Use your Instant Pot to cook the perfect juicy, tender, and hands-off turkey breast. Enjoy this recipe on Thanksgiving or any other night of year!
I don’t know about you, my reader, but for me, turkey on Thanksgiving has always been a necessary evil.
Historically, I’d always eaten a few bites and then moved on to the yummier stuff. Turkey has always been dry, boring and rather uninviting. I knew there had to be a better way to cook it!
I finally found the right way when I tested this brined Instant Pot Turkey Breast Recipe.
I was so surprised to find that I actually DO like turkey breast! I just had never cooked it the right way before.
This turkey breast is juicy, tender, flavorful and so dang delicious. I can’t wait for you to try it and tell me what you think! Make sure to pair it with something classic like Garlic Redskin Mashed Potatoes and Instant Pot Brussels Sprouts for a complete meal.
Why Make this Recipe
- Juicy: Turkey breast runs an easy risk of coming out dry when you roast it, but pressure cooking your turkey ensures that your meat will come out flavorful and juicy every time!
- Fast: Have you ever heard of your Thanksgiving turkey cooking in under 25 minutes?! With the help of your Instant Pot, your turkey will be cooked faster than ever.
- Hands-Off: Roasting a full turkey can be a pain, especially when you need to baste it every half an hour or so. Instead, have an entirely hands-off experience by choosing this exciting cooking method.
- Small Portions: Sometimes you don’t need an entire turkey. This recipe is perfect for small family holidays or dinners. Need to feed 1-4 people? This Instant Pot Turkey Breast Recipe is the way to go!
What Do I Need to Make this Recipe?
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.
- Brine: My favorite brine (that always leads to a yummy and juicy turkey) is by The Spice Hunter. You can use their original or lemon brine package. You can also use another brine of your choice if necessary.
- Seasonings: Garlic powder, thyme, onion powder, lemon peel, celery seeds, ground sage, rosemary, ground black pepper. Use The Spice Hunter for all of them if possible!
How to Make this Recipe
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Step 1: Brine the Turkey
Mix the brine into 2 quarts (8 cups) of boiling water. Stir until the salt is totally dissolved. Remove the water from the heat and refrigerate the brine until fully chilled.
Place the turkey breast in the brining bag. Add the chilled brine and an additional 2 quarts (8 cups) of cool water. Make sure the turkey is fully submerged in the brine. Add some additional water if the turkey is not submerged.
Keep the turkey refrigerated in the brine for 6-12 hours (I left mine for about 9 hours).
Remove the turkey from the brine and rinse with cold water. Pat it dry, and continue to the cooking steps below. Check out this post for more information on How to Brine a Turkey!
Step 2: Cooking the Turkey
Mix the seasoning ingredients together in a small bowl. Sprinkle the seasoning blend over the entire turkey breast, using your hands to rub in the spices.
Place a trivet in the bottom of your Instant Pot, and add the chicken broth to the bottom of the pot.
Place the brined and seasoned turkey breast on top of the trivet.
Place the lid on the pot and turn the pressure to HIGH for 23 minutes (or see below to adjust cooking time). Once the cook time is up, allow for a 15 minute natural pressure release.
Step 3: Toast the Skin
Once the turkey is cooked, remove it from the Instant Pot and place it on a cookie sheet. Turn your oven to a high broil, and place the turkey under the broiler until the skin crisps up and toasts.
Remove the turkey from the oven, carve and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- This recipe was made in an 8qt Instant Pot, which fit my turkey breast perfectly.
- If you do not want to use the brining bag, another good option is to brine your turkey in a large pot.
- If you cannot find ground lemon peel in a prepackaged bottle, you can also zest a fresh lemon or omit.
- You do not need to rest the turkey after removing it from the Instant Pot, because your natural pressure release acted as its resting time.
Recipe FAQs
Generally a good rule of thumb when roasting turkey is to use an internal thermometer to ensure the turkey has reached 160 degrees Fahrenheit before removing it from the oven (it will increase to 165 degrees as it rests for a few minutes).
However, because we’re using an Instant Pot Natural Release, the turkey will sit for 15 minutes after the cook time is up. This allows your turkey some time to cool, meaning that your internal thermometer may not read 160 degrees Fahrenheit, even if it is fully cooked.
Mine did not, so I cut into the turkey and used visual cues to ensure that the meat was properly cooked.
To do this, cut into the turkey at the thickest part and make sure that there is no pink left in the meat and that the juices are running clear.
Keep in mind that cutting into a turkey and releasing the juices could lead to a dry turkey if you do end up needing to cook it longer. However, using the cook time tips below, your turkey will most likely be PERFECT when you check it the first time.
Figuring out how long to cook your turkey breast in the Instant Pot comes down to a science. If you are cooking a bone-in, skin on turkey breast in the Instant Pot, stick to the following times:
– 5 minutes per pound if you’ve brined the turkey
– 6 minutes per pound if you have not brined the turkey
Always use a 15 minute natural release.
My turkey was 4.5 pounds and brined, so I cooked it for 23 minutes (4.5×5, rounded up to the nearest minute) with a 15 minute natural pressure release. 
Turkey breast is entirely white meat! I traditionally do not like white meat because I think it ends up too dry. However, this recipe makes the white meat almost as tender and juicy as the dark meat of a roasted turkey!
Did you enjoy this Instant Pot Turkey Breast Recipe? If so, make sure to check out these other recipes I picked out just for you:
- Homemade Creamed Corn in the Instant Pot
- Easy Cranberry Sauce with Orange Juice
- Instant Pot Sweet Potato Casserole
- Instant Pot Brussels Sprouts
- Instant Pot Green Bean Casserole
If you still aren’t convinced by my Instant Pot Turkey, try reading this post on How to Fry a Turkey.
Instant Pot Turkey Breast Recipe
Equipment
- Large Pot
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
Cooking Ingredients
- 1 gallon (16 cups) Water
- ½ package The Spice Hunter Original Turkey Brine and Bag packet, or your favorite brine recipe
- 4.5 lb Turkey Breast, bone-in, skin on, thawed
- 1 ½ cup Chicken Broth
Seasoning Ingredients
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- ½ tsp Thyme
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
- ¼ tsp Ground Lemon Peel
- ¼ tsp Celery Seeds
- ½ tsp Ground Sage
- 1 tsp Rosemary
- ¼ tsp Ground Black Pepper
Instructions
Brining Instructions
- Mix the brine into 2 quarts (8 cups) of boiling water. Stir until the salt is totally dissolved. Remove the water from the heat and refrigerate the brine until fully chilled.
- Place the turkey breast in the brining bag. Add the chilled brine and an additional 2 quarts (8 cups) of cool water. Make sure the turkey is fully submerged in the brine. Add some additional water if the turkey is not submerged.
- Keep the turkey refrigerated in the brine for 6-12 hours (I left mine for about 9 hours).
- Remove the turkey from the brine and rinse with cold water. Pat it dry, and continue to the cooking steps below:
Cooking Instructions
- Mix the seasoning ingredients together in a small bowl. Sprinkle the seasoning blend over the entire turkey breast, using your hands to rub in the spices.
- Place a trivet in the bottom of your Instant Pot, and add the chicken broth to the bottom of the pot.
- Place the brined and seasoned turkey breast on top of the trivet.
- Place the lid on the pot and turn the pressure to HIGH for 23 minutes. Once the cook time is up, allow for a 15 minute natural pressure release.
- Once the turkey is cooked, remove it from the Instant Pot and place it on a cookie sheet. Turn your oven to a high broil, and place the turkey under the broiler until the skin crisps up and toasts.
- Remove the turkey from the oven, carve and enjoy!
Notes
- Brine: My favorite brine (that always leads to a yummy and juicy turkey) is by The Spice Hunter. You can use their original or lemon brine package. You can also use another brine of your choice if necessary.
- See FAQs for info on adjusting cooking time if using a different size turkey breast
- This recipe was made in an 8qt Instant Pot, which fit my turkey breast perfectly.
- If you do not want to use the brining bag, another good option is to brine your turkey in a large pot.
- If you cannot find ground lemon peel in a prepackaged bottle, you can also zest a fresh lemon or omit.
- You do not need to rest the turkey after removing it from the Instant Pot, because your natural pressure release acted as its resting time.
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