Fry Bread is a simple fried dough that cooks up golden and bubbly on the outside while staying soft and tender in the center. It can be served sweet with honey or powdered sugar, or topped with beans, meat, cheese, lettuce, and all your favorite toppings for an easy main dish.
Fry Bread has a long history in Native American cooking and is especially well known throughout the Southwest. When it is topped with beans, meat, cheese, and other taco toppings, it is often served as a Navajo taco.
We’ve enjoyed this recipe our entire lives thanks to our mom, grandma, and great-grandma. It’s the Fry Bread we grew up eating, and we’ve continued making and tweaking it over the years. We love serving it with Refried Beans, ground beef, lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, sour cream, Salsa and Guacamole.
Why You’ll Love It + Why It Works:
- Only 4 Ingredients. Flour, baking powder, salt, and water make this simple homemade fry bread.
- Family Recipe. We grew up eating this recipe made by our mom, grandma, and great-grandma, and we have made it for decades.
- Crispy + Soft. The hot oil creates golden, bubbly edges while keeping the center soft and tender.
- Sweet or Savory. Add honey and powdered sugar or turn it into a filling Navajo taco.
- No Yeast Needed. Baking powder gives the dough its lift, so there is no long rise time.
Fry Bread Ingredients
Fry Bread
- All-purpose flour: The structure for soft, tender fry bread.
- Baking powder: Gentle lift so the bread puffs as it fries.
- Salt: Seasons the dough and brightens overall flavor.
- Hot water (about 130°F): Brings the dough together quickly for a supple, slightly sticky texture.
- Vegetable oil, for frying: Neutral oil with a high smoke point for even, crisp frying. Vegetable oil is our go-to, but canola or peanut oil can also be used for frying.
For Navajo Tacos, optional:
- Dried or canned pinto beans: The hearty, creamy base for the topping; dried beans become ultra flavorful in the slow cooker, canned beans speed things up.
- Water: Hydrates and cooks the beans until tender.
- Bacon, chopped and cooked: Adds smoky depth and a little richness to the beans.
- Ground beef, cooked and drained: Savory protein that makes each fry bread a filling meal.
- Toppings, shredded lettuce, sour cream, chopped tomatoes, sliced avocados, shredded cheese: Cool, creamy, fresh, and melty finishes that balance the warm bread and beans. Some of our favs: Homemade Salsa, Guacamole, Pico de Gallo.
How to Make Fry Bread
DOUGH. Sift the 2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 tablespoon baking powder together in a medium bowl. Add 1 cup hot water.
Mix with your hands until dough forms (dough should be a little sticky).
LET IT REST. The 10-minute rest gives the flour time to hydrate and lets the dough relax, which makes it easier to roll or stretch without snapping back.
PREP. While the dough is resting, add oil to a large saucepan that is about 1 to 2 inches deep and heat on medium-high heat (it should be about 350°F when ready to fry).
ROLL OR STRETCH. Divide the dough into golf-ball-sized pieces, about 1½ to 2 inches wide. On a lightly floured surface, use a rolling pin or pastry roller to roll each piece into a 6 to 7-inch round, about ¼ inch thick. Thinner dough will be crispier, while slightly thicker dough will stay softer in the center. For a more rustic shape and bigger bubbles, gently stretch the dough with your hands instead.
NOTE: Cut or poke a small hole in the center of each piece before frying to help it stay flatter.
FRY. Working in batches, fry each dough piece in hot oil until the dough is golden and puffs up, about 20 seconds, then flip and fry on the other side for 10-20 seconds more.
KEEP THEM WARM. Transfer the fried bread to a paper towel-lined plate briefly to drain, then place on a wire rack set over a baking sheet in a 200°F oven. Avoid stacking the pieces so they stay crisp.
The Beans + Toppings
- Place 2 cups of rinsed, dried beans in a slow cooker and cover with water. Cook on low for 4–5 hours, or until beans start to become tender.
- Add bacon pieces and ground beef to the slow cooker and continue to cook on low for an additional 1–2 hours, or until beans are fully tender. (To make the bean topping using canned beans, combine canned beans, cooked ground beef, and cooked bacon and cook in a slow cooker on low for 2 hours. Set aside.)
Kristyn’s Recipe Tips
- Don’t over-mix. Mix the dough by hand until just combined, a slightly sticky dough fries up lighter.
- Cover. Keep dough balls covered while you roll so they do not dry out; roll thin so they puff quickly.
- PRO TIP: Watch the Oil Temp! Make sure your oil stays at a consistent temperature. Use a thermometer and aim for about 350°F; too cool and bread absorbs oil, too hot and it browns before puffing.
- Fry one tester first to confirm timing, then work in batches without crowding.
- No thermometer? Drop a tiny piece of dough into the oil. It should immediately sizzle, float, and begin bubbling around the edges.
- Sweet Fry Bread: Some in my family pour honey over them, or slather on butter and jam. A few also like to add powdered sugar and just eat it as is.
- Savory Fry Bread: Most of the family eats it savory. We usually serve them up with cooked hamburger and beans, and let everyone add their own toppings:
- Tomatoes, lettuce, sour cream, Salsa, Guacamole, Pico de Gallo. Dressings like Cilantro Ranch or Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette are great too!
- You could even top them with a scoop of Chili.
Fry Bread Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
Bean Topping
- 2 cups dried pinto beans, rinsed and drained or 3 (16-ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained)
- water
- 2-3 slices bacon, chopped and cooked
- 1 pound ground beef, cooked and drained
Bread
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup hot water, (130 degrees F)
- vegetable oil, for frying
Other Toppings
- shredded lettuce, sour cream, chopped tomatoes, sliced avocados, shredded cheese
Instructions
- Place rinsed dried beans in a slow cooker and cover with water. Cook on low for 4–5 hours, or until beans start to become tender.
- Add bacon pieces and ground beef to the slow cooker and continue to cook on low for an additional 1-2 hours, or until beans are fully tender. (To make the bean topping using canned beans, combine canned beans, cooked ground beef, and cooked bacon and cook in a slow cooker on low for 2 hours. Set aside.)
- Make the bread: Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. Add hot water and mix with your hands until a dough forms (dough should be a little sticky). Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.
- While the dough is resting, preheat the oven to 200°F. Fill a large saucepan with 1-2 inches of oil and heat over medium-high heat to about 350°F.
- Divide the dough into golf-ball-sized pieces, about 1½ to 2 inches wide. On a lightly floured surface, use a rolling pin or pastry roller to roll each piece into a 6 to 7-inch round, about ¼ inch thick. Thinner dough will be crispier, while slightly thicker dough will stay softer in the center. For a more rustic shape and bigger bubbles, gently stretch the dough with your hands instead. NOTE: Cut or poke a small hole in the center of each piece before frying to help it stay flatter.
- Working in batches, fry each dough piece in hot oil until the dough is golden and puffs up, about 20 seconds, then flip and fry on the other side for 10-20 seconds more. Set on a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Transfer the fried bread to a paper towel-lined plate briefly to drain, then place on a wire rack set over a baking sheet in a 200°F oven. Avoid stacking the pieces so they stay crisp.
- Spread beans over fry bread, top with any other desired toppings, and serve warm.
Notes
Soak the beans. To lessen the amount of gas in the beans, soak dried beans in a large bowl of water for 8-12 hours (or overnight). Drain and rinse beans before use.
Serving suggestions. We feel this fry bread is best served with beans, but for a sweeter version, you can also skip the savory toppings and serve it with powdered sugar and/or honey. Make ahead. Mix up the dough and store in a resealable plastic bag for 1-2 days in the refrigerator or portion the dough into 1.5-2 inch balls and flash freeze. When ready to fry, remove from the refrigerator or freezer and let the dough come to room temperature. Fry according to recipe instructions.
Nutrition
Recipe FAQ
Though similar, there is a difference:
>> Fry Bread is thick, about 6-8 inches in diameter and topped with anything from powdered sugar to beef taco ingredients.
>> Elephant Ears are thin, bubbly, about 10-16 inches in diameter and traditionally only topped with cinnamon and sugar.
The dough should be soft and slightly sticky, but still easy to handle. Avoid adding too much extra flour or the fry bread can turn out tough.
To help your bread remain flat (instead of curling up on the edges and forming a bowl shape), cut a small slit in the center of each piece right before frying.
If the oil is not hot enough, the dough absorbs oil instead of frying quickly. Keep the oil near 350°F and let it come back to temperature between batches.
Too much flour, overmixing the dough, or frying it too long can make fry bread tough. Keep the dough slightly sticky, mix just until combined, and fry only until golden.
Make sure the baking powder is fresh, the dough has rested, and the oil is hot enough before frying. Rolling the dough too thick can also keep it from puffing quickly.
Fry bread is best when fresh, so we don’t recommend making it ahead of time. However, you can mix up the dough and store it in the fridge or freezer until it’s time to fry.
>> Dough in the fridge. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or transfer the dough to a Ziploc bag. Store for 1-2 days. Some bakers even recommend chilling the dough for a few hours before frying.
>> Dough in the freezer. Fry bread dough freezes well. Once your dough has been mixed, portion it into 1 1/2-inch balls and flash freeze.
Fry. When you’re ready to fry, remove the desired number of balls. Leave each ball in the baggie and thaw in the fridge overnight.
About 30 minutes before fry time, remove the dough from the baggie and let the dough come to room temperature. Fry according to recipe directions.
Store cooked bread. Wrap the bread loosely in plastic wrap or an unsealed Ziploc bag. Store at room temperature for 1-2 days.
Freeze cooked bread. Once the bread has cooled, pat each piece with a paper towel to remove any excess oil or water. Wrap each piece with plastic wrap and store it in an airtight freezer container. Freeze for 3-4 months.
To reheat fry bread. Heat the oven to 350°F. Wrap each piece of fry bread in aluminum foil and bake until heated through about 15 minutes. If you’re in a hurry, throw it in the microwave.
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This recipe was first shared March, 2015.
Many thanks for providing this recipe!
I’m planning to try it this weekend, but something caught my eye – “2 cups dried pinto beans, rinsed and drained or 1 (16-ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained)”.
Two cups dried pintos will yield almost 6 cups of cooked beans, while a 16 ounce can will be about 1.75 cups of beans.
Thank you for catching that! You would need closer to 3 cans of beans as a substitute. I will get the recipe card updated.
Chef kiss 😘
So glad you loved the fry bread! Chef’s kiss indeed!
The dough never formed. It was more of a liquidy batter than any formable dough.
I am sorry that happened! The dough should be sticky but not liquid. Next time, try adding the hot water gradually until a sticky dough forms.
I lost my original recipe that I got from a Native American years ago. This recipe is fantastic! A little simpler but comes our perfect!! My Grandkids had never had it and started putting different things on it as soon as it was done! They use, butter, jam, cinnamon & sugar and the beef roast I had seasoned and slow cooked!!
Thank you Sharon
I am thrilled that this recipe reminded you of a favorite and that it turned out so well. It sounds like your grandkids had a blast trying all those delicious toppings. Thanks for sharing, and I am so glad it was a hit with the whole family!
Trying these today and im sure without a doubt they’ll be amazing.
Altho I have a question. With the make ahead you say to roll into 3″ balls (brought to room temp) vs 1.5″ for fresh, is there a reason or am I missing something? Just wanna make sure I do ot right cause I think ill have extra ^^ thank you!
Thanks for your comment and I was able to go in and fix the typo. You should still roll the dough balls to 1.5-2 inches to freeze. I hope they turned out well for you.
This dough was unusable. So very sticky!! Added more flour and kept mixing. Finally had to throw it away after trying to salvage it for 30 minutes.
Oh no! I’m not sure why that would have happened. Thanks for giving it a try.
I have a family recipe, very large batch fry bread recipe, but I needed something fast. I’ve now used this recipe about 8 times and it never disappoints! I use my stand mixer for this and it is the perfect consistency every single time. The dough pulls away from the sides nicely and I love the way it feels working with it!
I first pinched off the right amount and sat on the side of my floured surface. I also used a table spoon and dropped on the side of floured surface. Then lightly dusted balls and my hands. Rolled them then pressed them out. It goes faster if you have all the balls ready to press!!
Hope this helps! Sharon
Probably too late for this advice to help, but if you let it sit in the fridge for 30 minutes before shaping then it won’t be sticky anymore! A trick my Osage grandmother taught me as a kid!
Thanks for passing on the tip from your grandmother!
I’ve made fry bread many times but wanted to try out a new recipe, and I really regret finding this recipe. The dough was way too sticky even after adding more flour. The bread came out so hard even when using a thermometer to manage temperature. Worst recipe.
I’m so sorry to hear that my recipe didn’t work out for you and that you had such a frustrating experience. Thank you for giving it a try and for sharing your feedback.
Was humidity a factor? High humidity can affect the flour, making the dough stickier than usual and then the added flour resulted in a tough bread.
I just commented on the Fry Breads we have here in Oklahoma made by Kiowa women then your ads caused everything to blink and completely erased my comment. It was lengthy and I’m not writing it again but that is so frustrating! There’s probably nothing you can do about that, is there? Arrrrgh!! 😡 😊
Oh no, thats incredibly frustrating, and I’m truly sorry that happened! Losing a thoughtful comment, especially one sharing such a unique experience, highlights how ads, while necessary for free content, can be so exasperating. I hope you’ll continue to make and enjoy the fry bread recipe!
I appreciate your comment, as others may face a similar scenario! While the flour-to-water ratio has always worked beautifully for me, factors like humidity and the specific type of flour used can affect how much water is needed. If the dough feels too wet, just sprinkle in a little more flour; if it’s too dry, add a tiny bit more water until you achieve a soft, slightly sticky, but perfectly manageable dough.
I am obsessed with this recipe!! It is SO good and easy. I add the same amount of sugar as it calls for salt (maybe a tad more) and it is soooo good.
Awesome! It’s one of my favorites, so I’m thrilled you enjoy it too.
Question — in the freezing directions it says to make 3 inch balls, but in the cooking directions it says 1.5 inch balls ? Thanks!
Giving this 5 stars to balance out the people who obviously can’t read a recipe or adjust for local conditions and then blame the recipe… I could never be a food blogger lol
Thanks for catching that and I fixed it to match the recipe card. Also, thanks for the 5 star review.