Effortlessly prepare the juiciest, most flavorful, tender turkey breast with this easy recipe for Instant Pot Turkey Breast.
When it comes to easy recipes for Thanksgiving Dinner, it doesn't get much easier than making a turkey breast in the Instant Pot.
But easy does not mean sacrificing flavor! This recipe for Instant Pot Turkey Breast is made with butter and fresh herbs and the moist heat of the Instant Pot ensures the juiciest turkey breast you have ever had!
Reasons to Love Instant Pot Turkey Breast
- Impressive Results. The moist heat from the instant pot perfectly cooks the turkey, without drying out the meat, while the homemade herb butter infuses the turkey with flavor. Finished with a rich gravy, Instant Pot Turkey Breast is not only easy to make but also delivers delicious, juicy turkey.
- Time-Saver. The Instant Pot prepares turkey breast in a fraction of the time it would take in the oven or the slow cooker.
- Frees Up Oven Space. For a holiday feast, we often need all the space in the oven we can get. Cooking a turkey breast in the Instant Pot frees up space in the oven for things like Sweet Potato Casserole, Mashed Potato Casserole, and Classic Bread Stuffing
- Perfect for a Holiday Meal or Sunday Supper. Turkey Breast is an obvious choice for a smaller Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, but easy enough to make for a cozy Sunday Supper.
Notes on Ingredients
- Turkey Breast: This recipe is designed for a bone-in turkey breast. The bone will help keep the turkey moist and flavorful.
- Compound Butter: A compound butter is simply butter mixed with flavorings or herbs of choice. For this turkey breast recipe, I combine unsalted butter with fresh minced rosemary, fresh thyme leaves, salt, and pepper, as those are classic pairings for turkey.
- Stock: If you plan to make gravy, use low-sodium chicken or turkey stock as the cooking liquid. If you are skipping the gravy, water will work.
- Onion and Celery: Adding onion and celery to the turkey breast cavity is optional, but will help flavor the meat.
- Ingredients for Optional Turkey Gravy: If you would like to make gravy with the cooking liquid, you will need butter, flour, dry white wine, salt, and pepper.
Size of Turkey Breast
In my experience, an instant pot can hold the following sized turkey breasts:
- For a 6-quart Instant Pot: 5-6.5 pounds
- For an 8-quart Instant Pot: 7-8.5 pounds
How to Cook a Turkey Breast in the Instant Pot
The following tips are provided to help you achieve perfect results. You will find the detailed instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step One: Make sure your Turkey Breast Fits. This may sound obvious, but the most important step to properly cooking a turkey breast inside an instant pot is to be sure it fits! I recommend placing the turkey breast, while still in its packaging, inside the instant pot on top of the metal trivet/rack to be sure the lid will fit and close properly. Don't worry about your turkey breast extending past the max fill line in your pressure cooker, this is one time that is okay!
Step Two: Season the Turkey Breast. Instead of rubbing the butter over the surface of the turkey breast, it is best to gently loosen the skin on the turkey breast and rub the herb butter underneath the skin. The butter will melt into the meat of the turkey as it cooks and gives it an incredible flavor.
Step Three: Pressure Cook. There are four key things to remember when pressure cooking a turkey breast in the Instant Pot.
- Place the turkey breast meat side down on the inner rack. That is so the juices flow into the meat, keeping the turkey breast super juicy.
- Cook on high pressure for 6 minutes per pound. In all my experience with turkey breast, cooking for 6 minutes per pound yields turkey that is between 162-165 degrees F (it will reach 165 degrees F after resting.)
- Let the pressure release for at least 10 minutes. Any time you cook any poultry it is crucial to keep the meat tender.
- Let the meat rest for an additional 10 minutes before slicing. This will help to keep the turkey breast juicy.
Step Four: Broil (Optional). If you would like your Instant Pot Turkey Breast to have crispy skin or a golden brown appearance, place the cooked turkey breast on the baking sheet, drizzle with oil, and broil until golden.
Step Five: Make Gravy (Optional). If desired, you can easily make turkey gravy using the cooking liquid right inside the Instant Pot after the turkey breast has cooked and is resting. You will simply use the saute function to prepare the gravy, just as you would on the stovetop.
Serving Suggestions
Instant Pot Turkey Breast is the perfect entree for smaller Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter celebrations when served with Mashed Potato Casserole, Cranberry Sauce, and Green Bean Casserole.
Storing Leftover Turkey Breast
- Refrigerate: Leftover Turkey Breast can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days.
- Freeze: Freeze leftover cooked turkey in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months in the freezer. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight.
- Reheat: Place sliced leftover turkey in a heat-safe container and pour hot broth or stock over it. This will warm the turkey up without drying it out.
- Recipes Using Leftovers: Leftover Instant Pot Turkey Breast is great to use for a Panera Turkey Sandwich, Turkey Club Wrap, Turkey Tetrazzini, Instant Pot Turkey Noodle Soup, or Southwest Turkey Soup.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! First, be sure to check for any packet of frozen gravy inside the cavity of the turkey breast. If so, run under cold tap water to loosen and discard, as you do not want to cook the turkey with any plastic packets inside the cavity of the turkey breast. Skip the herb butter, season with poultry seasoning or salt and pepper, and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes per pound.
According to the USDA, Turkey Breast needs to reach 165 degrees F to be safe to consume. If after pressure cooking your turkey breast is not at 162-165 degrees F when using a digital meat thermometer, don't panic. Return the lid to the instant pot, seal the venting knob, and cook for an additional 5 minutes with 10 minutes of natural pressure release.
If your turkey will not fit in the instant pot using the rack, you can cook directly inside the inner pot. However, do not place the turkey breast meat side down in the pressure cooker, as this could cause a burn notice due to the compound butter under the turkey skin. Instead, cook meat side up OR skip the compound butter.
If you have a small whole turkey, this recipe will work the exact same way--cook for 6 minutes per pound on high pressure. If your turkey won't fit in your Instant Pot, use my recipe for cooking a whole turkey in the oven.
If you would like to brine this turkey breast before cooking, follow my Turkey Brine recipe. You can skip the herb butter if you opt to brine the turkey breast, as the brine will give it plenty of flavor.
More Thanksgiving Instant Pot Recipes
- Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
- Instant Pot Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Instant Pot Honey Baked Ham
- Instant Pot Mashed Sweet Potatoes
- Instant Pot Cranberry Sauce
- Instant Pot Stuffing
- Instant Pot Creamed Corn
I hope you enjoy this delicious, juicy Instant Pot Turkey Breast and I would love for you to leave a comment and review below.
Instant Pot Turkey Breast
Ingredients
For the Turkey Breast
- 1 to 1½ cups chicken or turkey stock see notes
- 1 (5-6 pound) turkey breast bone in
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- ½ tablespoon rosemary chopped
- 2 teaspoons thyme leaves
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt divided
- 1 teaspoon pepper divided
- 1 yellow onion peeled and cut in half
- 2 stalks celery
For the Turkey Gravy
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup dry white wine optional
- 1-2 cups turkey drippings
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce optional
Instructions
For the Instant Pot Turkey Breast
- In a small bowl, combine the butter with Mix together the butter with rosemary, thyme, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, and ½ teaspoon of pepper until well combined.
- Loosen the skin on the turkey breast using your hand. Rub the prepared herb butter underneath the skin of the turkey breast.
- Season outside of turkey with remaining 1 teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of pepper.
- Pour 1 cup of stock into the inner pot of a 6-quart pressure cooker for a 6-quart instant pot and 1½ cups for an 8-quart instant pot. Place the rack or trivet inside the inner pot.
- Place the seasoned turkey breast on the trivet (rack) inside the inner pot, meat side down. Place the onion halves and celery stick into the cavity of the turkey breast.
- Close the lid on the instant pot. Be sure the vent knob is pointed towards sealed. Hit the manual or pressure cook button and set it to cook on high pressure for 6 minutes per pound.
- Once the cooking time has elapsed, let the pressure release for at least 10 minutes naturally, then release any remaining pressure.
- Remove the lid and test the turkey breast with a digital thermometer to be sure the meat has reached at least 162℉. (The turkey breast will continue to cook as it rests and needs to reach 165℉.) If it is not fully cooked, return the lid to the instant pot, seal the venting knob, and cook for an additional 5 minutes with 10 minutes natural pressure release.
- Remove the turkey breast from the instant pot, it place on a cutting board, and tent it with foil. Allow to rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing.
- If you desire golden, crispy skin on the turkey, place the cooked turkey breast on a baking sheet. Place under broiler for 5-6 minutes, watching closely so as not to burn, and brown up the skin of the turkey breast.
For Turkey Gravy (Optional)
- Strain cooking liquid from instant pot and reserve.
- Return the inner pot back to the Instant Pot. Hit saute, add the butter, and let the butter melt. Once melted, whisk in the flour to form a thick paste. Let cook for 1 minute.
- Add in dry white wine and whisk well. Then slowly add ½ cup reserved cooking liquid to the instant pot and whisk well. Allow the gravy to bubble and thicken, adding more cooking liquid as needed to reach desired consistency. Season with salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce, and serve with turkey.
Equipment Needed
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published in 2017 but was updated with new tips and a video in 2020.
Jen
Hi, I’m going to bribe my 8.3 turkey breast for about 6 hours before following this recipe. Other than omitting the salt from the butter compound, do you have any other suggestions?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Jen! I use my turkey brine to brine my turkey breast and it is AWESOME--even without butter. I would just be sure to rinse the turkey breast so it is not too salty. Happy Thanksgiving!
Jen
Thank you and happy thanksgiving!
Betty
Can I cook a turkey breast in my 3 quart pot
Kristen Chidsey
As long as it fits Betty! You would need a fairly small Turkey breast in order to fit in a 3 quart instant pot. I suggest placing the turkey breast (while still in packaging) in the pressure cooker to see if it fits. If it does, remove from packaging and and proceed with the recipe.
Tami
So if you have a boneless turkey breast that is frozen do you have to cook it longer?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Tami! I would still cook for 6 minutes per pound if thawed out or 10 minutes per pound if defrosted (regardless of bone in or boneless). Hope that helps.
Kurt
10 minutes per pound if defrosted? Did you mean if frozen?
Kristen Chidsey
Yes, Kurt! Sorry about the confusion!
Nisa Amor-Stein
Hi Kristen, I have an 8qt instant Pot and was wondering if I could use this recipe for chicken breasts? It looks like 3 might fit in my pot. The lbs would be about 3.3
Kristen Chidsey
For bone in, skin on--yes, you can follow this recipe. For boneless, I would use my recipe for Instant Pot Chicken Breasts.
Starlyn
I wonder if the turkey breast needs to be on the rack of the Instant Pot or just sit in the broth.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Starlyn! For the turkey breast to fit, it will more than likely need to be in the broth and this keeps the meat nice and juicy!
Ann
I didn't even use any butter with the herbs, just put the herbs on top of the onion and celery and it was a HUGE HIT!! Excellent Recipe!
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad you enjoyed Ann! Thank you for taking the time to let everyone know the success you had with this recipe!
Vicki
Can you use boneless turkey breasts instead of bone in?
Will that adjust the time in the instant pot?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Vicki! Yes, you can make boneless turkey breasts in the Instant Pot as well. I would still cook for 6 minutes per pound. I hope you enjoy!
Dan
6 minutes per pound? I have a 5.5 lb'er and 33 minutes seems quick...ive taken up to 27 minutes for a split breast before around just under 3lbs?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Dan! Yes, I have found 6 minutes per pound with Natural Pressure Release to get my Turkey Breast to 165 degrees. I tried longer at first and was left with an overcooked, dry turkey breast. However, if after cook time has elapsed, your turkey has not reached 165 degrees, cook for an additional 5-10 minutes on high pressure. It will not take as long to reach pressure a 2nd time. I hope that helps.
Jen
I have made turkey breast in my pressure cooker a few times with this recipe. My husband loves it! Today is the first time I made the gravy with it-wow-I did not think it could get better!! Thank you so much!
Kristen Chidsey
Oh I am so glad you and your husband enjoyed so much! I love hearing that!
Ruth Roberson
Are we to place the turkey breast on a trivet in the pot or just put it in the broth?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Ruth, I place the turkey directly on in the broth. You can place your turkey on the trivet, but you may find it hard to fit the Turkey breast in the pressure cooker that way, but it will not change cook time.
Jen
I made this last night. My husband loved it! He usually takes a small serving of turkey breast because he is afraid it will be too dry but he quickly went back for more! He was still reminiscing about it tonight!
Kristen Chidsey
That makes me so happy Jen! And my husband agrees--this turkey is so juicy and he hates dried out turkey.
Viv
I made this recipe according to the directions (mostly) & LOVED it! I did use different spices that I had since I didn't have fresh. We like Montreal chicken seasoning so I put that in the butter under the skin. The meat was so tender & the gravy so good!! I think the onions & celery helped in the cavity for the overall flavor. Also, I didn't brown the skin much as I was afraid it would dry out the meat, (so if you like crispy skin, I'm not sure about that). Thanks for the recipe. I will be making turkey more often!!!
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad you enjoyed! And I love that you used seasoning you had--that is the greatest thing about recipes, when you can make them your own 🙂
LRV
Mine turned out very good, thanks! Just a note... you mention onion and celery (for the cavity) in the instructions but they're not in the ingredients list, so at first glance I thought I had everything I needed but didn't. How much of each would you recommend? Thanks!
Kristen Chidsey
I am glad you enjoyed! Sorry for the omission of the celery and onion--this is an optional ingredient. I would add 1 small onion (cut in half) and 1-2 stalks of celery.
Laurie
would the recipe be followed precisely if a stove-top pressure cooker is used? Same cooking times? I don't have either a stove-top pressure cooker or an electric instant pot and I am trying to decide which type to buy.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Laurie, I have VERY little experience with a stove top pressure cooker. And the experiences I have had with it, left a very bad taste in my mouth. And the cooking times are not exactly the same, so I can't give you much guidance there. Sorry! I will say I love my electric pressure cooker and they are about the same price as quality stove top cookers. Sorry, I am not much more help with stove-top cookers.
Maggie
It's recipes like this that make me want an instant pot for Christmas because this looks perfect! I feel so behind the times.
Kristen Chidsey
Maggie, it is a great way to prepare SO many things. I love my Instant Pot. Maybe your Christmas wish will come true.
Tayler Ross
Such an easy way to make turkey for Thanksgiving! I love this!
Kristen Chidsey
Thanks Tayler! I hope your family enjoys!
Lee
Can I stuff it with small chopped potatoes
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Lee, I would not recommend it, as the potatoes will overcook and as they absorb all the moisture in the Instant Pot, they would turn to mush.