Instant Pot turkey breast, mashed potatoes, baked sweet potatoes, and gravy all in one pot! Yes, you can make an entire Thanksgiving dinner in an Instant Pot all at once!
Make sure to read the entire post below the recipe card for additional tips and step-by-step photos.
Staying low-key this Thanksgiving? If you’re not hosting a big crowd and keeping it within the family, you can still cook and serve fuss-free classic Thanksgiving dinner on a smaller scale!
Let me show you how to cook an entire Thanksgiving dinner in an Instant Pot all at once! Yes, the whole meal!! (Ok, dessert is not included…)
Effortless and delicious full Thanksgiving dinner in ONE POT!
Here’s what’s on the menu:
- boneless turkey breast
- creamy mashed potatoes
- baked sweet potatoes
- homemade gravy
And it takes about 2 hours to put everything together, but majority of the time (over 1 hour) is inactive time!! You could prepare a salad or dessert in that time, and you’ll have an amazing fuss-free Thanksgiving dinner for your family.
It’s all about layering everything in the pot.
HOW TO COOK THANKSGIVING DINNER IN INSTANT POT?
- Place the cut potatoes on the bottom. Cutting the potatoes into smaller chunks allows more room to place a turkey breast over them.
- I’m using pre-season boneless turkey breast here, which makes it even more convenient! And that’s not all. Don’t stress, if you forgot to thaw the meat beforehand. My recipe is written for frozen turkey breast!!!
- Wrap the sweet potatoes in a foil and squeeze them in around the turkey breast. It doesn’t take long for sweet potatoes to cook, so wrapping them helps to prevent them from turning into a mush.
- Once everything is cooked, we’ll broil the turkey breast to give it a nice color. Then we’ll make the mashed potatoes in the pot, followed by the homemade gravy!
Easy-peasy, right?
WHAT KIND OF TURKEY BREAST CAN I COOK IN INSTANT POT?
You can cook any kind of turkey breast in Instant Pot, bone-in or boneless, thawed or frozen.
I’ve tried boneless turkey breast, as well as bone-in. Bone-in turkey breast takes up a lot of space though, so make sure to pay attention to the size of the meat. Just to give you an idea: 5.5 lbs bone-in turkey breast was just right for my 6qt Instant Pot.
But for this recipe, I recommend boneless turkey breast, so that you have enough room for mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes.
COOKING TIME FOR INSTANT POT TURKEY BREAST
It’s really simple to determine the cooking time for Instant Pot Turkey Breast:
- For frozen turkey breast (bone-in and boneless): 10 minutes per pound with full natural pressure release (NPR), or at least 20 minutes NPR.
- For thawed turkey breast (bone-in and boneless): 6 minutes per pound with full natural pressure release (NPR), or at least 20 minutes NPR.
TIP 1: As always, it’s important to let the Instant Pot release the pressure naturally when cooking any kind of meat to prevent dry texture! Natural pressure release basically means to let the Instant Pot sit untouched until pressure pin drops. You can unplug the pot, if you would like.
TIP 2: Always check the internal temperature of the meat to ensure it’s fully cooked. You want the turkey breast reach 165°F at the thickest part.
WHAT IF TURKEY BREAST IS NOT COOKED ENOUGH?
If the turkey breast hasn’t reached 165°F internal temperature, remove sweet potatoes and check the water level in the bottom of the pan and add up 1 cup of water, if needed. Then cover the lid, set vent valve on “sealing” and cook for another 5-7 minutes on high, followed by 10 minute NPR.
Instant Pot Turkey Breast with 2 Side Dishes and Gravy
Ingredients
- 1 lb russet potatoes peeled
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 lbs frozen pre-seasoned boneless turkey breast Note 1
- 2 medium sweet potatoes
For mashed potatoes:
- ½ cup warm milk
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Salt and pepper to taste
For gravy:
- ¼ cup butter, or bacon fat
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 3 cups low sodium chicken stock
For sweet potatoes:
- 2 tablespoons butter
Instructions
- Cut the potatoes into chunks and place them in inner pot of your Instant Pot.
- Pour chicken stock, salt and garlic powder.
- Place a rack over the potatoes and put the turkey breast.
- Wrap sweet potatoes in a foil and place them next to turkey.
- Cover the lid and make sure the valve is set to “sealing”.
- TO PRESSURE COOK, set the Instant Pot to Manual/Pressure Cook for 30 minutes (or 10 minutes per lb) on High. (NOTE: It took about 25min for my IP to come to pressure.)
- Once the time is up, allow the pressure to release naturally for at least 20 minutes, and then carefully turn the valve to venting. Once the pin drops, carefully open the lid.
- Remove sweet potatoes, using a pair of kitchen tongs.
- Check the internal temperature of the turkey breast and make sure it reached at least 165°F.
- To broil the turkey, using a pair of kitchen tongs, transfer the turkey breast onto a baking sheet and broil for 3-5 minutes at 500°F to brown the meat. Keep a close eye on it to prevent burning!
- To make the mashed potatoes, add milk and butter into the potatoes. (No need to drain the liquid.) Using a potato masher, mash the potatoes into a smooth texture. Transfer onto a serving platter and keep warm.
- Clean the inner pot.
- To make the gravy, hit “cancel” button and set the Instant Pot to Sauté.
- When the display reads “HOT”, add butter (or bacon fat) and melt it. Once the butter is fully melted add flour and roast the flour, whisking constantly, until golden brown with nutty aroma, about 2 minutes.
- Slowly pour in chicken stock, while whisking constantly. Once all the stock is added, bring it to a boil, whisking occasionally. Then turn off the Instant Pot and let the gravy simmer for another 5 minute or so.
- To serve, slice the turkey breast and arrange on a serving platter. Unwrap and cut sweet potatoes in half, serve with ½ tablespoon of butter.
Notes
Nutrition
* Disclaimer: All nutrition information are estimates only. Read full nutrition disclosure.
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