Prepare a juicy and tender turkey breast in your slow cooker with this easy, stress-free Crockpot turkey breast recipe! Your turkey breast will never be dry when you cook it in the crockpot and you save on oven space! Win-Win!
Why We Love This Crockpot Turkey Breast
Thanksgiving just got so much easier! If cooking the whole bird intimidates you, have no fear. Your slow cooker is here to save the day! There’s only one dish we get more excited about than sweet potato casserole, and it’s this turkey. It’s hands-free, easy as can be, and still loaded with all of those classic aromatics and veggies that make it so downright delicious.
- Never Dry: It’s pretty much impossible to dry out a turkey breast when you prepare it in the slow cooker.
- Oven Space: Thanksgiving is a day filled with baked side dishes and desserts. Free up some of that oven space with this slow cooker recipe!
- Prep it Ahead: You can prep the ingredients ahead of time and start the slow cooker in the morning. That way, it’s ready to go by meal time.
- Perfectly Portioned: When you just cook the breast instead of the whole bird, you end up with less meat. That’s great for when you’re hosting a smaller gathering!
Keep that crockpot plugged in for more stunning entrees like crockpot pork tenderloin with cherries and crockpot pot roast!
Key Ingredients
Below you will find helpful notes for key ingredients used to make the best crockpot turkey breast recipe. Scroll down to the recipe card below for the full ingredient list and exact amounts!
- Turkey Breast: Be sure to choose a turkey breast that is at least four-pound or up to six pounds with the skin attached to it.
- Olive Oil: You’ll use the olive oil as a rub for your turkey breast to get the seasonings to stick to it. You can also use avocado oil.
- Seasonings: Black Pepper, salt, and dried thyme get the job done! Feel free to get a little creative here if desired.
- Veggies: You’ll need celery, carrots, and a yellow onion. Chop each one into larger pieces.
- Fresh Herbs: Parsley, thyme and rosemary are the very best aromatics to use when preparing turkey in the crockpot!
How to Make Crockpot Turkey Breast
You will want to use a large crockpot to give your turkey breast plenty of room. Our crockpot in these images is a 8 quart crockpot and our turkey breast weighed 6 pounds. Below is a quick recipe overview, but please scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full instructions.
- Rub: Spray crockpot with nonstick spray and rub olive oil on the outside of the turkey breast. If your turkey breast has skin, rub olive oil between the skin and meat.
- Season: Season the turkey breast.
- Assemble: Place carrots, onion, celery and herbs into the bottom of the slow cooker. Place turkey breast on top of veggies.
- Cook: Cover and cook turkey breast on low for 6 to 8 hours, until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast reaches 165°F.
- Broiler: Move oven rack down to the lowest rack and turn broiler on to high. Place cooked turkey breast onto a sheet pan. Broil on high for 2-3 minutes and watch carefully!
Cook’s Tips & Variations
- Non-Stick Spray: Be sure to spray a generous amount of the non-stick cooking spray in your crockpot before you add anything to it. You don’t want your turkey, carrots, onions, or other ingredients to stick to the crockpot.
- Crockpot Liner: You can use a crockpot liner to prepare a mess-free meal with easy cleanup if you’re trying to save time while making a homemade dinner.
- Veggies On Bottom: Set your vegetables on the bottom of the crockpot and then place your turkey breast on top of it before setting it on low, attaching the lid, and allowing it to cook. The natural juices from the turkey breast will add flavor and moisture to the other ingredients, including carrots, celery, and onions.
- Meat Thermometer: Use a meat thermometer to make sure your turkey has reached an internal temperature of 165°F before you remove it from the crockpot. You can leave a meat thermometer in the turkey the whole time it’s in the crockpot to know exactly when it reaches the desired temperature.
- Turkey Gravy: You can make gravy with the broth that comes from the turkey breast. You can also prepare gravy using a packet of gravy purchased at the store combined with the turkey broth in the bottom of the crockpot. If you don’t have enough natural juices from the turkey breast, feel free to use turkey or chicken broth while making your gravy.
- Brown Your Turkey: If you love crispy brown skin on your turkey breast, you can brown your turkey breast in the oven with the broiler. It’s an optional step, but I highly recommend it!
How to Serve Crockpot Turkey Breast
- Make sure there’s enough: When you prepare your crockpot turkey breast recipe, you’ll have enough meat to serve a minimum of six people and a maximum of eight people depending on the size of your turkey breast. The general rule of thumb for a turkey breast is to plan for 1 pound of turkey per person.
- Sides: What’s turkey day without the sides? Some of our favorites include (but certainly aren’t limited to) the best mashed potatoes, crockpot sweet potato casserole, and honey glazed carrots.
Storing, Reheating & Freezing
- Storing: Keep your leftover turkey in an airtight container in the fridge for about 3-4 days.
- Freeze: You can freeze leftover cooked turkey for up to 3 months.
- Reheating: When you want to reheat your turkey breast and the vegetables, you can place them in the microwave and heat them for several seconds or reheat them in the oven at 350°F for about 15 minutes, until warm. We wrap ours in foil to keep it moist when reheating in the oven.
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Crockpot Turkey Breast
Prepare a juicy and tender turkey breast in your slow cooker with this easy, stress-free Crockpot Turkey Breast recipe! Your turkey breast will never be dry when you cook it in the crockpot and you save on oven space!
Ingredients
- 4-6 lbs turkey breast, with skin
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 2-3 large carrots, peeled and sliced into long pieces
- 1 large yellow onion, sliced into 1/2 inch thick rings
- 3 celery stalks
- 4-5 fresh thyme, optional
- 4-5 sprigs fresh parsley, optional
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, optional
Instructions
- Spray crockpot insert with non stick spray.
- Rub olive oil on the outside of the turkey breast. If your turkey breast has skin, separate and lift the skin and rub olive oil between the skin and meat.
- Cover entire breast with seasonings: salt, pepper and dried thyme. Use more if needed, to taste. Set turkey breast aside.
- Place carrots, onion, celery and fresh herbs into the bottom of the crockpot.
- Place turkey breast on top of vegetables and place lid on the crockpot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, until a thermometer inserted into the the thickest part of the breast reaches 165°F.
- *Brown Turkey, Optional: Move oven rack down to the lowest rack and turn on broiler on to high. Place cooked turkey onto a sheet pan or casserole dish (cover pan with foil for easy clean up). Broil on high for 2-3 minutes. Watch carefully. You don’t want breast to burn, just brown and crisp the skin!
Notes
*Browning the turkey is an optional step, but it gives the turkey that golden brown color with crispy skin. It’s not necessary, but adds a whole lot to the dish!
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 619kcal, Carbohydrates: 5g, Protein: 115g, Fat: 13g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g, Cholesterol: 302mg, Sodium: 757mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 2g
Looks n sounds great, will try it n let u know how it turns out. N