This Slow Cooker Turkey Breast is without a doubt, this is the easiest, safest and tastiest way to cook turkey breast without brining. It’s moist and juicy, takes 3 minutes to prepare, then just leave it to cook in your slow cooker (crock pot). Then use the juices to make a killer gravy!
Even if you’re a first timer, you can have confidence in this turkey breast recipe. It’s a 5 star reader favourite with over a thousand glowing reviews!
Slow cooker turkey breast
Turkey breast is notoriously lean so the only way to guarantee it comes out juicy if you roast it in the oven is to brine it. If you don’t brine it, then even if you use a meat thermometer, it is extremely difficult to roast the turkey breast perfectly.
I created this Slow Cooker Turkey Breast after trying a handful of recipes for turkey breast and being disappointed by the bland looking skin, dry meat and mediocre gravy. So I tossed out everything I’d read and decided to come up with my own version using a slow cooker. This is by far the juiciest turkey breast I’ve ever had – without brining. And my friends agreed!
It’s almost magical how a recipe this simple can yield such extraordinary results. Moist turkey with incredible flavour and a gravy that’s off the charts!
How long to cook turkey breast in the slow cooker
A 2 kg / 4 l2b turkey breast will take 5 to 6 hours on LOW in a slow cooker. Check the internal temperature at 5 hours. See recipe notes for cook times for other sizes.
How to make slow cooker turkey breast
I promised you easy – and easy it is! Here’s how it goes down:
Slather turkey with a simple magical rub;
Place in a slow cooker on a bed of onion and garlic (these flavour the juices that comes out of the turkey and forms the basis for the gravy + keeps turkey elevated out of liquid while slow cooking);
Slow cook for 5 to 6 hours;
Briefly broil/grill or bake to crisp the skin; then
Use slow cooker juices to make a killer gravy. It’s incredible because it’s essentially made with the best homemade stock – the turkey juices!
PS That’s a multi function cooker you see. I use the slow cooker function for this recipe.
⚖️ Automatic recipe scaler ⚖️
Click or tap on Servings on the recipe. Then slide until the turkey reaches the weight of your turkey. It will change all the ingredient quantities for you! Then refer to the recipe notes for the right cook time for your turkey.
Slow cooker turkey breast tips!
Type of turkey breast – bone in or boneless turkey breast is fine. Skin on is recommended because the fat under the skin melts while the turkey is cooking and it bastes the turkey (helps with flavour and moisture). Also skin is required to get that lovely browned seasoned crust you see in the photos.
Single or double breast? Either is fine. These photos show a single turkey breast. See here for what a double turkey breast looks like (on the bone, also called a turkey buffe or turkey crown)
What size? Turkey breast differ drastically in size – they can range from 1.5/3lb to over 5kg/10lb! The beauty of this recipe is that it will work for any turkey breast size – as long as it fits in your slow cooker! Note the different cook times in the recipe.
A great rub goes a long way with turkey breast! It not only adds flavour, it seasons the broth and it gives the turkey breast great colour!
How long to cook turkey breast in the slow cooker – A 2 kg / 4 lb turkey breast will take about 5 to 6 hours on LOW in a slow cooker. See recipe notes for cook times for other sizes.
How to tell when turkey breast is done – When the internal temperature is 165F / 75C. That’s optimum perfectly-cooked juiciness, allowing for a slight temperature increase while the turkey rests.
Elevate the turkey breast with a halved garlic and onion to ensure even cooking because otherwise the breast will be half submerged and poaching in liquid (you will be amazed how much liquid the breast leeches while cooking)
Crisp the skin under the broiler. The extra flavour you get is worth it – and it only takes a few minutes
Use slow cooker juices for GRAVY – the turkey juices are loaded with flavour and are the best broth ever to make an absolute killer gravy!
Slow Cooking is FORGIVING! Because of the low temperature, there’s far less risk of drying out the turkey from overcooking. So even if the turkey is in the slow cooker for 1 or 2 hours longer than necessary, it will still be lovely. Plus – speaking really frankly – that gravy can save anything. ANYTHING!
Prefer ROASTED turkey breast? Use this Garlic Herb Butter Roasted Turkey Breast.
What to serve with turkey
Turkey breast is more often than not a centrepiece for holiday feasting in many households around the world. So with this in mind, here are some side dish suggestions for Thanksgiving and Christmas menus!
And you might also find these helpful: Thanksgiving recipe index and Easy Thanksgiving Menu suggestions
Traditional Thanksgiving sides for turkey
Christmas side suggestions
A safe recipe – even for first timers
I know it can be nerve racking, trying a new recipe – especially you’re new to cooking, and it’s a centrepiece for Thanksgiving or Christmas!
But you can have Confidence in this Slow Cooker Turkey Breast recipe. It’s been viewed over 8 million times since I first published, there’s over a thousand fantastic reviews, it’s a simple recipe and there’s a recipe video below to guide you through it step by step.
Slow cookers are an extremely forgiving way to cook lean proteins because they use such a low heat so there’s a much bigger window in which the turkey is perfectly cooked (as in, 2 hours or so) compared to the oven (less than 20 minutes from perfect to overcooked-dry).
And in all honesty – worst case? Your turkey goes a bit over and it’s not quite as juicy as you hoped. Of course, I’m doing everything in my power to help avoid this – including sending over virtual positive vibes.😂
But if it does – don’t fret! That Turkey Gravy is so insanely good, it will totally make up for it! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
SLOW COOKER: Many people have said that my slow cooker looks like a pressure cooker. They are actually correct, it is a slow cooker and pressure cooker in one (but no, it is not an Instant Pot). It is called a Breville Fast-Slow Cooker (it’s an Australian product). I use the slow cooker function for this recipe.
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Juicy Slow Cooker Turkey Breast
Ingredients
- 2 kg / 4 lb turkey breast, skin on, bone in or boneless (if using frozen, thaw it) (Note 1)
- 1 head of garlic, cut in half horizontally
- 1 onion (brown, yellow or white), unpeeled, cut in half
- 5 sprigs of thyme (or 2 tsp dried thyme leaves)
Rub
- 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 2 tsp salt
- 5 grinds of black pepper
- 1 1/2 – 2 tbsp olive oil
Gravy
- Chicken stock/broth (or water), for topping up liquid (see Gravy step 1)
- 4 tbsp / 50g butter
- 1/4 cup / 35g flour
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Place Rub ingredients in a bowl and mix to combine, it should be a wet paste.
- Pat the turkey dry all over with paper towels. Slather with the Rub, using most for the side and top.
- Place the garlic, onion and thyme face down in the slow cooker. Place the turkey breast on top so it is elevated.
- Slow Cook on LOW for 6 hours (do not use high) or until internal temperature reads 165F/75C when thermometer is inserted into the middle. Check internal temperature at 5 hours if you can. (To roast, follow this recipe).
- Remove turkey from the slow cooker (do not leave in slow cooker on Warm setting) and let it rest for 20 minutes before crisping the skin.
Crisp the Skin
- Preheat gril/broiler to high.
- Place an oven shelf 30cm / 1 foot from the heat source.
- Remove turkey breast from the slow cooker into a heatproof serving dish.
- Place on the oven shelf and broil for 3 to 5 minutes until the skin is crispy. Keep an eye on it – it browns very quickly!
- Serve immediately with gravy on the side.
Gravy
- Strain the liquid into a measuring jug, squishing the garlic etc to extract all the flavour. If you are short of 2 cups, top up with chicken broth (I usually get 2 cups of liquid from a 4 lb / 2 kg turkey breast).
- Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and mix to combine. Pour about 1/2 cup of liquid into the flour mixture and mix until it forms a paste. Slowly add remaining liquid, stirring as your go. Use a whisk if required to make the gravy smooth. Simmer until thickened – take it off before it is as thick as you want because it will continue to thicken.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with turkey.
Recipe Notes:
- 1 kg / 2 lb: 4 – 5 hours on low
- 2 – 3 kg / 4 – 6 lb: 5 – 6 hours on low
- 4 kg / 8 lb: 6 – 7 hours on low (see 8 June ’17 report from reader Tony)
- 5 kg / 10 lb: 8 – 9 hours on low
Nutrition Information:
Originally published November 2016. Updated for some housekeeping November 2019 – no change to recipe.
Life of Dozer
This is what a turkey coma looks like.
Can you use potatoes instead of the onions??
I made this today. It truly was the juiciest turkey breast I’ve ever made in my crock pot. I would never have thought to put out the breast on top of onions. Genius!. I used slightly different seasonings and did not make the gravy. It was a big hit.
Glad to hear you enjoyed this Mary! Thanks for letting me know – N x
Question, do you put the turkey in the crockpot on top on the onion with no liquid?
That’s right Kim! Just follow the recipe 🙂
My husband was skeptical about slow cooker turkey breast but we tried this recipe for dinner tonight and it was delicious!! He was amazed and raved about it for hours afterwards. The turkey was juicy and flavorful. The recipe was easy to follow. My almost 2 year old grandson couldn’t stop eating it. Great recipe and so glad we tried it. It is definitely our new go to for turkey breast recipe. Thanks!!
That’s SO GREAT to hear Kathy! I’m so glad you enjoyed this, thank you for letting me know! N xx
I didn’t want to heat up the house with the oven in July in Maryland. Searched for a recipe and found this! So glad! Love the simplicity of this recipe–and it turned out perfectly. I had a 2-lb, bone-in. I didn’t have garlic heads, but I used an onion and lemon, with some cloves thrown in. Cooked in on low for 6 hours. Perfect! I prefer my gravy au jus, so left it, but next time might work on the gravy. Thanks so much!
That’s terrific to hear MaryBeth! Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed this – N x
Made this today with a 2.15lb bone in breast. Didn’t bother to reduce any measurements even though meat was only 2.15lbs (and I skipped the sprigs of thyme because who really has sprigs of thyme just sitting around), cooked it for 6.5 hrs and it was absolutely amazing! The only thing that came out differently was the amount of juices from the turkey. The 2 lbs of meat only produced 1 cup of juice, so I added another full cup of chicken broth. It tasted amazing, just lighter in color than the recipe pics. This is definitely staying in the rotation!
Love that you enjoyed this Jane! Thanks for letting me know – N x
Made this today with an 8 pounder! Cooked for 7 hours…I didn’t strain my juices but did remove the skins from the onion and garlic and smashed the garlic and onions bach into the broth.! It was seriously so delicious and so juicy!! Thanks for the recipe my family LOVED it!!
Love that you enjoyed this Sabrena! Thanks for letting me know – N x
Hi Nagi, I have two questions, could you use a Sunbeam normal slow cooker for this recipe and could you use a whole duck or small whole turkey instead of the breast?
Hi Sue! You can certainly use a normal slow cooker. I haven’t tried a whole duck or small whole turkey but it should be fine, I’ve done slow cooker whole chickens plenty of times! N x
What a great recipe! I used a wild turkey breast without skin, & it came out fabulous. We hunt & freeze 1/2 of a boneless breast per package. I’m always trying to find a good wild turkey recipe, as wild turkey has virtually no fat on it & dries out quickly. This is by far the best recipe I have ever found – very flavorful & tender. Thank you for coming up with it!
You’re so welcome Sara! Glad you enjoyed it 🙂 N x
I looked and looked for a recipe that would work for the pre-cooked Costco turkey breast. This worked perfectly, added a little Italian seasoning to the rub and cooked on low for two hours with about a cup of chicken broth on the bottom of the pot, along with the garlic and onion. It added so much flavor. I’ll never go back to heating it up in the oven. Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Glad you loved this Holly!! Thanks for sharing your feedback! N x
Where can I buy Turkey Breast at this time of year (July) in Australia?? Woolworths/Coles don’t stock it?? Carol
Hi Carol! Butchers should stock them – or at least be able to get them in 🙂 I’m in the northern beaches and a great wholesale butcher called Devitt’s has frozen ones almost year round 🙂 N x
Tasty recipe, but I ended up overcooking the turkey breast. I checked it at 5.5hrs and it was already at an internal temp of 190F. Needless to say, it was a little dry – I’m glad I caught it when I did. I would suggest starting checking the temperature at 4hrs to be safe. (My turkey breast was about 3.5lbs, so close to the suggested weight for the recipe.) It may just be that some slow cookers cook on a “higher” Low temp setting than others. (I was using Crock Pot brand.)
But, I love the simplicity of this recipe, and the gravy was excellent, so I definitely plan on making it again, checking the temp much earlier. Thanks for a tasty recipe!
P.S. I skipped the step of crisping the skin, since the turkey was already overcooked, but the texture of the skin un-crisped was still good with the crockpot method.
Hi Alison! I’m glad you caught it too – it’s surprising that a breast that large would be cooked through that far in 5.5 hours! I’m glad you enjoyed it though! N x
I just did as told for the rub and put the turkey in the crock pot.. my breast is very large bone in – 9 lbs so elevating it wasn’t an option /: I put the onion halves on the sides of the breast instead. Will it still come out good? Putting onions under it wouldn’t allow my cover to snap on..
Hi Julie! Sorry I am late responding – did it come out ok? Hope it did – the onion helps elevate the base out of the juices but it’s not a deal killer!
Do you know the nutriton facts of just the turkey without the gravy?
Hi Todd! Did a quick calc – 250 cal 🙂
Hi Nagi,
I don’t have a slow cooker. Do you think it would work in the oven at low temperature. If so what temperature would you suggest, and how long would I cook it ? It looks delicious.
Judy
Hi Judy! It will work great, follow the directions in this roast turkey breast for the cook times! 🙂 https://salesdock.info/garlic-herb-butter-roasted-turkey-breast/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Can you also cook stuffing positioned under/around the breast?
Just going to try this. One comment about comments! On the cooking times, you refer to “(see 8 June ’17 report from reader Tony)”…..it took a long time to find that….could you just include it instead of referring to it? Ok, now I’m going to see it the big turkey breast will fit in my largest Crockpot!!! 🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞
I can’t find Tony! Someone help please?
I’m looking for his comment too. I’ve got a big turkey and the note with the cooking times said page 8…
???
The recipe notes re cook times says “(see 8 June ’17 report from reader Tony)”, but finding that report means wading through a bunch of comments. Would it be possible to link directly to it?
This is the absolute best crockpot turkey recipe, I have made this several times exactly as stated which is unusual for me because I always tweak recipes but this is not one of them. The gravy is absolutely delicious.
So pleased to hear that Connie! Thanks for letting me know 🙂 N x
So I just made this and I’m excited about all the glowing reviews! One question – my slow cooker has a 6 hour option on the HI setting for an 8 hour setting on low. Which would you recommend?
Low for sure ! 🙂 N xx
What are the options if the skin was removed from the breast?
Just proceed with recipe as is and add an extra drizzle of oil all over 🙂 N xx