How to Cook a Juicy, Tender Turkey in the Instant Pot

I love turkey. It happens to be one of my favorite meats, partially because it tastes so good but also because it just gives me those warm and cozy holiday feels. Mike and I actually eat turkey a lot, at all times of the year, because instant.

A couple of years ago, we did a whole Instant Pot Thanksgiving, just to see if we could. Spoiler alert: we did it! Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sprouts, the Instant Pot did it all. The thing I was most impressed with was the turkey. It was juicy and incredibly fast. No basting, no guessing, just super simple juicy turkey.

Absolutely yes! We made a little skin-on boneless turkey breast roast rubbed with butter, garlic, thyme, rosemary, and sage. All the classic turkey flavors you know and love. And bonus, you’ll even get some drippings to make turkey gravy.

Cooking a delicious, moist turkey for Thanksgiving or any occasion is easier than you think with the Instant Pot. This versatile kitchen gadget can cook a perfect turkey in a fraction of the time it takes with traditional roasting, and results in a tender, flavorful bird every time.

Benefits of Using the Instant Pot for Turkey

There are several advantages to preparing your holiday turkey in the Instant Pot rather than oven roasting:

Faster cooking time – The pressurized environment of the Instant Potallows the turkey to cook up to 70% faster than the traditional method A 12-14 lb turkey only needs about 1 hour cook time!
Juicy and tender meat – The moist heat of the Instant Pot seals in juices and results in very tender succulent meat even the breast meat. No more dry turkey!
More oven space – Free up your oven to cook all your side dishes by cooking the turkey in the Instant Pot.
Convenient – With only about 10 minutes of prep time, the Instant Pot does all the work for the next hour while you relax.
Delicious gravy – The roasting juices at the bottom of the Instant Pot after cooking the turkey make an easy, rich turkey gravy.

Turkey Sizes for the Instant Pot

The 6 quart Instant Pot can accommodate up to a 14 lb turkey, while the 8 quart size can fit up to an 18-20 lb bird. For very large gatherings, you can even cook two 12-14 lb turkeys simultaneously in the Instant Pot Duo, which has two inner pots.

Ideally, look for a turkey that fits comfortably in your Instant Pot with about 2 inches of clearance on all sides. This allows the steam to circulate properly.

How to Prep the Turkey

Proper prep is key to ensuring the turkey cooks evenly. Follow these tips:

Thaw completely – Make sure the turkey is fully thawed before cooking. Cook from frozen is not recommended.
Remove giblets – Check both front and rear cavities for giblets and neck. Discard or use for gravy.
Dry thoroughly – Pat the turkey very dry inside and out with paper towels. Moisture on the skin inhibits browning and crisping.
Truss legs – Tie legs together with kitchen string to keep compact shape.
Season generously – Coat inside cavity and outer skin with salt, pepper and any additional herbs or spices. Butter or oil helps crisp the skin.

How to Cook Turkey in the Instant Pot

Cooking turkey in the Instant Pot is simple, with just a few easy steps:

Add liquid to pot – Pour 1-2 cups liquid in pot. This can be water, broth or wine. Liquid is necessary to build pressure.
Insert steam rack – Place trivet or steam rack in bottom of inner pot. This elevates turkey out of the liquid.
Position turkey – Set turkey breast side up on the rack. Work legs into the pot.
Secure lid – Lock lid in place and close pressure valve.
Select Manual/Pressure Cook – Set time based on size of turkey.
Allow natural pressure release – Let pressure release naturally for at least 15-20 minutes before quick releasing remaining pressure.
Crisp skin (optional) – For browned skin, broil turkey for 5-10 minutes after cooking.

Use 1 minute per pound, plus an additional 15 minutes, to determine the full cook time for your turkey size. So a 12 lb turkey would cook for 27 minutes (12 + 15 = 27).

For the juiciest results, allow the pressure to release naturally for at least 15-20 minutes before doing a quick pressure release to release the remaining pressure. This slower release prevents overcooking.

Flavorful Additions

To infuse even more flavor into your Instant Pot turkey, try these tasty ingredients:

Chopped onions, celery, carrots – sauté in the pot before adding turkey
Fresh herbs – rosemary, thyme, sage tucked under skin or placed in cavity
Garlic – whole cloves placed in cavity
Citrus – orange, lemon, lime juices squeezed over turkey or placed inside
Compound butter – herb butter rubbed over turkey or placed under skin
Chicken or turkey stock – use instead of water for pressure cooking liquid

Make Delicious Turkey Gravy

One of the bonuses of cooking turkey in the Instant Pot is that you end up with the makings of an incredible gravy, right there in the inner pot after cooking.

After removing the turkey, skim off any excess fat from the cooking juices. Use an immersion blender to lightly puree the cooked vegetables into the liquid to thicken it slightly.

For even thicker gravy, create a slurry by mixing 2 Tbsp cornstarch or flour with 2 Tbsp water. Stir the slurry into the Instant Pot juices and cook on Saute mode for 5-10 minutes until nicely thickened.

Season the gravy with salt, pepper and any additional herbs to taste.

Tips for Crispy Instant Pot Turkey Skin

While the skin on turkey cooked in the Instant Pot won’t get as crispy as a roasted bird, there are some tricks to help crisp it up:

Pat skin very dry before cooking
Rub with oil or butter – Oil helps conduct heat for crisping
Broil after cooking – 5-10 minutes under the broiler browns the skin
Crisp in a skillet – Pan fry the skin side briefly in a hot skillet
Bake uncovered – Finish cooking in a 375°F oven for about 30 minutes
Spritz with broth – Mist skin with chicken broth before broiling

Benefits of Brining the Turkey

While not strictly necessary, brining is highly recommended to yield the most flavorful, juicy turkey possible.

Brining involves soaking the turkey for several hours or up to a couple days in a saltwater solution. This allows the salt to deeply season the meat and helps it retain moisture.

Make a simple brine with 1 cup salt per gallon of water. For extra flavor, add any combination of peppercorns, allspice, bay leaves, onions, garlic, citrus, and herbs.

Best Side Dishes for Instant Pot Turkey

Freed up oven space means you can focus on making all the perfect Thanksgiving side dishes and apps. These recipes are ideal companions for juicy Instant Pot turkey:

Garlic mashed potatoes
Classic bread stuffing
Roasted autumn vegetables
Green bean casserole
Cranberry sauce
Baked mac and cheese
Buttery dinner rolls
Pumpkin or pecan pie

Enjoy Stress-Free Holiday Meals

Cooking a whole turkey in the Instant Pot is easy, convenient and results in the most tender, delicious turkey you’ve ever tasted. Free yourself from slaving over a hot oven and enjoy more time with your loved ones this holiday season.

Frequency of Entities:
Instant Pot: 36
Turkey: 35
Cook/Cooking: 16
Juicy: 7
Tender: 6
Pressure: 6
Gravy: 5
Broth/Stock: 4
Crisp/Crispy: 4
Skin: 4
Brine/Brining: 4
Roast: 3
Moist: 3
Broil: 3
Oven: 3
Season: 3
Liquid: 3
Rack: 3
Release: 3
Side dishes: 2
Thanksgiving: 2
Cavity: 2
Prepare/Prep: 2
Roasted: 1
Delicious: 1
Tasty: 1
Flavored: 1
Succulent: 1
Convenient: 1
Versatile: 1
Giblets: 1
Truss: 1
Compound butter: 1
Citrus: 1
Immersion blender: 1
Slurry: 1
Stuffing: 1
Holiday: 1
Stress-free: 1

how to cook a turkey in the instant pot

How to make turkey in an Instant Pot

Get your turkey. Decide if you want turkey breast or turkey legs. I went with turkey breast because when breast is done right, breast really is best. There’s way more meat with breast compared to legs. If you’re a dark meat lover, legs are good too, the Instant Pot will make turkey legs super tender and juicy.
Make herbed garlic butter. Mix together soft butter with chopped herbs and garlic. Classic poultry herbs include sage, rosemary, thyme, marjoram, tarragon, and parsley. Pro tip: they sell little fresh packs of poultry blend herbs in the fridge section at the grocery store.
Season the turkey. Lightly pat your turkey dry, season generously with salt and pepper, then rub the herbed garlic butter all over.
Instant Pot time. Pour a bit of chicken stock into your Instant Pot then put in the steam rack that it came with. Arrange the turkey on top and cook on high pressure (see below for times).
Broil. When the turkey’s done and the pressure has been released, you can give your turkey a quick blast of heat for color, then you’re ready to eat!

Instant Pot turkey ingredients

This is the simplest recipe with the smallest ingredient list: turkey, butter, garlic, fresh herbs, salt and pepper, and chicken stock.

The BEST Turkey You WIll EVER Make In Your Instant Pot

FAQ

How long does it take to cook in an Instant Pot?

Print the chart

Food	Cooking Time	Pressure Release Method
Chuck Roast	20 minutes per 1 inch of thickness (so 3 inch roast would be 60 minutes)	NPR
Pork Shoulder	15-20 minutes per 1 inch of thickness	NPR
Black or Kidney Beans, dried	25 minutes or 8 minutes for soaked	NPR
Pinto Beans	30 minutes or 10 minutes for soaked	NPR

How many minutes per pound of meat in Instant Pot?

Cooking time: When cooking a pot roast in an Instant Pot, allow 20 minutes for every pound of meat. For example, cook a 2-pound pot roast at high pressure for 40 minutes and a 3-pound pot roast for 60 minutes. Frozen beef: I highly recommend thawing your beef for this recipe, since you cannot sear the frozen beef.

What does the poultry button do on the Instant Pot?

Press the Poultry button. The default setting is pre-programmed to set the pot to cook at HIGH pressure for 15 minutes, which is suitable for larger pieces of chicken. If you press the Poultry button again, you can adjust the mode from Normal to Less or More (this simply changes the cooking time).