Instant Pot Turkey Breast with Herb Crust

Strip the gravy packet—seriously, that’s the first thing. Dry it hard with paper towels. Moist skin won’t crisp, and you want that crust. This whole thing takes just over an hour and tastes like you spent all day on it.

Why You’ll Love This Instant Pot Turkey Breast

One bowl for spices. Just dump them together. The herb roasted turkey breast comes out juicy because the Instant Pot traps steam, but the sear before pressure cooking gives you that golden, caramelized outside anyway—takes 38 minutes total, which beats the oven by forever. Weeknight main dish energy. Doesn’t feel rushed. Leftovers taste better cold the next day. Not sure why but they do. No babysitting. Lock the lid, walk away.

What You Need for Herb Crusted Turkey Breast

One turkey breast, any size from the grocery store. Pull out that gravy packet they hide in there. Olive oil—two tablespoons total, divided up. Butter. Two tablespoons. Not margarine. Sage, rosemary, thyme. Dried works perfect. Cumin, a teaspoon. Paprika is too bright; cumin gets earthy, sits better. Seasoned salt and black pepper. Two stalks celery chopped rough. One medium onion quartered—doesn’t need to be precise. Three garlic cloves smashed with the side of your knife. Two cups water.

How to Make Instant Pot Turkey Breast with Sage and Rosemary

Pat the turkey dry. Really dry. This matters way more than people think. Mix your spices in a bowl first—sage, rosemary, thyme, cumin, seasoned salt, pepper. Cumin adds something the usual herb blends don’t. Drizzle about a tablespoon of olive oil over the skin, rub it everywhere. You’re not measuring, just making it slick. Now sprinkle the herb mix over the skin side, pat it down so it sticks. Flip it, do it again. Don’t rush this part. Multiple thin layers stick better than one dump.

Heat the Instant Pot to sauté. Add a tablespoon of olive oil and the butter. Let it melt, listen for that little popping sizzle. That’s your signal. Sear the turkey on all sides—every face that can touch the pot. About 5 to 6 minutes per side. You want it golden brown, almost dark. Deep color. That’s the caramelization doing work. Pull it out, rest it on a plate.

How to Get Crispy Turkey Breast in the Instant Pot

Turn off sauté. Dump the celery, onion, and garlic into the pot bottom. These aren’t the main event—they’re producing aromatics that steam pulls up and distributes through the meat. Drop the wire trivet inside, handles out where you can grab them. Pour two cups of water slowly around the trivet base. Don’t splash on the hot oil. It’ll spit.

Set the turkey skin-side up on the trivet. It fits tight. If it doesn’t fit, trim some excess skin or fat from the sides, but that’s rare. Lock the lid down. Close the valve for sealing. Manual pressure, 30 to 38 minutes depending on how big the breast is. You’ll hear the pressure rush in, that hiss. Listen for steady burn rate. Let it go.

When time’s up, let pressure release naturally. This is crucial. 12 to 18 minutes minimum. No quick release—that’s how you end up with dry meat inside. The sudden steam escape pulls moisture right out. Slow is the move. Open the lid carefully, steam everywhere. Lift the turkey out by the trivet handles onto a cutting board. Tent it loose with foil. Resting seals the juices back in. Minimum ten minutes. Longer if you have time.

Slice against the grain once it’s rested. The fibers separate easier that way. Resting matters—slice too soon and the juices run right out instead of staying in the meat.

Turkey Breast Tips and Common Mistakes

Don’t skip the sear. The Instant Pot cooks tender but doesn’t brown on its own. That sear step builds flavor the broth can’t. Cumin instead of paprika—paprika was dull in past tries. Cumin sits deeper. The herb layer thing isn’t just extra work; it actually embeds better than one thick coat. Multiple thin sprinkles work. Let it dry a little between layers if you have time.

Natural pressure release is non-negotiable. Hot knife through the valve means you’re impatient. You’ll taste it in the meat. The resting step isn’t decoration either. Those ten minutes do actual work sealing juice back inside. Slice too soon and it’s dryer than it has to be.

Instant Pot Turkey Breast with Herb Crust

By Emma

Prep:

25 min

Cook:

38 min

Total:

1h 3min

Servings:

8 servings

Ingredients

• 1 turkey breast (remove any gravy packet)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon dried sage
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin (substitute for paprika)
• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 medium onion, quartered
• 3 garlic cloves, smashed
• 2 cups water

Method

1. 1 Strip any gravy packet from turkey breast, discard. Paper towel dry thoroughly. Moist skin ruins crust.
2. 2 Mix sage, rosemary, thyme, cumin, seasoned salt, and black pepper in bowl. Cumin adds earthiness here; paprika was dull in past tries.
3. 3 Drizzle about 1 tablespoon olive oil evenly over turkey. Rub well to coat; no need for exact measurement, just slick skin.
4. 4 Sprinkle herb-spice mix over skin side first, pat to embed. Flip, repeat; multiple sprinkles build layers. Don’t rush rubbing, it sticks better.
5. 5 Heat Instant Pot to sauté. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil plus 2 tablespoons butter. Melt, listen for sizzle popping.
6. 6 Sear turkey on all sides until golden brown, about 5-6 minutes each face. Look for caramelized skin, deep color. Remove and rest on plate.
7. 7 Turn off sauté mode. Dump chopped celery, onion, and smashed garlic into pot bottom. These produce aromatics steam will draw up.
8. 8 Place wire trivet inside pot over veggies; handles must be accessible.
9. 9 Slowly pour 2 cups water around trivet base. Avoid splashing on hot oil – careful, might spit.
10. 10 Set turkey breast on trivet, breast side up. Fits snugly; if too big, trim excess skin or fat carefully.
11. 11 Lock lid, close valve for sealing. Set manual pressure for 30 to 38 minutes depending on weight—listen for pressure rush, steady burn rate.
12. 12 Let pressure release naturally at least 12-18 minutes. No quick release; abrupt steam pull dries meat inside out.
13. 13 Open lid carefully. Lift turkey out by trivet handles to cutting board. Tent loosely with foil; resting seals juices.
14. 14 Slice against grain once rested 10 minutes minimum. Juices redistribute if sliced too soon, dry slices result.

Nutritional information

Calories

404

Protein

73g

Carbs

1g

Fat

12g

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Frequently Asked Questions About Instant Pot Turkey Breast Dinner

Can I use fresh herbs instead of dried? Yeah. Triple the amount though—fresh takes up more space and has less punch. Add them after pressure cooking, not before. They’ll turn gray if they sit in steam for 38 minutes.

What if my turkey breast is really big? Go up to 40 minutes on pressure. Test it with a thermometer—165 in the thickest part. Don’t rely on looks. Might be done at 38, might need the extra time. Hard to tell by eye.

Can I skip the sear step? Technically yes. It’ll be tender. Won’t have that caramelized crust though. The whole reason this tastes like roasted turkey. Worth the five minutes.

How do I store leftovers? Fridge in an airtight container, three days easy. Slices cold the next day. Actually better that way. Freezer works too—lasts a couple months.

Do I have to use cumin? Don’t bother with paprika. Too one-note. Cumin or try a pinch of smoked paprika mixed with regular—gets closer. Or just stick with the sage and rosemary base and skip the extra spice entirely.

Why did my skin come out soft instead of crispy? Skipped the sear or didn’t dry it enough first. Moisture kills crust. Pat it until you think it’s dry. Then pat more.