Instant Pot Turkey Breast

It’s easy to make a delicious turkey breast in your Instant Pot! Quick, juicy and packed full of flavor, your family will love when this delectable turkey is on the Thanksgiving dinner menu. When you use your Instant Pot to make the turkey, you’ll free up precious oven space for other recipes such as Sweet Potato Casserole With Marshmallows, Homemade Green Bean Casserole, Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole, Easy Homemade Dinner Rolls and a classic Libby’s Pumpkin Pie.

Instant Pot Turkey

With Thanksgiving coming up, it’s time to start planning everyone’s favorite holiday meal. While I love classic recipes, I’m always on the lookout for ways to make them easier or to save some time. This Instant Pot Turkey Breast is a perfect example of that. You get that must have turkey that everyone loves, but in less time. As an added bonus, the Instant Pot is fantastic when it comes to delivering moist and juicy results.

How To Make Turkey Breast In The Instant Pot

Let’s discuss the ingredients you’ll need, and the steps you’ll take, to make this delicious Instant Pot turkey breast. If you want to skip my discussion, tips and answers to frequently asked questions, just scroll to the bottom for the printable recipe.

Ingredients

1. Turkey breast thawed – A six to seven pound turkey breast is the ideal size for this recipe. A turkey breast this size takes approximately 36 hours, or one and one half days, to thaw completely in the refrigerator.
2. Olive oil – Whichever olive oil you keep on hand will work fine in this recipe.
3. Salt and pepper – As always, I recommend a Kosher or sea salt, and fresh ground pepper.
4. Sage – Ground or rubbed sage will work fine in this recipe.
5. Garlic powder – Make sure you are using garlic powder, not garlic salt.
6. Turkey broth or stock – Around Thanksgiving, turkey broth or stock will start popping up on your grocery store shelves. If you can’t find those, don’t worry, chicken broth or stock will work just fine.

If you would like to make turkey gravy from drippings you will also want to have some butter, all-purpose flour and cream or half and half.

Steps To Take

1. Combine the salt, pepper, sage, and garlic powder in a small bowl.
2. Coat the entire turkey breast with olive oil, then rub the seasoning mix over the turkey.
3. Pour 1 cup of turkey stock or broth into the instant pot, then place trivet into the instant pot.
4. Place the prepared turkey breast onto the trivet, with the skin side up.
5. Set the instant pot to cook for 40 minutes on high power. When done cooking, allow the pressure to release naturally. Depending on your Instant Pot, this could take anywhere from 10 to 40 minutes, so make sure to factor that into your time.
6. Remove the turkey from the pot and keep covered with foil until ready to serve.

If you would like to make turkey gravy from the drippings, these are the steps to take.

• Place butter in a small microwave-safe bowl, and heat until just melted. Add flour to the melted butter and stir until well combined. It will be very thick. Turn on the saute function of the instant pot. Gradually add flour and butter mixture while whisking constantly. Cook for 3-5 minutes. Stir in the cream, then turn off the heat. Whisk occasionally, it will thicken as it cools.

Tips and Frequently Asked Questions (F.A.Q.)

How can I tell if the turkey is fully cooked? I always advise using a meat thermometer, which will remove any doubt if your turkey breast is fully cooked. The USDA recommends that turkey breast be cooked to 165 degrees fahrenheit.

Can I cook a frozen turkey breast in an Instant Pot? The USDA recommends that you thaw turkey prior to cooking. However if you find yourself needing to cook your turkey from frozen, increase the cook time to 50 minutes.

How many servings will this make? A good rule of thumb with a boneless turkey breast is that you should plan approximately 3/4 pound for each person. A 6-7 pound turkey breast will feed approximately eight people.

How long to I cook a different sized turkey breast? A good rule of thumb is to cook the turkey breast in the instant pot for 5-6 minutes per pound.

How do I get crispy brown turkey skin? If you would like the turkey skin to be brown and crispy, turn the oven on to a low broil. Place turkey breast on a baking sheet and broil until the skin is crispy and golden. This happens very quickly, so watch closely and constantly and be ready to pull it out of the oven.

How do you store leftover turkey? To help keep the turkey moist, I recommend tightly wrapping the turkey in foil or saran wrap, then placing into a Ziploc style bag, with the air all squeezed out, and store in the refrigerator. It will last for 3-4 days. It will also keep in the freezer for 2-3 months.

More Thanksgiving Recipes

You have your turkey, now let’s get the rest of your Thanksgiving dinner ready. Here are some of my tried and true, family-favorite Thanksgiving recipes.

Thanksgiving Side Dishes

• Apple Cranberry Sauce – This is the cranberry sauce that wins over non-cranberry sauce fans. It’s amazing.
• Turkey Gravy Without Drippings – If you want, you can make your gravy in advance and have one less thing to make on Thanksgiving Day.
• Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes – Make up a batch of these potatoes a few hours in advance, and keep them toasty warm in the crockpot.
• Sweet Potato Casserole With Marshmallows – While the turkey cooks in the instant pot, make a batch of these decadent sweet potatoes.
• Crock Pot Creamed Corn – This is the creamed corn to end all creamed corn. Even those who say they don’t like cream corn have declared their love of this dish.
• Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole – This easy casserole recipe is the ultimate in comfort food.
• Homemade Green Bean Casserole – This is a bit different than some green bean casserole recipes. There is no canned soup in this recipe, but you will find cream cheese and sour cream in it, making it rich and delicious.
• Green Beans Almondine – If you want green beans that are a bit less indulgent, go for this quick and easy recipe.
• Mashed Butternut Squash – This sweet and nutty dish is easy to make and a perfect compliment to your turkey.
• Broccoli Casserole With Ritz Crackers – Creamy, cheesy and easy, this cheesy broccoli casserole has an irresistible buttery cracker topping.
• Easy Glazed Carrots – Picky eater approved, these carrots are always a hit.
• Homemade Dinner Rolls – Fresh hot rolls are a must for your Thanksgiving dinner. These are easy to make, even if you’ve never made homemade rolls before.
• Candied Yams – These are a nostalgic, must-have Thanksgiving side dish.
• Stuffed Acorn Squash – Golden acorn squashes are halved, roasted, then packed with a flavorful, vibrant quinoa and cranberry pecan filling, garnished with feta and fresh herbs. 
• Creamed Spinach – Fresh spinach is sautéed down, coated in a creamy, cheesy, flavorsome sauce, and made in one pan in under 15 minutes!

Save Room For Thanksgiving Desserts

• Libby’s Pumpkin Pie – You simply can’t go wrong with this classic Thanksgiving pie.
• Pecan Pie Without Corn Syrup – Classic pecan pie, but with the corn syrup swapped out. This is the recipe that made me fall in love with pecan pie.
• Pumpkin Roll – This fun dessert looks so impressive but is surprisingly easy to make.
• Pumpkin Bundt Cake – A moist and delicious pumpkin cake with an amazing cream cheese frosting.
• Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie Bars – These are a fun and easy twist on pecan pie.
• Caramel Apple Pie – Looking for a pie that’s not pumpkin or pecan? Go with this yummy caramel apple pie.
• Turkey Cheese Ball – Thanksgiving appetizer or dessert. Made with a sweet cream cheese base and decorated to the nines to look like an adorable little turkey bird.