Air fryer turkey breast is the easiest way to make a small turkey! It comes out juicy, moist, and golden brown, making it a perfect meal for holidays, or just a delicious family dinner!
If you want to make this delicious turkey breast, the air fryer is a great way to do it! It has such tender meat, and takes much less time than oven roasting. This will free up precious oven space for other dishes you need to make. You can also choose to do bone-in, boneless or even a pre-seasoned turkey breast, ready to cook.
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WHY I LOVE THIS RECIPE
I love making roasted turkey breast in the air fryer because the meat is so tender and full of flavor. Since it's so easy to make in the air fryer, we don't have to wait for a special occasion to make this for dinner anymore!
With it being so easy, we love to make this turkey recipe for the holidays too. It's perfect for a smaller gathering at a holiday party, or when we just need a smaller turkey for Thanksgiving or Christmas. Since it's made in the air fryer, clean up is super easy too!
We love how easy the air fryer makes dinners! Besides this turkey breast, you can also try air fryer chicken breasts, air fryer steak, air fryer pork tenderloin, air fryer Cornish hens, or air fryer frozen pork chops. The air fryer really makes dinner time easier!
INGREDIENTS
- Bone-in or boneless turkey breast- the one I used for this recipe was almost a five pound breast, but be sure the size you get will fit in your air fryer.
- olive oil-or melted butter
- kosher salt
- black pepper
- garlic powder- or 1 fresh garlic clove, minced
- onion powder
- smoked paprika
OPTIONAL: If you don't have some of these seasonings, or just want to save a little time, you can substitute 2 tablespoons of poultry seasoning, like this McCormick's seasoning.
DIRECTIONS
STEP 1
Preheat air fryer to 360 degrees F.
STEP 2
While the air fryer is preheating, remove the turkey breast from the packaging. Gently pat breast dry with a paper towel, then remove any unwanted fat or small trimmings on the turkey breast.
STEP 3
Next, in a small bowl, add the salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika, then stir them together.
STEP 4
Use your hands or a pastry brush and coat the entire turkey breast with olive oil or melted butter. Once it's coated, rub the seasonings all over the breast, pressing it firmly into the breast.
STEP 5
Once the turkey breast is seasoned on both sides, place it in the basket, breast side down. Cook turkey breast at 360 degrees F for 15-20 minutes. Then, turn the turkey over, and continue air frying for an additional 20-25 minutes. Use an instant read meat thermometer to confirm the internal temperature has reached 165 degrees F.
STEP 6
Let the meat rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
We have put together our favorite recipes for the holidays! Try our favorites from these air fryer Thanksgiving recipes and air fryer Christmas recipes.
EXPERT TIPS
The cook time will vary depending on the size of your turkey breast. I usually try to get one that is between four and five pounds. Depending on how thick the breast meat is, it can take 45-55 minutes to get to a safe temperature of 165 degrees F.
In order to have the most accurate internal temperature when using an instant-read thermometer, stick it in the thickest part of the meat.
Allowing the turkey to sit in the air fryer, or on a plate for 5-10 minutes before carving, allows the juices to sit into the meat, and will give you juicier slices.
If your turkey breast is starting to darken on top before it's done cooking, you can cover the turkey with aluminum foil, tucking it underneath the turkey so it doesn't fly in the air fryer.
Because butter has a lower smoke point than olive oil, if using butter, you should lower the temperature to 350 degrees F to prevent your air fryer from smoking. Accordingly, this may increase your cook time by 10-15 minutes.
HOW TO CARVE A TURKEY
Once the turkey is done cooking, you want to carve it to serve. Carving it properly will give you clean slices of meat, and will help you get the most amount of meat from the breast.
To carve the turkey, you will need a sharp knife, a cutting board, and a serving platter or large plate for serving turkey slices.
Before you start to cut, first, secure your cutting board by placing a damp kitchen towel underneath the board. This will help prevent the board from sliding or moving as you cut.
When you slice the turkey breast, start your first cut parallel to the center of the breast, along the breast bone on each side. Slice in a straight line downwards, cutting across the grain of the meat for the best cut.
As you continue slicing, make angled slices across the breast, until you get to the bottom. Transfer the slices to your serving platter or large plate. Garnish with lemon slices, small potatoes, fresh rosemary or thyme herbs.
VARIATIONS
When making this turkey breast, you can easily change up the flavors with different seasonings, fresh herbs, rubs, and marinades. Some of our favorite flavors are rosemary, thyme, sage, as well as easy poultry rubs that are already mixed.
Also, if you want to skip the seasonings, you can add a maple glaze or your favorite BBQ sauce to the turkey. Just brush it on for the last few minutes of air frying.
Steak seasoning, Italian seasoning, or even a brine mix, can make the flavor of the golden skin and juicy meat amazing!
Slice up or shred the turkey meat to make casseroles, sandwiches, or even a turkey pot pie.
Here are a few of our FAVORITE recommendations.
Cosori Dual Blaze Air Fryer - Digital Meat Thermometer - Air Fryer All Day
STORING AND REHEATING
To store leftover turkey, let it cool first. Then place it in an airtight container for 3-4 days. It can be frozen for 3-4 months.
Reheat the breast meat in the air fryer for 3-5 minutes. Feel free to add a few tablespoons of chicken stock and fresh herbed butter to help keep it moist.
In order to prevent freezer burn, seal leftovers in a freezer bag and remove all of the air from the bag.
Looking for air fryer Christmas recipes? Try air fryer reindeer chow, air fryer cranberry brie bites, or these air fryer Christmas brownie mix cookies.
FAQS
A good rule of thumb for servings, is to figure about 1 ½ pounds of turkey breast per person. If the turkey breast is boneless then figure ½ pound per person. As an idea for size, I have a 5.8 quart basket, and can easily fit a 5 pound turkey, with ribs removed.
It's not recommended to cook a frozen turkey breast in the air fryer. Thaw it in the refrigerator first. This size of a turkey breast only takes 24-48 hours to thaw in the refrigerator.
You can cut it into smaller pieces or choose a turkey breast that fits comfortably in your air fryer basket. I used kitchen scissors to cut and remove the ribs from my turkey breast. This helped it open up an lay flat, to fit in the basket.
MORE AIR FRYER RECIPES
We love this air fryer turkey breast for dinner! It's so easy to make and is perfect for the holidays or just a great weeknight meal!
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Jump down to the COMMENT section and tell us what you think about this dish! We would love to help and also appreciate your candid feedback on all of our recipes.
📖 Recipe
Air Fryer Turkey Breast
Equipment
- Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 1 turkey breast bone-in or boneless, 3-5 pounds
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or melted butter
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder or 1 fresh garlic clove, minced
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer to 360 degrees F.
- While the air fryer is preheating, remove the turkey breast from the packaging. Gently pat breast dry with a paper towel, then remove any unwanted fat or small trimmings on the turkey breast.
- In a small bowl, add the salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika, then stir them together.
- Use your hands or a pastry brush and coat the entire turkey breast with olive oil or melted butter. Then rub the seasonings all over the breast, pressing it into the breast firmly.
- Place the seasoned turkey breast in air fryer, breast side down. Cook turkey breast at 360 degrees F for 15-20 minutes. Then, turn the turkey over, and continue air frying for an additional 20-25 minutes. Use an instant read meat thermometer to confirm the internal temperature is 165 degrees F.
- Let the meat rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
Nutrition
*Nutritional information is a calculated guesstimate. Please note that this can change with different brands and modifications you may make to the recipe. For the most accurate information, use a nutritional calculator with the exact brands and measurements you're using with each recipe.
©AirFryingFoodie 2024
Anthony Smith
If using a rotisserie basket, should the time be cut back or is an hour about right?
Hi Anthony. I have not made this turkey breast using a rotisserie, but it looks like the time would be similar, depending on the weight and thickness. I would check the internal temperature about five minutes earlier. Thanks!