So incredibly moist and tender, this Instant Pot Frozen Turkey Breast (and gravy!) is prepared in a fraction of the time than traditional baking.
The best part is that no thawing of the turkey breast is required in this recipe. All you’ll need to do is run warm water over the frozen turkey breast to loosen the gravy packet. Easy peasy!
I was skeptical at first about cooking this turkey FROZEN in the Instant Pot, but it turned out phenomenal. Whether you’re cooking dinner for your family on a weeknight or cooking for a small crowd on Thanksgiving, this is the way to go if you own a pressure cooker.
Every Thanksgiving I struggle with oven space because I’m doing so much baking… using your Instant Pot for this turkey frees up not only oven space but lots of time without sacrificing flavor.
How long does it really take this turkey breast to cook in the Instant Pot?
The actual “cook” time is 50 minutes, but that can be deceiving. I’ve figured prep time (15 minutes), the time it takes to sauté the vegetables (6 minutes), time it takes the pot to come to pressure (12 minutes for me), cook time (50 minutes), natural pressure release time (15 minutes for me) and rest time under aluminum foil (10 minutes) yields a grand total of 1 hour and 48 minutes.
Not bad for a frozen turkey breast from start to finish! 
Enjoy!
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Instant Pot Frozen Turkey Breast
- Total Time: 1 hour 48 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients
- ½ teaspoon rubbed sage
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 2 teaspoons dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 (3 pound) frozen boneless turkey breast roast (I used Butterball)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 small yellow onions, peeled and quartered
- 3 stalks celery, sliced into approximately ¾-inch slices
- 2 ¼ cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 (0.87-ounce) package turkey gravy mix
- 1 large bay leaf
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
- ½ cup cold water
Instructions
- Place frozen turkey breast under running warm water for 3 to 4 minutes to loosen gravy packet from turkey. Place gravy packet in a medium bowl of hot water to completely thaw while seasoning turkey and sauteing vegetables.
- In a small bowl, mix together sage, salt, pepper, garlic powder, thyme, rosemary and oregano.
- Drizzle olive oil over turkey breast and rub to coat breast. Rub spice mixture evenly over turkey breast and set aside.
- Turn Instant Pot to the saute function. Add butter and melt. Add onions and celery and cook for 5-6 minutes, or until onions are translucent, stirring frequently.
- Add chicken broth and stir to combine, scraping any bits off of the bottom of the pot. Add turkey gravy mix and gravy packet that came with turkey breast. Stir to combine. Add bay leaf. Turn off Instant Pot.
- Place trivet in bottom of pot and place seasoned turkey breast on top of trivet.
- Place the lid on pressure cooker and lock. Steam release knob should be set on “sealing”. Cook on manual setting (high pressure) for 50 minutes. Allow pressure to release naturally.
- Remove turkey breast from pot and transfer to a cutting board. Cover completely with aluminum foil and let rest for 10 minutes while you’re preparing the gravy.
- Remove trivet. Using a large slotted spoon, remove vegetables and place in a bowl. Remove bay leaf and discard.
- In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and water until smooth.
- Turn Instant Pot to the saute function and allow broth to come to a boil. Slowly pour in cornstarch slurry (while stirring) until desired thickness is reached (gravy will thicken as it sits).
- Remove netting from turkey and slice. Serve with gravy.
Notes
- The USDA recommends an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees F in the thickest part of the breast.
- Cook time includes time it takes for pot to come to pressure and natural release time.
- Altitude can affect pressure cooking times. This recipe was tested using an Instant Pot LUX80 8-quart at approximately 10 feet above sea level. Here is a helpful article regarding adjustments for pressure cooking times at different altitudes.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 77 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Pressure Cook
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: instant pot frozen turkey breast, instant pot turkey breast, turkey breast instant pot, turkey instant pot, pressure cooker turkey
Turkey turned out perfect and delicious. Followed the recipe as written. Thank you for sharing!
★★★★★
Is it necessary to.add more seasonings to Butterball Turkey breast roast , which may be already “pre-seasoned”?
My family loved this – delicious!
★★★★★
Excellent. I move the breast to the broiler afterwards for a few minutes to get a nice crisp, or the air fryer.
★★★★★
Thank you, Joseph – I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I followed these instructions to cook from frozen and it was still raw in the middle when set cooking time for 50 minutes. Actual cook time for me in the instapot was 75 minutes to get it to cook all the way through.
★★★
This is a brilliant and very tasty recipe. How do I calculate the cooking times for a larger joint?
★★★★★