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This Instant Pot turkey breast with gravy is truly delicious! Made more quickly and easily in the Instant Pot, this recipe uses a trio of simple techniques to produce the moistest and most tender turkey breast. Served with a rich gravy, it’s perfect for a small Thanksgiving, Christmas, or anytime you’re craving turkey!
What Makes This Recipe So Good
- This tender, juicy turkey breast is perfect if you’re having a small holiday dinner or are just craving a healthy meal. With an easy, salty brine and garlicky compound butter under the skin, it’s definitely not your basic, boring turkey.
- While brining your turkey is totally optional, we love how flavorful and juicy it makes the turkey and skin. All it takes is mixing a few ingredients and letting the turkey hang out in the fridge for a couple hours!
- The gravy for this turkey breast is rich, flavorful, and so easy to make! With a few easy swaps, it can be made gluten free or paleo, making it easy to fit into your (or your guest’s) dietary needs.
How To Make It
Make the brine by stirring all the ingredients together until the salt is completely dissolved. Pour it into a big container or plastic bag and add the turkey breast. Seal it completely and chill in the fridge for at least a couple of hours. When you’re ready to cook, drain the brine.
Mix the butter ingredients in a food processor or blender. Using your fingers, carefully peel the skin away from the chicken breast and rub the butter mixture under the skin. Rub the outside of the skin with butter and season with salt and pepper.
Add the broth to the Instant Pot and place the trivet. Add the turkey breast on top and add the lid to the Instant Pot and seal.
Cook on Manual High Pressure, then naturally release.
Remove the turkey breast carefully. If you’d like, you can broil the turkey in the oven for a few minutes to brown the skin.
Make the gravy by pouring 2 cups of the broth and drippings into big bowl or measuring cup.
Add the pot back to the Instant Pot and turn on Sauté mode. Add some butter and the flour, whisking until a smooth paste is created. Whisk in the warm stock until it’s fully mixed and season with salt and pepper.
Chef’s Tips
- Need more tips for Thankgiving? Download my Complete and Total Guide to Thanksgiving here!
- When adding the butter mixture to underneath the turkey skin, you can stick a spoon with butter on it underneath the skin, then use your fingers on the outside of the skin to hold the butter in place while you remove the spoon.
- Make this turkey breast paleo by using ghee instead of butter for the skin and cassava flour instead of all-purpose flour for the gravy.
- For gluten free gravy, swap out the flour for gluten free all-purpose flour.
More Perfect Holiday Recipes
- Whole30 Instant Pot Turkey Breast with Gravy (Paleo)
- Creamed Onions
- Candied Carrots
- Instant Pot Whole30 Cranberry Sauce with Apples and Rosemary (Paleo, No Sugar)
- Ham Gravy
Instant Pot Turkey Breast
Equipment
- Medium bowl
- large container with lid or large food-safe, sealable bag
- Food processor or standard blender
- Instant Pot or similar pressure cooker
- Instant Pot trivet
- whisk
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup butter + 2 tablespoons (7 ½ tablespoons in total), divided
For the Turkey
- 1 3-pound whole skin-on turkey breast thawed; plastic wrap removed, netting still on
- 3 cloves garlic minced, divided
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 tablespoon oil
For the Gravy
- 2 cups chicken broth
- ⅓ cup flour see Notes
- 1-2 pinches salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
For the Brine
- 9 cups water
- ½ cup salt
- 2-3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 3 cloves garlic peeled and smashed
For the Aromatics
- 3 cloves garlic smashed
- 1 stalk celery cut into 1” pieces
- 1 carrot cut into 1” pieces
- ½ onion roughly diced
Instructions
For the Brine
- Stir together all brine ingredients until salt is totally dissolved. Pour brine into large food storage container or plastic sandwich bag and place turkey breast in brine. Seal completely and refrigerate about 2-4 hours.
For the Turkey
- After marinating turkey, add 3 tablespoons butter, garlic, and thyme to food processor or blender. Mix ingredients until smooth. Using your fingers, carefully peel the skin away from the turkey breast and rub the butter mixture under the skin. Rub the outside of the skin with butter and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Drain brine from turkey. Add the broth and aromatics to the Instant Pot and place trivet.
- Place turkey breast on top of trivet and put lid on Instant Pot, making sure valve is in Sealing position. Cook on Manual High Pressure mode for 25 minutes. Then let naturally release for 10-15 minutes.
- Remove turkey breast carefully and cut off the netting.
- If desired, pat very dry and drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil. Preheat broiler to high, then broil turkey for a few minutes to brown skin. Careful not to overcook.
For the Gravy
- Pour broth and drippings into a large heat-proof measuring cup. Pour off all but about 2 cups, or save for another use. Return pot to Instant Pot and heat over Sauté mode. Add 3 tablespoons butter to pot and let melt, then sprinkle over flour. Whisk until a smooth paste forms, then gradually pour in warm stock, a little at a time, whisking constantly until all stock is incorporated. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Thanksgiving tips: Download my Complete and Total Guide to Thanksgiving here!
- Adding butter to turkey: You can stick a spoon with butter on it underneath the skin, then use your fingers on the outside of the skin to hold the butter in place while you remove the spoon.
- Make it Paleo: Use ghee instead of butter and cassava flour instead of all-purpose, 1:1.
- Make it Gluten Free: Use gluten-free all-purpose flour instead of all-purpose, 1:1.
- Make it Keto: Use almond flour instead of all-purpose flour, 1:1, or follow this keto gravy recipe.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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What size was your Instantpot? I want to see if I could double this recipe and make 2 in my pot?
Cheryl has a 6-quart Instant Pot!
there is a typo on the Instructions -“carefully peel the skin away from the chicken breast”
I’m so excited to try this for Thanksgiving! The smallest turkey breast I could find was six pounds. How should I adjust the cook time and recipe for a larger turkey breast?
Hi Katie! My recipe uses a 3-pound turkey, so if you’re using a 6-pound turkey it would be safe to just double the recipe. As far as cook time goes, I would recommend 30 minutes cook time for a 6-pound turkey.
can this recipe be prepare in a crockpot?
You should be able to, yes! But make sure you increase the cook time in a Crock Pot.
Thank you
How can you put butter under the skin with the netting on?
Hi, Nancy! That part can definitely be tricky! Here’s what I usually do: When adding the butter mixture to underneath the turkey skin, you can stick a spoon with butter on it underneath the skin, then use your fingers on the outside of the skin to hold the butter in place while you remove the spoon.
Your recipe looks great, although I see one problem. After cooking the turkey you say to remove the plastic wrap carefully, and then give directions for browning it under the broiler. What plastic wrap? You would have to remove the turkey from its wrap prior to bringing it, and your step by step directions don’t include wrapping it before you cook it. Seems like that would melt or burn anyway…
That is totally a typo, thank you for letting us know! The plastic wrap will not be on the turkey at this point, that line should have been before brining 🙂 Thank you!
Hi what size instapot are you using?
Hi, Sarah! I usually use a 6-quart Instant Pot.