Whether your Thanksgiving is going to be small this year or you want to enjoy turkey for a weeknight dinner, this Crockpot Turkey Breast recipe delivers flavorful, mouthwatering turkey that’s tender and juicy every time.
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Tender, juicy turkey without the fuss.
No need to make a wet turkey brine or dry brine, and you don’t even have to haul out that electric carving knife—unless you really want to. I like to think of crockpot turkey breast is a no-drama way to enjoy turkey!
- This more manageable turkey recipe is also excellent if you’re hosting a small-scale Thanksgiving and don’t want to have weeks’ worth of leftovers. (I don’t know about you, but I can only eat so many turkey sandwiches with Cranberry Orange Sauce!)
- In addition to the streamlined approach, cooking turkey in the slow cooker also gives you GREAT tasting turkey. While a full-size turkey can end up with dry breasts by the time the rest of the meat reaches a safe temperature, since we’re only cooking the breast here, we don’t have that issue. Plus, using the slow cooker locks in moisture, giving you juicy meat every time.
Looking for turkey breast, but faster? I also love this juicy Air Fryer Turkey Breast recipe.
5 Star Review
“This recipe was such a pleasant surprise! I’ve had trouble keeping turkey breast from drying out in the past, but this one was perfectly tender.”
— Penelope —
Key Ingredients
You’ll find the full list of ingredients in the blog post below, but here are some notes to keep in mind.
- Turkey Breast. You can make this crockpot turkey breast boneless or bone-in. I recommend buying fresh turkey breast from a local butcher because the quality is usually better. If you want to cook frozen turkey breast in the crockpot, you’ll need to thaw it first.
- Kosher Salt, Ground Black Pepper, Garlic, and Lemon Zest. A bright, zippy seasoning blend that you’ll rub liberally onto the turkey breast for maximum flavor.
- Aromatics. After you’ve zested the lemon, you’ll cut it into wedges for adding to the bottom of the slow cooker with carrots, celery, stalks, red apple, and sprigs of fresh thyme.
- Dry White Wine or Chicken Broth. Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio are great options if you go the wine route; otherwise, cook the turkey breast in the crockpot with chicken broth.
How to Make Turkey Breast in the Crock Pot
- Prepare. Rub the turkey breast with the lemon-garlic seasoning. Refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours or up to overnight.
- Assemble. Place the aromatics in the bottom of the crockpot.
- Cook on LOW. Set the turkey breast on top of the veggies, then pour the wine or broth around the turkey. Drizzle with melted butter to make it DELICIOUS. Cover the crockpot and cook the turkey breast on LOW for 4 to 6 hours—but rather than focusing on the time, keep an eye on the temperature. I recommend pulling the turkey breast out when it registers between 150 and 160 degrees F.
- Rest. During the resting time, the temperature will rise to a safe 165 degrees F thanks to the carryover cooking. (Now is a good time to make Turkey Gravy!)
- Bonus Points: Make It Crispy. You can broil the turkey to get the skin crisp. Transfer your crockpot turkey to a serving platter, then slice and enjoy.
What to Serve with Crockpot Turkey Breast
Even if you’re scaling down your Thanksgiving celebration this year, you just HAVE to have all the classic sides! Here are my go-to recipes.
- Mashed Potatoes. Can you even have turkey without mashed potatoes on the side?! I think this is the Best Mashed Potatoes Recipe!
- Veggie Sides. Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic and Honey Glazed Carrots are fabulous, while Crockpot Green Bean Casserole is perfect for a holiday.
- Stuffing. I have some fabulous options for pairing with crockpot turkey breast, but this Sausage Stuffing is an old-fashioned favorite.
- Cranberry Sauce. There’s nothing wrong with cracking open a can and plopping it into a dish, but Cranberry Orange Relish offers a more refined take on cranberries.
Crockpot Turkey Breast
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 5 hours
Total: 6 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 8 people
Video
Whether it's for a small Thanksgiving or healthy, easy weeknight meal, this crockpot turkey breast delivers turkey that’s moist and flavorful!
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Ingredients
- 1 boneless turkey breast about 4 to 5 pounds or 1 bone-in turkey breast (about 6 pounds)
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 medium lemon
- 2 carrots scrubbed and cut into 2-inch pieces
- 2 celery stalks cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 red apple cut into 8 wedges (no need to peel or core)
- 8 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 cup dry white wine or chicken broth
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
Instructions
- Pat the turkey breast dry. In a small bowl, place the salt, pepper, and garlic. Zest in the lemon, then stir to combine. Rub all over the outside of the turkey. Cut the zested lemon into 8 wedges and reserve. If time allows, refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- When ready to cook, remove the turkey from the refrigerator. Scatter the carrot, celery, apple, thyme sprigs, and lemon wedges in the bottom of a slow cooker.
- Place the turkey breast on top of the vegetables. Carefully pour the wine (or broth) around but not on top of the turkey. Drizzle the top of the turkey with the melted butter.
- Cover and cook the turkey breast on LOW for 4 to 6 hours, until the turkey registers 155°F on an instant read thermometer (its temperature will rise as it rests); do not cook on high or the turkey will be dry. Know thy slow cooker and check early to be safe (I have used one that runs very hot and it was done in 4 hours 15 minutes; 5 to 6 hours is more typical).
- As soon as the turkey reaches temperature, remove it to a baking dish or parchment lined rimmed baking sheet (do not let it stay in the slow cooker on the “keep warm” setting or it will be dry). Let rest for at least 15 minutes.
- If you like, use the cooking liquid in the slow cooker to make Turkey Gravy.
- To crisp the skin, position a rack in the center of the oven and turn the oven to broil. Broil the turkey on the center rack for about 4 minutes, until the skin looks golden and crisp. DO NOT WALK AWAY. Watch to make sure the skin doesn’t burn.
- Transfer to a serving platter. Slice and enjoy immediately with gravy and all of your favorite sides.
Notes
- If your boneless turkey has the netting, do not remove it.
- TO STORE: Refrigerate leftover crockpot turkey breast in an airtight storage container for up to 3 days.
- TO REHEAT: Wrap turkey in an aluminum foil pouch with a splash of broth and reheat in a baking dish in the oven at 350 degrees F.
- TO FREEZE: Freeze leftovers in an airtight, freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating according to the instructions above.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 (of 8)Calories: 350kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 62gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 165mgPotassium: 798mgFiber: 2gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 2804IUVitamin C: 11mgCalcium: 59mgIron: 2mg
Had a mini early thanksgiving with your stuffing and this was so moist and delicious!! Excited for leftovers
Yay! Thank you Taylor!
Can I make this with Turkey Breast without the skin?
I think you probably could. I’ve only tested it with skin on so if you decide to experiment, I’d love to know how it goes!
We’re not usually a fan of turkey breast, but I got one by accident on a grocery delivery, and decided to give this a try. This was really good! Nicely moist and tender, and the gravy is delicious. I made no deviations whatsoever in the recipe, and I wouldn’t recommend any. I served it with roasted brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes and garlic cloves, and gave the turkey a thorough gravy basting. Even my daughter loved it, and given that she’s autistic and a bit picky eater, that’s saying a lot! Thank you as always for a terrific recipe!
So glad to hear, Debbie! Thank you!
This recipe was such a pleasant surprise! I’ve had trouble keeping turkey breast from drying out in the past, but this one was perfectly tender. I made some mashed potatoes on the side and used the drippings for gravy. I loved how low-effort it was, but it still felt like a special meal.
So glad to hear, thank you Penelope!
I cooked a 5lb breast today by your method and it was honestly the best turkey breast I have ever cooked. The meat was juicy and the flavor was wonderful. Thank you so much!
Makes me so happy to hear! Thank you Loren!
Great, this method really keeps it moist, flavor very good. Did as listed except only one tab light butter–my turkey was a split breast 1.6 pounds–trimmed of excess fat, and it was done in under 5 hours on low. Would for sure do this again. Like the hands off, and am chilling broth to strain it later and make a gravy. I added some bay leaves, rosemary thyme and sage leaves as well.
So glad to hear you enjoyed it, Frances! Thank you!
Have not made this yet, but it sounds delicious!!
a few questions:
When do you remove the inner netting? Just before slicing? Or is it edible ??
Why not pour wine over the turkey?
Since it’s now October, good time to make turkey since the month has an “R” in it.
Hi Shoshana, you’ll want to remove the netting after resting for 15 minutes. It is not edible. Also refer to the instructions on your specific turkey breast concerning the netting. If you pour the wine on top of the turkey, the butter won’t be able to do it’s job which helps with flavor and texture. Hope this helps!
Just to ask Is it moister with a bone in breast ot boneless breast? I am planning
To make it this week-end?
Hi Judith! I’d say bone-in. Hope this helps!
What size crockpot is appropriate to use for this turkey breast recipe? I can’t wait to make it!
Hi Karen, I probably go with a 6qt. Enjoy!
I was a little nervous about cooking turkey in a slow cooker because past attempts ended up dry, but this one did well. Followed the recipe, used wine for part of the liquid, and the turkey stayed juicy. Definitely worth keeping the recipe. Thank you!
So glad to hear it worked well! Thank you Sabrina!
I’ve tried a few slow cooker turkey recipes and this one’s my favorite so far. The turkey was juicy and had a nice buttery flavor. It made my kitchen smell so good. I’ll definitely use this for smaller holidays.
So glad to hear, Bailey! Thank you!