Turkey Breast Recipe (Slow Cooker or Instant Pot) – Kalyn’s Kitchen

This Turkey Breast Recipe to make in the slow cooker or the Instant Pot is a tasty idea when you’re having a smaller crowd for Thanksgiving! And this post also has tips for turkey gravy that’s flavorful and lower in carbs.

PIN the slow cooker or Instant Pot Turkey Breast Recipe to make it later!

It’s time to think about Thanksgiving recipes, and this Turkey Breast Recipe that you can make in the Slow Cooker or the Instant Pot is such a great option if you’re making Thanksgiving dinner for just a few people. I’ve been cooking turkey breasts in the crockpot for years, and when I finally made turkey breast in the Instant Pot, it was also such a winner.

The Instant Pot Turkey Breast was so juicy and delicious; I hope you’ll try that version if you’re an Instant Pot fan! And even though this recipe is filed with the Holiday Recipes, both Slow Cooker Turkey Breast and Instant Pot Turkey Breast are easy enough to make any time you’re craving turkey dinner! Or use one of these recipe to cook a turkey breast to get sliced turkey to make turkey sandwiches!

What ingredients do you need for this recipe? 

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

How low in carbs is this Turkey Breast Recipe:

This recipe for Slow Cooker Turkey Breast or Instant Pot Turkey Breast only has about 4 net carbs per serving!

How did we change the Turkey Breast recipe for Instant Pot Turkey Breast?

The main change we made from Slow Cooker Turkey Breast to Instant Pot Turkey Breast was to cut the turkey breast in half for the Instant Pot. For both methods, I rub the turkey breast with a mixture of dried thyme and sage, brown the skin well before I cook the turkey, and use a generous amount of vegetables to add extra flavor to the cooking liquid that gets turned into the low-carb gluten-free gravy.

Should you use a trivet for Instant Pot Turkey Breast?

You could certainly use a trivet to cook your turkey breast in the Instant Pot, but we just put all the vegetables in the bottom of the Instant Pot and used those to hold up the turkey without a trivet. 

What Size Slow Cooker or Instant Pot did we use?

I made this turkey breast recipe in my 6 Quart Ninja Cooker, which gave plenty of room for vegetables to add flavor to the gravy, but you can get away with a smaller slow cooker if that’s what you have. I used a Six Quart Instant Pot for the Instant Pot version. (affiliate links)

My best tip for amazing turkey gravy!

My best tip for making amazing turkey gravy to accompany the turkey breast recipe is to use Penzeys Turkey Soup Base to flavor the gravy. And of course this is also a must for making turkey soup as well. Trust me on this, I have tried every brand of turkey soup base I’ve come across and have never found one with as much flavor as this one from Penzeys. (You can buy it Penzey’s Turkey Base (affiliate link) at Amazon, or you can order online from Penzeys. And of course Penzey’s has no idea I am recommending it here!)

Tips for the Slow Cooker or Instant Pot Turkey Breast Recipe:

1. For both the cooking methods we used the same techniques to add flavor to the turkey breast, which admittedly can be a bit ho-hum if it’s not cooked well.
2. First we used the mortar and pestle (affiliate link) to grind together dried thyme and dried sage, to get a finely ground mixture to rub on the turkey. (You can also use ground sage and ground thyme and skip that step.)
3. Second, we cooked the turkey breast with a generous amount of vegetables, which added flavor to the gravy and in the Instant Pot the vegetables acted as a trivet to hold the turkey breast up out of the liquid.
4. Third, we used Penzeys Turkey Soup Base to add flavor to the cooking liquid that became our gravy. There are other brands, but I highly recommend the Penzeys turkey base for the best flavor; I have used it for many years!

How to Make the Slow Cooker Turkey Breast Recipe:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

1. Trim skin on the turkey breast and rub the outside with thyme and sage.
2. Heat olive oil in a frying pan and brown the turkey well.
3. While the turkey browns cut up the carrots, celery, and onion.
4. Put browned turkey into the slow cooker, then add water with some Penzey’s Turkey Soup Base to the frying pan and cook for a couple of minutes.
5. Put that liquid over the turkey breast; then put onion, carrots, and celery around the turkey.
6. Cook on high for about 3 hours, or on low for 5-6 hours, or until the instant read meat thermometer (affiliate link) reaches the safe minimum temperature for turkey breast, which is 165F/75C.
7. When turkey has reached desired temperature take out the breast and put it on a cutting board while you make the gravy. (You can cover with foil to keep warm.)
8. Strain the liquid from the crockpot into a pan, add a little more Penzeys Turkey Soup Base if desired, and simmer to reduce until it has a good turkey flavor.
9. Turn down the heat, mix the arrowroot powder (or thickener of your choice) with cold water to make a slurry, and whisk that into the hot liquid, turning off the heat as soon as it thickens if you’re using arrowroot.
10. If you don’t want to use arrowroot, there are more low-carb gravy tips at my post on Penzeys Turkey Soup Base.
11. Remove bones from turkey (and skin if you prefer), then slice the turkey and serve hot, with gravy.

How to Make the Instant Pot Turkey Breast Recipe:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

1. For the Instant Pot method, we trimmed the thawed turkey breast and used a meat cleaver to cut it in half, cutting down the middle through the bone.
2. Rub the turkey with a mixture of ground thyme and sage; then heat olive oil in a large frying pan and brown the skin of the turkey well. (Don’t skip this step. You can brown in the Instant Pot if you prefer.)
3. While the turkey browns, cut up the carrots, celery, and an onion. 
4. When turkey is nicely browned, put the carrots, celery, and onions into the bottom of the Instant Pot.
5. Add water with a little Penzey’s Turkey Soup Base to the frying pan and simmer as above.
6. Lay the browned turkey breast halves on top of the vegetables and pour over the stock mixture.
7. Set the Instant Pot to MANUAL, HIGH PRESSURE, 25 minutes. (We had a relatively small turkey breast, if yours is closer to 5 pounds, I would add a couple more minutes.)
8. Use NATURAL RELEASE for at least 20 minutes, then release the rest of the pressure.
9. When pressure has released remove the turkey breasts to a cutting board.
10. We drained the stock into a colander placed inside a large measuring cup to catch the liquid. Put that cooking liquid back into the Instant Pot and cook on SAUTE or SIMMER until it’s reduced to about 3 cups. (Taste to see if it’s as strongly-flavored as you prefer, and add a little more Penzey’s Turkey Soup Base if desired.)
11. Mix the arrowroot powder (or thickener of your choice) with cold water to make a slurry, and whisk that into the hot liquid in the pot, cooking until it thickens, turning off the heat as soon as it thickens if you’re using arrowroot. 
12. Remove bones from turkey (and skin if you prefer), then slice the turkey and serve hot, with gravy.

More Turkey Breast Recipes in the Crockpot or Instant Pot:

Weekend Food Prep:

Turkey breast is great to cook on the weekend and eat during the week, so this turkey breast recipe with two cooking options has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep!

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
This Turkey Breast Recipe is a great idea for a low-carb dinner any time of year. If you’re making gravy, Arrowroot starch (also called arrowroot flour) is a great thickener for low-carb eating plans because it’s slightly lower in carbs and it only takes about half as much arrowroot as it would cornstarch to get the same amount of thickness. It’s also gluten-free. Arrowroot is often mixed with other types of starch, so check the label. It will lose its thickening properties if stored too long, so buy a small amount. (Even if you thicken this gravy with cornstarch, that will be lower in carbs compared to gravy that’s thickened with flour.)

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Holiday Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This turkey breast recipe was first posted as slow cooker turkey breast. The recipe was updated to include Instant Pot instructions in 2018 and the post was last updated with more information in 2024.

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