This easy Slow Cooker Turkey Breast recipe is so juicy and flavorful, and since it’s boneless, you don’t need to worry about carving anything! You only need 10 minutes of prep– just make a rub, slather it on the turkey, and let your crockpot do the work for you. It’s perfect for a small Thanksgiving dinner and easy enough for a weeknight main course.
See that gorgeous color? It’s all in the rub – a mixture of all kinds of spices, including bright red paprika and golden yellow turmeric.
A quick few minutes under the broiler crisps up the skin for a beautiful golden brown color that’s perfect for your Thanksgiving or Friendsgiving table!
To be honest, I don’t know if I’m ever going to cook a whole turkey again now that I’ve discovered this slow cooker version. I really hate the hassle of a whole turkey, and having to wrangle a giant piece of raw poultry. This slow cooker turkey breast recipe is almost too good to be true – it’s so ridiculously easy and flavorful!
And you can even whip up a quick gravy from the drippings.
What’s in the turkey breast rub?
The rub is a mixture of softened butter with kosher salt, black pepper, dried oregano and thyme, paprika, turmeric, and garlic powder. Just mix everything together in a small bowl and you’re good to go!
It’s important to use softened butter for this, not melted. Softened butter will help it form into a paste that you can easily spread over the turkey breast evenly.
I should also note: the turmeric is optional. It gives the turkey a golden yellow color that I think is gorgeous, especially because it’s hard to get nice color on a slow cooked breast (roasting in the oven makes golden, crispy skin all over). But if you don’t have it, or if you don’t want to deal with the hassle of the yellow spice (which does stain), just leave it out!
You can also use any other combination of spices you want. Really, as long as you have salt and pepper, you can make a turkey breast in your slow cooker.
How to cook a boneless turkey breast in your slow cooker
Just slather the rub on the turkey, place it on some onions in your slow cooker, and cook on low for 4 hours! THAT’S IT! Here are some tips and tricks for success.
- Grease the bottom of the crockpot. When you make the rub, grab a little of the softened butter and use it to coat the bottom of your slow cooker. This will help make sure nothing sticks to the bottom as it cooks. You can also use cooking spray or brush it with olive oil.
- Remove any “extras” from the turkey. Sometimes, turkey breasts will come with a gravy packet, and/or come trussed with twine. You can just discard all of that. Snip the twine off with scissors.
- Pat the turkey breast dry with paper towels. You don’t have to rinse it (and you actually shouldn’t ever rinse poultry), but patting it dry will help the rub to stick and penetrate the flavors more. I like to place the whole thing on a paper towel lined rimmed baking sheet and then pat the top dry with the edges.
- Rub the bottom, under the skin, and over the skin with the spice mixture. I saved most of it for on top, but you can actually pull the skin up (if your turkey breast comes with a skin) and spread the rub underneath, then place the skin back and rub the top. This will help add lots of flavor to the meat.
- You probably won’t need any more than 4 hours. In fact, you may only need 3 hours. White breast meat can get dry if it’s overcooked, so if you have a smaller turkey breast, or if you just want to check the temp after 3 hours, give it a shot! It should be 165 degrees F.
How to get crispy skin
The one disadvantage to cooking skin-on turkey (or chicken) in a slow cooker is that the skin doesn’t get crispy, or a golden color, like when it roasts in the oven.
To get crispy skin on this boneless turkey breast, just place the whole thing after it’s done cooking on a rimmed baking sheet, and set it under the broiler for 5-10 minutes. It makes such a difference in how beautiful it looks! I do this when I make slow cooker chicken thighs, too.
You can also skip this step if you want, especially if you start with a skinless turkey breast. Totally optional. But highly recommended.
Let the turkey breast REST before slicing it!
One mistake that people make when slicing into a turkey (or chicken, or steak, or really any meat) is they slice into it too quickly. This causes many of the juices in the meat to escape prematurely. If you let it rest, the juices have a chance to redistribute.
Letting the turkey breast rest for 20 minutes before slicing will result in super juicy, moist meat. If you’re worried about it cooling off, you can tent it with foil.
And that gives you plenty of time to whip up a gravy from the drippings!
How to make gravy from the drippings
I love turkey gravy so much that I wrote a whole post on how to make classic turkey gravy from the drippings. But you can also do a quick and easy version with the drippings from this slow cooker turkey breast!
- You’ll end up with about a cup of drippings. Strain them into a glass measuring cup or fat separator and discard the onion slices and other solids.
- Melt 2 tablespoons butter OR 2 tablespoons of the fat from the drippings (you can just skim it off the top) in a medium pot or skillet.
- Add 2 tablespoons of flour and whisk together, cooking for about a minute (longer, for darker color).
- Then, slowly pour in the drippings while whisking, cooking until thickened and stirring/whisking frequently.
The gravy probably won’t need much seasoning since the drippings have all the flavor from the rub. Keep in mind, if you use turmeric in the rub, the gravy will also have a yellow hue.
Can you use a bone-in turkey breast?
Definitely! Follow the exact same instructions, just cook it for longer and make a little more rub. Whole turkey breasts with the bone in are usually 6-7 pounds, so it will need more time.
I recommend cooking a bone-in turkey breast in the slow cooker for on low for 6 hours. Be sure to check the temperature to make sure it’s 165 degrees F.
More of an instant pot lover? Try this Instant Pot Turkey Breast for a whole, bone-in version flavored with lemon and thyme. You may also like this Dutch Oven Whole Roast Chicken recipe.
Sides to go with turkey breast
- Spiced Orange Cranberry Sauce
- Creamy Mashed Potatoes
- Sweet Potato Casserole with Almond Streusel Topping
- Greek Green Beans
- Maple Glazed Sweet Potatoes
Be sure to check out all my other Thanksgiving Recipes, and these Slow Cooker Thanksgiving Recipes.
And if you have leftover turkey, try this leftover turkey salad with cranberries and walnuts or this leftover turkey soup with black beans and corn!
Juicy Slow Cooker Boneless Turkey Breast
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 lb. boneless turkey breast
- 4 tablespoons butter softened
- 1 large yellow onion cut into roughly 1/2 inch slices
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt (see notes)
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano or 1 tablespoon fresh
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme or 1 tablespoon fresh
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric optional
- fresh herbs for garnish optional
Instructions
- In a small bowl, soften the butter in the microwave for a few seconds if it's not already soft (don't completely melt it). Spread a little bit of the butter in the bottom of your slow cooker, then place the sliced onions in the slow cooker.
- Remove the turkey breast from the packaging and discard any twine used for trussing, gravy inserts, etc. Pat the turkey breast dry with paper towels. I like to place paper towels on a rimmed baking sheet, place the turkey breast on top, and pat the top dry.
- To make the rub, add the kosher salt (2 teaspoons- see notes if using butterball or pre-brined turkey!), black pepper (1/2 teaspoon), garlic powder (1 teaspoon), dried oregano (1 teaspoon), dried thyme (1 teaspoon), paprika (1 teaspoon), and turmeric, if using (1/2 teaspoon) to the softened butter and stir together to form a paste.
- Spread a little of the rub on the bottom of the turkey, then place it in the slow cooker. If the turkey comes with skin, lift it up gently and spread some of the rub under the skin. Place the skin back on top and spread the majority of the rub all over the top of the turkey breast evenly.
- Cover and cook on low for 4 hours.
- Optional: If you want crispy skin, place the turkey skin-side up on a rimmed baking sheet and broil for 5-10 minutes, or until the skin is crisped to your liking.
- Allow to rest for 20 minutes before slicing.
Notes
- If using a butterball turkey breast, or other pre-brined turkey breast, you may want to use only 1 teaspoon of kosher salt instead of 2, since it's already salted.
- If using a Turkey Breast Roast: You can leave it trussed if you like, as it may consist of pieces of turkey breast put together that will potentially fall apart if the truss is taken off. But taking the truss netting off is OK too, especially if the roast seems pretty "solid."
- To make gravy from the drippings: melt 2 tablespoons butter (or fat from the drippings) over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons flour. Whisk together to form a roux, cook for at least one minute. Pour in the drippings (about 1 cup) and continue to whisk and cook until thickened, about 3-5 minutes. Supplement with chicken stock if you need more drippings for a double or triple batch. (Here's more on how to make gravy from turkey drippings).
- The turmeric in this recipe gives the turkey a golden color and helps add flavor. If you use the drippings to make gravy, the gravy will definitely be a yellow color- delicious but not a traditional gravy color. If you don't like the yellow color, simply omit it.
- Be sure to use a fully THAWED turkey breast. Often, turkey breasts come frozen. You will need to plan ahead to defrost it- keep it in the fridge for about 24 hours per 5 lbs. of meat to defrost before slow cooking. It's not safe to cook frozen meat in a slow cooker, as the inside will not fully cook quickly enough.
- When to take the turkey out of the freezer: I recommend moving the boneless turkey breast from the freezer to the refrigerator 3 days before. It may need only 2 days, but I always err on the side of more time, because if it defrosts completely in only 2 days, it will still stay good for the next 24 hours in the fridge until you’re ready to cook!
- If you want to cook two boneless turkey breasts at the same time, assuming they are about 3 lbs. each, I recommend cooking on low for 5-6 hours. You can check the internal temp at 5 hours if you want to make sure it's 165 degrees, but it won't hurt to go all the way until 6 hours. Don't forget to double the rub amount!
- To use this method with a bone-in turkey breast, assuming it is about 6 lbs, I recommend cooking it on low for about 6 hours, or until the internal temperature is 165 degrees F. Don't forget to double the rub amount!
- Making a different sized turkey? Here are my recommended times for slow cooking both bone-in and boneless turkey breasts. Keep in mind, it's hard to mess this up in a slow cooker. Overcooking by an hour or two may lead to meat that might fall apart and be a little stringy, but will still be juicy. You can err on the side of slightly more time for bone-in, and slightly less time for boneless, depending on the weight of your turkey and the times indicated below. Make sure to check that the internal temp is 165 degrees F when done!
- 2 lb: 3 hours on low
- 3 lb: 4 hours on low
- 4-5 lb: 5-6 hours on low
- 7-8 lb: 6-7 hours on low
- 9-10 lb: 8-9 hours on low
- Prep ahead of time by arranging everything in the slow cooker crock and then placing the crock, covered, in your fridge overnight. Then, transfer the crock to the slow cooker when you're ready to cook it the next day.
Nutrition
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:
Jason
I made it with the bone in. The only thing different I used fresh garlic and not garlic powder. I don’t think I will cook a turkey the traditional way in the oven ever again. The slow cooker didn’t dry out the turkey. Very good and easy recipe to follow.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Thank you, and I’m so happy you liked it! Same- I don’t think I can go back to doing an oven-roasted turkey.
Melissa
Made this for a small my small Thanksgiving gathering today and it was a hit! Used 5ish lb bone in breast and followed the extra instructions notes. It was absolutely delicious and super tender. Will definitely make again!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Debbie M
Our turkey breast was moist and tender. It was so flavorful. I wondered about the herbs and spices combination, but it was probably one of the best I’ve made. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Linda
Absolutely the BEST Turkey I ever made and sooo easy. I’ll be passing this one round! Thank you.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Thanks so much, and really glad to hear you liked it!
Paige
When I removed the twine from my turkey. It fell apart. Also, where in the recipe does it say what to do with the onions. Is it an assumption to just add them?
Elizabeth Lindemann
You may have a turkey breast “roast” which is multiple pieces of meat trussed into a loaf shape- I recommend leaving the twine on in this case (I added a recipe note for this, but you might have seen the recipe before I added it as I only just learned what the turkey breast roast was!). As for the onions, it’s in the first step of the recipe instructions to add them on top of the butter in the bottom of the crockpot under the turkey breast. Happy Thanksgiving!
JOANN FARRIS
Small Thanksgiving gatherings means smaller turkey, I sure hope this sow cooker turkey breast will be a hit, So glad I found your site. I put chicken broth in slow cooker hoping for more juices to make gravy. Will the broth make the breast soggy?
Elizabeth Lindemann
It shouldn’t affect the texture of the meat at all to add more broth. Good idea for more drippings. Happy thanksgiving and hope you like it!
Frances
How do I adjust the slow cooker for a fully cooked 3 1/2 pound turkey breast
Elizabeth Lindemann
I recommend reheating fully cooked turkey breast for 1 hour on low if it’s already sliced, or 2 hours on low if it’s whole, with some chicken broth added (about 1 cup) to the bottom of the slow cooker to keep it juicy. If you leave it whole, you can check the internal temperature to make sure it’s warmed all the way through with a meat thermometer. Hope that helps!
Regina Mercer
I have a 3 lb turkey breast. What size crockpot should I use. Thanks!
Elizabeth Lindemann
I used a 6 qt. slow cooker for my 3 pounder, and there was a lot of room to spare, so you can use a smaller one if you like.
Cindy Betsch
I couldnt’t get the rub to stick to the outside of the skin…. ended up pouring melted butter on it and sprinkling the different seasonings. Hope it turns out!! Fingers crossed, thx for the recipe!
Elizabeth Lindemann
It’s OK if it didn’t stick that well! Sometimes if the turkey breast is cold it will really solidify the butter and it will be hard to spread. I just kind of dollop the chunks of butter on top in that case. You did well with pouring melted butter on and sprinkling on the seasonings as an alternative! Hope you like it :-)
E-Barb
I had that problem using my hands, but found a spatula did the trick for more even spreading.
Michele
I have a 4.68 pound Butterball whole turkey breast (bone-in). What would be my cook time?
Elizabeth Lindemann
I recommend 5 hours – 5.5 hours. Don’t forget to double check the internal temp to make sure! Hope you like it :-)
Sana
I am wondering if marinating the boneless turkey would be helpful to do prior to cooking in the crockpot?
Elizabeth Lindemann
You can if you like! If your turkey is brined already (like a butterball) I would caution against marinating with any salt since it may be too salty. But if you have an unbrined turkey breast, you can certainly marinate it, or even brine it, before making this recipe. And you can also assemble it in the crockpot with the rub all on it the day before cooking, which will also allow the flavors to be absorbed by the meat a bit. Hope that helps!
Mindy T
This recipe is so much easier than one I found a while back.
I did 2 of the turkeys and I found if I softened the butter to half melted and half softened it was easier to apply because the cold turkey hardened the butter up as I was apply it.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad the recipe worked for you and thank you for the tip!
Zelene
We loved this recipe, the flavor was amazing, the breast very juicy and definitely this will be my goto recipe in the futuro for turkey breast.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Lovie
I’d like to use your recipe for my turkey breast, but I have a 3.5 lb PRECOOKED breast. How does the timing change?
Elizabeth Lindemann
This recipe is for an uncooked turkey, and I’ve never done this before, but here’s an interesting recipe from another food blogger for make ahead turkey that is reheated in a crockpot. She recommends putting an entire carved 12 lb. turkey in the slow cooker for 3-4 hours with 2 15 oz. cans chicken broth. I think you can use this method to heat up a precooked breast! I’m assuming the breast has already been seasoned and everything, correct? In that case, I would skip the rub in my recipe, and stick the precooked breast in the slow cooker on low for about 2 hours with some chicken broth to keep it moist. That should heat it up all the way through- you can always use a meat thermometer to make sure it’s warm all the way. Hope that helps!
Jennifer
I’m going to be using your recipe to make a turkey breast in the crock pot. I’ve never done this. Any ideas how long a crock pot would take to do this for a boneless breast that’s 9.8 pounds?
Elizabeth Lindemann
Dang, a 9.8 lb. boneless breast? That’s huge haha! I’d say cook it on low for 8 hours on low. Hope you like it!
Jodi
Hello! I have the turkey breast in the crockpot as I type this. It smells great! I used a 3 lb Butterball and used sea salt and only used maybe a 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Kind of wondering if maybe I should have left the salt out altogether. But hopefully it will still turn out ok! I’m making this advance as I thawed my turkey out too early in the fridge and I wanted to be safe! Question-any recommendations on how to reheat the turkey the next day? (I am making gravy to go with it, so that will help if it dries out at all.) Thank you in advance!
Elizabeth Lindemann
Here’s a great way to reheat turkey so it doesn’t dry out- stick it in an oven at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes in a baking dish with some chicken broth and butter, covered with foil, to keep it moist. Here’s how: https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-reheat-turkey-and-keep-it-moist-251033
I also think sticking it back in the slow cooker is probably another good way to reheat it, since low and slow will help prevent it from drying out! I’ve never done this before, but here’s an interesting recipe from another food blogger for make ahead turkey that is reheated in a crockpot. She recommends putting an entire carved 12 lb. turkey in the slow cooker for 3-4 hours with 2 15 oz. cans chicken broth. I think you can use this method to heat up the cooked breast! I would stick the cooked turkey breast, sliced, in the slow cooker on low for about 1 hour with some chicken broth to keep it moist, or whole for about 2 hours on low. That should probably heat it up all the way through- you can always use a meat thermometer to make sure it’s warm all the way if it’s not sliced.
Hope that helps! And you should be good with the salt you added :-)
Jodi
Thank you so much for the reply and recommendations! I can’t wait to try the turkey!
Lisa
Can I use a liner?
Elizabeth Lindemann
Definitely! It shouldn’t affect anything about the recipe and will definitely make clean-up easier.
Erin
I’m not using onions. Should I add liquid to my crockpot? Using a 3lb uncooked butterball turkey roast.
Elizabeth Lindemann
You don’t need to add liquid, it will be fine! Hope you like it, and happy thanksgiving!
Kathy Hughes
If my 8 lb. turkey is to big to close the lid can I use foil instead of the lid?
Patty Jordan
I am wanting to try this, I am unclear if you use the turkey roast from a frozen or thawed state. Thanks
Elizabeth Lindemann
THAWED! Completely thawed. This is super important, as it’s not safe to cook it in a slow cooker from frozen. Hope you like it!
Mahea
Butterball’s website says you can slow cook it frozen for up to 6 hours. Is that not accurate?
Elizabeth Lindemann
If butterballs website says it, then you probably can, but I personally have always been of the mindset that slow cooking a large piece of meat from frozen isn’t safe because the inside may cook too slowly and be unsafe. If you give it a try I’d love to know how it comes out!
Kathy Hughes
My turkey breast is 8 lbs, It looks like it will be to big to use the lid. Could I use foil instead of the lid?
Elizabeth Lindemann
Good question! I’ve never tried this before, but according to this article, it seems like foil would work well. I would just make certain the foil is tightly covering the slow cooker so the heat doesn’t escape, use two layers of heavy duty foil, and use potholders to remove it because it will be hot. Hope that helps and hope it turns out well!
Lorraine
I’m super excited about this recipe, but I’m not a big fan of onions. Will it add a strong flavor, or just a hint? I love garlic though. I’m definitely looking forward to making this.
Elizabeth Lindemann
The onions don’t add a ton of flavor- just a subtle onion flavor throughout, and it helps elevate the turkey off the bottom of the crockpot. But you can totally leave them out. How about swapping the onions out for garlic? For a lot of garlic flavor, you can cut whole bulbs of garlic in half (maybe 2-3 of them) and set them cut-side up on the bottom of the slow cooker, and rest the turkey on top. This would make the drippings quite garlicky, which may affect the gravy if you decide to use the drippings, just FYI. And if you do this, here’s a suggestion- you can squeeze out the flesh of the garlic and use it as you would roasted garlic- yum! You can mash them up with a fork and save it to use as garlic paste- toss it in mashed potatoes, add to butter for a garlic butter sauce… YUM! Hope that helps and hope you like it :-)
Lorraine
You are amazing! Thanks so much for the extra suggestion. I am super excited to make this on Thursday. Can’t wait!
Elizabeth Lindemann
You’re welcome! And I’d love to know how it turns out if you try the garlic method!
Melissa
Can’t wait to try this for turkey day this year!. Perfect for a small family. Did you ever (or do you think would be ok) to put the butter and spices on the night prior and leave in the fridge? I’d like to just pop it in in the morning! Thanks!!!
Elizabeth Lindemann
YES- this is a great idea! I can’t believe I forgot to add a recipe note about this- going to add it in now. I’m planning on doing this myself- prepping everything directly in the crockpot, sticking it in the fridge overnight, and then just transferring the crock directly from the fridge to the slow cooker when it’s time. I do this all the time with slow cooker meals- it’s a great way to save time. Hope you like it!
Mary
I have a 4.5 pound boneless turkey breast for a much reduced crowd this year and am trying to decide between a deep fryer (our usual method for a large turkey) and this method. The fryer method guarantees moist turkey meat that has good texture. I’m afraid that this method will result in mushy meat. Can you reassure me that it will be comparable to the deep fryer method? Id rather not spend the $$$$ on peanut oil if it’s not necessary!
Elizabeth Lindemann
This is a good question. I cannot compare this to deep fried turkey breast because… um… I’ve never actually had fried turkey before! But I will say this: I’ve always had great results with this recipe being nice and juicy. I know what you mean about mushy meat- that’s happened to me when I’ve overcooked chicken in the slow cooker- it’s kind of stringy and falls apart. With the cooking time indicated on this recipe, that hasn’t been a problem, and it slices nicely and is juicy. So as long as you don’t overcook it, the texture shouldn’t be an issue. As for a direct comparison to the deep fryer method, I’m sorry I can’t be more help here! Good luck :-)
Mary
Thank you!