Name: Instant Pot Turkey recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 60 min
Ingredients: 1 7 lb. turkey or turkey breast; 1 medium yellow onion, chopped; 2 large carrots, sliced; 2 celery stalks, sliced; 3 Tbsp. olive oil; 2 cups chicken broth; Dry Spice Rub; Fresh Herb Rub; 1 Tbsp. fresh Rosemary, minced; 2 Tbsp. fresh Oregano, packed; 1 1/2 Tbsp. fresh chives, chopped; 1 Tbsp. fresh sage, chopped; 2 Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves; 1 tsp. paprika; 1 1/2 tsp. sea salt; 1/2 tsp ground black pepper; 1 tsp. garlic powder; 1/2 tsp. onion powder; 1 cup Turkey drippings with the vegetables strained out; 2-3 Tbsp. of flour (Add two at first and add the third if necessary.); Sea salt and pepper to taste. (Don't skip the salt!)

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I don’t get the chance to host holiday celebrations often. My grandmother is still around – thankfully! – and still hosts our family’s big celebrations at her house. On the alternating year, we go to Kevin’s mom’s house. During the pandemic year, I hosted Thanksgiving for just my little family and my mom and I cooked a whole, giant turkey. One might say it was a bit of overkill. Or as Kevin likes to often say, “excessive”.

As I started thinking about Thanksgiving though, I realized not everyone has a large gathering of 50 people like my grandma does. Often celebrations are much smaller and I wanted to make something that could work for the smaller Thanksgiving celebrations too – for those of you that don’t need 20 plus pounds of turkey. This Instant Pot Turkey recipe fits the bill and it can be made MUCH faster than the traditional giant turkey.

Why I made the Instant Pot Turkey recipe

I decided to try making an Instant Pot Turkey recipe this year for a few reasons.

I went to the store early to find a real turkey with legs and came up with only a 7 lbs. turkey breast.
A turkey breast is often all you really need if you’re having a smaller gathering.
I wanted to see if it could work and actually come out as good as the turkey that roasts in the oven for hours.

On that last point, I’m happy to report that this Instant Pot Turkey recipe is just as good as the larger turkeys that take hours to prep and cook.

Seasoning will still be key

The Instant Pot is known to keep meats moist and cook them to the perfect temperature. I like it better than the slower cooker, which I often feel dries out any meat. However, you still want to season the turkey correctly.

I’ve included two seasoning mixes in this recipe. The first one is a dry seasoning rub and I like this one because you can use it between the skin of the bird and the meat if you like. I often tend to just rub it on the surface of the skin so don’t worry if you are iffy on separating the meat from the skin.

The second seasoning mix is a fresh herb mix. It’s similar to a poultry blend you might use but I always like making it with fresh herbs because they add so much more flavor.

The process for making the Instant Pot Turkey recipe

If you’re making the Instant Pot Turkey recipe, then you don’t have to do anything like leave the turkey in the fridge uncovered for the skin or pick up any extra cheesecloth. You just need to have a thawed turkey breast of very small bird to make this.

Once the bird is thawed, you will also want to slice up some vegetables to go into the Instant Pot. I always like to use onions, garlic, carrots and celery – almost all the same vegetables I use when cooking a larger bird in the oven.

The onions go on the bottom of the pot and then I add the rack. This is so that the bird can cook properly on all sides. You would do the same thing if you were making it in the oven. Basically, don’t let the turkey touch the bottom of the pan. If for some reason you no longer have the rack for the Instant Pot, you can just use the onions on the bottom.

Next, I add chicken broth, spices and herbs, carrots and celery and maybe a few more onions.

Lastly, that needs to be done is to seal the lid, make sure the venting is sealed and let the turkey cook! I think you will be shocked to find that it cooks in just one hour!

Full of flavor and moist

The only thing I can’t show you in this post is the turkey cut. I had to go grab the kids from school and then take my daughter to riding lessons. I covered my turkey and Kevin carved it up for dinner. With the time change, it was dark by the time I got back and I don’t photograph in the dark. However, you can see a shot of it on my Instagram highlights @rachelquenzer. It is saved under INSTANT POT TUR thanks to the Instagram letter limit. If you’re on your phone, you can click {HERE} to watch it.

I can tell you though that the meat of the turkey comes out moist – even better than some oven versions I’ve had. It also has a delicious flavor that goes well with all the other Thanksgiving dishes like stuffing, mashed potatoes and cranberries.

Getting the crispy skin

If you’re a lover of crispy turkey skin, the bird will not come out of the Instant Pot with a crispy skin. In order to get that, you have to put the turkey in a baking pan and put it under the broiler for a few minutes. Keep an eye on it so you don’t end up burning it! That would be a shame after the cooking.

Completing your meal

Since the turkey isn’t the only food you will need on Thanksgiving, check out these side dishes, desserts and cocktails too!

Tips for making the Instant Pot Turkey recipe

Watch the size. I have a 6-quart Instant Pot {HERE} and I was able to get a 7 lb. turkey breast to fit into. However, I don’t think a larger one would fit. If you want to fit a larger breast or maybe even a full, small turkey, I suggest going with the 10-quart Instant Pot {HERE}.
Flavor the turkey correctly. Use the same seasonings with this Instant Pot Turkey recipe that you would when cooking a turkey in a traditional manner. Or you can use my seasoning and herb recipes below too.
Make sure to use either onions on the bottom or the Instant Pot rack to ensure proper cooking.
Slice the garlic cloves in this recipe. It tends to add more flavor to the drippings and you can make gravy from those!
Be careful when taking the turkey out of the pot. The skin may easily slip off and if you want to make crispy skin in the broiler then to keep that intact. I’ve found using two large forks is the easiest way to get it out of the pot.
Use a digital thermometer to check the turkey is full cooked when the Instant Pot is done. You want it at 165 degree at the thickest part of the bird.

Thank you so much for stopping by, friends! I hope to see you again here at Sugar Maple Farmhouse.