The best Crockpot Turkey Breast Recipe that is SO easy! Learn how to cook a turkey breast in the crock pot! Perfect for Thanksgiving.
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If you’ve ever hosted Thanksgiving, you know the struggle to use every single inch of your oven with your side dishes and the turkey.
This 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!
Only 10 minutes of prep, 5 ingredients + some spices for the easiest turkey breast you’ve ever had!
If you’re planning your Thanksgiving menu – check out these 50 Healthy Thanksgiving Recipes!
And if you have any leftover turkey, be sure to check out this Turkey Pot Pie Soup, Turkey Wild Rice Soup, Leftover Turkey Soup, Leftover Turkey Chili, or Turkey Noodle Soup.
Why we love this Slow Cooker Turkey Breast
There are so many reasons to cook your turkey in your crock pot. Here are a few of them:
- 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.
- 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.
- Very Tender Turkey Meat – Cooking low and slow always makes the most tender meat and this recipe is no different!
- 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!
Crock Pot Turkey Breast Ingredients
To make this slow cooker turkey breast you will need:
- boneless turkey breast
- celery, carrots
- water or vegetable stock
- olive oil
- garlic powder, onion powder, dried thyme
- salt and pepper
Here is what you need for the optional gravy:
- broth from the bottom of the crockpot base
- flour
- onion powder
- pepper
How To Cook a Turkey Breast in a Crock Pot
It’s super easy to cook a breast in the crockpot!
- Layer carrots and celery in the base of your crockpot and place the turkey on top of the veggies.
- Mix together olive oil and spices. Brush the outside of the turkey with the oil/spice mixture.
- Add in stock to the bottom of the crockpot, cover, and set to cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
- 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 saucepot. 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!
SUBSTITUTIONS FOR CROCKPOT TURKEY BREAST
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.
How much Turkey Breast per Person?
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
Can you cook a frozen turkey breast in a crock pot?
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.
How long to thaw a Turkey Breast?
If you are thawing the frozen turkey in the fridge, you will want a minimum thawing time of 6 hours per lb 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 lb of turkey.
Differences for Cooking a Bone-In vs. Boneless Turkey Breast in Crock Pot
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.
How to Store Turkey Breast
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 or in the oven or to eat it cold!
What size turkey breast and slow cooker are needed for this recipe?
To make this recipe you’ll need a 3-4 lb boneless turkey breast and a standard size slow cooker. We have an 8-quart slow cooker, but a smaller one will work too!
How Long to Cook Turkey Breast in Crock Pot
When cooking turkey breasts in the crockpot here’s a good timeline:
- Low (recommended): 6-8 hours
- High: 3-4 hours
How can you know when the Turkey Breast is done?
Turkey should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165° F.
What to serve with Slow Cooker Turkey Breast
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
- Pumpkin Soup Recipe
- Oven Roasted Potatoes
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.
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.
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.
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 Turkey Breast
Ingredients
- 2 celery stalks halved
- 2 carrots halved
- 3 lb boneless turkey breast
- 1.5 tablespoons 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 flour
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- pinch of 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.
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!
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!
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!!
Molly says
Phenomenal!
Kay says
Very tasty and moist. This is a super easy recipe.
Sarah says
Easy and delicious! Whole family loved this recipe. Perfect for a cold day.
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!
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 🙂
Kelly Cram says
What a delicious and simple way to prepare turkey!