The BEST Crockpot Boneless Turkey Breast. Learn how to cook a turkey breast in the crockpot that is juicy, delicious, and simple to make!
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If you’ve ever hosted Thanksgiving, you know the struggle to use every single inch of your oven with your healthy side dishes and the turkey.Â
This crockpot turkey breast recipe is such a game-changer for your meal because it opens up your oven for all those delicious sides and gives you the juiciest turkey meat!Â
You only need 10 minutes of prep, 5 ingredients + some spices for the easiest turkey breast you’ve ever had!Â
If you’re planning your Thanksgiving menu – check out these Healthy Thanksgiving Recipes!
Why we love Slow Cooker Turkey Breast
There are so many reasons to cook your turkey in your crock pot. Here are a few of them:Â
- Easy Prep – Cooking a turkey breast in the slow cooker is so easy because it only takes about 10 minutes of prep and then you just set it and go.Â
- Perfect for Small Gathering – If you have a small family or just are celebrating a small Friendsgiving, this recipe is perfect for 4 people. You can also scale it to serve more if you need it to though.Â
- Very Tender Turkey Meat – Cooking low and slow always makes the most tender meat and this recipe is no different!Â
- Opens Up Your Oven For Thanksgiving – If you are planning your Thanksgiving and worried about having enough space in your open for the turkey beside your roasted potatoes and roasted brussels sprouts, you won’t have to worry when cooking your turkey in the crock pot!Â
Ingredients
To make this slow cooker turkey breast you will need:Â
- boneless turkey breast – they’re usually in the same section as whole turkeys
- celery, carrots – this helps to add flavor, but isn’t necessary
- water or vegetable stock – you can also use chicken or beef stock
- olive oil – turkey breasts are lean which mean they don’t have a lot of fat, you’ll need to coat it in olive oil!
- garlic powder, onion powder, dried thyme (you could also add some fresh or dried sage and rosemary if you like that flavor profile!)
- salt and black pepper
Here is what you need for the optional gravy:Â
- broth from the bottom of the crockpot base (same as the drippings from a turkey cooked in the oven)
- all purpose flourÂ
- onion powder
- black pepper
Substitutions
Turkey Breast: You can follow this recipe with a split breast or breast on the bone. It will work just the same.
Celery & Carrots: The celery and carrots are fine to skip in this recipe.
Olive Oil: You can substitute olive oil with melted butter or avocado oil.
Spices: Feel free to use other dried spices or fresh herbs.
Broth: You can substitute any broth. Chicken broth, turkey broth, or beef broth will all work.
Cooking instructions
It’s super easy to cook a turkey breast in the crockpot!
- Layer carrots and celery then the turkey in the crockpot. Mix olive oil and spices and brush on the turkey. Add stock to the crockpot, cover, and set to cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
- Transfer the turkey to a glass baking dish and broil to make the skin crispy for 4-5 minutes, or serve directly from the crockpot!Â
Optional Gravy: Take 1 cup of broth from the base of the crockpot and add it to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, whisking in flour and spices. Reduce heat and simmer. It should thicken almost immediately.
Top your turkey with the gravy and enjoy the most delicious turkey!Â
How to carve a turkey breast
Before carving the turkey, let it rest for around 15 minutes to allow the juices to stay in the meat and not just run all over your cutting board.Â
This recipe is for a boneless turkey breast in the crock pot, so you won’t need to cut it off the bone, but you are going to want to carve across the fibers of the meat to give you the most tender cut of turkey. Â
Here is a video showing you how to carve a bone-in turkey breast off the bone and the proper slicing technique for a turkey breast.
Cooking bone-in vs boneless Turkey Breast
This recipe is for a boneless breast. If you are cooking a bone-in turkey breast, it may take longer to cook. Keep checking the internal temperature until it reaches 165°F.Â
How Long does it take to cook?
When cooking turkey breasts in the crockpot here’s a good timeline:
- Low (recommended): 6-8 hoursÂ
- High: 3-4 hours
How do you know when the Turkey Breast is done?
Turkey should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165° F.
How long does it take to thaw?
If you are thawing the frozen turkey in the fridge, you will want a minimum thawing time of 6 hours per pound of turkey.
You can also thaw your frozen turkey in a bowl of cold water with the wrapped breast fully submerged and estimate a thawing time of 30 minutes per pound of turkey.
Storage options
Storing: This cooked turkey will last in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in an airtight container.
Freezing: I don’t recommend freezing cooked turkey. It’s best to use it up in Homemade Turkey Soup, Leftover Turkey Chili and freeze those instead!
Reheating: I think it’s best to reheat turkey in the toaster oven, normal oven or to eat it cold!
What to serve with this recipe
There are so many recipes to serve this turkey breast with! Here are some of our favorites:
- Healthier Mashed Potatoes
- Dutchess Potatoes
- Paleo Sweet Potatoes
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Green Beans Almondine
- Healthy Mac and Cheese
- Honey Roasted Carrots
Recipe FAQs
Here’s a good guide for how much turkey you will need per person:
– Boneless: estimate around ½ lb per person
– Bone-in: estimate about 1 lb per person
No, you can’t cook frozen turkey breasts in the crock pot. You should never put frozen meat in the crockpot because it’s a food safety issue.
If your meat isn’t thawed all the way through, it could result in uncooked meat.
To make this recipe you’ll need a 3-4 pound boneless turkey breast and a standard size slow cooker. We have an 8-quart slow cooker, but a smaller one will work too!
Other healthy crockpot recipes:
Looking for other easy meals? Check out these 40+ Healthy Dinner Recipes. Click here to grab our free healthy 30 minute dinners cookbook.
Crockpot Boneless Turkey Breast
Ingredients
- 2 celery stalks halved
- 2 carrots halved
- 3 lb boneless turkey breast
- 1.5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 cup water or vegetable stock
Optional Gravy:
- 1 cup broth from the bottom of the crockpot base
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- pinch pepper
Instructions
- Layer carrots and celery in the base of your crockpot. Place the turkey breast on top of the vegetables.
- Mix together olive oil and spices. Brush the outside of the turkey breast with oil/spice mixture.
- Add in 1 cup of stock or water to the bottom of the crockpot, cover and set to cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours. Low is recommended. Cooking your turkey on high can result in a dry turkey breast.
- You can transfer the turkey to a glass baking dish and broil to make the skin crispy for 4-5 minutes, or serve directly from the crockpot!
- Optional Gravy: Take 1 cup of broth from the base of the crockpot and add it to a small sauce pot. Bring to a boil, whisking in flour and spices. Reduce heat and simmer. It should thicken almost immediately.
Barbara Sanchez says
This was so easy and time saving! Turkey was tender and juicy.
Donna says
Could you substitute chicken breasts for the turkey. Would it require the same cooking time or less.
Thank you.
The Clean Eating Couple says
I’m sorry but I’m not sure! You could check out this Crockpot Whole Chicken for how to cook a chicken or Shredded Crockpot Chicken
Vanessa Priest Priest says
This looks amazing! I plan on cooking this for Thanksgiving. Question.. the instructions say 6-8 hours on low 3-4 on high but the video says 3-4 hours on low? Please help. Thank you!
The Clean Eating Couple says
6-8 hours on low 3-4 on high! I’d recommend cooking it on low
Terie Gonzalez says
I would love to make this recipe, but my husband only likes dark meat. Could I cook a turkey thigh at the same time as the turkey breast ? How would that affect the time? I am concerned that the turkey breast would dry out, or the thigh would not be cooked all the way through.
The Clean Eating Couple says
I’m sorry but I don’t know! I think it would work but can’t be sure how it would come out without trying.
Nancy says
This was eaasy and delitious. Followed the receipe as is.
Kelly Cram says
What a delicious and simple way to prepare turkey!
Terri says
Made this for Thanksgiving, it was fabulous. We all agreed about how tasty it was. We are only going to be using this receipe from this point forward. Also, it cleared up the oven and the activity around the stove, which was such a bonus. Thank you for creating this receipe and sharing it with all of us.
Tammy says
My friend made this and it was wonderful! How long would you could it if it was bigger…if it was a 6 lb breast?
The Clean Eating Couple says
I’m not sure if a 6 lb breast would fit in the crockpot. Without trying it I can’t be sure. Maybe another hour? It needs to be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Hope this helps! Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Adrienne says
I made this today for my boyfriend and I and WOW! It is the best turkey both of us have ever had! He is a very picky eater and ate half the breast himself. Not to mention it was incredibly easy to make. We will be making this again year after year!
Sarah says
Easy and delicious! Whole family loved this recipe. Perfect for a cold day.
Kay says
Very tasty and moist. This is a super easy recipe.
Molly says
Phenomenal!
Gab says
This recipe was amazing! My first time cooking a turkey breast and it came out moist and flavorful and delicious! Thank you for the recipe!
The Clean Eating Couple says
So happy you liked it, Thank you!!
Kris McMillan says
We had only a group of 4 for Thanksgiving, and had received this recipe the week before the big day, so we tried it. It ended up being a perfect way to have our turkey dinner, with much less fuss than with a full sized turkey. It was so simple, and lovely to have that turkey smelling so good while we made a few sides. We’ll do this again, and not just on Thanksgiving! We get so many wonderful recipes from The Clean Eating Couple and love how there are modifications for most every recipe, for stovetop, crockpot, or the like. Thanks to them for helping us all stay healthy!
The Clean Eating Couple says
I’m so glad you liked it, Kris! Thank you so much for the kind words & sweet review!
Melissa Gaylor says
Do you cook it with the breast up or down?
The Clean Eating Couple says
the breast faces up and bones face down. check out the step by step photos!
Molly says
Another home run meal!! We aren’t huge turkey fans but the frozen breasts were a great deal at Aldi so I gave this a shot…WOW! This was so flavorful and simple! We are gonna get 2 meals out of it, sliced turkey with gravy and I chopped the other half for some enchiladas.
The Clean Eating Couple says
I’m so glad you liked it, Molly! Thank you!