This Instant Pot Turkey and Gravy is perfect for Thanksgiving but easy enough to enjoy all year round. Only 10 minutes of prep required!
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YOU CAN MAKE TURKEY IN YOUR INSANT POT! Like, Thanksgiving style turkey. In your instant pot. With a FROZEN turkey roast! It’s gloriously easy and so dang delicious.
I had run into Walmart looking for one of those $1 orange jack-o-lantern buckets. I had searched all over and couldn’t find a single one. Plus, I also needed a can of pumpkin while I was there to make another batch of my favorite Pumpkin Cream Cheese Swirl Muffins.
While I was hunting down cans of pumpkin, I came across these little frozen “turkey roasts”. I had never seen them before and was intrigued because it said they were all white meat and boneless. I figured I could possibly make an easy dinner out of it and tossed it into my cart.
Fast forward to two weeks ago when I was having a crazy day and realized I had nothing for dinner. I went digging in my freezer and found it buried at the bottom of my fridge.
I often put frozen chicken breasts in my instant pot and they turn out great, so I thought maybe I could try the frozen turkey in it. And I am so glad I tried it!!
If you’re looking for a more classic recipe, try my Thanksgiving turkey and gravy from drippings recipes.
How to Make Instant Pot Turkey and Gravy
We have made this Instant Pot Turkey & Gravy many many times now. You throw the frozen turkey into the instant pot, add some veggies, seasonings and chicken broth. This part takes about 5 minutes of work.
The instant pot cooks it for you in a little over an hour (including the time it takes to come to pressure, cook, and then a natural release). During this time you can clean, let your kids run their energy out in the front yard with the other kids, drink a glass of wine and prep some sides to go with it.
Then once it’s all done, you quickly whisk together the Instant Pot gravy using the simmer function on the instant pot. It’s SO easy and all in one big pot! Yay, easy clean up!
For seasoning the bird, I use this herb turkey rub. An herb chicken rub works just as well too! I found my boneless turkey breast at walmart. It was made by Butterball and they had a few flavors, but I choose savory herb all white meat.
Can I Use Bone-In Turkey Breast?
If you can not find a boneless “roast” version, you can also try this with a bone in turkey breast. However, I would expect it to take a little longer to cook. I would add 10 minutes to the cook time and double check with a thermometer to ensure it reaches 165 degrees near the bone.
I hope you give this Instant Pot Turkey and Gravy a try, just watch the video above to see how super easy it is to make!
We have made this many times now for easy weeknight dinners and it’s so fun to have Turkey much more often than just at Thanksgiving! Serve it over mashed potatoes, stuffing or with roasted veggies to keep it a healthier dinner.
Instant Pot Turkey and Gravy
Ingredients
- 1 3 lb FROZEN boneless turkey roast, (I use the Butterball savory herb all white meat)
- 1 ¼ cup chicken broth
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons turkey herb rub, herb chicken rubs work great too
- 1 large onion, quartered
- 4 stalks celery, cut into large pieces
- 5 cloves garlic, crushed
- a few sprigs fresh herbs: rosemary, sage & thyme
- 2 .87 oz packets turkey gravy mix
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Instructions
- Place trivet in the bottom of your instant pot insert. Place frozen turkey roast on trivet.
- Add chicken broth. Pour butter on top of turkey. Sprinkle with turkey herb rub seasoning.
- Place onion, celery and garlic around the turkey. Place herbs on top and seal lid and close vent.
- Cook on manual high for 55 minutes. Allow pressure to release naturally (wait for pressure pin to drop by itself before proceeding), about 10 minutes.
- Carefully open the lid, remove the turkey, place on a platter and cover with foil or in a pot with a lid. Strain out remaining herbs and vegetables (with a slotted spoon or a strainer depending on your preference).
- Set instant pot to sauté. Add gravy packets and whisk until smooth. Bring to a low boil, and cook stirring until thickened, about 5 minutes.
- Slice turkey and serve with gravy!
Nutrition
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I wish I’d read the comments before starting this recipe this morning. How, for example, does on get the gravy pack out when it’s frozen? And what did y’all do about the netting? I finally got the gravy pack but could not get the netting off, so will have to do that when it’s done. I also added 10 minutes to the cooking and will wait a bit longer on the NR. Will report how it comes out! Thanks, all.
Will the results vary if I cook the turkey when it’s thawed out? I tried to make this but my frozen turkey will not fit in my instant pot
Yes! If you use a thawed turkey, I googled and it shows to cook on high pressure for 10 minutes per pound. Good luck!
My husband prepared this recipe the other night. In addition to (of course) being fascinated by how quickly a frozen turkey can cook, we both totally loved all the flavors. It was absolutely delicious. We microwaved a Safeway carton of “mashed potatoes for 2” and some frozen peas, and voila, instant dinner. Thank you so much for this recipe!
How long if my turkey isn’t frozen? Making tonight.
What size instant pot do you use? Thanks!
Hi Deedee, I used an 8 quart instant pot!
How long do you cook if turkey is NOT frozen?
I cooked a thawed one for 37 minutes and it was a bit over done so I would go a little less.
I tried this and my turkey was rubbery. I let it NPR too. What did i do wrong?
Had anyone done this with a frozen Turkey Breast? If so how long did you cook it? Did you have to turn and cook it longer?
How long would you cook a 7 lb frozen turkey in the IP?
This looks delicious. Could I also do the same thing with Turkey Thighs, bone in. Thanks
Hi Kathy! Yes, you can. If they are frozen, they should take about the same amount of time. If they are fresh, I would try half the cook time and test them with a thermometer!
Followed instructions above and turkey was raw in the middle. Definitely need to cook for an hour if frozen
I bought a turkey today at Walmart, same you used. I plan on making it in the Instant Pot tomorrow. My turkey says it contains a gravy packet and that it has to be thawed to remove. Did yours have this and how did you remove it? Thanks!!
Made this for dinner tonight. Same roast 45 minutes on high pressure, 10 minutes natural release. Didn’t think to check the internal temperature. Let it sit wrapped in foil while making gravy about 10 minutes. Hubby sliced into the roast only to discover it was raw in the middle. Yuck! We sliced it and poured gravy over it and are baking it in the oven to finish cooking it. If I try this again I will definitely be checking the temperature as soon as the pressure releases. It might be a good idea to add that into the recipe instructions. Everything else for dinner is finished, hoping it will stay warm until the turkey is cooked through.
What amount of time would u recommend in the instant pot if the turkey isn’t frozen?
My question also.
I tried this tonight. Was very good! But, after 45 minutes high pressure, my roast (same as in the recipe and frozen solid) registered only 119 degrees F so I put it in for another 20 minutes under pressure with around 15 minutes natural release. Then it registered around 190 degreees. So I will try again adjusting the time for frozen solid, but it is a great recipe to start with. Broth tasted great. I’m making turkey sandwiches for lunch tomorrow and will make homemade gravy from the befits with the turkey over mashed potatoes for dinner tomorrow. I used regular poultry seasoning instead of turkey rub along with salt and pepper.
I made this tonight. I found the savory herb all white meat turkey roast in the freezer meat section. I was a little hesitant to put the whole thing in frozen, but it turned out awesome! I set it to go this morning before we went to church. Got home and whipped up some sides and then opened up the instant pot. It was perfect and moist and delicious. Thank you for sharing the recipe. We will be making this again.
I was intrigued and hadn’t used my InstaPot to cook turkey. Closely Followed the recipe. I found the end result to be disappointing. The turkey didn’t have that great turkey flavor I had hoped for. Despite the rub, onions and celery It was bland. The gravy, and I used the same packets used in the video, was non descript. I wouldn’t make turkey this way again.
How to I do this in a slow cooker because I don’t have a pressure cooker 🙁 but it sounds and looks like an amazing dinner and I would love to figure out how to do this in a different device
Can you please help me and tell me what you might do!
Hi Wendy! I think you could do it in a crock pot as well, but I think it would take the full 8 hours. I would honestly probably start it on high for an hour or two and then drop it to low for the remaining time to make sure the turkey thaws quickly!
The huge problem is the gravy mix. They are loaded with salt! Every time I have tried using them the gravy tastes so salty everyone doesn’t like it. Are there any without so much sodium? Or is there a way to make some good gravy without the mixes. Thanks
HI I just used McCormick turkey gravy packets. You can also thicken it like you would any homemade gravy with flour or cornstarch depending on your preference! Hope you try it!
It would be nice if any one could print the turkey recipe.