This air fryer turkey breast is amazingly delicious, with crispy skin and tender juicy meat. Making turkey in your air fryer is one of the easiest things to do and you no longer have to only have roasted turkey during the holidays.
We only roast a turkey in the oven about once a year. As it's a big deal to buy a double digit pound turkey, taking the time to thaw it for days, brining, seasoning, to stuff or not, and remembering to pull out the middle rack from the oven before turning it on. There are so many steps to roasting a holiday or Thanksgiving turkey.
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❤️ Why You'll Love It
- Less time to cook.
- Less mess.
- Cooks evenly.
- Space in the oven for sides / rolls.
- Have turkey more often.
One of my favorite things to do when having a Thanksgiving turkey is all the turkey leftovers. However, we don't need so many leftovers when we have an air fryer turkey breast. It can easily be made whenever we have a craving for turkey in only an hour of cooking time!
Making an air fryer turkey breast takes away all the hassle. It's easy, comes out incredibly juicy, so tender, and there's no guessing if it's fully cooked. Simply using an instant read thermometer, the temperature should be at least 165F.
📝 Recipe Ingredients
🥣 Equipment
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- You will need an air fryer for this recipe, this Ninja air fryer is what I used for this recipe. Any other air fryer large enough for your turkey will work you just need to check your manual for the settings.
🥄 Recipe Instructions
Note: This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the recipe card below.
- In a medium bowl combine oil, melted butter, and all the spices.
- Pour mix rub ingredients over the turkey breast.
- Rub turkey breast all over with the mixture and make sure to rub inside the cavity and if you can can under the skin.
- Preheat your air fryer to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place turkey breast in the air fryer skin down and air fry for 20 minutes. Turn it over and air fry for another 30-45 minutes or until an instant read thermometer registers 165F. Let it rest for 15-30 minutes before carving.
💡 Expert Tips
- You MUST thaw the turkey breast before cooking. The best way is to thaw in the refrigerator. It takes 24 hours for every 4-5 pounds of turkey.
- If you are in a hurry then you can submerge the turkey in COLD water not warm and allow 30 minutes per pound and change the water every 30 minutes. Do not thaw on the counter or in the microwave.
- Before starting the recipe, it is recommended to check the size of the turkey fits into your air fryer. A 5-pound turkey breast should fit into a 5 quart air fryer.
- You can use salted butter but adjust the salt accordingly.
- Letting the turkey breast rest before carving ensures a moist and tender turkey. Also cutting it into thin slices makes it taste more tender.
- In case your air fryer smoke especially when cooking fatty food or if you are cooking multiple batches consider adding a couple of tablespoons of water or a piece of bread in the dripping pan or at the bottom of your air fryer. Please refer to your manual for safety and proper use.
🧺 Storage
- Leftover turkey can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- To reheat: Place turkey slices in a baking dish, add 1 cup of low sodium broth per pound of turkey breast and add about 1 tablespoon of butter, cut into pieces, on top. Bake at 350F oven until the slices are heated thoroughly or an instant read thermometer registers a minimum of 165F.
🍽️ Serve With
Serve air fryer turkey breast with cranberry sauce, roasted brussels sprouts, roasted vegetables, green beans casserole , fluffy bread rolls or buttermilk biscuits.
💬 Recipe FAQs
A good rule of thumb is to know that it takes about 10-12 minutes per pound. The internal temperature of turkey breast should be a minimum of 165F.
The short answer is no. It takes a long while for the turkey to thaw out. Much longer than it takes to cook. The turkey breast will be way over done and dry if you try to cook it while frozen.
Yes! A boneless turkey breast can be used in place of the bone in turkey breast with the same seasoning rub. A 5 pound boneless turkey breast should take about 50-60 minutes to roast. Be sure to flip and check on it half ways as you would a bone in turkey breast. And check that the internal temperature is 165F to signal it's completely cooked.
📣 Related Recipes
Air fryer was a game changer for me, it cooks quicker and the food comes out well done without being mushy or overcooked. Here are some great air fryer recipes for you to try.
- Air fryer salmon seasoned with loads of Middle Eastern spices and cooked to perfection. Ready in 10 minutes which makes dinner a breeze.
- Super simple recipe for homemade Air Fryer Garlic Bread is the perfect buttery side dish for any dinner.
- Air Fryer Frozen Sweet Potato Fries are way lighter than deep fried sweet potatoes side. A delicious crispy side dish with less fat and ready in less than 15 minutes.
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Air Fryer Turkey Breast
Equipment
- Air fryer
Ingredients
- 5-6 pound turkey breast, bone-in skin-on
- 2 Tablespoons oil
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 2-3 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 Tablespoon onion powder
- 1/2 Tablespoon garlic powder
- 1/2 Tablespoon black pepper
- 1/2 Tablespoon paprika
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- 1 tsp basil
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp sage
Instructions
Prepare the turkey:
- Pat dry the turkey breast with paper towels
- In a medium bowl combine oil, melted butter, and all the spices.
- Rub the turkey all over with the butter oil mixture and make sure to rub inside the cavity and if you can under the skin.
Cooking the turkey:
- Preheat your air fryer to 350F.
- Place turkey breast in the air fryer skin side down and air fry for 20 minutes.
- Turn it over and air fry for another 30-45 minutes or until an instant read thermometer registers 165F.
- Let it rest for 15-30 minutes before carving.
Notes
- You MUST thaw the turkey breast before cooking. The best way is to thaw in the fridge. It takes 24 hours for every 4-5 pounds of turkey.
- If you are in a hurry, then you can submerge the turkey in tap COLD water not warm and allow 30 minutes per pound and change the water every 30 minutes. Do not thaw on the counter or in the microwave.
- Before starting the recipe, it is recommended to check the size of the turkey fits into your air fryer. A 5-pound turkey breast should fit into a 5 quart air fryer.
- You can use salted butter but adjust the salt accordingly.
- You can use olive oil or if you would like a higher temperature smoking point oil, avocado oil works as great.
- Letting the turkey breast rest before carving ensures moist and tender turkey. Also cutting it into thin slices makes it taste more tender.
- In case your air fryer smoke especially when cooking fatty food or if you are cooking multiple batches consider adding a couple of tablespoons of water or a piece of bread in the dripping pan or at the bottom of your air fryer. Please refer to your manual for safety and proper use.
- Air fryers are different so until you get used to yours you should check it 5-10 minutes before the suggested cooking time ends.
- Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Place turkey slices in a baking dish, add 1 cup of low sodium broth per pound of turkey and add about 1 tablespoon of butter, cut into pieces, on top.
- Bake in a 350F oven until the slices are heated thoroughly until it reaches an internal temperature of 165ºf.
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