Crock Pot Turkey Breast cooks up tender and full of flavor with minimal effort. A tasty gravy from the cooking juices can be made in just minutes.
Do you start to crave a Thanksgiving-style meal before Thanksgiving? I do. Most years, Thanksgiving is the only day of the year I cook turkey. But that’s going to change with this Crock Pot Turkey Breast recipe. It really could not be easier to make. Throw a few sides in the oven and you can enjoy the flavors of Thanksgiving any day of the year.
A turkey breast cooked in a Slow Cooker
The cooking juices, which are nicely flavored from the onion soup mix, are easy to turn into a yummy gravy with just a little flour.
Serve the gravy with sliced turkey breast, mashed potatoes, and dressing for an easy meal.
If you’re preparing Thanksgiving for a small number of people, this Crock Pot Turkey is plenty delicious to serve for Thanksgiving dinner. The only downside is you don’t get that crisp skin like you do when you roast a turkey in the oven or deep fry one. Although, you could probably take the cooked Crock Pot Turkey Breast and place it under the broiler for a few minutes to crisp up the skin.
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Crock Pot Turkey Breast
Ingredients
- 1 carrot, chopped into 2 inch pieces
- 1 small onion, quartered
- 1 stalk celery, chopped into 2 inch pieces
- 1 (6 to 7-pound) bone-in turkey breast, defrosted
- 1 packet dry onion soup mix
- 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
- 2 tablespoons melted Challenge Butter
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 2 cups liquid reserved from cooking turkey
Instructions
- Spray a 6-quart crock pot with cooking spray. Place carrot, celery, and onion in bottom of crock pot.
- Place turkey on top of vegetables. Sprinkle with onion soup mix and sage. Drizzle with melted butter.
- Cover and cook on low for 5 to 7 hours. Use an instant read thermometer to see if turkey is done. Temperature should be 165 degrees.
- Remove turkey and strain liquid. Reserve 2 cups. If for some reason you do not have 2 cups of liquid, use chicken broth to make up the difference.
- Add flour and pepper to a medium skillet. Whisk in the 2 cups of cooking liquid.
- Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking constantly. Turn heat down to just maintain a simmer and cook until thickened, about 2 minutes.
Nutrition
Sharing with the Weekend Potluck.
Crock Pot Turkey Breast goes great with these recipes:
Andouille Sausage and Cornbread Stuffing
Cheesy Green Bean CasseroleDisclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
I used this recipe for Thanksgiving and it was a HIT!!! Usually my family prefers ham and a roasted hen but I chose to do a turkey breast. Honestly, the family loved the turkey so much that they were fighting over seconds and I will never again roast a turkey or hen! This recipe could not have been any simpler – just season it very well and put it in the crock pot and forget about it for six hours. The aroma of it cooking had the house smelling so deliciously wonderful! Thank you for making my job easier and pleasing my family!
Used a 3# Butterball boneless roast and this recipe. Wonderful flavor and it was tender, not dry, and the gravy was also great. I used real butter, and some extra herbs, but this is a keeper. First time doing a crockpot turkey for Thanksgiving, but the stove is not working and I might do this again for our small gathering!
This was delicious and quite easy, but it didn’t cook as I expected. After 45 minutes on low, the pot was nearly dry, and the onion soup was beginning to burn. I had to add water. After a total cooking time of 2 1/2 hours, the breast was completely done, and I had about a cup of drippings.
I bought a frozen turkey breast that says NO THAW – ROAST IN OVEN – IN A ROASTING BAG ALREADY. My sister says that she takes hers and puts in crockpot (frozen and leaves in the roasting bag but puts a couple of slits in the bag) Takes about 5 -6 hrs and is tender and juicy. She said she does not thaw hers first (usually a 3 lb breast) ??
This is not safe in a crock pot. It will stay in the danger zone of 40-140 for too long. Crock pots cook at much lower temps than ovens.
Has anyone tried this with turkey thighs?
So I went ahead and used bone-in thighs and the family loved it! I cooked them on high for about 4 hours and they turned out juicy and well flavored. Will definitely make this again!
Hello! Would this work cooking at a faster time on high? Like 3-4hrs on high setting?
thank you!
I have made this recipe 4 times already and I love it. This year I have to cook for more people so I need a whole turkey. I am thinking on buying a roster over and just the recipe, and cooking time for 12 hours in the slow cook mode (225 Fahrenheit). Is that okay?
This turkey breast is so easy and delicious!
This is my third time making this recipe. This recipe is brilliant. Beautifully cooked turkey and gravy with just a little prep. Hands off cooking ending in a great dinner and even better leftover turkey sandwiches. Yeah!!! Thanks for a great recipe!
I want to cook a 6.0lb. (bones in) turkey breast STUFFED in the crock pot. Can I do that? I only see where people say put the stuffing in a bag and lay it on the bottom of the pot, under the turkey. But, I really want the stuffing INside the turkey . It flavors the turkey & the turkey flavors the stuffing. Help? How long on what setting?
I’ve been using this recipe for YEARS! This will be my third year making a crock pot turkey it is always so moist and delicious!
Could you throw in some stuffing in the bottom of the slow cooker and let it cook along with the turkey?
I’ve never tried that John. Sounds like it would be good, but might take a couple of tries to get the amount right so that it is not soggy.
The turkey breast I bought from butterball says to roast from frozen, so for the crockpot should I still thaw?
Yes, I think I would. Just be sure to go ahead and cook it as soon as it is thawed.
Cooking breast part is little bit hard for me. Eagerly waiting to try this wonderful recipe to get WOW result. Thanks for sharing!!!
A question: Should you thaw the breast first?
Yes.
Looks wonderful! Do you add any water to this before cooking?
Cut the vegetable very small after cooked and add it to your gravy.
Ugh! Replied to the wrong comment. It should have replied to ‘what do we do with the vegetables’ comment.
What do we do with the vegetables (carrots, onion, celery) that were cooked in the bottom of the crock pot after everything is cooked?
I toss them out. Sounds wasteful but I haven’t been able to think of a way to use them.
I am gong to try using my hand mixer to blend them into the liquid before making the gravy.
add them to the stuffing
Or put them in a pot with the legs and bones for stock
This recipe makes beautiful stock!! And a lot of it . Barb
Ty very much for sharing! ,, I made 2 turkey breast / bone in and 1..1/2 cups of water, in a crockpot bag .. Placed in the crockpot , 5 and a bit hours.. On low that’s number 1 on mine ,
It was sooooooo juicy!??????? Thank you again… It was Great!,, will do this again , and again! … No mess.. No fuss… Just great!
Yay! So glad you liked it. It really is a great way to cook a turkey that is really juicy!
Do you add any water to the crock pot before you start to cook? I would like to try this but need to know about the water when i do roasts mine recommended adding water first , did you do that with the turkey breast?
Guess that remains a mystery–I can’t imagine this tasting OK w/o ANY liquid.
No liquid is needed. You will be shocked at how much liquid a turkey produces when cooked in a crock pot.
My turkey breast is 3 lbs – boneless. How long should it cook in my crock pot ?
If all I could find was a boneless 3 pound breast would that affect the cooking time as well as the ingredients?
I would keep the ingredients the same and I would check it at 5 hours with a thermometer and see if it need more time.
Does this really just produce 6 servings? I was going to try to do this to feed around 50 people, obviously using several crockpots, but if surely it will feed more.
Experts recommend that you allow at least one pound of turkey (with bones) for each person you are feeding. If you use this recipe, you will need at least 50 lbs of turkey breast (with bones) to feed them.
If you are going boneless, you would probably be safe with figuring at least 1.25 lbs – 1.50 lbs of turkey person.
Oh no — I made a mistake. You would need *less* per person if using a boneless turkey breast.
Sorry about that!
Oh my! It will take a lot of turkey breasts to feed 50 people. I think you might need to throw a large whole turkey in the oven too.
I made this turkey breast yesterday and it was fabulous. Very moist and tasty. Will use this recipe again.
Go glad you enjoyed it Lynne! I love how moist meat is when it comes out of the crock pot. 🙂
I have done turkey breast in a crock pot before, but this was the best. I thought the onion soup left a little bitter after taste though. So either we need less, or I need to create a substitute somehow. I was amazed at how good the gravy was though… Thank you.
Used a 3lb boneless turkey breast from the Whole Foods deli. This recipe was easy and delicious although I think my turkey turned out a little bit drier than I prefer. I probably could have treated the turkey breast to little slices of butter before throwing it in the pot. Overall, very easy, tasty, and provided more than enough turkey for two people to eat for the approximately four meals.
i wrap mine in bacon, the rest the same add vegetables to stuffing, turkey and bacon drippings for gravy…..yummmm
Target has turkey breast on sale quite often. They are on sale this week for $1.19#.
Gonna try this recipe soon! Sounds so good! Thanks! Will be a great Thanksgiving!!
Sounds delicious! And perfect for busy Holidays! =)
Pinning!
Ive always basted my turkey with brown sugar an pineapple juice mixed together. Can I do a turkey breast like that in a crockpot withov burning it? Just wondering.
There is no need to baste when you do your turkey in the crock pot. If you are frequently taking the lid off, then the temp. in the pot goes down , so you are losing the benefit of the crock pot. I think if you want to try it, mix together your pineapple juice and brown sugar making a paste. I would put this mixture under the skin of the turkey breast and let it do its magic that way!
this sounds YUMMMMMY !!! I am going to try this !!
last year I did a basket weave of bacon on top of my turkey breast and cooked it in the oven….YUMMMM
thanks for the idea !
also love the idea of putting brown sugar and pineapple under the skin !!! thanks for all the great ideas !!!
I need to try a basket weave of bacon on top! I’ve seen pictures but have never tried it.
I have cooke my Turkey breast in a crockpot for 4 yrs now not just for the holidays. With busy schedules it is nice to put on in th morning come in from workand there it is all you have t do s the fixens. Stove top dressing works great in a hurry on a busynite. Have some steamed vegys and Hawian rolls. Make ya want to slap yourself in the head and say why didn’t I do this before it is so heathy. I just put a half stick margin in cavity with sme hicken bullion and it seems to be the right amount of salt especially ifyou have high blood pressure.
Blessings
PS Have tried to brown skin makes it dry out.
I love this! So perfect for making Thanksgiving dinner for a smaller crowd. The breast is my favorite part anyways! And since it’s done in the slow cooker, it still makes your house smell amazing ALL day! 😉
it looks delicious! it’s a great way to save time and work on the side dishes!
I love making turkey breast, and it can’t wait to try it in a slow cooker — what a great idea!
My oh my – that does look soooo tasty! Thanks so much for sharing your awesome recipes with us at Weekend Potluck. Hope the week ahead is a great one for you.
Okay this is really cool that it’s in the crockpot! I also start to crave thanksgiving foods before the holiday – and this would be wayyy better than making another turkey!
Love this turkey breast. It looks moist and flavorful.
Can’t believe that’s made in the crock pot! Looks terrific. This is really great for any time of year. Thank you!
This is definitely looking really good. Love turkey breast, sounds good to cook in in the crock pot.
Can I have some of your madly-amazing photography skills?! (and a little/a lot of this turkey too?!) This is seriously so gorgeous, Christen! I can hardly stand how moist and juicy the inside looks! Pinned. 🙂
I love the idea of making a turkey breast in the crockpot! I don’t make or eat turkey nearly enough outside of the holidays.
We don’t have such thing as Thanksgiving 🙂 But I imagine this is a perfect dish for it 😉
This looks beyond amazing!! Wowza!
If it was socially acceptable I think I could eat Thanksgiving style meals all year long! I love the idea of cooking the turkey breast in a crockpot! That seems like it would take some stress out of the cooking which would be so nice since I usually cook the meal all by myself!
I am all over this recipe! I love that you made this in the crock pot. I actually like making turkey year round, but hadn’t thought to put it in the crock pot. Very smart 😀 Pinning
This turkey breast looks perfect! I’m not quite ready to try my hand at a whole turkey (and besides, there are only the 2 of us and a 2 year old!), but I LOVE turkey so I might just have to try this!
Looks awesome! I make whole chickens in the crock pot all the time and comes out perfectly.
I’ve been dying to try cooking a turkey breast in the slow cooker! My oven isn’t big enough for a traditional turkey, so this would be great for me! 😀
Looks amazing. Perfect for our smaller Thanksgiving this year! Where do you find the turkey breasts?
I get them frozen at my local supermarket (Harris Teeter) and let them defrost in the refrigerator for about 3 days.
Target has turkey breasts on sale quite often. They are on sale this week for $1.19#. I’m in the Chicago area. Sale ends tomorrow.
What a great idea to make a turkey breast in the crock pot! This is perfect for smaller gatherings, and for the rest of the year when the turkey cravings strike! Pinned!