Did you know that you can cook a juicy and delicious Thanksgiving turkey in your pressure cooker? This Instant Pot Whole Turkey recipe is perfect for busy families! You get all the amazing flavors of a Thanksgiving turkey with half the work.
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An Easy Instant Pot Whole Turkey Recipe
Having a smaller Thanksgiving dinner this year and need a scaled down and easy alternative to our Whole Thanksgiving turkey for the holidays? Roasting a whole turkey can be a little too much, especially if you can’t go home for the holidays or have a small family. This convenient Instant Pot Turkey recipe will knock a ton of time off of your Thanksgiving meal prep. The turkey cooks to tender perfection in less than one hour and takes the stress out of cooking your turkey and gives you more time and oven space to cook up some tasty Thanksgiving side dishes.
We use classic seasonings for my turkey, but you can adjust this recipe as desired. That way, you can serve your family the same turkey they know and love without fussing with the oven for three hours! We love testing out new Instant Pot recipes and once you try making our Instant Pot Turkey Breast or this Instant Pot Whole Turkey, you’ll never go back to your old oven-baked recipe. Looking for an alternative to turkey this year? Try my Instant Pot Ham, Slow Cooker Ham, Honey Mustard Ham or Instant Pot Pot Roast.
Why Cook a Turkey in the Instant Pot?
Not only does using a pressure cooker save you time, but it also keeps the turkey covered in the juices that usually leak out in the oven. This makes for an ultra moist and tender turkey. This is one of those win-win recipes that saves you time and effort, but doesn’t sacrifice quality or flavor. It makes cooking a whole turkey so simple, you’ll want to do it more than once a year!
Recipe Ingredients
This recipe can be made with the same ingredients as any other turkey recipe. Here’s what I use for mine:
- Fresh or Thawed Turkey: Your turkey should be around 7-8 pounds. Be sure to rinse it, pat it dry and remove the insides.
- Salt & Pepper: I use coarse sea salt, but Kosher salt will also work.
- Seasonings: I make my turkey with dried sage, dried rosemary and dried thyme. Feel free to use your favorite seasoning mix instead, if desired!
- Onion: Cut your medium-sized onion into quarters.
- Celery: Each stalk should be cut into thirds.
- Carrots: Cut the carrots into large chunks.
- Garlic Cloves: Slice your cloves in half.
- Dried Bay Leaf
- Chicken Broth
How to Make Instant Pot Whole Turkey
Cooking a whole turkey in the Instant Pot couldn’t be easier. You just have to stuff and season your turkey, toss it in the Instant Pot with your veggies and broil it in the oven for 5 minutes to get that beautiful golden-brown glow.
- Season: Season the outside and inside of the turkey with kosher salt and black pepper. Rub preferred spices on the outside skin of the turkey.
- Stuff: Put half of the onion and one clove of garlic inside the cavity of the turkey.
- Add Veggies to Instant Pot: Add the remaining vegetables to the bottom of the inner pot of an 8-quart Instant Pot. Place the trivet on top of the vegetables.
- Add Turkey: Tuck the wings under the turkey, then set the turkey on top of the trivet.
- Cook: Lock the lid and push the steam valve to the sealing position. Then, press the High Pressure or Manual button and set the time for 46 minutes (about 6 minutes per pound of turkey). Allow the turkey to naturally release for 10 minutes, then release the rest of the pressure by pushing the steam valve to venting.
- Let Cool: Carefully open the lid and allow to cool for 5 minutes before carefully transferring the turkey to a large baking sheet. Baste the skin with oil or drippings from the Instant Pot and top with more dried herbs, if desired.
- Broil: Broil the turkey for about 5 minutes, or until golden, watching closely to make sure the skin does not burn.
How Long to Cook the Turkey
We recommend cooking your turkey for about 6 minutes per pound. So, if your turkey is 7 pounds, pressure cook it for no more than 42 minutes. When you broil your turkey, it shouldn’t need any more than 5 minutes to turn golden brown. Keep a very close eye on it throughout the 5 minutes, as the skin can burn pretty quickly.
Tips for the Most Tender Turkey
- Don’t Overcook: It’s better to cook your turkey for less time and then check it, because you can always cook it a little bit more if need be. The internal temperature should register at around 163°F when done, because it will rise a couple degrees as the turkey rests.
- Use Coarse Salt: Avoid using regular table salt for your turkey. You want to use either coarse sea salt or Kosher salt, because the salt particles are larger and will better lock the moisture into your turkey.
- Release Pressure from Instant Pot: You have to do a natural release for 10 minutes before you move the steam valve to the venting position. Release all of the pressure from your Instant Pot before taking out your turkey. This is super important because you don’t want your instant pot exploding.
- Baste Skin Before Broiling: Before you broil your cooked turkey in the oven, drizzle it with olive oil or the leftover liquid from your instant pot. This will keep your turkey nice and juicy while the skin gets crisp.
Serving Suggestions
The great thing about making this smaller turkey dinner for four is that you can serve it with any of your favorite Thanksgiving recipes and Thanksgiving sides here:
- Drizzle with Gravy: Your go-to gravy recipe will make this Thanksgiving turkey even more special and delicious!
- Serve with Green Beans: My easy Sauteed Green Beans are a super healthy side dish that tastes great with Instant Pot turkey.
- Serve with Sweet Potatoes: These Low Carb Sweet Potatoes have a crunchy cinnamon pecan topping that puts marshmallows to shame!
- Make Into a Sandwich: If you have leftover turkey, there are plenty of yummy ways to use it up. I like making turkey sandwiches or turkey soup with mine.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
The best way to store your turkey is by slicing it and wrapping the slices in foil. Then, place the foil-wrapped turkey into a resealable plastic bag. Refrigerate your turkey as soon as you’re ready to store it – if it sits out on the counter for too long, it’ll start to dry out.
If you want to store your turkey whole, refrigerate it in a well-sealed container. To reheat a whole turkey, bake it in a foil-covered pan with the leftover juices from your Instant Pot at 325°F for about 20 minutes. Sliced turkey can be reheated in the microwave.
Can You Freeze Whole Roasted Turkey?
You can definitely store this turkey in the freezer, but I don’t recommend freezing the entire bird. You should first remove the bones and slice up your turkey. Place your turkey slices in an airtight, freezer-safe container or storage bag and enjoy within 3 months. Be sure to thaw it overnight in the fridge before reheating.
More turkey recipes you’ll love:
More Instant Pot Thanksgiving recipes:
Instant Pot Side Dishes for the Holidays
Did you know that you can cook a juicy and delicious Thanksgiving turkey in your pressure cooker? This Instant Pot Whole Turkey recipe is perfect for busy families! You get all the amazing flavors of a Thanksgiving turkey with half the work.
- 7-8 lb turkey , fresh or fully thawed, rinsed & patted dry with insides removed
- coarse sea salt or Kosher salt , to taste
- freshly ground black pepper , to taste
- 1 tsp dried sage , or sub your favorite seasoning mix
- 1 tsp dried rosemary , or sub your favorite seasoning mix
- 1 tsp dried thyme , or sub your favorite seasoning mix
- 1 medium onion , sliced into quarters
- 3 cloves garlic , cut into halves
- 2 stalks celery , cut into thirds
- 2 medium carrots , cut into large chunks
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 1 cup chicken broth
Season the outside and inside of the turkey with kosher salt and black pepper. Rub dried sage, rosemary and thyme (or preferred spices) on the outside skin of the turkey.
Put half of the onion and one clove of garlic inside the cavity of the turkey.
Add the remaining onion, garlic and vegetables to the bottom of the inner pot of an 8-quart Instant Pot. Place the trivet on top of the vegetables. Pour in the chicken broth.
Tuck the wings under the turkey, then set the turkey on top of the trivet.
Lock the lid and push the steam valve to the sealing position. Then, press the High Pressure or Manual button and set the time for 46 minutes (about 6 minutes per pound of turkey). Allow the turkey to naturally release for 10 minutes, then release the rest of the pressure by pushing the steam valve to venting.
Carefully open the lid and allow to cool for 5 minutes before carefully transferring the turkey to a large baking sheet. Baste the skin with oil or drippings from the Instant Pot and top with more dried herbs, if desired.
Broil the turkey for about 5 minutes, or until golden, watching closely to make sure the skin does not burn.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
The best way to store your turkey is by slicing it and wrapping the slices in foil. Then, place the foil-wrapped turkey into a resealable plastic bag. Refrigerate your turkey as soon as you're ready to store it - if it sits out on the counter for too long, it'll start to dry out.
If you want to store your turkey whole, refrigerate it in a well-sealed container. To reheat a whole turkey, bake it in a foil-covered pan with the leftover juices from your Instant Pot at 325°F for about 20 minutes. Sliced turkey can be reheated in the microwave.
Can You Freeze Whole Roasted Turkey?
You can definitely store this turkey in the freezer, but I don't recommend freezing the entire bird. You should first remove the bones and slice up your turkey. Place your turkey slices in an airtight, freezer-safe container or storage bag and enjoy within 3 months. Be sure to thaw it overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Other Instant Pot Recipes to Try
- This Instant Pot Apple Cider is the most amazing beverage to pair with your savory turkey. It’s a must-make for my family every Thanksgiving.
- No Thanksgiving dinner is complete without potatoes. My easy Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes are super creamy and delicious! You have to try them.
- This sugar-free and low-carb Cranberry Sauce can be made in the Instant Pot or on the stove! This sweet sauce is the perfect side dish to serve alongside your turkey.
Pt -
Had a 5lb turkey missing legs and wings. Used a 6qt instant pot Set for 30 minutes…..6 minutes Per pound. Followed all INSTRUCTIONS. Used the full spice and Vegetable and broth amounts per Recipe. Loved this during the summer withouT heating up the kitchen. Have plenty of leftovers. Likely got to 165 degrees before 30 minutes, but was still MOIST and tasty. Perfect, thank you!
janice -
wow, made this last week and it was perfect! will be making again next week thanks!