This Instant Pot turkey breast is seasoned with butter, garlic and herbs, then pressure cooked to tender and juicy perfection and served with gravy. A super easy way to prepare a holiday main course that’s sure to get rave reviews.
When I’m looking for an elegant and delicious meal for a smaller group during the holidays, I turn to Thanksgiving recipes such as bacon wrapped pork loin, beef tenderloin, rack of lamb or this simple yet satisfying Instant Pot turkey breast, complete with homemade gravy!
You can never go wrong serving a whole turkey breast for a special occasion. It tastes delicious, looks elegant and is a great way to feed your family and friends. This Instant Pot turkey breast recipe takes less than an hour to cook, and it produces perfect turkey each and every time. It’s a great way to save on oven space when you have multiple things to cook at the same time. Don’t forget to serve your bird with some homemade cranberry sauce and turkey stuffing on the side!
Table of Contents
Instant Pot Turkey Breast Ingredients
To make this recipe, you will need a bone-in skin-on turkey breast, butter, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, thyme, salt, black pepper, chicken broth, onion, carrot, celery and corn starch.
How Do You Make Instant Pot Turkey Breast?
Start by mixing together butter, garlic, herbs and spices. Coat a bone-in, skin-on turkey breast with the butter mixture. Pour chicken broth into the bottom of the pot, then add carrots, onion and celery. Place the turkey breast on a trivet inside the pot, then seal the valve and pressure cook until turkey is cooked through. Let the pressure release naturally for about 10 minutes, then manually release the pressure. If you prefer turkey with crispy skin, place the turkey under the broiler until the skin is browned and crisp. Slice the turkey, then serve and enjoy.
Instant Pot Turkey Gravy
The great part of this recipe is that there is plenty of juices and drippings at the end to make gravy with! To make your gravy, use a slotted spoon to remove the carrots, celery and onions from the Instant Pot. Turn the pot to saute mode and bring the liquid to a simmer. Whisk together corn starch with cold water, then add that mixture to the pot. Let the gravy simmer for a few minutes until just thickened. Stir in some butter, salt and pepper, then transfer the gravy to a serving container.
Tips For The Perfect Turkey
- Try using my turkey brine recipe for 12 hours before you cook your turkey for even more flavor!
- While I typically use a whole turkey breast for this recipe, you can also use a half breast or a boneless turkey roast. You can season these other cuts the same way, just reduce the cooking time accordingly.
- Leftover turkey will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and can be frozen for 2 months.
- I recommend using a meat thermometer to confirm that your turkey is cooked all the way through. Simply insert the thermometer probe into the thickest part of the breast. The temperature should read at least 165 degrees F.
- You should plan to purchase 1 pound of turkey per guest. For example, a 6 pound breast will serve 6 people. If you want to make sure you have leftovers at the end of the night, aim for 1 1/2 pounds per person.
- This recipe calls for a trivet which keeps the turkey from sitting in the liquid in the bottom of the pot. Some pots come with a trivet in the box, or you can purchase a trivet online for your Instant Pot and it’s definitely a handy tool to have in the kitchen!
Quick Tip
Use your leftover turkey to make a creamy and hearty turkey tetrazzini! You can also check out my full list of leftover turkey recipes.
Recipe FAQs
You can cook a frozen turkey breast in a pressure cooker, although I think the flavor is better if you thaw your turkey first. To cook a turkey breast from frozen, follow the directions in the recipe, except increase the cooking time to 7 minutes per pound and increase the manual pressure release to 20 minutes.
You will want to plan on cooking your turkey breast for about 5 minutes per pound. A typical double turkey breast is about 6-7 pounds in size, so plan on a cook time of about 30-35 minutes, plus the 10 minute natural pressure release.
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Flavor Variations
This recipe is delicious as-is, but you can easily customize the flavors to suit your tastes.
- Seasonings: Feel free to use a spice blend such as turkey rub, Cajun seasoning or even blackened seasoning.
- Herbs: You can swap out the dried thyme for fresh herbs such as parsley, sage or rosemary. Another option is to use a dried herb blend such as Italian seasoning or Greek seasoning.
You simply can’t go wrong with this turkey recipe for Thanksgiving dinner. It’s full of flavor and is sure to please any crowd!
Side Dishes To Serve With Turkey
Corn Souffle Recipe
50 mins
Mashed Sweet Potatoes
1 hr 20 mins
Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes
40 mins
Honey Glazed Carrots
20 mins
Instant Pot Turkey Breast Video
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Instant Pot Turkey Breast
Ingredients
For the turkey
- 6 lb bone-in, skin-on turkey breast
- 7 tablespoons butter softened, divided use
- 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 1/4 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 onion peeled and cut into 1 inch thick slices
- 1 carrot peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 stalk celery cut into 1 inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
- fresh herbs for garnish optional
Instructions
- Place the 5 tablespoons of butter, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, thyme, salt and pepper in a bowl. Stir until combined.
- Loosen the skin of the turkey. Spread half of the butter mixture under the skin of the turkey and spread half all over the top of the turkey.
- Pour the chicken broth into the bottom of an Instant Pot. Add the onion, carrot and celery to the broth.
- Place a trivet in the pot, then place the turkey breast in the trivet.
- Close the lid of the pot and turn the vent to the sealing position.
- Set the pot to manual high pressure for 30 minutes (add 5 more minutes per pound if you're using a larger turkey breast)
- After the cook time has ended, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then manually release the pressure.
- Transfer the turkey breast to a baking sheet. Preheat the broiler.
- Broil the turkey for 4-5 minutes or until skin is browned and crispy.
- Use a skimmer or slotted spoon to remove the vegetables from the pot. Discard the vegetables.
- Set the pot to the Saute function and bring the liquid to a simmer. Whisk together the corn starch with 3 tablespoons cold water.
- After the liquid has come to a simmer, whisk in the corn starch mixture. Bring to a boil, and cook for 1-2 minutes or until gravy has thickened. Whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, plus salt and pepper to taste.
- Slice the turkey and serve with the gravy. Garnish with fresh herbs if desired.
Notes
- Try brining your turkey breast for 12 hours before you cook it for even more flavor!
- While I typically use a whole turkey breast for this recipe, you can also use a half breast or a boneless turkey roast. You can season these other cuts the same way, just reduce the cooking time accordingly.
- Leftover turkey will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and can be frozen for 2 months.
- I recommend using a meat thermometer to confirm that your turkey is cooked all the way through. Simply insert the thermometer probe into the thickest part of the breast. The temperature should read at least 165 degrees F.
What cooking time would you recommend for doing 2-3lb breasts at the same time? Still the 30 min or reduce the time?
I’d do the same time because I think with two breasts in the pot there won’t be a ton of room for air circulation. If you find that you do have a lot of room between the two breasts in the pot, I’d cook for less time, 25 minutes.
Another great recipe for my Instant Pot! Looking forward to cooking my Thanksgiving turkey this way; love all the ways you cook your birds and this looks too good to pass up, indeed!
Oh my…I will only be cooking turkey breast this way!! Quick, easy, & the turkey is seasoned so good!!
Now that the kids are older and don’t always come home for holidays, this is the perfect recipe for a smaller portion of turkey. Love how tender and juice it is.
turkey has always been a hard meat for me to cook, but this recipe makes cooking turkey super easy and I love it!
Ok game change for the holidays! Had no idea I could get such a juicy turkey breast, plus crispy skin using the Instant Pot! Delicious 🙂
I love all the spices that are used here! It’s so flavorful and easy to make! Perfect for my family.
This was amazing–I’ll never make turkey another way again! Thanks for the great recipe.
This is such a great and easy way to make a turkey breast. It looks perfectly cooked.
Love this so much! What a great idea to make the turkey in the instant pot this year. The seasonings here are spot on too! Thanks for the great recipe!
I’ve never thought about making turkey breast in my instant pot before, but this looks so juicy and very tasty! So excited to make this for dinner tomorrow night. My family is going to love this!