How to Cook Frozen Turkey Breast in the Instant Pot
Are you looking for a way to streamline Thanksgiving dinner? Here are the easy instructions for How to Cook Frozen Turkey Breast in the Instant Pot. You’ll never believe how tender and juicy a turkey breast can be when cooked (even from frozen!) for just minutes in the Instant Pot.
How to Cook an Instant Pot Frozen Turkey Breast
If you aren’t feeding lots of folks at a large family gathering this holiday, you may find that cooking a turkey breast is the perfect alternative to a big, fat turkey.
Cooking a frozen turkey breast in your Instant Pot guarantees a juicy and tender eating experience. Nobody likes dry, tasteless turkey!
Our family loves white meat so a turkey breast is a great choice – it’s entirely white meat, quicker to cook, and easier to slice. We love it!
Save this Recipe
Enter your email address and we will send you this recipe to your mailbox for easy reference! Plus, we will send you our latest recipes every week!
This method is pretty fool-proof and allows you to leave the thawing worry behind! I’ve personally test this a couple of times, just to be sure.
Ingredients
- Frozen turkey breast: This recipe was created for cooking a frozen, bone-in turkey breast that weighs approx. 7 lbs. and is cooked in an 8-quart Instant Pot. If you are using a standard size 6-quart Instant Pot, you will need a turkey breast that weighs closer to 5 lbs. A 9-10 pound turkey breast will need a 10-12 quart electric pressure cooker to do the job.
- Turkey or chicken broth
- Poultry seasoning
- Kosher salt
- Ground black pepper
- Olive oil
- Gravy packet: This comes with the turkey breast
How to Cook a Frozen Turkey Breast in An Instant Pot
1. Choosing a Turkey Breast.
Look for the giant pile of whole frozen turkeys in the meat department of your local grocery store, piled high in a freezer bunker. The frozen turkey breasts will be close by.
Turkey breasts will range in size from 5-10 lbs, though most will weigh between 7-8 lbs, according to the butcher.
2. Preparing the Turkey Breast for the Instant Pot.
Carefully unwrap your frozen turkey breast. (This may be the most difficult step of this entire process.) Depending on the brand of the turkey breast, you may have a gravy packet that is frozen to the inside of the cavity of the turkey breast. This must be removed prior to placing the turkey into the Instant Pot.
Turn the turkey breast over and run hot water directly over the gravy packet until it becomes pliable enough to remove it. Toss the gravy packet away since you may be running hot water over it for 5-10 minutes or so.
3. Cooking the Turkey Breast in the Instant Pot.
Place 1 cup of broth into the Instant Pot. Season the frozen turkey breast with salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning on all sides, then place it into the Instant Pot. Securely lock the Instant Pot lid into place.
On high pressure setting, set the timer for 42-48 minutes. If you’re cooking a 7-8 lb. turkey breast, bringing the Instant Pot to full pressure. This is approx. 6-7 minutes of cooking time under pressure per pound of turkey.
4. Using the Natural Release on the Instant Pot to Ensure a Super Tender and Juicy Turkey Breast.
When the Instant Pot timer sounds, use a 20 minute natural release. Let the pressure in the Instant Pot come down naturally on its own. Walk away from the Instant Pot and let it be!
At the 20 minute mark, perform a quick release of the Instant Pot in case there is still some residual pressure that may still be contained in the Instant Pot. Carefully remove the lid.
Now, insert an instant-read meat thermometer into the thickest part of the turkey breast. The internal temperature will registers 160-165 degrees F when it is fully cooked.
If the turkey temps below the internal temperature of 160-165 degrees F., lock the Instant Pot lid back into place and re-pressurize the Instant Pot for an additional 5-10 minutes. Then follow this by a second natural release of 20 minutes.
Check the internal temperature once more to be sure it’s 160-165 degrees F.
Please note: when you re-pressurize the pot for the second go-round, it will come up to pressure very quickly since the contents are already very hot…FYI.
5. Browning the Turkey Skin
This step is completely optional. I usually do it since the beautifully browned skin sure makes the turkey breast look very impressive, especially if you’re planning to carve it at the table.
It also makes the skin nice and crispy! For this step, rub a bit of olive oil over the skin and place it into shallow roasting pan or onto a rimmed cookie sheet.
Place the pan onto the center rack beneath the oven broiler for a few minutes, making sure the turkey is 4-6 inches from the broiler element. Keep a close eye on the turkey breast as it will brown very quickly.
Is This a Healthy Recipe for Making Instant Pot Turkey?
A turkey breast is the leanest part of the turkey (or any poultry for that matter) and since that’s all your cooking in this case, you’re definitely cooking a healthy Instant Pot turkey breast. Cooking the turkey breast in broth instead of water, adds lots of flavor, but few calories and almost zero fat.
How Long Do I Cook a Frozen Turkey Breast in the Instant Pot?
A FROZEN turkey breast will take approx. 12 minutes per pound to fully cook. So, as an example, if you’re cooking a 7 lb. frozen turkey breast, it should be fully cooked in about 84 minutes (followed by a natural release). **Keep in mind that every electric pressure cooker (like your Instant Pot) cooks a bit differently, so the minutes per pound of cooking time can vary a bit.
The natural release rest time is a very important step when you are cooking ANY meat in your Instant Pot….providing you want it to be juicy and tender!
I Feel Pretty Overwhelmed about Using an Instant-Read Meat Thermometer. How Important is Using an Instant-Read Thermometer when Cooking a Turkey or a Turkey Breast?
I used to feel intimidated too. Then, I realized how easy it actually is to use an instant-read meat thermometer to temp all of my meats, keeping them from being overcooked and dried out.
The more I cook, the more I realize how important this kitchen tool is. Guessing whether meat is done by looking at it from the outside is a bad idea, anyway, so the sooner you get on the instant-read thermometer band wagon, the better off you’ll be.
Why Do I Need A Cup of Chicken Broth in the Bottom of the Instant Pot When I Cook My Turkey Breast?
For an Instant Pot to work properly, there HAS to be liquid of some sort in the pot. This liquid circulates creating steam that then causes the Instant Pot to pressurize. If there’s no liquid, there can be no pressurizing! And this is a real problem if you need that Instant Pot to come up to pressure, trust me.
You need just enough liquid in the bottom of your Instant Pot to cover the bottom – this is usually 1 cup of broth/water for a 6-quart Instant Pot or 1 1/2 – 2 cups for an 8-quart Instant Pot.
If you are having problems getting your Instant Pot to pressurized, visit this helpful article for how to address that.
How To Make Turkey Gravy
There are lots of ways to make turkey gravy. Here’s how I do it:
I save the gravy packet that comes with the turkey breast. Also reserve the liquids from the Instant Pot that have accumulated with the chicken broth when you cooked the turkey breast.
In a small bowl, make a cornstarch slurry by combining equal parts of water and cornstarch; I start with 2 Tbs. cornstarch and 2 Tbs. flour, adding a little at a time. (There may be some leftover or you may need to make a little more.)
Using the sauté setting on my Instant Pot, add the gravy packet contents along with the chicken broth and juices to a low simmer (not boiling, just simmering); using your flat whisk, whisk in a small amount of prepared slurry, a little at a time, whisking constantly until the gravy is nicely thickened.
Serve over mashed potatoes, sausage dressing, and slices of turkey breast. Yum!!!
Favorite Side Dish Recipes
If you want perfect whipped potatoes make a big batch of creamy, fluffy Million Dollar Mashed Potatoes in your slow cooker.
Cast Iron Skillet Mac and Cheese is the ultimate recipe, made with heavy cream, cheddar cheese, and parmesan cheese. It’s creamy, rich, and decadent, with a buttery, crispy topping.
Crockpot honey glazed carrots are a perfectly easy side dish. They have a hint of cinnamon and a touch of honey making them extra delicious.
How to Cook a Frozen Turkey Breast in the Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 1 frozen turkey breast, approx. 7 pounds
- 1 cup turkey or chicken broth
- 1 ½ tsp. poultry seasoning
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp. olive oil, for rubbing over the skin if you wish to brown it in the oven after cooking it in the Instant Pot
- 1 gravy packet that comes with the turkey breast
Instructions
Make the Turkey
- Remove the packaging from your frozen turkey breast. If your breast comes with a gravy packet, thaw it just enough under hot water to remove the gravy packet; reserve the gravy packet.
- Pour the broth into the Instant Pot. Using the saute setting, bring the broth to a boil. (This step will help your Instant Pot pressurize more quickly.)
- Meanwhile, place the turkey breast onto a large sheet of foil or parchment paper. Sprinkle all sides of the breast with the poultry seasoning, salt and pepper. Place the turkey, breast side up, into the Instant Pot.
- Lock the Instant Pot lid into place. Choose the high pressure setting for 45 minutes, bringing the Instant Pot to full pressure. When the timer sounds, use a natural release for at least 20 minutes to let the Instant Pot naturally release the pressure itself, allowing the turkey breast to continue cooking under residual heat and also to rest so the meat is very tender and juicy before you slice it.
- Carefully remove the Instant Pot lid; using an instant-read thermometer, test the internal temperature of the turkey breast by inserting the thermometer right into the center of the thickest part of the breast. The turkey is cooked when the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
- If the turkey breast hasn't reached 165 degrees F., place it back into the Instant Pot and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Again, using the natural pressure release for 10 minutes.
- If you want to brown the skin, remove the turkey breast from the Instant Pot to a large cast iron skillet, roasting pan, or Dutch oven; brush the skin with olive oil. Place the turkey breast beneath the broiler to crisp until the desired color is reached.
Make the Gravy
- Using the reserved gravy packet and the liquids from the Instant Pot that have accumulated with the chicken broth during the cooking process, use the saute setting on the Instant Pot to bring these liquids to a simmer. Create a corn starch slurry by whisking together equal parts water and cornstarch (I'd start with 1 Tbs. of each). Adding a little of the slurry at a time, whisk constantly until the gravy is nicely thickened and smooth. Serve at once over mashed potatoes and sliced turkey.
Notes
This recipe was created for cooking a frozen, bone-in turkey breast that weighs approx. 7 lbs. and is cooked in an 8-quart Instant Pot. If you are using a standard size 6-quart Instant Pot, you will need a turkey breast that weighs closer to 5 lbs.
**Please note: the cooking time stated for this recipe does not include the time required to bring the Instant Pot up to pressure since this can vary.Nutrition
Originally published November 18, 2019. Updated October 11, 2024.
This sounds like a great way to cook a frozen turkey breast. I like to cook turkey even when it’s not Thanksgiving! You get a lot of meat without all the bones when you cook just the breast. It’s so much better for sandwiches or to have with noodles or rice and veggies. I will keep this recipe and let you know when I cook it! Thanks!
Hi Clyta – We like to do the same, about once a quarter year round. Let me know when you cook the frozen turkey breast in your Instant Pot – I always appreciate feedback!
Your fan,
Alli
Question, I have seen recipes that say to place the turkey breast on a trivet inside the Instant pot, and just as many that make no mention of the trivet at all. Can you please share your thoughts and experiences using a trivet and the differences it makes if used with a recipe such as this?
Hi Nikki –
If I’m thinking correctly, I’m pretty sure the only recipe that I’ve ever used a trivet for is when making hard boiled eggs. And even then, I’m pretty sure I’ve made hardboiled eggs in my Instant Pot without the trivet, as well. I think I flat forgot to put the trivet in there until AFTER I pressurized them. I was worried they might be ruined, but NOPE! They were fine.
NOW, if you are doing what’s called pot-in-pot cooking in your Instant Pot where you are placing a cooking vessel of some sort down inside, you definitely need a trivet in there, with the water beneath it. This is because if you place a pan directly onto the bottom of the Instant Pot (like a cheese cake pan or a bundt pan or a casserole dish) then the water in the bottom of the pot can’t circulate to create steam inside. If there’s no steam created inside the Instant Pot it can’t pressurize….big problem!
Please let me know if you have more questions and need more help – I’m always glad to!
Sincerely,
Chef Alli