This season, ditch the oven and the mess. Feed your family a juicy and flavorful holiday turkey with this air fryer turkey breast recipe.
Are you looking for a quick and easy way to get your holiday meal prepared this season? Turkey breast, the leanest and healthiest cut of poultry, is easy to prepare in a variety of ways. But one of the best ways to cook turkey breast is in the air fryer.
Air-fried turkey is so much easier than making it in the oven. Not only that – but it cuts down on the mess. This turkey is so juicy and packed full of flavor- you’ll never want to make a turkey the conventional way ever again.
You see – now that most of the kids are out of the house – we don’t need to make a big spread for the holiday. Only one of them will be able to be here to celebrate with us – which means cooking for 3 is so much easier and takes so much less preparation than cooking for 5 or more.
That means I don’t need to make a huge turkey – a small turkey breast will do. It seems silly to run the big huge oven for a tiny little turkey breast – so once again, it’s the air fryer to the rescue.
Now I usually make a huge traditional roasted turkey and then a few years ago we started making this Applewood Smoked Turkey on the Traeger – which is amazing. But we just don’t need to do all that now that we don’t need a feast.
Plus – now that our oven runs on propane, I’m always looking for alternative ways to cook our meals so I can leave that propane for our alternate heat instead. I’m all about conserving one of our heat sources – especially as we enter the colder months.
turkey air fryer
Here are some commonly asked questions
How much turkey breast do you need per person?
First – if you know that those you are feeding like to go back for seconds – always keep that in mind. I almost always double what I think I will need because not only does my family love seconds – but we love leftovers too.
The rule of thumb is to buy one pound of turkey per person.
Something to also factor, that will change this is whether or not you will be providing side dishes. If you are making this for Thanksgiving – then you will most likely be serving side dishes too. So people may serve themselves a bit less turkey if they plan on loading up their plate with a lot of extras.
How Air Frying Works
While air fryers are relatively new to the market, the technology isn’t really a new concept. They basically work like tiny convection ovens that you can use on your countertop.
Similar to a convection oven, it circulates the hot air within the cooking area using a high-powered fan. This helps evenly distribute the heat around the food which not only creates more evenly cooked food but also reduced cooking times.
By circulating the hot air, which contains the fine oil droplets from adding a light mist layer before cooking, and allows you to remove the need for submerging our foods in heavy oils to create the deliciously crunchy foods we all love.
What temperature should a turkey be cooked to?
The best way for a turkey to be cooked is with high heat, which will kill all the bacteria in the turkey. The USDA recommends cooking your turkey at 450 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes per pound of weight when using a conventional oven.
When cooking with an air fryer it is much like cooking with a convection oven and therefore it will cook the food much faster with a lot less air around the food to keep hot.
Air frying a turkey breast can be done at 350 degrees and until the internal temp reaches 160 degrees.
air fried turkey breast
What are the benefits of air frying?
Healthier
It’s no secret that fried foods are more fattening – but did you know that there are 9 calories in every gram of fat? With air frying, we can reduce the fat by removing most of the oils usually needed to create crunchy foods. This helps to drastically reduce fat intake and calories.
Convenience
I love being able to cook with my air fryer and eliminate the need for large baking sheets and lots of pots and pans. Most of my air fryer recipes can be made with just a mixing bowl or two or a small saucepan in addition to my air fryer.
Energy Efficient
Someone said to me once, “why make this in the air fryer if you can do it the conventional way in the same amount of time?” Well, air frying helps eliminate the need for a conventional oven.
Not only can you keep your home cooler in the summer by not using the oven, but you are saving money with reduced energy consumption costs as well.
Time Saver
I don’t know about you, but if I can avoid turning on the oven and having to wait 20 minutes for it to preheat, I’m happy about that. Most air fryer recipes either don’t require that you preheat the fryer – or the preheat time is 5 minutes or less. That is a huge time saver over using the oven.
Take it on the go
I love that the air fryer is compact and easy to take along on trips. We pack ours in our RV and find that air fryer cooking while camping is so much easier than trying to deep fry foods on a small RV stove or camping burner.
How to store leftover turkey breast
If you happen to have any turkey leftovers after serving – just transfer the remaining turkey to an airtight container and keep refrigerated until ready to serve again.
To reheat – microwave for about 30-60 seconds or until hot again. You can also place your serving back into the air fryer and cook for a couple of minutes until hot again. Don’t overheat though- the turkey will dry out if overcooked.
turkey breast in air fryer
Ingredients for Air Fried Turkey Breast
- turkey breast – bone-in, skin-on, fully thawed
- butter – softened
- poultry seasoning – I love Traegers Fin & Feathers Seasoning
- garlic salt
- black pepper
- paprika
Tips for the Best Air Fried Turkey Breast
- The overall time will depend on the size of the turkey breast you are cooking. Since air fryers vary greatly in size and performance – always guage doneness by measuring the internal temp and not only by the cooking time listed in the recipe.
- Make sure you are starting with a fresh or fully thawed turkey. Unlike cooking in the instant pot – you shouldn’t try to cook a frozen turkey breast in the air fryer.
- Most of the larger air fryers on the market these days (or ones marketed as large) can accomodate up to a 5 pound turkey breast. The key is to just make sure the top of the turkey breast isn’t higher than the top of the basket – if using that style air fryer. If you are using a tray style – you should be able to adjust the trays to accomodate the size of your turkey breast.
- Use real butter – the key here is the fat and the flavor that comes with that. You won’t find that using margarine and it might tend to burn faster too.
- You can brine the turkey overnight in a large bowl if desired.
What to make with leftover turkey
We love to have leftover turkey because it makes for great soups and sandwiches. Here are a couple of our favorites.
- Turkey Cranberry Sliders
- Slow Cooker Turkey Chili (also can be made stovetop or in the Instant Pot)
- Crockpot Turkey and Rice Soup
How to Make Air Fried Turkey Breast
- Preheat the air fryer to 350 degrees.
- Then, place the turkey breast in the air fryer basket or on the air fryer tray depending on your air fryer model.
- Rub the softened butter all over the turkey and the under the skin.
- Mix together the poultry seasoning, garlic salt, pepper and paprika in a small bowl.
- Sprinkle the whole turkey with the combined seasonings.
- Cook in the air fryer for approx 55 minutes. Remove from the air fryer when an internal temperature of 160 degrees has been reached and the skin is golden brown and crisp. If it is browning too much but it still needs more time to cook, you can tent the turkey breast with foil and continue to cook until it reaches the proper internal temperature.
- Let rest slightly before slicing.
How to Carve a Turkey Breast
The key here is to be patient so you get the best possible result.
- First, start by allowing the turkey breast to rest after cooking. You want to make sure to give it at least 15 minutes. To keep it warm and allow the juices to distribute throughout the breast – tent it loosely with foil.
- Make sure you are using a sharp knife.
- Make your slice along the side of the breast bone – making smooth, long even strokes. You can saw back and forth if using a serrated knife.
- When the knife reaches the edge the slice should fall. You can continue to follow this pattern until all of the turkey is removed from the breast.
Can leftover turkey be frozen?
You bet. We like to keep the leftovers in the fridge for a couple of days for quick and easy meals. But if it looks like we aren’t going to be able to eat it all within 3-4 days – then I toss the remaining leftovers in a zip-top bag and freeze it for up to 2 months. It’s great to add it to a last-minute dinner-like soup in the Instant Pot. I don’t even have to thaw it first.
Air Frying Doneness Tip
Every air fryer is a bit different and they all cook at different rates – so in general, all cooking times are approximate based on the pan and temperature.
You can always cook the recipe longer if needed and reduce the heat a bit. If needed, you can tent the top if it is browning too much.
Why is it important to use the thermometer on the thickest part of the bird?
The most important thing to remember when using a meat thermometer is that it needs to be in the thickest part of the meat since that will take the longest to heat all the way through and come to the proper temperature.
The tip of a digital thermometer should be inserted into the center of a large roast, turkey, or other whole bird. The probe should not touch the bone or any other cold spot.
Insert the probe slowly and carefully until it touches an internal part of the meat and takes its reading without touching or moving any internal parts such as bones or fat.
air fryer turkey time chart
How to prevent sticking in the air fryer
Sticking can often happen when using an air fryer. I understand that most would think to add non-stick spray to the basket to prevent this. I strongly encourage you to not do that. Non-stick spray leaves a coating that won’t come off, even when washed. Over time – this will build up and cause smoking when you use our air fryer.
I also do not recommend putting down a sheet of foil. The idea behind air frying is to allow the air to circulate around the food. This is why the basket or tray has holes in it. If you put foil down – this prevents the air from reaching all of the areas it needs to in order for it to cook properly.
Instead – I recommend spraying the basket with olive oil using this spray bottle. You can line the air fryer with perforated parchment paper. Or you can use one of these really great silicone liners that still allow for airflow but are reusable and easily cleanable.
What air fryer do you use?
We actually have 3 air fryers. I have a smaller one from Phillips that we started with. I have since given that to my son since he’s only cooking for 1.
But the more I used the air fryer I realized I really wanted a digital screen. It wasn’t any more expensive, in fact- our XL air fryer from GoWISE was less expensive than the Phillips and I love its ease & extra functions.
Plus it comes with a lot of the extra accessories I like to use when cooking with my fryer.
But I when I started working on my second air fryer book, I wanted to change things up. I picked up this Chefman 6.3 Quart Digital Air Fryer+ Rotisserie, Dehydrator, Convection Oven. It has 8 Touch Screen Presets (Fry, Roast, Dehydrate & Bake, BPA-Free, Auto Shutoff) & Accessories Included. It is XL Family Size, which is great!
What to serve with Air Fried Turkey Breast
While the list is long as to what we like to pair with our turkey dinner – here are the recipes we make the most frequently for our family holidays.
- Cranberry BBQ Meatballs
- Apple Cranberry Spritzer
- Cranberry Quick Bread
- Traditional Deviled Eggs
- Honey Glazed Carrots
- Easy Cranberry Sauce
- Loaded Green Bean Casserole
- Easy Sausage Stuffing
- One Hour Dinner Rolls
- Easy Gravy Recipe
- Bacon & Garlic Green Beans
- Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Mini Apple Pies
- Holiday Party Punch
- Pumpkin Roll Cake
- Best Pumpkin Pie
- Candy Corn Cupcakes
turkey in air fryer
I have a bake option and other special features on my air fryer, is that the setting? Or do you put it on “air fry” setting?
All of my recipes were created with an air fryer that had only a temperature & timer setting – since not all air fryers have all the additional settings.
You can use the bake setting when making recipes that you would traditionally bake – but if possible, please just set the temperature & time for this recipe.
If you love this recipe – You might also love my air frying cookbook too!
The Essential Air Fryer Cookbook for Two also makes everything fast and easy. Most recipes take 30 minutes or less and they’re designed with simple prep and minimal clean-up in mind. Nutritional information, serving size descriptions, and recipes for vegetarians, vegans, and gluten-free are also included. There’s so much to savor.
The Essential Air Fryer Cookbook for Two
Perfectly Portioned Recipes for Healthier Fried Favorites
Air Fryer Thanksgiving Turkey
DON’T MISS THESE HOLIDAY E-BOOKS!
Products I love when making air fried turkey breast…
This turkey breast recipe is SUPER EASY and delicious – and if you’re like me, then you maybe already have some of these items on hand OR maybe you have never made a turkey in the air fryer before, & you might be a bit nervous – but you’re going to love it. I have made a list below of the things I absolutely can’t live without when it comes to making this holiday favorite.
- poultry seasoning I love Traegers Fin & Feathers Seasoning
- garlic salt
- black pepper
- paprika
- silicone Reuse Air Fryer liner
- air fryer liners
- Chefman Digital Air Fryer
- Instant read thermometer
If you love this Easy Air Fryer Turkey Breast recipe, you’re going to love these other air fryer recipes too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!
Other Air Fryer Dishes
Ham and Cheese Sliders – Air Fryer
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Air Fryer Turkey Breast
Ingredients
- 3 to 5- pound turkey breast bone-in, skin-on, fully thawed
- 1/2 cup butter – softened
- 2 teaspoon poultry seasoning I love Traegers Fin & Feathers Seasoning
- 2 teaspoons garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 350 degrees.
- Then, place the turkey breast in the air fryer basket or on the air fryer tray depending on your air fryer model.
- Rub the softened butter all over the turkey and the under the skin.
- Mix together the poultry seasoning, garlic salt, pepper and paprika in a small bowl.
- Sprinkle the whole turkey with the combined seasonings.
- Cook in the air fryer for approx 55 minutes. Remove from the air fryer when an internal temperature of 160 degrees has been reached and the skin is golden brown and crisp. If it is browning too much but it still needs more time to cook, you can tent the turkey breast with foil and continue to cook until it reaches the proper internal temperature.
- Let rest slightly before slicing.
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate. Please double-check with your own dietary calculator for the best accuracy. We at Yummi Haus cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.
Dolores Mazzola says
In your book you state airfry basket but then memo says to bake. Do I set it to air fry or bake. Confused. Talking about pork tenderloin.Thank you.
Gina Kleinworth says
All of my recipes were created with an air fryer that had only a temperature & timer setting – since not all air fryers have all the additional settings. You can use the bake setting when making recipes that you would traditionally bake – but if possible, please just set the temperature & time for this recipe. It says air fry basket because it is going into the air fryer and most air fryers at the time the book was written had only a basket – but in this case, we are using the air fryer as sort of a mini oven and “baking” the food.