How to Cook Turkey Breast Roast in Instant Pot

Instant Pot Turkey Breast is hands down the easiest, most flavorful way to prepare a turkey breast! This herb seasoned turkey breast is cooked to perfection and is served with an easy gravy made right in the Instant Pot.

You will permanently say goodbye to dried-out turkey with this recipe for Instant Pot Turkey Breast. Not only is this turkey breast ready in a fraction of the time it takes in the oven, but it is also the juiciest turkey breast ever!

Turkey Breast on Platter next to Instant Pot.

Instant Pot Turkey Breast

Cooking a turkey breast in the Instant Pot not only frees up space in the oven for things like Sweet Potato Casserole and Classic Bread Stuffing, but this cooking method also produces the best tasting turkey breast you have ever had!

The moist heat from the instant pot perfectly cooks the turkey, without drying out the meat, while the homemade herb butter infuses the turkey with flavor. Finished with a rich gravy, Instant Pot Turkey Breast is not only easy to make but also delivers impressive results.

I highly recommend using this recipe for Instant Pot Turkey Breast for smaller holiday gatherings, a nice Sunday supper, or preparing to use for turkey sandwiches throughout the week.

How to Cook a Turkey Breast in the Instant Pot

Step One: Make sure your Turkey Breast Fits

This may sound obvious, but the most important step to properly cooking a turkey breast inside an instant pot is to be sure it fits!

I recommend placing the turkey breast, while still in its packaging, inside the instant pot on top of the metal trivet/rack to be sure the lid will fit and close properly. Don't worry about your turkey breast extending past the max fill line in your pressure cooker, this is one time that is okay!

In my experience, an instant pot can hold the following sized turkey breasts:

For a 6-quart Instant Pot: 5-6.5 pounds
For an 8-quart Instant Pot: 7-8.5 pounds

Turkey Breast inside inner pot with packaging.

Step Two: Prepare Compound Herb Butter

The easiest way to infuse flavor into the turkey breast is to season with compound butter.

A compound butter sounds complicated, but it simply just softened butter mixed with herbs, salt, and pepper. You can use any herbs you like, but I find rosemary and thyme are the perfect compliments for turkey breast.

Ingredients for compound butter in glass bowls.

Step Three: Season Turkey Breast

Instead of rubbing the butter over the surface of the turkey breast, it is best to gently loosen the skin on the turkey breast and rub the herb butter underneath the skin. The butter will melt into the meat of the turkey as it cooks and gives it an incredible flavor.

Step Four: Pressure Cook

Pour the stock into the inner pot of the pressure cooker. You can use water in place of stock, but if you are planning on preparing gravy, the stock is key.
Place turkey inside Instant Pot, meat side DOWN on the inner rack. I do this so that the juices flow into the meat, keeping the turkey breast super juicy.
Place onion and celery stick in the cavity of turkey breast, if you have it on hand. It just adds a bit of extra flavor, but don't stress if you don't have it on hand.
Close the lid on the instant pot and be sure the vent knob is pointed towards sealed.
Cook on high pressure for 6 minutes per pound.
Once cook time has elapsed, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes naturally, then release any remaining pressure.
Test turkey breast with a digital thermometer to be sure meat has reached at least 160 degrees F. (The turkey breast will continue to cook as it rests and needs to reach 165 degrees F.)
Remove turkey from instant pot and place on cutting board and tent with foil and allow turkey to rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing. This will allow the juices to redistrubute through the meat, keeping the meat super juicy.

Side by side picture of turkey breast raw and cooked in instant pot.

Optional: Brown the Turkey Breast

If you would like to get crispy skin or a golden brown appearance brown the turkey breast in the oven AFTER pressure cooking.

Place cooked turkey breast on a baking sheet and drizzle with a bit of olive oil.
Place under broiler for 5-6 minutes, watching closely so as not to burn, and brown up the skin of the turkey breast.
It is still important to let the broiled turkey rest for 10 minutes before cutting to allow the juice to redistribute through the turkey breast.

Instant Pot Turkey breast on cookie sheet before and after browning.

Instant Pot Frozen Turkey Breast

If you have forgotten to thaw your turkey breast out, do NOT panic!

You can cook a frozen turkey in the instant pot with a few modifications.

First, be sure to check for any packet of frozen gravy inside the cavity of the turkey breast. If so, run under cold tap water to loosen and discard, as you do not want to cook the turkey with any plastic packets inside the cavity of the turkey breast.
Because it is next to impossible to loosen the skin of a frozen turkey breast, skip the herb butter and simply season with salt and pepper.
To cook a frozen turkey breast in the instant pot, increase the cooking time from 6 minutes per pound on high pressure to 10 minutes per pound on high pressure.

How to Prepare Turkey Gravy

If desired, you can easily make turkey gravy right inside your pressure cooker after the turkey breast has cooked.

Strain cooking liquid from instant pot and return the inner pot back to Instant Pot.
Turn to Saute function and allow the instant pot to heat.
Once the pressure cooker is heated, add in butter and melt.
Add in flour to melted butter and whisk well to form a roux and cook for 1 minute to cook away raw flour flavor.
Add in dry white wine if using, and whisk well.
Slowly add ½ cup reserved cooking liquid to instant pot whisk well.
Allow the gravy to bubble and thicken, adding more cooking liquid as needed to reach the desired consistency.
Season and turn off instant pot and serve.

Collage of 4 pictures showing steps to make instant pot gravy.

Serving Suggestions

Instant Pot Turkey Breast is the perfect entree for smaller Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter celebrations when served with Mashed Potato Casserole, Cranberry Sauce, and Green Bean Casserole.

Leftover Instant Pot Turkey Breast is great to use for sandwiches, wraps, or in recipes like Turkey Tetrazzini or Southwest Turkey Soup.

Sliced Turkey Breast on white platter with mashed potatoes and green beans in background.

Storing Leftover Turkey

Leftover Turkey Breast can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days. Freeze leftover cooked turkey for up to 3 months in the freezer.

Recipe FAQs

What if my turkey does not fit in the Instant Pot using a rack?

If your turkey will not fit in the instant pot using the rack, you can cook directly inside the inner pot. HOWEVER, do not place the turkey breast meat side down in the pressure cooker, as this could cause a burn notice due to the compound butter under the turkey skin. Instead, cook meat side up OR skip the compound butter.

Can I brine the turkey breast before pressure cooking?

If you would like to brine this turkey breast before cooking, follow my Turkey Brine recipe. You can skip the herb butter if you opt to brine the turkey breast, as the brine will give it plenty of flavor.

Can I make a whole turkey in the Instant Pot?

If you have a small whole turkey, this recipe will work the exact same way--cook for 6 minutes per pound on high pressure.

More Holiday Instant Pot Recipes

Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
Instant Pot Pumpkin Cheesecake
Instant Pot Honey Baked Ham
Instant Pot Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Instant Pot Cranberry Sauce
Instant Pot Stuffing

Want to make a fast holiday meal using ONLY your Instant Pot? Watch me prepare an entire Instant Pot Thanksgiving dinner, including this recipe for turkey breast, along with mashed potatoes, gravy, and green beans in just under 2 hours!

I hope you enjoy this delicious, juicy Instant Pot Turkey Breast and I would love for you to leave a comment and review below.

Roasted Turkey Breast on Platter.

For the Turkey Breast

▢ 1-1.5 cup chicken or turkey stock see notes
▢ 1 5-6 pound turkey breast bone in
▢ 4 tablespoons butter softened
▢ ½ tablespoon rosemary chopped
▢ 2 teaspoons thyme leaves
▢ 2 teaspoon kosher salt divided
▢ 1 teaspoon pepper divided

For the Turkey Gravy

▢ 2 tablespoons butter
▢ 2 tablespoons flour
▢ ⅓ cup dry white wine optional
▢ 1-2 cups turkey drippings
▢ salt and pepper to taste
▢ 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce optional

Cook Mode Prevents your screen from going dark while preparing the recipe.

For the Instant Pot Turkey Breast

Mix together the butter with fresh herbs and 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper.
Loosen skin on turkey breast using your hand. Rub herb butter underneath skin of turkey breast. And any remaining butter on top of turkey.
Season outside of turkey with remaining salt and pepper.
Pour 1 cup stock into inner pot or pressure cooker for a 6 quart instant pot and 1.5 cups for an 8 quart instant pot. Place the rack or trivet inside the inner pot.
Place turkey inside Instant Pot, meat side DOWN. Place onion and celery stick in the cavity of turkey breast.
Close lid on instant pot. Set vent knob to sealed. Cook on high pressure, using manual button, for 6 minutes per pound.
Once cook time has elapsed, let pressure release for 10 minutes naturally, then release any remaining pressure.
Test turkey breast with a digital thermometer to be sure meat has reached at least 160 degrees. (The turkey breast will continue to cook as it rests and needs to reach 165 degrees.)
Remove turkey from instant pot and place on cutting board and tent with foil. Allow to rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing.
To brown turkey skin, Place cooked turkey breast on baking sheet.Place under broiler for 5-6 minutes, watching closely so as not to burn, and brown up the skin of the turkey breast.

For Turkey Gravy

Strain cooking liquid from instant pot and reserve.
Return inner pot back to Instant Pot. Turn to Saute function and allow instant pot to heat.
Once pressure cooker is heated, add in butter and melt. Add in flour to melted butter and whisk well to form a roux. Cook for 1 minute.
Add in dry white wine and whisk well. Then slowly add ½ cup reserved cooking liquid to instant pot whisk well. Allow gravy to bubble and thicken, adding more cooking liquid as needed to reach desired consistency. Season with salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce, and serve with turkey.

For the stock: Use 1 cup liquid for a 6 quart instant pot and 1.5 cups for an 8 quart instant pot. Stock is best if you are planning on preparing gravy, but water will work if you are not preparing gravy.

Using a Whole Turkey: If you have a small whole turkey, this recipe will work the exact same way--cook for 6 minutes per pound on high pressure.

**An important note regarding the size of the turkey breast, if your turkey will not fit in the instant pot using the rack, you can cook directly inside the inner pot. HOWEVER, do not place the turkey breast meat side down in the pressure cooker, as this could cause a burn notice due to the compound butter under the turkey skin. Instead, cook meat side up or skip the compound butter.

For frozen turkey breast, simply season with salt and pepper and cook for 10 minutes per pound on high pressure.

Wine: Use a dry white wine, such as a Pinot Grigio or Chardonnay. Feel free to use chicken stock in place of white wine for the gravy.

Leftover Turkey Breast can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Freeze leftover cooked turkey breast for 3 months in the freezer.

Celery/Onion: It is not necessary to add the onion and celery to the cavity of the turkey breast.

See Instant Pot High Altitude Conversion if cooking 2500+ feet above sea level.

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This post was originally published in 2017 but was updated with new tips and a video in 2020.

How to Cook Turkey Breast Roast in Instant Pot

Source: https://amindfullmom.com/instant-pot-turkey-breast/