Native American Fry Bread

By
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 03/3/24
Tested by
Colleen Graham
Photo of Colleen Graham
Tested by Colleen Graham
Freelance writer and cocktail book author Colleen Graham is a seasoned mixologist who loves sharing her knowledge of spirits and passion for preparing drinks.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 6 mins
Total: 16 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Yield: 4 loaves

Fry bread is a Native American bread that stretches back generations, particularly in the Navajo Nation with whom it originated. It's enjoyed all over the U.S. and is easily found throughout the Southwest. There's no need to go looking for it because it's surprisingly quick and easy to make at home.

Native American fry bread pieces in a basket lined with paper napkin

The Spruce Eats / Ahlam Raffii

Many Tribes, Many Fry Bread Recipes

There are many recipes for fry bread, varying with the region and tribe. It may be made with yeast and cornmeal, and some recipes add shortening, lard, or another fat, or include an egg. This recipe is made with all-purpose flour and baking powder, creating a very simple fry bread with no extra fat or eggs. This recipe makes four small fry bread loaves. It can easily be scaled up for a larger family.

What's the Difference Between Fry Bread and Sopapillas?

Many cultures throughout the world have a version of fried bread. Native American fry bread and sopapillas are two types that are nearly identical and have similar origins. During the 1860s, the Navajo people and other tribes were resettled onto reservations in eastern New Mexico. Fry bread made good use of the government rations they relied on, which included flour, sugar, salt, and lard. Around the same time, residents of older New Mexico towns received the same ingredients and they too created a fluffy, crispy fry bread that became known as sopaipilla in Spanish. The Navajo version is round, while sopapillas are typically square or triangular. The recipes for each vary greatly, though sopapillas most often use shortening and water rather than fry bread's milk.

How to Serve Fry Bread

Once you learn how easy it is to make from scratch and how delicious fry bread is, you'll find lots of ways to enjoy it. Fry bread is an excellent choice to serve with a hearty stew or chili, and you can make fry bread tacos with seasoned ground beef and your favorite toppings. It's also a tasty snack when served with honey, maple syrup, or fruit jam or preserves.

Freezing Fry Bread

Fry bread can be frozen for up to three months. Wipe the oil off with a paper towel once the bread cools and wrap it tightly in plastic, then place it in a freezer bag. For better results, freeze the uncooked dough when it's still in the ball shape using the same type of packaging. Thaw the dough overnight in the refrigerator, unwrap it and let it reach room temperature before shaping and frying as normal.

Tips for Making Delicious Native American Fry Bread

  • Don't over-knead—Be careful not to knead the dough too much because the bread will be hard and tough.
  • More flour—The dough is sticky but easy to work with; keep your hands and work surface well-floured.
  • Dough thickness—Adjust the thickness of the dough for your use. For instance, when making tacos, start with a very thin dough (less than 1/4 inch). Press a deep indentation into the center to prevent it from turning into a ball.
  • Consider the oil—The key to oil is to ensure whichever you choose has a high smoke point. Some, such as extra-virgin olive oil, will smoke before it reaches the desired temperature, the bread will taste burnt, and your kitchen may fill with smoke. Vegetable oil and shortening are popular options; canola oil is considered a little healthier, and lard is traditionally used by many Native Americans.
  • Frying with lard—If using lard to fry the bread, make sure that you use about 2 1/2 cups of lard instead of the 3 cups of vegetable oil.
  • Frying with shortening—If using shortening instead of vegetable oil, you will need about 2 1/4 cups for frying.
  • Keep it warm—When cooking a larger batch, keep finished fry bread warm in the oven. Set the drained fry bread on a baking sheet fitted with a cooling rack in a 200 F oven so it doesn't get soggy.
WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO MAKE THIS DELICIOUS NATIVE AMERICAN FRY BREAD
A Cast-Iron Pan
A Good Quality Canola Oil
A Dependable Rolling Pin

"This is one of the quickest fried food recipes I’ve encountered. It was quite fun to make, and the cleanup was simple. The fry bread came out crispy on the outside and dense on the inside. It’s also easy to adapt to make larger loaves. Just cut the dough into two portions rather than four." —Colleen Graham

Native American Fry Bread Tester Image
A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

  • Vegetable oil, or shortening, as needed

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour, more as needed

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

  • 1/4 teaspoon fine salt

  • 1/2 cup milk

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for Native American fry bread recipe gathered

    The Spruce Eats / Ahlam Raffii

  2. In a deep, 10-inch cast-iron skillet or heavy saucepan, heat about 1 inch of vegetable oil or shortening, as needed to 350 F.

    If you don't have a deep-fry thermometer to attach to the pan, dip the handle end of a wooden spoon in the oil. The oil should bubble around it fairly steadily when it's ready. The popcorn method is another option: Place a kernel of popcorn in the oil, and it will pop when the oil reaches 350 to 360 F.

    Wooden spoon being dipped in hot oil in frying pan with tiny bubbles forming

    The Spruce Eats / Ahlam Raffii

  3. Meanwhile, combine 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon fine salt in a bowl. Mix well to blend.

    Baking powder being added to flour in a wooden bowl

    The Spruce Eats / Ahlam Raffii

  4. Add 1/2 cup milk and stir until the dough holds together.

    Milk added to flour mixture and being stirred with a metal spoon to hold mixture together

    The Spruce Eats / Ahlam Raffii

  5. Knead 3 or 4 times on a floured surface.

    Dough being kneaded by hand on a lightly floured work surface

    The Spruce Eats / Ahlam Raffii

  6. Divide the dough into 4 uniform pieces and shape each into a ball. 

    Dough divided into four equal parts on a lightly floured work surface

    The Spruce Eats / Ahlam Raffii

  7. Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll each ball of dough into a circle that's about 1/4- to 1/2-inch thick. Make a depression in the center of each round of dough (it will puff up while frying).

    Piece of dough being rolled out to a circle on a floured work surface

    The Spruce Eats / Ahlam Raffii

  8. Carefully slide 1 or 2 pieces of dough into the hot oil. Fry for about 1 to 2 minutes on each side, or until lightly browned.

    Dough circles slid into hot oil with a wooden spoon and being fried

    The Spruce Eats / Ahlam Raffii

  9. Remove the fried dough to paper towels to drain.

    Lightly browned fried bread pieces placed on paper towels to degrease

    The Spruce Eats / Ahlam Raffii

Feeling Adventurous? Try This:

  • Sprinkle the fry bread with a little cinnamon and sugar.
  • Dust the fry bread with powdered sugar and add a drizzle of honey or syrup.
  • Serve the bread as a taco salad base or with taco toppings (popularly called Navajo tacos). Be sure to make the circles of dough very thin for this use.
  • Cut hot fry bread into wedges and serve with salsa or a dipping sauce.

How to Store and Reheat Fry Bread

Fry bread is best when it's freshly fried. If you need to store leftovers, keep it at room temperature loosely wrapped in plastic or in an unsealed plastic bag for up to 2 days. To reheat it, wrap the bread individually in foil and bake in a 375 F oven for about 10 to 12 minutes.

Helpful Links

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
289 Calories
19g Fat
26g Carbs
4g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 289
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 19g 24%
Saturated Fat 2g 9%
Cholesterol 2mg 1%
Sodium 330mg 14%
Total Carbohydrate 26g 9%
Dietary Fiber 1g 3%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 4g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 143mg 11%
Iron 2mg 9%
Potassium 77mg 2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)
Article Sources
The Spruce Eats uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

  1. Miller, Jen. Frybread. Smithsonian Magazine. July 2008.