The Ultimate Guide to Sous Vide Turkey Time and Temp

For most people, turkey just comes out once or twice a year. But once you taste sous vide turkey youll be looking for excuses to eat it year round.

Once you discover how to cook turkey with sous vide its hard to go back to the bland, dry roasted version.

Sous vide allows you to avoid the high temperatures you normally have to use, making it the best way to consistently create succulent turkey. This sous vide turkey guide will give you all the info you need for a great bird.

Cooking the perfect turkey can be a challenge. We all want juicy tender meat but it’s easy to end up with an overcooked, dry bird. Sous vide turkey is the solution! Using precise temperature control, you can cook turkey so it turns out moist and delicious every time.

In this comprehensive guide, you’ll learn everything you need to know about sous vide turkey including time temperature tips, and tricks. Let’s get started!

What Is Sous Vide?

Sous vide is a cooking technique that uses precise temperature control to achieve optimal results. Food is vacuum sealed in plastic then cooked in a water bath at a specific temperature. This allows food to cook evenly throughout without over or undercooking.

Sous vide delivers juicy, tender turkey by cooking at much lower temperatures than traditional roasting. The turkey cooks gently in the water bath, retaining all its natural moisture and flavors.

Benefits of Sous Vide Turkey

Cooking turkey with sous vide offers many benefits

Juicy and tender – Sous vide ensures turkey stays succulent and moist.
Precise control – You choose the exact temperature based on your desired doneness.
Evenly cooked – No more dry breast or underdone thighs. Sous vide turkey cooks evenly all the way through.
Convenient – Turkey cooks unattended so your oven stays free. Once sealed, just drop it in the bath.
Consistent results – Takes the guesswork out of cooking turkey perfectly every time.

Sous Vide Turkey Time and Temperature

The two key factors for sous vide turkey are temperature and time. This determines how well done the meat is. Lower temperatures result in more tender, rare meat while higher temperatures make it firmer.

Temperature

The temperature you choose depends on your preferences. Lower temperatures around 135°F (57°C) make the turkey rosy and extra moist. Temperatures up to 165°F (74°C) result in well-done turkey with a more traditional texture.

Most people sous vide turkey between 140-150°F (60-66°C) for a good balance of juicy meat and more familiar texture.

Here are common temperature guidelines:

Very rare: 130-135°F (54-57°C)
Rare: 135-140°F (57-60°C)
Medium rare: 140-145°F (60-63°C)
Medium: 145-150°F (63-66°C)
Well done: 160-165°F (71-74°C)

Time

The cooking time depends on the size and thickness of the turkey, along with your temperature.

To ensure safety, the USDA recommends turkey reach an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C). Sous vide allows you to pasteurize turkey at lower temperatures by cooking it longer.

For a 12-15 lb turkey, cooking times are:

135°F (57°C): 18-24 hours
145°F (63°C): 12-18 hours
155°F (68°C): 6-12 hours
165°F (74°C): 4-8 hours

For just breasts, legs, or wings, the cooking time is much faster. Turkey parts may take only 1-2 hours.

Use a meat thermometer to confirm the turkey has reached your target temperature after cooking sous vide.

Step-By-Step Guide

Follow these simple steps for foolproof sous vide turkey:

Prepare the turkey – Rinse thoroughly and pat dry. Trim excess fat. Apply any rubs or seasonings.
Preheat water bath – Set your sous vide machine to your desired temperature. Preheat the water 30 minutes before cooking.
Seal turkey – Place turkey in a sous vide bag and remove all air. Seal the bag carefully.
Cook – Lower sealed bag into the preheated water bath. Cook according to your time and temperature.
Finish – Remove turkey from the bag and pat dry. Quickly sear the skin side in a hot skillet to crisp it up.
Rest – Let turkey rest 10-15 minutes before carving. This allows juices to redistribute.
Serve – Slice turkey and serve! Enjoy your perfectly cooked, juicy meat.

Turkey Parts

Cooking an entire turkey sous vide requires a lot of time. For quicker meals, try sous viding just turkey breasts, legs, thighs, wings, or drumsticks.

Turkey parts take much less time to cook sous vide than a whole bird. You can also cook white and dark meat at different temperatures tailored to each.

Here are suggested time and temperatures:

Turkey Breasts

135°F (57°C) for 2-4 hours (pasteurized)
145°F (63°C) for 1-2 hours

Turkey Legs and Thighs

155°F (68°C) for 4-8 hours
165°F (74°C) for 2-4 hours

Turkey Wings and Drumsticks

155°F (68°C) for 2-4 hours
165°F (74°C) for 1-2 hours

Cooking times vary based on thickness. Use a meat thermometer to confirm safe temperature.

Tips for Best Results

Follow these tips when cooking turkey sous vide:

Dry brine – Rubbing turkey with salt and letting sit unwrapped in the fridge improves moisture and flavor.
Cook at higher temp – If reheating already cooked turkey, use a higher temp of 165°F (74°C).
Pre-sear – For crisper skin, quickly sear turkey before bagging it.
Chill before searing – Cool turkey in an ice bath before searing to prevent overcooking.
Pat dry – Dry turkey thoroughly before searing to help the skin crisp up.
Use thick bags – Turkey can poke through thinner bags. Use heavy duty bags.
Weigh down – Keep turkey fully submerged by weighing bags down with plates or weights.

Make Delicious Turkey Gravy

A rich gravy is the perfect accompaniment to turkey. To make turkey gravy:

Roast turkey wings and neck in the oven to create flavorful drippings.
Sauté aromatic vegetables like onions, carrots, and celery.
Add flour to form a roux. Cook 3-5 minutes stirring constantly.
Whisk in turkey drippings and chicken or turkey stock.
Simmer 20 minutes until thickened.
Finish with herbs, wine, or spices and season with salt and pepper.

Sample Sous Vide Turkey Recipes

Here are some tasty sous vide turkey recipes to try:

Citrus and Herb Turkey Breast

2 turkey breasts
Garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper
Orange and lemon zest
Fresh thyme and sage
145°F (63°C) for 2 hours

BBQ Turkey Legs

4 turkey legs
BBQ seasoning rub
BBQ sauce
155°F (68°C) for 4 hours

Thanksgiving Turkey

12-15 lb whole turkey
Butter rubbed under and on top of skin
Fresh rosemary and sage stuffed under skin
155°F (68°C) for 8-10 hours

Jerk Turkey Drumsticks

6 turkey drumsticks
Jamaican jerk seasoning
Lime juice
155°F (68°C) for 4 hours

Get Perfectly Cooked Turkey Every Time

Cooking turkey sous vide results in tender, juicy meat with concentrated turkey flavor. With the precise temperature control of sous vide, you can deliver consistent, delicious results.

Use this guide to achieve the ideal time and temperature for your preferences. From moist rare turkey to well-done meat with more traditional texture, sous vide has you covered. Impress your family this holiday season with the most flavorful, foolproof turkey!

sous vide turkey time and temp

Grant Achatz Sous Vide Turkey at Home

A nice look at doing turkey at home, as well as examining how hard it is to cook turkey whole, whether in sous vide or roasting it. A great defense for why sous vide turkey can turn out so well. It includes some videos so you can really see how the process works.

Sous Vide Turkey Breast

I cook my turkey breasts at 141°F (60.6°C) for at least long enough to pasteurize them, about 2 to 4 hours. Any temperature between 136°F (57.8°C) and 147°F (63.9°C) is common.

All should be pasteurized by thickness

Sous vide turkey breast (a delicious sous vide Thanksgiving dish) with cooking temperature + time!

FAQ

How long should I sous vide my turkey for?

Cooking a turkey via sous vide doesn’t take very long—about 2 hours! Even with only one circulator, you can get the whole thing done in less time than it takes to cook a bird in the oven. Put all the parts, bagged separately, in the water bath and set it to your lower temp for the breasts.

Is turkey done at 165 or 180?

Hold the thermometer still until the numbers stop increasing. If it is not ready, return it to the oven. According to the Department of Agriculture, a turkey must reach 165 degrees F to be safe, but you can take it out of the oven as low as 160 degrees F because the temperature will rise at it rests.

Can you cook turkey to 145?

The range of doneness for all proteins–from eggs to fish to meat and Thanksgiving turkey–begins at 125 degrees, where rare starts; at 145 degrees the medium range begins, and at 165 degrees well-done starts; 185 degrees is the very top of the range.

Is turkey cooked at 140?

After the turkey has reached an internal temperature of 165 °F, as measured with a food thermometer, you can keep it warm covered with foil in an oven. However, holding a properly cooked turkey at a safe internal temperature 140 °F or above for more than a couple of hours will dry it out and ruin the quality.

How long to sous vide turkey breast?

The best time and temperature to sous vide turkey breast will depend on how you like the texture of your meat. If you use a finishing method, you’ll want to cook at 150F. You can sous vide turkey breast anywhere from 4 hours to 12 hours. Use a kitchen thermometer to ensure your preferred temperature.

How do you cook a Turkey in a sous vide machine?

Preheating: Preheat the sous vide machine to 140ºF (60ºC) for white meat or 150°F (65.6°C) for dark meat. Trim and Season turkey: Trim off any fat or gristle. Salt the meat then coat with any spices. Seal in Sous Vide Bag: Place the turkey in a sous vide bag and then seal.

What temperature should a sus vide turkey breast be cooked at?

Sous vide turkey breast benefits from a lower temperature than the dark meat. I have found that setting my immersion circulator to 140°F (60°C) for 4 to 8 hours is what I like best for breast meat. At this temperature it comes out perfectly cooked, tender turkey breast and is some of the most flavorful turkey you can make.

Can You sous vide frozen turkey breast?

Turkey breast will fall off the bone at 165F however, using the sous vide method will keep them from becoming dry. Can I sous vide frozen turkey breast? Yes, you can sous vide frozen turkey breast. cook for the same amount of time as fresh turkey breast as they will thaw and defrost in the water bath. How do you not overcook turkey breast?