Sautéed onions and garlic become the base for your gravy, and the turkey breast cooks right on top. The mixture of fresh chopped sage, rosemary, oregano, and thyme fills your kitchen with the smell of the holidays. Brown the skin by placing it under an oven broiler or with the air fryer lid. Some Instant Pots come with a separate air fryer lid, and there are also air fryer lids you can buy to pair with older models.
The Best Turkey Breast
This recipe uses a whole bone-in, skin-on turkey breast. Find one that’s on the smaller side—4 1/2 pounds or less before trimming excess neck bone, rib bones that go beyond the breasts, or extra skin will work best in a 6-quart Instant Pot. If you have an 8-quart pot, up to 6 1/2 pounds before trimming is fine. You can also go smaller and use a split turkey breast if you’d like. Just reduce the cook time. Look to the recipe notes below for details.
Flavoring the Turkey
I choose not to brine my turkey breast before cooking, as it stays moist in the pressure cooker. I simply season the outside of the breast with a flavorful paste of butter, paprika, salt, black pepper, and fresh chopped herbs. If you prefer the flavor and texture of brined meat, feel free to use your favorite brining method or one of ours.
Instant Pots Make Great Gravy!
My favorite part of cooking turkey in an Instant Pot is that you end up with a very fast and tasty gravy. Sauté onions and garlic until they’re browned and add chicken or turkey stock. The turkey cooks right on top. It’s a cooking liquid that does double duty—it provides enough moisture to flavor the turkey and helps create pressure in the Instant Pot, and then it can be blended and thickened into a gravy. The recipe yields about 3 cups of gravy, plenty for everyone to ladle on their turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, or whatever else you’re serving.
Ingredient Substitutions and Swaps
This recipe provides a basic template for flavoring your turkey breast and gravy, but the possibilities for variations are many, including dairy-free and gluten-free options:
You can use shallots in place of onions in the gravy, or even sub in carrots or other root vegetables if alliums aren’t your thing. For the turkey seasoning, you can use a mixture of dried herbs, or even a poultry seasoning blend. Just reduce the amount from 4 teaspoons of fresh herbs to 1 1/2 teaspoons of dried herbs since the flavors are more concentrated. Here are more tips on How to Swap Dried Herbs for Fresh. For a dairy-free variation, use vegan butter or olive oil in place of the butter. To make the recipe gluten-free, replace the flour with a mixture of 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 1 tablespoon water.
Serving Suggestions
Serve your turkey with traditional holiday sides, such as mashed potatoes, stuffing, dinner rolls, macaroni and cheese, roasted vegetables, the obligatory cranberry sauce, or whatever dishes you and your dining companions enjoy.
Storage and Reheating
If you have leftover turkey and gravy, they will both keep tightly covered in the refrigerator for three to four days. I like to reheat the leftovers in the microwave, pouring a little gravy over the turkey before reheating so that it doesn’t dry out.
Love Instant Pot Recipes? Try These!
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If you do not have an air fryer lid for your Instant Pot or an oven large enough to fit the Instant Pot insert under its broiler, you can brown the turkey by searing it in the Instant Pot with a little oil for 5 minutes. The skin won’t be as crispy, but it will still get some browning and taste very good. Place the turkey breast on the steam wire rack. When the pressure has fully released (you will stop hearing a hissing sound, and the float valve will sink down), open the Instant Pot. Press the Cancel button to reset the cooking program. Using the oven: If you don’t have an air fryer lid, set the oven to broil on high. The oven rack should be set so that the turkey breast is 6 to 8 inches from the heating element, but it should also be low enough to fit the pot insert. Transfer the Instant Pot’s stainless steel inner pot with the turkey breast into the oven. Broil for about 5 minutes, or until the skin is browned, checking often to make sure that it has not burned. Wearing heat-resistant oven mitts, grasp the handles of the wire rack and lift the turkey out of the pot. Transfer it to a serving platter or carving board to rest while you finish making the gravy. If you broiled the turkey in the oven, return the stainless steel inner pot into the Instant Pot. Select the sauté setting on the Instant Pot. Let the gravy simmer for a minute or two until thickened. Turn off the pot.
