Instant Pot Turkey Breast is a great and easy way to cook your Thanksgiving Turkey! Cooking turkey breast in a pressure cooker takes off all the pressure of holiday dinners. This recipe is quick, easy, and always leads to juicy turkey!
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Why We Love This Instant Pot Turkey Breast Recipe
Cooking a turkey can be intimidating, so we love to make this simple, juicy, and delicious Instant Pot Turkey Breast. It has graced our table several times and it’s a family favorite.
- Quick. From start to finish, this recipe only takes 1 hour!
- Easy. You only need a few ingredients and a pressure cooker to make this turkey breast.
- Tasty. Fresh herbs like sage, rosemary, thyme, and parsley add so much flavor to this dish.
Gravy for Pressure Cooker Turkey Breast
Once you’ve finished cooking the turkey breast in the Instant Pot, you can make a turkey gravy to go with it. Strain the cooking liquid and vegetables over a large bowl. Set the Instant Pot to sauté and pour the turkey drippings back into the pot. Add the gravy packet and whisk until smooth. Bring to a low boil and cook, stirring until thickened, 5-10 minutes, then season to taste.
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How to Store and Reheat
Store leftover Instant Pot turkey breast in airtight containers, and keep in the refrigerator up to 4 days. Reheat in a 325°F oven, or in the microwave in 30-second increments, until fully warmed through (to 165°F).
You can use leftover turkey to make turkey wild rice soup or turkey sliders.
How to Freeze
Freeze slices of pressure cooker turkey breast in resealable, freezer-safe bags, and store up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge before reheating.
Serving Suggestions
This Instant Pot turkey breast will be the star of your holiday meal, along with Thanksgiving dinner rolls, and all of your favorite Thanksgiving side dishes. If you want to keep using the pressure cooker for your sides, make Instant Pot mashed potatoes, Instant pot sweet potato casserole, and Instant Pot green bean casserole.
Estimate 7-8 minutes per pound when cooking turkey breast in a pressure cooker.
I recommend thawing your turkey before cooking it in the Instant Pot for best results and accurate cooking times. However, if you want to cook it directly from frozen, add about 10 minutes (per pound) to the time.
Most turkey breasts range between 2-8 pounds. As long as you have the right size pressure cooker, any size turkey will work. An 8 quart cooker is large enough for a 7-8 pound breast. Smaller breasts will fit in a 6 quart.
Your turkey breast should be cooked to 165°F before consuming. It will likely be in the 155-160°F range when you remove it from the cooker, but it will rise slightly while it rests.
After removing the turkey breast from the pot, place it under the broiler (in the oven) for 5-10 minutes to crisp up the skin!
More Turkey Breast Recipes We Love
- Bacon Wrapped Turkey Breast
- Juicy Smoked Turkey Breast
- Garlic Butter Roast Turkey Breast
- Crock Pot Turkey Breast
- Air Fryer Turkey Breast
5-Star Review
“This was delicious and so simple to make! ” -Tammy
Instant Pot Turkey Breast Recipe
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Ingredients
- 1 7½-8 pound whole turkey breast I use Butterball, all white, thawed
- 6 tablespoons butter softened
- 2 tablespoons fresh sage minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley minced
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups low-sodium or unsalted chicken broth
- 1 large onion peeled and quartered
- 3 medium carrots washed and cut into 2-inch pieces
- 2 medium celery stalks cut into 2-inch pieces
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Set the Instant Pot trivet in the bottom of the Instant Pot insert.
- Remove the turkey breast from the packaging and set the gravy packet aside.1 7½-8 pound whole turkey breast
- Pat the turkey breast dry with paper towels.
- In a small bowl, mix together butter, sage, thyme, rosemary, parsley, salt and pepper. Rub the butter mixture all over the outside of the turkey, under the skin, and inside the rib cavity.6 tablespoons butter, 2 tablespoons fresh sage, 2 tablespoons fresh thyme, 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, 2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, 1½ teaspoons kosher salt, 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Place the turkey, large cavity side up. Pour the chicken broth inside and around the outside of the turkey. Scatter the chopped onion, carrots, and celery around the turkey. (*Note: the turkey can be stuffed with stuffing/dressing, but if not doing so, place some of the vegetables inside the cavity, too.)1 large onion, 3 medium carrots, 2 medium celery stalks, 2 cups low-sodium or unsalted chicken broth
- Set the Instant Pot lid in place and seal/lock the lid. Close the vent.
- Cook on manual HIGH for 1 hour. Allow pressure to release naturally and wait for the pressure pin to drop before opening. This will take approximately 10 minutes.
- Once the pressure pin has dropped, it is safe to open the Instant Pot.
- Remove the turkey by lifting the Instant Pot trivet, set the turkey in a large bowl, and allow it to cool enough to handle. Reserve the turkey juices/drippings for making gravy. When turkey has cooled enough, set the turkey on a cutting board, remove the meat from the bones and slice. Transfer sliced turkey to a serving platter. Serve immediately.
- Enjoy!
Turkey Gravy
- (If using the cooking liquid/turkey drippings to make gravy): Strain the cooking liquid and vegetables over a large bowl to reserve the liquid. Set the Instant Pot to sauté and pour the turkey gravy back into the pot. Add the gravy packet and whisk until smooth. Bring to a low boil and cook, stirring until thickened, 5-10 minutes. Season to taste.
- If not using the turkey drippings/liquid for gravy, strain it over a large bowl to reserve the liquid. Season to taste. It is essentially turkey broth, so freeze it to use in other recipes.
Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!
Becky’s tips
- If fresh herbs are unavailable, use dried herbs: 1 teaspoon each of sage & thyme, 1 teaspoon rosemary and 2 teaspoons parsley
Nutrition Information
How to Make Instant Pot Turkey Breast Step by Step
Prep the Turkey: Set the Instant Pot trivet in the bottom of the Instant Pot insert. Remove your 7½-8 pound whole turkey breast from the packaging and set the gravy packet aside. Pat the breast dry with paper towels.
Season the Turkey: In a small bowl, mix together 6 tablespoons of butter, 2 tablespoons of fresh sage, 2 tablespoons of fresh thyme, 1 tablespoon of fresh rosemary, 2 tablespoons of fresh flat-leaf parsley, 1½ teaspoons of kosher salt, and 1 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper. Rub the butter mixture all over the outside of the turkey, under the skin, and inside the rib cavity.
Cook the Turkey: Place the turkey, large cavity side up. Pour 2 cups of low-sodium or unsalted chicken broth inside and around the outside of the turkey. Scatter 1 large chopped onion, 3 medium chopped carrots, and 2 medium stalks of chopped celery around the turkey. The turkey can be stuffed with stuffing/dressing, but if not doing so, place some of the vegetables inside the cavity, too. Set the Instant Pot lid in place and seal/lock the lid. Close the vent. Cook on manual HIGH for 1 hour. Allow pressure to release naturally and wait for the pressure pin to drop before opening. This will take approximately 10 minutes. Once the pressure pin has dropped, it is safe to open the Instant Pot.
Rest and Slice: Remove the turkey by lifting the Instant Pot trivet, set the turkey in a large bowl, and allow it to cool enough to handle. Reserve the turkey juices/drippings for making gravy if desired. When the turkey has cooled enough, set the turkey on a cutting board, remove the meat from the bones, and slice. Transfer sliced turkey to a serving platter. Serve immediately.
I have a 6 qt Lux instant pot. Bought a 5.3lb turkey breast. It’s not completely thawed yet, but I couldn’t put the lid on when I tested to see if breast would fit. Once thawed will I be able to fit breast in and close lid?? I really want to cook in the instant pot. And would I still cook for about 55 minutes?
I’m not sure…without seeing it I’m not sure it will fit. it might once thawed, depending on how you can squeeze it in there lol. I hope it works out for you!
I am curious. Do you think you could cook an entire turkey this way? I have an 8 quart one, and a whole turkey would fit in, and this would be an amazing way to cook it.
You can do a frozen Turkey Breast with no problems
How much longer do I need to cook it if the turkey breast is frozen? (My turkey breast fits nicely into my Mini DUO i]Instant Pot.)
I would allow the turkey to thaw in the fridge before starting the recipe. It will be very tough otherwise.
OK thank you.
Hope you love it!
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What size instant pot did you use?
8 qt.
Looks absolutely delicious! I just bought an instant pot and can’t wait to try this recipe before I try to convert one of my own. Thanks for sharing!
Awesome! Hope you love it and can’t wait to see your version :)
This was delicious and so simple to make! I have a 6 qt instapot and it did take some manuvering to make my 8 lb TUrkey breaSt fit! My question is your cooking tIme and mine Varied a good 30 minutes. Is this because my pot is smaller?
I’m not sure! Did you cook 30 minutes longer? Was your turkey thawed? Not sure but so glad it was still delicious. And that’s awesome you got it into a 6 qt!!!
This looks soo good, what size Instant pot did you use to cook your turkey? I currently have the 6 qt and wasn’t sure if that size turkey breast would fit or if I’D NEED THE 8QT.
This was the 8Qt. You could do a turkey breast instead in the 6qt I think. Hope you love the recipe!!
Is this a bone-in or boneless?
We did bone in. You can do it either way!
Are you saying to stand the turkey on its “shoulders” and fill with the stick/broth??