Step-by-Step Guide on how to cook Instant Pot Turkey Breast. Tender juicy pressure cooker turkey breast, rich turkey gravy, and buttery mashed potatoes cooked in one pot! Enjoy this deliciously easy Christmas or Thanksgiving turkey dinner.
Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays are a time to gather with our loved ones for the big Turkey feast. It’s also a time to take a breather from the hustle and bustle in life and reflect “What am I thankful for this year?”
Give thanks with a grateful heart.
Instant Pot Turkey Breast
Our goal with this Turkey Breast Instant Pot recipe is for you to enjoy a deliciously simple but traditional turkey dinner. Without the need to cook a whole turkey!
Pressure Cooker Turkey One Pot Meal:
- Turkey Breast
- Turkey Gravy
- Mashed Potatoes
The most important task is to make sure our method consistently yields tender, juicy, and flavorful turkey breast. Not dry, tough, stringy cardboard turkey breasts!
Time for another Amy + Jacky’s Test Kitchen experiment.
Turkey Breast Instant Pot Experiment – Brine or No Brine
Is it worthwhile to prepare ahead and wet brine the Turkey Breast?
We tested pressure cooking wet brine Turkey Breast vs. non-brine Turkey Breast in Instant Pot. Then taste tested the turkey breasts to see whether there were noticeable differences in texture and taste.
The answer: YES! Brined Instant Pot Turkey Breasts is a clear winner being more juicy, tender, and flavorful.
Can I Skip Brining the Turkey Breast?
Yes. If you don’t have time or due to other reasons, you can skip this wet brining step. Some readers skipped this brining step and their turkey breasts turned out flavorful and delicious. You can read about their experiences in the comments section below.
How to Cook Instant Pot Turkey Breast
Prepare ingredients for cooking turkey breast in Instant Pot.
Turkey Breast
We developed this turkey breast Instant Pot recipe with 3” thick, fresh bone-in turkey breasts. For reference, the above photo is an approximately 3 lbs turkey breast.
- Boneless Turkey Breast: Reduce the pressure cooking time by a minute.
- Frozen Turkey Breast: It’s best to completely thaw your turkey breast before pressure cooking. This helps prevent overcooking the outer layer.
- Brined or Pre-Seasoned Turkey Breasts: If your packaged turkey breast was already brined or pre-seasoned (i.e. Butterball turkey breast), skip the brining step. You may need to skip the seasoning on the onion and garlic depending on how salty is your pre-seasoned turkey breast.
Other Ingredients
Unsalted Turkey Stock or Unsalted Chicken Stock: We developed this Instant Pot Turkey Breast recipe with unsalted ingredients so we can better control the flavors. If you’re substituting it with salted stock, keep in mind that the sodium level can vary a lot between different brands. Taste and adjust accordingly.
Sherry Wine: You can substitute it with Port wine.
Salt For Brining: You can use any salt for the brine. Make sure you accurately weigh the amount with a kitchen scale.
Optional Pot-in-Pot Mashed Potatoes: If you want to make the PIP mashed potatoes, make sure your turkey breast is small enough to fit in your Instant Pot lying flat. So you can have enough room to layer the bowl of potatoes on top of the turkey breast without problems closing the lid.
Tools for Turkey Breast Instant Pot Recipe
- Instant Pot Pressure Cooker (6qt)
- For Wet Brining Turkey Breast: Rubbermaid Commercial Container, 12 Qt or large container
- Wooden Spoon
- Food Thermometer
- Silicone Basting Brush
- Culinary Torch or Broiler
For Optional PIP Mashed Potatoes
Wet Brine Turkey Breast
- Brined or Pre-Seasoned Turkey Breasts: If you’re using a pre-seasoned or brined turkey breast, skip this brining step.
- Can I Skip Brining the Turkey Breast? Yes. If you don’t have time, you can skip this brining step. It’ll still turn out flavorful.
Depending on the size of your turkey breast, mix “90g salt with 1500ml cold running tap water” or “120g salt with 2000ml cold running tap water” in a large mixing bowl.
Make sure the salt has fully dissolved.
Fully submerge the turkey breast in the salted water, then place it in the fridge for at least 4 to 8 hours.
Sauté Onion, Garlic, Celery, Carrot
Heat up Instant Pot by using the “Sauté More” function. Wait until the Instant Pot says “HOT”.
Amy + Jacky’s Tip! Make sure the Instant Pot is as hot as it can be to induce a Maillard reaction.
Add 1 tablespoon (15ml) olive oil in Instant Pot. Make sure the oil is coating the whole bottom of the pot.
Add the diced onion in Instant Pot, then sauté for roughly 2 minutes until softened.
Add in minced garlic, then sauté for another 30 seconds until fragrant.
Season it with kosher salt and ground black pepper.
Add in chopped celery and carrot, then sauté until the vegetables are slightly browned (roughly 5 to 7 minutes).
Deglaze Instant Pot
Add a dash of sherry wine in Instant Pot, then deglaze by scrubbing the flavorful brown bits off the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon.
Add Turkey Breast in Instant Pot
Add 1 cup (250ml) unsalted chicken stock, 2 bay leaves, a pinch of dried rosemary, a pinch of dried thyme, and a pinch of dried sage in the Instant Pot. Give it a quick stir.
Carefully place the bone-in turkey breast in Instant Pot. With the turkey’s skin side up and the bone submerged in the liquid.
Optional – Add Pot-in-Pot Potatoes (If you’re making mashed potatoes)
Place a stainless steel bowl on top of the bone-in turkey breast.
Then add halved Yukon gold potatoes in the bowl.
Pressure Cook Turkey Breast
With Venting Knob in Venting Position, close the lid, then turn Venting Knob to Sealing Position.
Instant Pot Turkey Breast Cooking Time: Pressure cook turkey breast at High Pressure for 28 to 34 minutes, then Natural Release for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes of natural release, turn the Venting Knob to Venting Position to release the remaining pressure.
Open the lid carefully.
Make Mashed Potatoes
Remove the bowl of potatoes from the Instant Pot.
Then place all the potatoes in a large mixing bowl.
Mash the potatoes with a fork or masher.
Add 1 to 2 tablespoons (14g – 28g) unsalted butter, 30g grated Parmesan cheese (optional), and 100ml milk or cream.
Continue mashing and mixing the potatoes until your desired consistency.
Season mashed potatoes with kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste.
Check Turkey Breast Temperature
Use a meat thermometer to make sure the thickest part of the turkey breast registers over 161°F (72°C).
Remove bone-in turkey breast in Instant Pot, and set it aside on a chopping board to rest for 15 minutes.
Make Instant Pot Turkey Gravy
Heat up Instant Pot by pressing the “Saute” button.
Mix 2½ tablespoons cornstarch with 3 tablespoons cold water. Then, stir the cornstarch mixture into the turkey gravy in Instant Pot one third at a time until the desired thickness.
Taste the Instant Pot turkey gravy, then season it with salt and ground black pepper if necessary.
Optional – Brown Turkey Breast Skin
Pat dry the pressure cooker turkey breast skin with paper towels.
Mix 1 tablespoon honey with 1½ tablespoons regular soy sauce. Then apply it to the bone-in turkey breast skin.
Use a blowtorch (Jacky said because it’s fun to play with fire sometimes 😛 ) or place turkey breast under the broiler for a few minutes to brown the skin.
Serve Pressure Cooker Turkey Breast
Thinly slice the pressure cooker turkey breast at an angle.
Drizzle the rich turkey gravy over the turkey breast and mashed potatoes.
Serve the tender juicy Instant Pot Turkey Breast immediately!
What to Serve with Instant Pot Turkey Breast
Turkey breast is one of the centerpieces of traditional Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners.
Thanksgiving turkey is usually served with turkey gravy, Instant Pot Stuffing, Instant Pot Cranberry Sauce, Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes, Instant Pot Green Beans, corn, pumpkin pie, and dinner rolls.
For a traditional holiday dinner menu, you can also serve tasty appetizers or side dishes like Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes, Instant Pot Mac and Cheese, Instant Pot Roasted Potatoes, Instant Pot Carrots, Instant Pot Deviled Eggs, or cornbread.
For a traditional Christmas dinner, you can also serve your Christmas Turkey with prime rib, Instant Pot Roast Beef, Instant Pot Ham, rack of lamb, apple pie, Christmas pudding, Panettone, or fruitcake.
Enjoy Tender Flavorful Instant Pot Turkey Breast!
Instant Pot Turkey Breast
Ingredients
- 1 (~2.7lbs/1224g) bone-in turkey breast , 3” thick
- 1 tablespoon (15ml) olive oil
- 1 (197g) medium onion , diced
- 3 (10g) garlic cloves , minced
- 1 stalk (92g) celery , chopped
- 2 (112g) medium carrots , chopped
- A dash of sherry wine
- 1 cup (250ml) unsalted chicken stock (or unsalted turkey stock)
- 2 bay leaves
- A pinch of dried rosemary
- A pinch of dried thyme
- A pinch of dried sage
- Kosher salt & ground black pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1½ tablespoon regular soy sauce
Thickener:
- 2½ tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons cold water
Wet Brine:
- 90 grams (3.17oz) salt + 1500 ml (6 cups) cold running water or 120 grams (4.23 oz) salt + 2000 ml (8 cups) cold running water
Optional - Mashed Potatoes:
- 4 - 5 (~2.5lbs or 1100g) Yukon gold potatoes (or Russet potatoes) , halved
- 1 - 2 tablespoons (14g - 28g) unsalted butter
- Optional: 30 grams freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 100 ml milk or cream
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste
Equipment
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Instructions
- Wet Brine for Moist Turkey: Depending on the size of your turkey breast, mix "90g (3.17oz) salt with 1500ml (6 cups) of cold running water" or "120g (4.23oz) salt with 2000ml (8 cups) cold running water" in a large mixing bowl. Make sure the salt has fully dissolved. Fully submerge the turkey breast in the salted water, then place it in the fridge for at least 4 to 8 hours.
- Sauté Onion, Garlic, Celery, Carrot: Heat up Instant Pot by using Sauté More function. Wait until the indicator says "HOT". Add 1 tbsp (15ml) olive oil in Instant Pot. Make sure the oil is coating the whole bottom of the pot. Add diced onion in Instant Pot, then sauté for roughly 2 minutes until softened. Add in minced garlic, then sauté for another 30 seconds until fragrant. Season with kosher salt and ground black pepper.Add in chopped celery and carrot. Sauté until the vegetables are slightly browned (roughly 5 to 7 minutes).
- Deglaze: Add a dash of sherry wine in Instant Pot, then deglaze by scrubbing the flavorful brown bits off the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon.
- Add Turkey Breast: Add 1 cup (250ml) unsalted chicken stock, 2 bay leaves, a pinch of dried rosemary, a pinch of dried thyme, and a pinch of dried sage in Instant Pot. Give it a quick stir. Carefully place the bone-in turkey breast in Instant Pot. With the turkey's skin side up and the bone submerged in the liquid.
- Optional - Add Pot-in-Pot Potatoes (If Making Mashed Potatoes): Place a stainless steel bowl on top of the turkey breast, then add in halved Yukon gold potatoes in the bowl.
- Pressure Cook Turkey Breast: With Venting Knob in Venting Position, close the lid, then turn Venting Knob to Sealing Position. Close lid and pressure cook at High Pressure for 28 to 34 minutes, then Natural Release for 15 minutes. Turn Venting Knob to Venting Position to release the remaining pressure. Open the lid carefully.
- Make Mashed Potatoes: Remove the bowl of potatoes, then place all the potatoes in a large mixing bowl. Mash the potatoes with a fork or masher. Add 1 – 2 tbsp (14g – 28g) unsalted butter, 30g grated Parmesan cheese (optional), and 100ml milk or cream. Continue mashing and mixing until desired consistency. Season with kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste. For creamier mashed potatoes, use more whole milk or cream.
- Check Turkey Breast Temperature: Use a meat thermometer to make sure the thickest part of the turkey breast registers over 161°F (72°C). Remove turkey breast and set it aside on a chopping board to rest for 15 minutes. The carryover heat will continue to cook the turkey breast to 165°F (74°C).
- Make Turkey Gravy: Heat up Instant Pot by pressing the Saute button. Mix 2½ tbsp cornstarch with 3 tbsp cold water. Stir the cornstarch mixture into the turkey gravy one third at a time until desired thickness. Taste gravy, then season it with salt and ground black pepper if necessary.
- Optional - Brown Turkey Breast Skin: Pat dry the turkey breast skin with paper towels. Mix 1 tbsp honey with 1½ tbsp regular soy sauce, then apply it on the turkey breast skin. Use a blowtorch or place turkey breast under broiler for a few minutes to brown the skin.
- Serve: Thinly slice the turkey breast at an angle. Drizzle turkey gravy over the turkey breast & mashed potatoes. Serve immediately. Enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving and Christmas~
Notes
- Boneless Turkey Breast: Reduce the bone-in turkey breast pressure cooking time by a minute.
- Frozen Turkey Breast: It's best to completely thaw your turkey breast before pressure cooking. This helps prevent overcooking the outer layer.
- Brined or Pre-Seasoned Turkey Breasts: If your packaged turkey breast was already brined or pre-seasoned (i.e. Butterball turkey breast), skip the brining step. You may need to skip the seasoning on the onion and garlic depending on how salty is your pre-seasoned turkey breast.
- Brining Turkey Breast for Over 8 Hours: It may result in a ham-like meat texture.
- Salt For Brining: You can use any salt for the brine. Make sure you accurately weigh the amount with a kitchen scale.
- Can I Skip Brining the Turkey Breast? Yes. If you don't have time, you can skip brining the turkey breast. It'll still turn out flavorful.
Nutrition
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