This juicy Air Fryer Turkey Breast recipe is made with a bone-in turkey breast, simple seasonings and olive oil. Ready from start to finish in less than 1 hour. But wait! There's more! I'll also show you how to make gravy with the turkey drippings!
If you are cooking for a small gathering or making a Friendsgiving dinner, roasting just the turkey breast is a great idea. Let me show you how to cook a turkey breast in an air fryer! It's so easy!
No need to brine the turkey breast to get juicy turkey with crispy skin. It doesn't get much easier!
And did I mention gravy! You don't have to miss out on turkey gravy when you cook turkey breast in the air fryer. You're welcome!
There's nothing worse than not having enough oven space when it comes to making Christmas and Thanksgiving dinner. This is why I make good use of my large air fryer and Instant Pot during the holidays.
Save your oven for Roasted Candied Sweet Potatoes, Fresh Green Bean Casserole and Skillet Pecan Pie. Unless you are serving a big crowd, make your turkey breast roast in the air fryer this year!
While this is an air fryer turkey breast (bone-in) recipe, it also works great for making an air fryer boneless turkey breast. I'm sharing instructions for both below!
Don't forget the Southern cornbread dressing! My Cornbread Dressing Cups are a great make-ahead side dish to serve alongside your turkey breast.
Shortcuts
- The air fryer cooks a turkey breast much faster than roasting it in the oven.
- No need to brine this turkey breast overnight to get juicy, flavorful turkey breast.
I also have an Instant Pot Turkey Breast with Gravy recipe you will like if you have an Instant Pot.
Ingredients
What you will need to make this flavorful air fryer turkey breast with gravy.
Scroll down to printable recipe for exact ingredient quantities.
- Butter or oil- I often use olive oil instead of softened butter. Use what you have!
- Seasonings - This will help make the turkey flavorful. See the recipe below for exact measurements.
- Gravy: I use the leftover juices from the Air Fryer Turkey Breast to make an easy gravy.
- Turkey Breast - A bone-in turkey breast.
If you are wondering "Can you really cook a turkey breast in an air fryer?" Yes! It's super simple. And here's how to do it, step by step.
How to cook a turkey breast in an air fryer
Scroll down to the bottom for the printable recipe with detailed instructions.
- Using strong kitchen shears or poultry scissors, remove the side rib bones from the turkey breast.
- Sometimes, like in this pic, it also has the back bone attached.
- Combine olive oil or softened butter, paprika, garlic salt, onion powder and black pepper in a small bowl. You can also just brush the bird with the oil, then sprinkle with the seasoning mixture.
- Rub the skin of the turkey with the seasoned butter and rub a little bit of the mixture on the other side of the breast where you cut away the rib bones.
Make Ahead: At this point, it can be a make-ahead recipe. Just put the rubbed turkey breast in a covered container overnight and cook the next day.
- Preheat your air fryer at 350F degrees for 3 minutes.
- Spray the air fryer rack with olive oil spray or brush with vegetable oil. Place the turkey breast on the rack, breast side down. Cook according to the time listed in the printable recipe.
- Using large tongs, carefully turn the turkey breast over and cook it, breast side up, an additional 20 minutes or until an instant read thermometer registers 160F degrees.
- Remove the air fryer basket and cover the turkey in the basket with aluminum foil. Let stand in the air fryer basket on a kitchen towel or trivet, 10minutes. The air fryer basket will catch the juices under the rack. The temperature of the turkey will rise to 165F degrees.
How long to cook turkey breast in an air fryer:
How long to cook a 7 pound turkey breast in air fryer will depend on a couple of things. One, cutting the back and rib bones reduces the time. Also, if the package says 7 lbs, be aware that they often stick heavy gravy packets and even turkey necks in the package to increase the weight since you pay by the pound. Ugh....
So, if your package says 7 lbs, then the actual turkey breast you will cook could be as little as 5 pounds. A good rule of thumb is air frying a 5 to 7 lb turkey breast, underside up, for 25 to 30 minutes, then flip it and gauge the amount of time to cook breast side up by checking the temperature with an instant read thermometer until it registers 160 to 165. The second cooking time is usually 20 to 25 minutes.
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Pro Tips
Avoid lifting the turkey with a meat fork to turn it over. Puncturing the turkey will allow juices to escape potentially causing it to be dry.
Rib bones are the bones on the opposite side of the breast meat, not the middle breast bone. Cutting these bones off will allow the turkey breast to rest flat and fit better and lower in the air fryer.
How to make the turkey gravy
Note: If using an oven-style air fryer with stacked racks, remove the turkey breast and place on a cutting board. Save any juices after 10 minutes standing time (covered) for the gravy plus what may have collected in the bottom of the air fryer tray.
- Pour ⅓ cup of the turkey drippings from the bottom of the air fryer basket into a skillet or saucepan. Stir in the flour. (Amount in printable recipe below.)
- Gradually stir or whisk in the broth. Then, place the skillet on the stovetop and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and bubbly.
Voila! You have turkey gravy to go with your mashed potatoes and cornbread dressing!
Substitutions & Variations
Trade "this" for "that" in this air fryer turkey breast roast.
- Oil - Use an herb-flavored oil to add additional flavor. Instead of spraying the air fryer rack with olive oil spray, you can brush it with vegetable oil.
- Chicken Broth - I use chicken broth to make the gravy, but you can use turkey broth or stock instead.
- Seasoning- Make Cajun turkey breast roast by trading out the paprika with cajun or creole seasoning. Chop up fresh herbs, especially if you are using softened butter to rub over the turkey.
- Bone in Chicken Breasts- You can also cook bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts just like this. Just reduce the cooking time a little. Some split chicken breasts weigh up to 2 lbs each!
How to make oven-baked turkey breast
Follow the directions for this air fryer recipe with these changes:
Place the turkey breast on a greased, foil-lined, rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan, breast side up. No need to turn halfway during cooking. Bake at 375F degrees for 45 to 50 minutes or until an instant read thermometer registers 160 degrees.
Remove the turkey from the oven and cover with aluminum foil for 10 minutes to let the temperature rise to 165 degrees.
How to thaw frozen turkey breast
The safest way to thaw a frozen turkey breast is to place it in the refrigerator until it's completely thawed. Depending on the size of the turkey, this may take 1-2 days.
You can also thaw the unopened package of turkey breast in a very large bowl of cold tap water. Change the water everyone 30 minutes. Once it's thawed, keep it in the refrigerator until you're ready to cook.
Can I make this recipe with a boneless turkey breast?
Yes, here’s how to cook a boneless turkey breast in the air fryer:
If it comes wrapped in a mesh or string casing, remove that first. Rub butter or olive oil on the turkey breast, then sprinkle with seasonings listed in the recipe below. Air fry a 3 pound boneless turkey breast, skin side up, at 350F for 25 minutes or until an instant read thermometer registers 160F.
You can rotate the boneless turkey breast if the top is becoming too brown. Remove from air fryer. Cover and let rest 10 minutes. Temperature will rise to 165F.
What to serve with this air fryer turkey breast?
- Air Fryer Butternut Squash
- Easy Fresh Green Beans with Bacon
- Easy Cranberry-Apple-Jalapeno Salsa
- Garlic Butter Cruffins made with Crescent Roll Dough
How to store leftover turkey breast
- To Store: Store any leftovers in the refrigerator, covered or in an air tight container for 3-4 days.
- To Freeze: Place the sliced turkey breast in ziplock bags, remove all of the air, and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
What to make with leftover turkey
- Cheesy Turkey Shepherds Pie
- Sliced turkey sandwiches
- Chopped or shredded turkey salad sandwiches. Use my recipe for Parmesan Artichoke Chicken Salad
- Leftover turkey can be used in any recipe that calls for chopped cooked chicken.
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Air Fryer Turkey Breast and Gravy
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 (5-7-pound) bone-in turkey breast (After giblets and any gravy packet is removed from inside package.)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil or softened butter
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Gravy
- ⅓ cup drippings from roasting turkey breast
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 15 ounce can chicken or turkey broth (about 1 ¾ cups)
Instructions
- Using strong kitchen shears or poultry scissors, remove the side rib bones and back bone from the turkey breast, if present. This will help the turkey breast fit in the air fryer and also not tip over. Pat dry the turkey breast using paper towels.
- Use an air fryer that is deep enough so that the heating coils clear the top of the turkey breast by at least ½ inch. I used an Instant Brands Versa Zone basket-style air fryer. I call it my double-wide. Any air fryer deep enough to clear the top of the turkey breast from the heating coils will work.
- Combine the oil, paprika, garlic salt, onion powder and black pepper in a small bowl. Rub the skin of the turkey with the seasoned butter and rub a little bit of the mixture on the other side of the breast.
- Make Ahead: At this point, it can be a make-ahead recipe. Just put the rubbed turkey breast in a covered container overnight and cook the next day.
- Spray the air fryer rack with olive oil or oil spray. Place the turkey breast on the rack, breast side down. Cook the turkey at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.
- Using large tongs, carefully turn the turkey breast over and cook it, breast side up, and cook an additional 20 minutes or until an instant read thermometer registers 160F degrees.
- Remove the air fryer basket and cover the turkey in the basket with aluminum foil. Let stand in the air fryer basket on a kitchen towel or trivet, 10minutes. The air fryer basket will catch the juices under the rack. The temperature of the turkey will rise to 165F degrees.
- Transfer the turkey breast to a cutting board to slice it.
- To Make Gravy
- Pour ⅓ cup of the turkey drippings from the bottom of the air fryer basket into a 12 inch skillet. Stir in the flour. Gradually stir or whisk in the broth. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and bubbly. Yield: 2 cups.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition analysis on GritsAndGouda.com recipes are mostly calculated on an online nutrition calculator. I am not a dietitian and nutritional information is an estimate and can vary based on products used.
Pam
Could I use a boneless turkey breast? My air fryer is the basket type but it’s not really large.
Kathleen
Yes! Scroll down on the blog post and I tell you how to cook a boneless turkey breast!
Scott Phillips
This was cooked perfect. Oh so good!
Kathleen
The air fryer makes it so easy! I love that you can still have gravy when it's made in the air fryer!