This Instant Pot Turkey is the perfect way to free up your oven for side dishes this Thanksgiving.
Better yet, you don’t have to babysit the turkey all day to keep basting it. Your Instant Pot will do the job of keeping it moist and delicious.
Thanksgiving is a holiday that’s all about spending time with the people you care about. Many people want their Thanksgiving celebration to be about togetherness, rather than slaving over the feast.
Of course, a grand feast is still important, but you can plan all the Thanksgiving dinner details ahead of time to make it easier. Then, you won’t have to have 6 things that need to be in the oven at the same time.
That’s why this year you should make an Instant Pot Turkey and save the oven for dishes like green bean potato casserole and apple and rhubarb pie.
Jump to:
What to Know About Cooking a Turkey in an Instant Pot
What Size Turkey can you use?
This recipe is for a fresh whole turkey. I used an 8 pound turkey which JUST fit inside my 8 quart Instant Pot.
If you have a 6 quart Instant Pot, you can adjust the size of the turkey to one that fits in your 6 quart and then just adjust the cooking time down accordingly (6 minutes per pound).
If you’re not sure if the turkey you have will fit in your instant pot or not, try it before you cook it. You should leave the turkey in the packaging and place it on top of the trivet in your instant pot to see if it will fit or not, and if the lid will close properly.
How to Thaw Your Turkey
If you have a frozen turkey, you’ll want to follow these instructions for safely thawing your turkey before cooking. Make sure you read these instructions a few days ahead of time because you’ll need to start thawing your turkey at least a couple of days before Thanksgiving.
What to do if you Have a Turkey Breast Instead
Don’t like dark meat? You can follow this recipe using a bone-in turkey breast instead.
It’s the same calculation for the cook time (6 minutes per pound), so a 5 pound turkey breast will require a 30 minute cooking time.
If you’re not sure if the turkey breast you have will fit in your instant pot or not, try it before you cook it. You should leave the turkey breast in the packaging and place it on top of the trivet in your instant pot to see if it will fit or not, and if the lid will close properly.
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❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Aside from freeing up your oven, you’ll also appreciate these other things about this recipe for Thanksgiving turkey:
- Cooks faster than the oven: An 8 pound turkey in the oven can take at least 3 hours to cook. In the instant pot, it only takes an hour and a half.
- No basting required: The moisture gets locked into the meat, as opposed to evaporating out like it can in the oven, so you don’t have to keep basting it. No dry turkey woes with this recipe!
- Easy to make: This recipe is really easy to make — just cut a few vegetables, add some spices, and cook the turkey.
If you want to make a whole chicken instead, try this air fryer spatchcock chicken recipe.
🥘 Ingredients
You’ll already have plenty of groceries to buy for your Thanksgiving feast, so thankfully this recipe sticks with just the basics.
- A whole turkey: This recipe uses an 8 pound turkey because it uses an 8 quart Instant Pot (see notes above under “What to Know About Cooking a Turkey in an Instant Pot” for more details).
- Celery, carrots, onion and garlic cloves: These vegetables are cooked under the trivet the turkey cooks on, so they help keep the turkey moist. They also make the turkey taste richer and more aromatic.
- Fresh rosemary, sage and thyme: Placing the sprigs of rosemary, sage, and thyme inside the turkey cavity allows their flavors to infuse into the meat as it cooks.
See recipe card for complete list of ingredients and quantities
🔀 Substitutions
If you don’t have some of the above ingredients, you can try these instead:
Celery: You can use leeks or fennel instead, or choose from this list for a substitute for celery.
Carrots: Replace with parsnips (for a slightly sweeter flavor) or turnips.
Garlic cloves: Substitute with garlic powder (about 1 teaspoon) or roasted garlic for a milder, sweeter flavor.
Fresh herbs: Replace with dried herbs if fresh isn’t available (use about 1 teaspoon of each dried herb). Other fresh herbs like oregano, marjoram, or bay leaves can be used as well.
🥄 Equipment Needed / Helpful Tools
The only equipment you’ll need:
- Instant Pot (6 qt capacity or larger): This is where you’ll cook and prepare just about everything needed for this recipe.
- Trivet for the Instant Pot: The vegetables will cook under this and the turkey will cook on top of it.
- Broiler pan: You’ll need this if you want to crisp the skin at the end.
🔪 How to Make Instant Pot Turkey
It’s super easy to make Instant Pot Turkey. Here’s how you do it:
Step 1: Add Everything BUT the Turkey and Herbs
Add 3/4 cup water, celery, carrots, onion, and garlic cloves to the inner liner of your Instant Pot.
Place the metal trivet on top of the vegetables.
Step 2: Prepare the Turkey
Now it’s time for the star of the show. Remove the neck and giblets from the turkey and either set aside for gravy or dispose of them.
Add fresh sprigs of rosemary, sage and thyme inside the cavity of the turkey.
Step 3: Add the Turkey
Carefully lay the turkey on top of the trivet. Use the trivet handles to hold the wings down.
Step 4: Cook
Secure the lid and make sure the valve is set to sealing. Cook it on manual high pressure for 6 minutes per pound. The recipe uses an 8-pound turkey so you would set the time for 48 minutes.
Step 5: Release the Pressure
When the cook time ends, allow for a 10-minute natural release before turning the steam valve to venting to release the rest of the pressure.
Step 6: Broil, if Desired
To get a nice, crispy brown skin, move the turkey to a broiler pan and broil for about 2-3 minutes or until golden brown.
Step 7: Serve and Enjoy
Slice the turkey just like you normally would and serve with gravy and your favorite sides.
❓ Recipe FAQs
Since the primary purpose of the vegetables is to add flavor to the turkey and the cooking liquid, some people choose to discard them after straining the broth, especially if they are very mushy.
Then, you can use the liquid as a base for making gravy. The flavors from the vegetables will have infused the liquid, making it a rich base.
Yes, it is best to thaw the turkey completely before cooking it in the Instant Pot. A frozen or partially frozen turkey may not cook evenly, which can lead to undercooked areas and longer cooking times.
It’s not recommended to cook stuffing inside the turkey when using an Instant Pot, as the stuffing may not reach a safe temperature. Instead, cook the stuffing separately on the stovetop or in the oven.
🙏 Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Instant Pot Turkey:
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📋 Recipe
Instant Pot Turkey
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Equipment
- Instant Pot – 6 quart or larger
- Trivet
- Broiler pan
Ingredients
- 1 turkey 8 pounds
- 3/4 cup water
- 3 ribs celery cut into chunks
- 3 carrots cut into chunks
- 1 onion halved
- 3 garlic cloves halved
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 1 sprig fresh sage
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
Instructions
- Add water, celery, carrots, onion and garlic cloves to Instant Pot inner pot. Place the metal rack on top of the vegetables.3/4 cup water, 3 ribs celery, 3 carrots, 1 onion, 3 garlic cloves
- Remove the neck and giblets from the turkey. Set aside for gravy or dispose.1 turkey
- Place sprigs of rosemary, sage and thyme into the cavity of the turkey.1 sprig fresh rosemary, 1 sprig fresh sage, 1 sprig fresh thyme
- Place the turkey on top of the rack and use handles to hold wings.
- Secure the Instant Pot lid and turn valve to sealing. Cook on manual high pressure for 6 minutes per pound, so for an 8-pound turkey, that would be 48 minutes.
- After the timer beeps indicating that the cook time is complete, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, then let out the remaining pressure by turning the valve to venting.
- If desired, transfer turkey to broiler pan and broil for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown on top.
I have a 9.76 lb turkey breast will it fit in my 8 quart instant pot?
I’m not sure if that will fit in your instant pot or not. Before you try cooking it, you should leave the turkey breast in the packaging and place it on top of the trivet in your instant pot to see if it will fit or not, and if the lid will close properly.
Most turkeys that I see in the grocery store are around 12 pounds. That’s way too big, right?
The turkey I used was 8 pounds, and it just fit, so I think a 12 pound one wouldn’t fit.
What do you do with the vegetables after? Why are they needed? TIA
The vegetables help make the turkey juicy and flavorful. You can eat the vegetables with the turkey, if you want.
Hi Corinne,
So exciting to make a turkey. However, I have not been able to find an 8 lb turkey at my stores. I have the 6qt and have been only able to fit a 4 lb chicken. So you were able to fit an 8 lb turkey with no problems?? Thanks for the recipe!!
I used an 8 quart for this recipe. Thanks for asking since I should have noted that in the recipe (doing that now). You can adjust the size of the turkey to one that fits in your 6 quart and then just adjust the cooking time down accordingly.