Instant Pot Turkey Breast
on Oct 21, 2019, Updated Jan 15, 2024
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In less than an hour, you can have a tender, moist turkey breast — a few more minutes will get you gravy, all in the Instant Pot!
The magical Instant Pot does it again. This appliance cooks a moist and tender turkey breast in a hands-off way in less than an hour (wow!). This makes it a smart way to cook up a turkey breast for dinner any night of the week. Also, if you are making turkey for a holiday and you want to make extra breast meat (a bunch of my family are white meat-only fans), this is a great way to have extra sliced turkey breast.
This recipe includes gravy-making instructions, which you are free to ignore if all you are after is a roasted turkey breast, not a full-fledged turkey and gravy dinner. The gravy is made right in the Instant Pot right after you take the turkey breast out to sit before carving. Once again, no extra pot to wash at all!
I would serve this juicy turkey breast with Classic Mashed Potatoes, Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Roasted Garlic, or Mashed Yukon and Sweet Potatoes with Sautéed Leeks.
Table of Contents
Also, we must stop thinking of turkey breast but once a year. So many of us cook turkey on Thanksgiving and ignore this meat for the rest of the year. We always buy sliced turkey at the deli for sandwiches, don’t we? Well, if you are a turkey family, why not start with a lovely turkey and gravy dinner any time there is a chill in the air, and then have homemade roasted turkey to slice all week long for sandwiches? When I do this, I feel like a full-fledged provider.
Instant Pot Turkey Breast: In less than half an hour you can have a tender, moist turkey breast – a few more minutes will get you gravy, all in the Instant Pot!
Ingredients
- Butter – Rub the turkey with butter to add flavor and help it retain moisture while cooking.
- Rosemary and thyme – The perfect woodsy herbs to enhance the flavor of this juicy turkey.
- Minced garlic – Mince the garlic before adding to the rub to maximize its flavor in the dish.
- Celery and onion – Cooking turkey with these veggies will add a hint of flavor and help the bird remain moist and juicy throughout the cooking process.
- Turkey or chicken stock – Gives the turkey its flavor and juiciness.
- Boneless turkey breast – Semiboneless would also be fine; just make sure it can fit in your instant pot with room around it.
- Liquid from cooking the turkey – Forms the base for the gravy.
- Flour – Helps thicken the gravy. You can use cornstarch if you want a gluten-free gravy.
How to Make Instant Pot Turkey Breast
- Prep turkey: Mash together the 3 tablespoons butter, rosemary, thyme, garlic, salt, and pepper. Rub the butter mixture underneath and over the skin, trying to spread it as evenly as possible.
- Brown the turkey in the Instant Pot, if desired.
- Sauté the veggies in the Instant Pot.
- Add turkey and broth: If you have a removable rack, such as this one, insert that into the Instant Pot before adding the turkey breast.
- Cook turkey: Close the lid and set the vent knob to seal. Set the Instant Pot on High Pressure, for 25 minutes. Then, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes and open the valve to release any remaining pressure. An internal thermometer inserted into the middle of the breast should read 160 F (the temperature will climb another 5 degrees to a safe internal temperature of 165 F while it is resting). Let rest for 15 minutes before slicing.
- Optional skin crisping: If you want the skin to be more browned and crispy, you can preheat the broiler and then place the turkey breast skin side up in a baking pan and broil it for a few minutes, watching carefully so that it doesn’t burn.
- Make the gravy (if desired) and serve: Set the Instant Pot to Sauté. Add the 2 tablespoons butter, and when it is melted, add the flour and whisk until it is light brown. Add ¾ cup of the strained cooking liquid and continue whisking for another few minutes until the gravy is simmering and starts to thicken. Season to taste.
FAQs
Your Instant Pot turkey breast may be tough because you didn’t allow the pressure to release naturally. After 25 minutes of sealed cooking on the high-pressure setting, allow the Instant Pot to release that pressure on its own. Forcing it open will immediately release the steam and may dry out your bird. After about 10 minutes, this releasing process should be done. If it isn’t, you can manually open the valve at that point.
Cooking the turkey with vegetables like carrot, celery, and onion will help the meat retain its moisture. Spreading the butter mixture on top and inside of the turkey breast will also help this process. Lastly, it is important to allow a turkey to rest after it comes out of the Instant Pot. It may be tempting to dig in right away, but covering the turkey with foil and allowing it to rest will make sure that its natural juices stay in the meat. If you cut and serve your turkey right out of the Instant Pot, the juices will run out, and it will become dry.
With a slow cooker, you have to sear anything you are cooking in it first in a separate pot on the stove if you want to have a shot at getting some variety in the texture of your food and reaping the flavor benefits of the browning or caramelization that takes place in the searing of sautéing process. The Instant Pot saves you that extra step. In this case, the sautéeing is optional but gets you a crispier skin on your turkey breast.
Pro Cooking Tips
- The Instant Pot has many functions. My two favorites, especially in combination, are the sauté function and the pressure cooker. One of the best reasons to get an Instant Pot — or multi-function cooker, to use the generic term for this device — is that you can sauté in the Instant Pot, which you cannot do in most slow cookers.
- Try not to tear the skin when you are rubbing the butter paste over the turkey.
- I used this little sling gadget to 1) keep the turkey from sitting in the broth, and 2) to lift it out more easily. A very good (and cheap) investment if you have an Instant Pot! But if you don’t have one, truly don’t worry. The turkey will be fine right in the pot atop the other ingredients.
- For a 4 ½-pound turkey breast, add 5 minutes to the cooking time. For a 5-pound turkey breast, add 10 minutes.
- Make sure to let the turkey breasts sit for a bit before slicing, whether you are making the gravy or not.
Leftovers
Leftover cooked turkey will last for up to 5 days in the fridge. If you have leftover turkey, you can freeze it for another time.
Explore leftover turkey recipes that are sure to spark some inspiration! And also good to know: How to Safely Thaw Frozen Turkey.
What to Serve With Instant Pot Turkey Breast
Serve Instant Pot Turkey Breast with mashed potatoes! Some choices:
More Juicy Turkey Recipes
- Easy Roasted Thanksgiving Turkey
- Simple Lemon-Garlic Roasted Turkey Breast
- Simple Slow Cooker Turkey Breast
- Cajun Roast Turkey
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Instant Pot Turkey Breast
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Turkey Breast
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (softened)
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup chopped celery
- ½ cup chopped onion
- ⅔ cup chicken or turkey stock
- 1 4-pound boneless turkey breast
For the Gravy
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (use cornstarch for a gluten-free gravy)
- 1 cup liquid from cooking the turkey
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- Place the 3 tablespoons butter, rosemary, thyme, garlic, salt, and pepper in a small bowl and use a fork to mash it into a blended paste. Loosen the skin of the bird carefully, and then rub the butter mixture underneath the skin and over the skin, trying to spread it as evenly as possible.
- If you want crisper skin, Turn the Instant Pot to Sauté and brown the turkey breast skin side down, first tilting it so the skin browns on one side of the breast, then the other, for about 2 minutes per side, so that most of the skin is at least a bit browned. Remove the turkey breast, add the onions and celery, and sauté or 3 minutes until softened and golden. Turn off the Instant Pot, add the broth, then place the turkey breast into the pot skin side up. If you have a removable rack, such as this one, insert that into the Instant Pot before adding the turkey breast.
- Close the lid and set the vent knob to sealed. Set the Instant Pot on High Pressure, for 25 minutes. Once the cooking time has finished, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, then open the valve to release any remaining pressure. An internal thermometer inserted into the middle of the breast should read 160 F (the temperature will climb another 5 degrees to a safe internal temperature of 165 F while it is resting).
- Remove the turkey breast and place it on a cutting board with a little moat to catch any juices and tent with foil. Let rest for 15 minutes before slicing.
- If you want the skin to be more browned and crispy, you can preheat the broiler, and then place the turkey breast skin side up in a baking pan and broil it for a few minutes, watching carefully so that it doesn’t burn.
- Meanwhile, make the gravy: Strain the cooking liquid and discard the solids. Return the inner pot back into the Instant Pot, and set it to Sauté. Add the 2 tablespoons butter, and when it is melted, add the flour and whisk until it is light brown; this is called a roux, and it will thicken the gravy. Add ¾ cup of the strained cooking liquid to the pot while whisking. Continue whisking for another 2 or three minutes until the gravy is simmering and starts to thicken. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.
Notes
- This recipe includes gravy-making instructions, which you are free to ignore if all you are after is a roasted turkey breast, not a full-fledged turkey and gravy dinner. The gravy is made right in the Instant Pot right after you take the turkey breast out to sit before carving. Once again, no extra pot to wash at all!
- The Instant Pot has many functions, but my two favorites, especially in combination, are the sauté function and the pressure cooker. One of the best reasons to get an Instant Pot — or multi-function cooker, to use the generic term for this device — is that you can sauté in the Instant Pot, which you cannot do in most slow cookers.
- Try not to tear the skin when you are rubbing the butter paste over the turkey.
- I used a little sling gadget to 1) keep the turkey from sitting in the broth, and 2) to lift it out more easily. A very good (and cheap) investment if you have an Instant Pot! But if you don’t have one, truly don’t worry; the turkey will be fine right in the pot atop the other ingredients.
- For a 4 1/2-pound turkey breast, add 5 minutes to the cooking time. For a 5-pound turkey breast, add 10 minutes.
- Make sure to let the turkey breasts sit for a bit before slicing, whether you are making the gravy or not.
- Leftover cooked turkey will last for up to 5 days in the fridge. If you have leftover turkey, you can freeze it for another time.
Thanks I need all the simple tricks with my small kitchen,but. Want a dinner