This is the quickest, easiest and most delicious way to cook a turkey breast. This Instant Pot Turkey Breast & Gravy recipe is a fool-proof way to get a perfectly tender and moist turkey every time. The gravy is made right in the pressure cooker after the turkey is finished cooking so you have your whole main dish made with minimal dishes at the end.
Instant Pot Turkey
I once was scared of my Instant Pot. It’s true! I bought it but it sat there in the box for at least a month, then finally came out of the box to sit for another 4-5 months until my good friend (and Instant Pot Guru) Tricia from Once a Month Meals told me I HAD TO DO IT! She convinced me it wasn’t going to explode and it was going to work and I was going to love what I made with it.
So I did, and I liked it, and it wasn’t too hard, and the best part… it didn’t explode!
I have gone on my little Instant Pot journey slowly… I don’t know if any of you can relate, but now I use it quite frequently for everything from hard boiled eggs to Thanksgiving Turkey! Now about that turkey….
The beauty of this recipe is that first and foremost, it is delicious. It is sometimes hard to get a perfectly tender and moist turkey, especially the white meat, and this one is that and more! The other great thing is that you can either use this as the main dish for your Thanksgiving get together or as an addition if you think one turkey might not be enough, but two would be too many. I absolutely love that you do the whole thing in your pressure cooker so you aren’t taking up any additional oven space or resources. I also love this recipe for Christmas since it is so hands off. You can get it going in about 5 minutes then go back to your family instead of slaving away in the kitchen.
Instant Pot Turkey Breast Recipe
If you are new to your Instant Pot or an old pressure cooker pro, this recipe should be equally easy and I am going to walk though it with you step by step below. First though I want to go over a few things that are really awesome
- Using this recipe you cook the turkey breast from completely frozen to perfectly tender and cooked in a little over an hour start to finish. I absolutely love this because I am not one that remembers to thaw things 3 days in advance. BUT, with that said, if your Turkey is thawed, you will most definitely need to adjust the cook time on this recipe down.
- This isn’t one of those Instant Pot recipes where you have a million steps and have to keep coming back to do things and you think, “Was this really easier?” This is a set it and forget it recipe! One you pop the turkey in there, you set it to cook and come back to a perfectly done bird.
- With the combo of so crazy easy and so crazy delicious, we are actually eating turkey as part of our regular meal rotation now. This recipe and the Instant Pot just make this so simple that it is perfect for a Sunday dinner, impressive enough for guests, and tasty enough for your kids to gobble up on any regular old Wednesday. As a bonus, the clean up is easy and the leftovers can be made into about a zillion yummy things to make lunches and dinners later in the week.
How to Make Turkey in the Instant Pot
Now let’s get into the step by step directions. I am going to walk you through everything, but if you have a question feel free to leave me a note in the comments and I will try to answer it for you. If you just want the super quick version, feel free to scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Instant Pot Turkey Breast & Gravy Ingredients
- 1 (3lb) Butterball Turkey Breast Roast- These are usually found in the freezer section right next the whole Turkeys or in the meat section. I find that Butterball is the most common brand in my area and it comes standard in the 3 lb size. It is important to note that the turkey breast will be cooked from frozen so you can keep it in the freezer. If the turkey breast is thawed, you will need to adjust the cook time below.
- 1 tbsp poultry seasoning- You can find this on the spice aisle or make your own homemade poultry seasoning here
- 2 tbsp butter, cut into pats- I use regular salted stick butter.
- 2 lemon slices (optional)- I love the flavor of lemon with turkey so I include these, but if you don’t have lemon on hand don’t worry… it will still be great. One note, be cautious on your use of lemon. You don’t want to use too much because if pieces cook in the bottom it will make the gravy bitter.
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary- I think rosemary is pretty easy to find year round in the produce section and is another flavor that compliments turkey really well. Again, this could be optional.
- 1 onion, quartered- Any kind of onion you have on hand will do! You don’t have to worry about chopping the onion more than rough quarters because it is just going to flavor the broth with use to make the gravy.
- 3 stalks chopped celery- This is another thing that will flavor the gravy so a rough chop will do!
- 4 garlic cloves- Also for flavor, I find it easy to just toss these in whole.
- 2 cups chicken broth- I used Swanson’s here but you can also make your own homemade chicken broth super easily!
- 2 McCormick Turkey Gravy packets- I like to use the McCormick packets because they are tasty and make the process super easy. If you have a favorite recipe you can use it in place of the packets here. (I discarded the gravy packet that came with the bird.)
Instant Pot Turkey Breast & Gravy Instructions
- Remove the packaging from the turkey. This is usually an outer plastic netting and a plastic type wrapper. I use kitchen shears to snip them both off. Then run the frozen turkey breast under warm water until you can separate and remove the gravy packet from the turkey breast. You can leave the inner netting on while cooking.
Rub the outside of the chicken with the poultry seasoning so that it is as evenly covered as possible, and set aside to prepare the Instant Pot. - Place the chopped celery, onion, garlic cloves, and chicken broth in the bottom of the pressure cooker pot. Place the trivet in and set the turkey breast roast on top of it. Most pressure cookers come with a trivet when you buy them, but if you don’t have one, you can get an Instant Pot trivet here inexpensively.
Once you place the turkey breast in the Instant Pot, layer the butter pats, then lemon slices and finally the rosemary on top of the turkey breast. Try to place it as evenly on the top as possible so it doesn’t fall while cooking. - Close the lid to the pressure cooker and set the valve to sealing. Then use poultry mode and adjust the time to 55 minutes and let cook (see note section for altitude adjustments.) When cooking is done, natural release for an additional 20 minutes. Then open the lid and check the temperature which should be 170˚F throughout.
Important Note: I am located at sea level and 50 minutes cooks my Turkey Breast perfectly. If you are at a higher elevation, you might want to cook for 55 minutes or at an extra high elevation, 60 minutes to ensure it is done. - Remove the roast and strain the vegetables, reserving the broth, and pour it back into the pressure cooker pot and then add both gravy mixes.
Turn the pot on to sauté and whisk continuously until it comes to a boil and then about 3-5 additional minutes until it thickens. The key is just to keep whisking to keep the gravy nice and smooth. Turn the pressure cooker off and remove the gravy from the heat. Once the gravy is removed from the heat it will continue to thicken as it sits as well. - Last, use scissors to carefully cut off the netting. It will be hot so be cautious! I like to let my turkey rest for about 10 minutes then I carve it up into about 1/4-1/2 in slices and serve warm with as little or as much gravy as you want! Enjoy!
I hope that you get a chance to try this one out for your holiday celebration… or maybe just because it is Wednesday! If you do, I would love it if you left me a note in the comments to let me know how you liked it. I absolutely love to hear when others make my recipes. Nothing warms my heart more! Also, if you are on Instagram, I would love for you to snap a pic and share it on your feed or stories and make sure to tag me @easyfamilyrecipes so I can see!
Hungry for more family-friendly recipes? Sign up for my free recipe club to get new family-friendly recipes in your inbox each week! Find me sharing daily meal-time inspiration on Pinterest and Instagram.
Instant Pot Turkey Breast & Gravy
Ingredients
- 1 3lb Butterball Turkey Breast Roast
- 1 tbsp poultry seasoning
- 2 tbsp butter cut into pats
- 2 lemon slices optional
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 1 onion quartered
- 3 stalks chopped celery
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 McCormick Turkey Gravy packets
Instructions
- Remove the packaging from the turkey then run it under warm water until you can separate and remove the gravy packet from the turkey breast. You can leave the inner netting on while cooking. Rub the outside of the chicken with the poultry seasoning and set aside.
- Place the celery, onion, garlic cloves, and chicken broth in the bottom of the pressure cooker pot. Place the trivet in and set the turkey breast roast on top of it. Place the butter pats, lemon slices and rosemary on top of the turkey breast.
- Close the lid to the pressure cooker and set the valve to sealing. Then use poultry mode and adjust the time to 55 minutes and let cook (see note section for altitude adjustments.) When cooking is done, natural release for an additional 20 minutes. Then open the lid and check the temperature which should be 170˚F throughout.
- Remove the roast and strain the vegetables, reserving the broth and pour it back into the pressure cooker pot and add both gravy mixes. Turn the pot on to sauté and whisk continuously until it comes to a boil and then about 3-5 additional minutes until it thickens. Turn the pressure cooker off and remove the gravy from the heat.
- Cut off the netting and serve warm with as little or as much gravy as you want! Enjoy!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.)
Kelly says
Hello All!
I’m just home from the butchers with a 2 lb boneless breast.
Question 1-Should I freeze it til Thursday (it’s Sunday afternoon here in SoCal)
Question 2-What time do you recommend for 2 lbs?
Thanks!
Holly says
Would you just cut the time in half if it was thawed? Thanks for a great recipe !
Kimber says
I would probably try about 30-35 minutes if it was thawed. I haven’t done it so it would be a little bit of trial and error though.
Ian Batchelder says
I”m not sure what happened with mine. I followed the directions to the letter, had the exact same frozen butterball 3lb turkey breast roast. AFter 45 minutes, plus 20 natural release it was 118 in the middle. I’m at a total loss. Definitely got up to pressure, sealed, etc. Anyway, halfed it and put it in for 6 minutes on high pressure and it cooked just through to 180. Delicious, and still fairly moist.
Nicole J Becker says
Making this tonight!! This will be my 1st time using my Insta Pot. Very excited
Kimber says
Hope you enjoyed it!
L Smith says
Has anyone tried searing the outdide of the Turkey before cooking? It would still be frozen but the outside would have a “ crust.” Making this today!!
Kimber says
I haven’t done it this way, but I would lean toward popping it in the oven on broil for a few minutes after it is cooked. I have done this before and it works well.
Connie says
How long would you program for a 7# turkey breast?
Mary says
This was a complete flop for me, but I realize that I am new to this new fad. I thought I followed the directions, but my turkey was not cooked. I finished cooking it in the oven. I’m sure this was user error and not the recipe, and I will have to give it another try.
Lacey says
I made this using a THAWED 3lb turkey roast. The IP book called for only 25 mins of “cook time,” but I found it really needed 40 mins of “cook time.” I would follow this recipe for cooking instructions and only reduce the cook time by a few minutes. I am at an altitude if 5,846. I placed roast in oven to broil a few minutes for a crispier skin.
Limespider says
I made this for dinner tonight and overall it turned out good, but I think the tablespoon of poultry seasoning was too much. If I make it again I will either greatly reduce the amount of poultry seasoning or eliminate it altogether and go with salt and pepper instead.
Kimber says
Since the poultry seasoning is sprinkled and rubbed on the turkey I find that some of it naturally falls off as it is applied, but I always start with a tablespoon myself. If you prefer a lighter seasoning you can definitely reduce the poultry seasoning to your preference.
Robin says
Thanks for that tip…going to try this today and that seemed like a lot of seasoning to me!
rhea says
Is the gravy packet with the turkey discarded? I notice the recipe says add two gravy mixes which I assume is the McCormick.