Instant Pot Turkey Breast with Gravy
- By Amy Dong
- Updated Dec. 22, 2023
You can have tender, succulent turkey breast with gravy in less than an hour with this Instant Pot Turkey Breast with Gravy recipe. It’s a healthy, quick, and delicious meal that we enjoy anytime of year!
In This Article
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Why This Recipe Stands Out
We love making anything and everything in the instant pot, and this Instant Pot Turkey Breast with Gravy is no exception. Here’s why we love this recipe:
- Quick: The instant pot takes your classic roast turkey and makes it in a fraction of the time. From start to finish, it takes less than an hour!
- Tender: Because of the way the instant pot uses pressure to cook this bird, you get the most tender, juicy turkey imaginable.
- Flavors: We use bold spices, fresh herbs, and veggies to bring serious flavor to this turkey breast.
- Gravy: This recipe uses the liquids left in the instant pot to make a super simple, bursting-with-flavor gravy that we put on everything.
- Leftovers: Turkey always makes for a great lunch or dinner meal-prep option.
Key Recipe Ingredients
- Turkey Breast – Use one whole turkey breast with the bone in. For best results with the instructions in this recipe, try to shoot for one in the 7 lb. range.
- Spices – A blend of kosher salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika go into our rub and infuse the turkey breast with loads of flavor.
- Herbs – Freshly chopped rosemary and thyme bring vibrant tastes and amazing smells to this dish.
- Aromatics – Garlic cloves, onion, carrots, and celery cook with this turkey breast to bring those sweet and salty flavors that we take advantage of for the gravy.
Substitutions And Variations
Instant Pot Turkey Breast with Gravy can be a blank canvas to experiment with different spice and flavor combinations. Take a look at some of our favorite variations for this recipe:
- The Bird: You could definitely use chicken, duck, or even pheasant breast for this recipe as well. (Just note that the cooking times will most likely be less with these).
- Spices: Feel free to play around with the spices and herbs in the rub. Try using basil, parsley, or oregano. You could also make this bird spicy by adding a pinch of cayenne pepper, chili powder, or red pepper flakes. Try adding brown sugar if you like extra sweetness.
- Veggies: We use a classic base of onions, garlic, carrots, and celery for this recipe. But you can definitely switch this up. We think leeks, apples, and citrus fruits would also be amazing in this recipe.
Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions
- In a bowl, mix together the olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic and onion powders, paprika, and chopped herbs. Set aside.
- Place rack trivet into Instant Pot. Add broth, garlic cloves, onion, celery, and carrots into the pot.
- Thoroughly pat turkey breast dry with paper towels. Then, rub half of the olive oil mixture beneath the skin and half above the skin of the turkey. Place turkey in instant pot.
- Cook on high for 30 minutes. Then, allow for natural release for 15-20 minutes. Transfer turkey to a cutting board and tent with foil to keep warm. Use slotted spoon to remove vegetables from pot, leaving just the liquids.
- Combine cornstarch with water and stir until fully dissolved. Should resemble heavy cream.
- Turn Instant Pot on to Sauté mode, bringing liquid to a boil. Immediately add the dissolved cornstarch and stir until liquid becomes thicker, with gravy consistency. Serve with turkey.
For full list of ingredients and instructions, see recipe card below.
How To Prep Ahead
This recipe is already almost as easy as it gets, but it can be even simpler. Take a look at our best prep-ahead tips for this turkey and gravy:
- Mix The Spices: You can definitely mix all the ingredients for the spice rub in advance (except the olive oil), and store in the fridge for a few days.
- Chop The Veggies: We like chopping up the carrots, onion, and celery in advance and storing in the fridge until we’re ready to cook. You can also peel the garlic in advance. It will all keep well in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Thaw the Turkey: If your turkey breast is frozen, be sure to take it out to defrost a few nights beforehand. Also, don’t forget to remove the gravy packet, if it came with one.
What To Serve With Instant Pot Turkey Breast
Sides
- For a hearty potato side to this recipe, we love these Garlic Herb Roasted Baby Potatoes. These Creamy Baked Mashed Potatoes are also a favorite in our house.
- Are you making this Instant Pot Turkey Breast with Gravy for Thanksgiving? Try bringing this Stuffing with Sausage and Apples or this Gluten-Free Wild Rice Stuffing to the table. If you’re in a hurry then you might love this Quick Stuffing Recipe or these Stuffing Muffins.
Breads
- Try serving these sweet and healthy Honey Cornbread Muffins alongside your turkey.
- We also love these Easy Dinner Rolls with any meal. For an absolutely irresistible side, serve up these Parmesan Garlic Pull-Apart Bread Rolls at your next meal.
Vegetables
- We think these Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Honey Sriracha and this Kale Brussel Sprouts Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing make amazing veggie sides for this recipe.
- If you love a good cranberry sauce with your turkey, check out this recipe for Fresh Homemade Cranberry Sauce.
Commonly Asked Questions
Cooked turkey breast will stay good in the fridge for up to 4 days. After that, you’ll want to throw it in the freezer where it will stay good for up to 3 months. The gravy will also stay good in the fridge for around 4 days. Gravy also freezes extremely well.
If you want a browned, crispier turkey skin, you can place the turkey breast under your oven’s broiler for a bit just to get that beautiful browning. You’ll do this after it’s finished in the instant pot. If you aren’t going to eat the skin and don’t care what it looks like, you can totally skip this part.
We put half of the rub under the skin, because it allows it to really infuse the meat with all those flavors. If this step grosses you out, you can absolutely use gloves. We highly recommend you don’t skip this step though. It makes all the difference!
Either a 6qt or 8qt Instant Pot will work. We usually use the 8qt and love it. It allows some extra room if needed, and it doesn’t run as much risk of getting over-filled.
Yes! You’ll want to fully thaw the turkey before cooking it in the instant pot, and make sure you check for any gravy packets that may be included and discard those. So, make sure to leave room in your fridge for the turkey a for few nights before cooking.
The best way to tell if your turkey is done, will be to stick a food thermometer in the thickest part of the breast. When it reads 165F, it’s done!
Did you make this?
Please give us a rating and comment below. We love hearing from you!
Instant Pot Turkey Breast with Gravy
Ingredients
For the Turkey Breast:
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp ground paprika
- 2 tsp freshly chopped rosemary
- 2 tsp freshly chopped thyme
- 2 cups chicken broth, good quality
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1 onion onion, peeled and quartered
- 2 stalks celery, quartered
- 2 large carrots, quartered
- 1 whole turkey breast, about 7lbs (bone-in)
For the Gravy:
- 2 TB cornstarch
- 2 TB water
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix together the olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic and onion powders, paprika, and chopped herbs. Set paste aside.
- Place rack trivet into Instant Pot (rack comes with the IP.) Add broth, garlic cloves, onion, celery, and carrots into the pot. Set aside.
- Use paper towels to thoroughly dry excess moisture off of the turkey breast inside and out. Discard gravy packet from turkey if there is one. Use clean hands to evenly press half of the olive oil mixture evenly underneath the skin throughout. Evenly press remaining mixture over the skin. Place turkey into Instant Pot.
- Cook for 30 minutes on high pressure, according to manufacturer instructions.
- Once the 30 minutes is up, do a manual release. Transfer turkey to a cutting board and tent with foil to keep warm. Use slotted spoon to remove and discard the veggies, keeping just the liquid. If desired, skim oil off the top of liquid.
- Make Gravy: Combine cornstarch with water and stir until fully dissolved – it should be smooth, not gritty. Turn Instant Pot on to Sauté mode, bringing liquid to a boil. Once it starts boiling, immediately add the dissolved cornstarch and stir until liquid becomes thicker, with gravy consistency. This should happen fairly quickly. Turn Instant Pot off and serve gravy with turkey.
- Optional: Place turkey breast on a baking sheet, on the upper rack of oven. Turn to high broil and watch carefully until desired level of browning is achieved.
Equipment
- Instant Pot, 8-quart
Notes
- Make sure to thoroughly pat the turkey breast dry before rubbing on the spice mixture to ensure it sticks and to help the bird cook properly.
- If your turkey breast is smaller, it may be done cooking sooner.
- If you want a browned, crispier turkey skin, you can place the turkey breast under your oven’s broiler for a bit just to get that beautiful browning. If you aren’t going to eat the skin and don’t care what it looks like, you can totally skip this part.
- We recommend a 6 qt. or 8qt. Instant Pot for this recipe.
- If you tried this recipe and loved it, please come back and give it a rating. We ❤️ hearing from you!
Nutrition (per serving)
More To Cook And Eat
- Instant Pot Whole Chicken – This recipe gives you that juicy, succulent, and flavorful rotisserie style chicken in just 25 minutes! It’s a perfect weeknight dinner option.
- Instant Pot Beef Pot Roast with Gravy – We add carrots and potatoes to this beef pot roast, making it a complete meal ready in just over 1 hour.
- Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings – The perfect comfort food for those chilly winter nights, chicken and dumpling soup is a favorite in our house. And making it in the instant pot is even better!
- Instant Pot Beef Stroganoff Recipe – This one always disappears fast! We love the bold and comforting flavors of tender beef, mushrooms, Worcestershire sauce, and egg noodles all coming together seamlessly in this dish.