up on a hot griddle without any oil in the dough.

Yield: 8 roti | Prep: 15 minutes plus 20 minute rest | Cook: 2 minutes per roti

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups whole-wheat flour (atta)
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¾ cup warm water
  • 1 tbsp ghee or butter, for brushing

Method:

  1. Mix flour, salt, and water into a soft dough; knead 5 minutes.
  2. Rest covered 20 minutes.
  3. Divide into 8 balls, roll thin.
  4. Cook on a hot dry skillet, flipping once bubbles form, then press edges to puff.
  5. Brush with ghee.

Explore more griddle-friendly dishes in our best griddle recipes.

11. Mushroom, Thyme, and Gruyère Flatbread

Earthy mushrooms and nutty Gruyère make this flatbread taste like it came from a wine bar menu.

Yield: 2 flatbreads | Prep: 15 minutes | Cook: 12 minutes at 425°F

Ingredients:

  • 2 flatbreads
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 2 cups sliced cremini mushrooms
  • 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
  • 1½ cups shredded Gruyère
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
  2. Sauté mushrooms in butter with thyme until golden, 7 minutes.
  3. Spread mushrooms over flatbreads, top with Gruyère.
  4. Bake 12 minutes until cheese is bubbly and browned.

12. Bacon and Egg Breakfast Flatbread

Crisp bacon and a runny egg turn this flatbread into a hearty morning plate that beats a drive-through breakfast sandwich.

Yield: 2 flatbreads | Prep: 10 minutes | Cook: 10 minutes at 400°F

Ingredients:

  • 2 flatbreads
  • 4 slices bacon, cooked and chopped
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tbsp chives, chopped

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
  2. Scatter cheese and bacon over flatbreads, crack an egg in the center of each.
  3. Bake 10 minutes until whites set and yolk is still soft.
  4. Top with chives.

Pair this with more morning ideas from our 21 breakfast sandwich recipes.

13. Pesto Chicken Flatbread

Basil pesto swapped in for red sauce gives this flatbread a bright, herby backbone under juicy grilled chicken.

Yield: 2 flatbreads | Prep: 10 minutes | Cook: 10 minutes at 425°F

Ingredients:

  • 2 flatbreads
  • ½ cup basil pesto
  • 1½ cups diced cooked chicken
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella
  • ¼ cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 2 tbsp pine nuts

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
  2. Spread pesto over flatbreads, top with chicken, mozzarella, tomatoes, and pine nuts.
  3. Bake 10 minutes until golden and bubbling.

For the full version of this recipe with extra tips, see our delicious pesto chicken flatbreads recipe, and for more chicken ideas check savory leftover rotisserie chicken sliders.

14. Fig, Goat Cheese, and Caramelized Onion Flatbread

Sweet caramelized onions and tangy goat cheese make this flatbread the one guests always ask about first.

Yield: 2 flatbreads | Prep: 15 minutes plus 20 minutes for onions | Cook: 10 minutes at 425°F

Ingredients:

  • 2 flatbreads
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 2 large onions, thinly sliced
  • 4 oz goat cheese, crumbled
  • ¼ cup fig jam
  • 2 tbsp walnuts, chopped
  • Fresh thyme for garnish

Method:

  1. Caramelize onions in butter over low heat, 20 minutes.
  2. Preheat oven to 425°F.
  3. Spread fig jam on flatbreads, top with onions, goat cheese, and walnuts.
  4. Bake 10 minutes.
  5. Garnish with thyme.

15. Philly Cheesesteak Flatbread

Thin-sliced steak, melted provolone, and sautéed peppers bring the classic sandwich flavor to a crisp flatbread base.

Yield: 2 flatbreads | Prep: 15 minutes | Cook: 10 minutes at 425°F

Ingredients:

  • 2 flatbreads
  • ½ lb thin-sliced steak
  • 1 green bell pepper, sliced
  • 1 small onion, sliced
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 1½ cups shredded provolone
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
  2. Sauté steak, pepper, and onion in oil until steak is browned, 6 minutes.
  3. Spread over flatbreads, top with provolone.
  4. Bake 10 minutes until cheese melts.

16. Buffalo Cauliflower Flatbread

Roasted cauliflower tossed in buffalo sauce gives this flatbread the kick of wings without any meat.

Yield: 2 flatbreads | Prep: 15 minutes | Cook: 20 minutes at 425°F

Ingredients:

  • 2 flatbreads
  • 2 cups cauliflower florets
  • ⅓ cup buffalo sauce
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella
  • ¼ cup blue cheese crumbles
  • 2 tbsp ranch dressing

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
  2. Roast cauliflower 15 minutes, toss with buffalo sauce.
  3. Top flatbreads with cauliflower and cheeses.
  4. Bake 5 minutes more.
  5. Drizzle ranch before serving.

For more spicy appetizer ideas, check out our spicy shredded buffalo chicken dip.

17. Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese Flatbread

This no-cook flatbread leans on smoked salmon and whipped cream cheese for a brunch option that feels fancy without a stove.

Yield: 2 flatbreads | Prep: 10 minutes | Cook: none

Ingredients:

  • 2 flatbreads, warmed
  • 6 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 4 oz smoked salmon
  • 2 tbsp capers
  • ¼ red onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 tbsp fresh dill

Method:

  1. Spread cream cheese over warmed flatbreads.
  2. Layer smoked salmon, capers, and onion.
  3. Scatter dill and slice to serve.

18. Apple, Brie, and Honey Flatbread

Melty Brie and crisp apple slices drizzled with honey make this flatbread taste like autumn on a plate.

Yield: 2 flatbreads | Prep: 10 minutes | Cook: 10 minutes at 400°F

Ingredients:

  • 2 flatbreads
  • 6 oz Brie, sliced
  • 1 apple, thinly sliced
  • 3 tbsp honey
  • 2 tbsp chopped pecans
  • Fresh thyme, optional

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
  2. Layer Brie and apple slices over flatbreads.
  3. Bake 10 minutes until cheese melts.
  4. Drizzle honey, scatter pecans and thyme.

19. Cinnamon-Sugar Dessert Flatbread

This sweet flatbread turns leftover dough into a quick dessert with a crackly cinnamon-sugar crust.

Yield: 2 flatbreads | Prep: 10 minutes | Cook: 8 minutes at 400°F

Ingredients:

  • 2 flatbreads
  • 3 tbsp butter, melted
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon
  • Powdered sugar for dusting

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
  2. Brush flatbreads with melted butter.
  3. Mix sugar and cinnamon, sprinkle over top.
  4. Bake 8 minutes until edges crisp.
  5. Dust with powdered sugar before slicing.

For more sweet bread ideas, browse our 21 best homemade poptart recipes.

How to Choose a Flatbread Base

Your choice of base shapes the whole dish more than any topping does. A yeasted dough like naan or pita gives you chew and a few air pockets, while a no-yeast skillet dough cooks faster and stays flatter for piling on toppings.

Whole-wheat roti and gözleme dough use less oil and work best cooked dry on a hot skillet. Store-bought flatbread or naan saves time on busy nights and holds up well under heavier toppings like steak or BBQ chicken.

FlatbreadPrep TimeBest ForTexture
Butter Garlic Naan1 hr 20 minSide dish, dippingSoft, chewy
No-Yeast Skillet Flatbread10 minQuick weeknight baseTender, flat
BBQ Chicken Flatbread10 minDinnerCrisp edges
Margherita Flatbread10 minDinner, entertainingCrisp, cheesy
Mediterranean Veggie Flatbread15 minLunch, no-cookSoft, fresh
Homemade Pita1 hr 20 minDips, sandwichesPuffy, pocketed
Za’atar Manakish1 hr 15 minBreakfastCrisp, herby
Gözleme20 minLunch, snackFlaky, folded
Lahmacun1 hr 20 minDinnerThin, crisp
Whole-Wheat Roti35 minEveryday sideSoft, pliable
Mushroom Gruyère Flatbread15 minEntertainingCrisp, melty
Bacon and Egg Flatbread10 minBreakfastCrisp, custardy
Pesto Chicken Flatbread10 minDinnerCrisp, savory
Fig and Goat Cheese Flatbread35 minEntertainingCrisp, sweet-savory
Philly Cheesesteak Flatbread15 minDinnerCrisp, hearty
Buffalo Cauliflower Flatbread20 minAppetizerCrisp, spicy
Smoked Salmon Flatbread10 minBrunch, no-cookSoft, cool
Apple Brie Flatbread10 minDessert, appetizerCrisp, melty
Cinnamon-Sugar Flatbread10 minDessertCrisp, sweet

If you want to stretch your own dough, our our best flatbread recipes and 35 flatbread recipes collections offer more base variations to try.

How to Keep Topped Flatbreads Crisp

A hot surface is the single biggest factor in a crisp flatbread crust. Preheat a baking sheet or pizza stone in the oven for at least 10 minutes before sliding the flatbread on, so the bottom starts cooking the moment it touches down.

Keep wet toppings light. Watery vegetables like tomatoes or roasted mushrooms release moisture as they bake, which can turn a crisp crust soggy. Pat them dry with a paper towel first, or roast them separately before adding to the flatbread.

Brush the dough with olive oil before adding toppings. This creates a barrier that keeps sauce and cheese from soaking straight into the dough.

Skip the lid or cover once it’s out of the oven. Steam trapped under foil softens the crust fast, so let flatbreads rest uncovered on a wire rack for a few minutes before slicing.