The instant pot turkey breast recipe for holidays below gives you a moist, sliceable centerpiece without heating the oven all afternoon. A bone-in or boneless breast cooks under pressure in about 35 minutes, then rests while you whisk a pan gravy from the released juices. You get the traditional look and flavor with far less active time than roasting.
Pressure cooking keeps the meat from drying out because the steam surrounds the breast instead of drawing moisture to the surface. The result is turkey that slices cleanly and tastes like the slow-roasted version your family expects. This method also frees oven space for sides and desserts on a busy holiday morning. If you enjoyed this, our turkey burgers spinach is worth trying next. Making this instant pot turkey breast recipe for holidays at home is surprisingly straightforward once you know the key steps.
Why You’ll Love These Instant Pot Turkey Breast Recipe For Holidays
- Cooks in around 35 minutes under pressure instead of 2 hours in the oven
- Uses one pot for meat and gravy, so cleanup stays small
- Stays juicy because steam pressure locks in moisture
- Frees your oven for casseroles, rolls, and pies
- Works with bone-in or boneless breasts of 3 to 7 pounds
Ingredients You’ll Need
- 1 bone-in turkey breast (6 pounds), thawed and patted dry
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 small onion, quartered
- 2 celery stalks, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 3 garlic cloves, smashed
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons cold water
Ingredient Substitutions
Neutral oil: Replace with an equal amount of avocado oil or light olive oil for a similar smoke point. Avocado oil stays stable at medium-high heat and adds no flavor, while light olive oil brings a faint fruit note. Either swap browns the skin the same way without changing cook time. The instant pot turkey breast recipe for holidays works well for weeknight cooking when time is limited.
Low-sodium chicken broth: Use homemade turkey stock or a standard sodium broth cut with equal water. Homemade stock deepens the gravy color and adds gelatin body, but full-salt broth can make the final sauce too salty once reduced. If using regular broth, skip added salt on the meat and taste before seasoning the gravy. Storing leftover instant pot turkey breast recipe for holidays correctly keeps it tasting good for days.
Dried thyme: Swap for 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves to brighten the herb note. Fresh thyme loses less volatile oil under pressure, giving a greener, lighter aroma than the dried version. Add it with the broth rather than on the skin so it steeps into the cooking liquid. For the best results with this instant pot turkey breast recipe for holidays, read through all the steps before starting.
Cornstarch: Use 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour whisked with the cold water for a more opaque, classic gravy. Flour needs 1 minute of simmering to cook off the raw taste, while cornstarch thickens almost on contact. The flour version clouds slightly more but feels closer to pan-dripping gravy from a roast. For another easy option, check out our juliet romeo cocktail.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Pat the turkey breast dry and rub with oil, then season all sides with salt, pepper, thyme, and garlic powder. Dry skin browns better than wet skin because moisture steams instead of crisping.
- Set a 6-quart Instant Pot to medium-high heat using the Saute mode and add butter. Place the breast skin side down and brown for 5 minutes until the skin is golden and crispy, then flip and brown the other side for 3 minutes.
- Cancel Saute, remove the breast, and pour in chicken broth to deglaze, scraping the browned bits with a wooden spoon. Those bits carry the roasted flavor into the gravy later.
- Add onion, celery, and garlic to the pot, then set the trivet and place the breast on top, skin side up. The vegetables keep the meat above the liquid so the skin stays dry.
- Lock the lid, set valve to sealing, and cook on High Pressure for 35 minutes for a 6-pound breast. Smaller breasts need about 6 minutes per pound; larger ones up to 8 minutes per pound.
- Let pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then quick-release the rest. The meat should read 165°F at the thickest point with juices running clear.
- Move the breast to a cutting board and tent with foil to rest for 10 minutes while you make gravy. Resting lets the fibers relax so slices hold together.
- Strain the cooking liquid, return 2 cups to the pot on Saute, and whisk cornstarch with cold water. Pour the slurry in and stir for 2 minutes until the gravy coats a spoon.
Pro Tips
Brown the skin before pressure cooking even though it won’t stay crisp; the Maillard compounds created then carry through to the finished gravy. A plain steamed breast tastes flat compared to one with that base layer of roasted note.
Natural release matters more than many expect because a hard quick release shocks the meat and pushes moisture out. Give it the full 10 minutes before opening the valve.
For deeper flavor, use the pressure cooker technique of toasting aromatics in fat first, as we did with onion and celery, rather than dropping them in raw.
Slice against the grain and on a slight bias so each piece shows a short fiber length. Short fibers feel tender compared to long strings when the breast is carved with the grain.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Skipping the dry brine leads to bland meat because seasoning only sits on the surface. Salt the breast up to 24 hours ahead and leave it uncovered in the fridge so the skin dries.
Overfilling the pot with broth makes the breast boil instead of steam, giving a spongy texture. Keep the liquid at 1 cup plus the vegetable moisture and never above the max line.
Carving too soon lets the juices run onto the board instead of staying in the slice. Rest the meat the full 10 minutes before cutting. You might also like our search recipes.
Serving Suggestions
Pair the sliced breast with turkey gravy and mashed potatoes for a standard plate. The light meat also works cold in sandwiches the next day with cranberry sauce.
Add a bright side like dry brined turkey leftovers turned into a salad if you cooked two birds. Roasted carrots and green beans round out the plate without extra pans.
Storage and Reheating
Refrigerate sliced or whole breast in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Keep gravy in a separate container so the meat doesn’t soften from sitting in liquid.
Freeze the cooked breast for up to 3 months wrapped tight in foil and a freezer bag. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating to keep the texture even.
Reheat slices in a 325°F oven covered with foil until the center hits 165°F, about 20 minutes. Microwaving works for single portions but dries the edges if left too long.
Recipe Variations
Citrus Herb Version
Add the peel of 1 lemon and 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary to the broth before cooking. The citrus oils lift the savory notes and the gravy takes a lighter, aromatic edge that suits spring holidays.
Smoked Paprika Version
Replace black pepper with 1 teaspoon smoked paprika in the rub for a woodsy, barbecue-like color. The meat reads deeper red at the surface and pairs well with a turkey burger style sauce on the side.
Apple Cider Version
Swap half the broth for apple cider to build a sweet-sour gravy. The sugar in cider thickens faster, so watch the Saute step and pull it off 1 minute earlier to avoid scorching.
Boneless Fast Version
Use a 3-pound boneless breast and cut cook time to 25 minutes under pressure. It slices like a roast but frees even more time; tie it with twine so it holds a round shape on the trivet.
instant pot turkey breast recipe for holidays
Description
This instant pot turkey breast gives you a moist, sliceable holiday centerpiece without heating the oven all afternoon. Pressure cooking locks in moisture and frees oven space for sides while you whisk a quick pan gravy from the released juices.
Ingredients
Instructions
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Season the turkey breast
Pat the 6-pound bone-in turkey breast completely dry with paper towels and rub all surfaces with the 2 tablespoons neutral oil. Season every side with 1 tablespoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, and 1 teaspoon garlic powder so the flavor coats the meat evenly. Dry skin browns better than wet skin because moisture would steam instead of crisp during the next step.
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Brown the skin
Set a 6-quart Instant Pot to medium-high heat using the Saute mode and add the 2 tablespoons unsalted butter. Place the breast skin side down and brown for 5 minutes until the skin is golden and crispy, then flip and brown the other side for 3 minutes. Cancel Saute and remove the breast to a plate so you can deglaze the pot.
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Deglaze the pot
Pour the 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth into the hot pot and scrape the browned bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon. Those browned bits carry the roasted flavor into the gravy later. Leave the liquid in the pot and keep the Instant Pot off for now.
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Add vegetables and trivet
Add the 1 small quartered onion, 2 celery stalks cut into 2-inch pieces, and 3 smashed garlic cloves to the pot with the broth. Set the trivet inside so the meat stays above the liquid. The vegetables keep the breast elevated so the skin remains dry during pressure cooking.
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Pressure cook the breast
Place the breast on the trivet skin side up and lock the lid with the valve set to sealing. Cook on High Pressure for 35 minutes for a 6-pound breast, noting smaller breasts need about 6 minutes per pound and larger up to 8. The steam surrounds the meat so it stays juicy instead of drying out.
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Release pressure and check
Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then quick-release the remaining pressure by opening the valve. Check that the thickest part of the breast reads 165°F with a meat thermometer and juices run clear. If it has not reached 165°F, lock the lid and cook on High Pressure for 2 more minutes.
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Rest the turkey
Move the breast to a cutting board and tent loosely with foil to rest for 10 minutes. Resting lets the muscle fibers relax so slices hold together instead of shredding. Use this time to start the gravy in the pot.
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Make the gravy
Strain the cooking liquid and return 2 cups to the pot set on Saute mode. Whisk the 2 tablespoons cornstarch with the 2 tablespoons cold water, pour the slurry in, and stir for 2 minutes until the gravy coats a spoon and thickens. The gravy should be smooth and nape the back of a spoon before serving.
Nutrition Facts
Servings 8
- Amount Per Serving
- Calories 420kcal
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat 18g28%
- Saturated Fat 6g30%
- Cholesterol 120mg40%
- Sodium 680mg29%
- Total Carbohydrate 6g2%
- Dietary Fiber 1g4%
- Sugars 1g
- Protein 54g108%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Note
- Storage: Refrigerate sliced or whole breast in an airtight container for up to 4 days and keep gravy separate so the meat does not soften.
- Reheating: Reheat slices in a 325°F oven covered with foil until the center hits 165°F, about 20 minutes, and do not reheat the same portion more than once.
- Dry brine: Salt the breast up to 24 hours ahead and leave uncovered in the fridge; for a deeper prep method see our dry brined turkey guide.
- Natural release: Give the full 10-minute natural release before opening the valve so the meat does not lose moisture from a hard quick release.
