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.
My son is making his 1st Thanksgiving dinner, pie and all. We used your spices (minus thyme). However we put carrots and potatoes in bottom along with the onion.
What if you don’t have a thermometer
This is a truly great recipe. I’ve made it before (gravy and all) and it came out perfect. Use this recipe! 🙂
Love this recipe! I’d like to use this to make my 20lb whole turkey in the oven. Would I cover the roasting pan? Would I need to
add liquid? What oven temp and how long to cook?
Thank you, Nagi, so much for this delicious recipe! I’ve made this for Thanksgiving for 5 or 6 years, it’s always a hit and the gravy is amazing!
Well, I guess not quite 5 or 6 years but more like every year since it was published in 2019. It’s a winner for sure!
I tried this as a test before Thanksgiving. Used a 2.9 pound butterball turkey breast and followed the recipe to the letter. I tested it after 3 hours. It was not quite 165 degree F. so I continued checking every 30 minutes until it reached that temperature. When it was finally at the temperature, it was tough and very dry. I did another one without the onion/garlic “base” and added a little chicken broth and it was excellent; very moist and tender.
Hi Nagi,
Could I make this recipe with Turkey legs/drumsticks?
Have not cooked yet. Plan to. What size crock pot for a 4# Turkey breast?
Hi Nagi! I am so excited to try this! Do you add any liquid at all to your slower cooker?
I’ve used this recipe about 5 times and never added water. I always use a boneless breast and I’ve never had it come out dry. It’s always moist and tender.
Hi Natalie, I didn’t add any liquid and it turned out really dry and tough. I did another one and omitted the onion/garlic base and added chicken broth, and it turned out much better; more tender and juicy.
Hi Teresa – how much chicken broth did you add? Thanks!
If you read her recipe notes at the bottom, it says:
4. No water is required for this, the turkey steams in its own juices. It won’t dry out or burn but it is important to elevate the breast off the bottom with the onion and garlic!
THANK YOU!
Hi Nagi! I want to make this for christmas. Looks easier than oven roasting and more forgiving. My dear Mum has already pre-ordered an expensive free range, fully deboned, whole/double Turkey Breast. 3-3.5kg. It will be hand tied, as opposed to netted, so I can access the skin and still leave rolled. Will that suit this recipe? Given the cost, I don’t want to risk it going wrong. As it is de-boned, how long approx would it take to cook? We’re also going to do your amazing glazed Ham. Thanks !
We love this recipe and use it every year for our Thanksgiving! Just a question out of curiosity- could you dry brine this at all? I know the recipe says you don’t need to, but I was wondering if it would enhance the flavors or dry it out.
I have wanted to use this for a while, but am confused by the unpeeled onion and garlic on the bottom. What happens to the peels?
Hi Joyce, if you watch the video, you’ll see that the onion and garlic are pressed through a sieve to get the juices, no need to worry about the skins 😀
After you remove the turkey, you strain the slow cooker. You can take the garlic and add it to the liquid and then trash the rest.
What if you have no oven. How can you crisp at the end 😞 Want to make next week. Tysm on input anyone
I made this for the first time last year, and my sister who is a Thanksgiving foodie said that it was one of the best turkeys she’s ever had. Now that’s saying something! I’m looking forward to making it again this year. So simple and low stress. And I love that it frees the oven for other dishes.
When using the feature to make 16 servings instead of 8, the ingredients in the list double for the gravy as they should. However, in the text for the directions, where the amount of water/broth is indicated, it stays at 2 cups instead of going to 4 cups. To fix this, the amount of liquid should be listed with the other ingredients. Thought you should know so a pasty gravy isn’t made.
I’m curious – I bought a frozen turkey breast from the store (just something quick for our small thanksgiving.
I’m assuming I would need to thaw prior to putting in the crockpot? Thanks in advance 🙂
You definitely need to thaw the meat completely or it won’t come to temperature in time to prevent bad bacterial growth.
This was so amazing! Thank you so much for sharing!
I’d love to try this for Xmas. One of my guests is fructose intolerant (I’ll also have nut and gluten free guests). Any suggestions on what base to use instead of onion and garlic?
Hi Nagi, I’m looking at making this don’t have a slow cooker and your garlic butter suggestion has too much butter for my husbands dietary requirements. Any suggestions on how I could do this in the oven?
If you read her Instructions – #4 says to:
4. Slow Cook on LOW for 6 hours (do not use high)………. (To roast, follow this recipe).
Click on the pink “this recipe” link and it will take you to her oven recipe.
j’aimerais cela avoir la marque de votre mijoteuse s.v.p. merci
J’adore vos recettes