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This Air Fryer Turkey Breast recipe is perfect for anyone celebrating a smaller holiday dinner that doesn’t require a whole turkey. The air fryer does a fantastic job at cooking a turkey breast to perfection with crispy skin and tender juicy meat in just 40 minutes!

Sliced air fryer turkey breast on a serving platter with cooked carrots and fresh herbs.

Table of Contents

Don’t get me wrong, I love a nice oven-roasted turkey breast. But thanks to the ever-so-convenient air fryer, you can achieve the most succulent crispy-skinned air fryer turkey breast ever in just 30-40 minutes!

And if you really wanna amp up the tenderness and flavor, check out my apple cider brined turkey breast. Got leftovers? Use them in my Leftover Turkey and Wild Rice Soup! You could also use it as a protein in this Healthy Burrito Bowl.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • It’s quick & easy—Just season your turkey breast with a rub, pop it into the air fryer, and let the air fryer do the work for no more than 40 minutes.
  • It frees up your oven—Air frying your turkey breast leaves your oven free for those anticipated sides, like oven roasted mini potatoes or hot honey roasted carrots!

Ingredients

Ingredients for air fryer turkey breast on a white marble background.

A full ingredient list with exact measurements can be found in the recipe card below.

  • Carrots & celery—These are optional, but I like placing carrots and celery onto the rack of the air fryer then placing the turkey breast on top. They give off a nice aroma and flavor, and you can totally slice the carrot up afterward and serve it with your meal.
  • Chicken broth—To keep the turkey breast moist, I pour chicken broth into the bottom of the air fryer basket rather than water. Again, this is for extra flavor and aromatics.

Recipe Variations & Modifications

  • Seasoning—Salt, pepper, and poultry or rotisserie seasoning is what I like to rub over my turkey before popping it into the air fryer. I’ve included the measurements for my own poultry seasoning below, but feel free to use any seasoning blend you’d like!
  • Aromatics—You can also pop fresh herbs onto the air fryer rack along with the carrots and celery, like sage, rosemary, thyme, etc. Garlic cloves and onion are also a great addition.
  • Butter—It isn’t pictured above, but I do like to add a few knobs of butter beneath the skin every once in a while.

Dana’s Cooking Tip

Take the turkey breast out of the fridge about 20-30 minutes prior to cooking to let it reach room temperature. This helps you get an even cook on your meat, prevents your meat from shrinking, and gives you a tastier, juicier result.

How to Make the Best Air Fryer Turkey Breast

Carrots and celery lining the basket of an air fryer.

Step 1. Take your turkey breast out of the fridge and let it come to room temp. This should take about 20-30 minutes. Preheat the air fryer to 350º F. When ready to cook, remove the air fryer basket and pour some chicken broth to the bottom of the air fryer basket base—just enough to cover the bottom. Place the sliced vegetables and fresh herbs onto the fryer basket, placing the turkey breast in the middle.

Seasoned turkey breast, uncooked, placed in the air fryer basket.

Step 2. Brush the top (skin side) of the bird with olive oil or melted butter, getting some of the oil or butter beneath the skin, then rub the entire bird with rotisserie seasoning or salt and pepper.

Half cooked turkey flipped over in the air fryer basket.

Step 3. Carefully flip the bird to skin side down, and place it in the air fryer for 15 minutes at 350º F. When done, remove the air fryer basket and carefully flip the turkey breast to skin side up with large tongs or two spatulas. Cook it in the air fryer for another 30 minutes.

Fully cooked golden brown turkey breast in the air fryer basket.

Step 4. Remove, and check the internal temperature with a meat thermometer—you’re looking for an internal temperature of 160-165º F. When it’s ready, place it onto a cutting board or serving platter to rest for 15 minutes before slicing into it.

How to Serve This Air Fryer Turkey Breast

Potatoes are a given when it comes to a turkey side, so creamy mashed potatoes or oven roasted mini potatoes are great options. And for the holidays, you’ll love slathering it with this tasty maple orange cranberry sauce! For vegetable sides, I choose between these hot honey roasted carrots or air fryer green beans.

Close up side shot of sliced turkey breast on serving platter.

Storage, Freezing & Reheating

  1. Leftovers can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.
  2. To freeze, transfer the leftovers to freezer-friendly storage bags. The turkey should keep in the freezer for up to 6 months, though will retain best quality up to the 3-month mark.
  3. To reheat, simply transfer to a microwave-safe plate and pop it in the microwave for 20-second increments until warmed through.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to air fry a turkey?

A turkey breast should be air-fried for 10 minutes per pound. Since this recipe calls for a turkey breast of between 3-4 lbs, the air fry time suggested is 30-40 minutes.

Is air frying a turkey worth it?

Yes! The turkey breast comes out with a crispy skin and juicy middle, and it leaves your oven free for other fixin’s.

Is air frying healthier than oven roasting?

No, both an air-fried turkey breast recipe and an oven-roasted turkey breast yield the same nutritional profile. Air frying is healthier than deep drying and can give you the same crispy results, which is why it’s so often lauded as the better option.

Should turkey be room temperature before air fryer?

Yes. Although this step isn’t crucial, letting any meat come to room temperature prior to cooking yields a more even cook and a juicier, tastier result.

More Impressive Air Fryer Meals to Try…

If you try this Air Fryer Turkey Breast, please pop back in and leave a 🌟 star rating and let us know how it went in the 📝 comments below.

Sliced turkey breast on a serving platter with cooked carrots and fresh herbs.
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5 from 94 votes

Best Air Fryer Turkey Breast

By: Dana Sandonato
This Air Fryer Turkey Breast recipe is perfect for anyone celebrating a smaller holiday dinner that doesn’t require a whole turkey. The air fryer does a fantastic job at cooking turkey breast to perfection with crispy skin and tender juicy meat in just 40 minutes!
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 10 slices
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Equipment

  • 7 Quart Air Fryer (give or take on the size)

Ingredients 

  • 3-4 lb boneless turkey breast, skin on
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 1 large carrot, sliced in half lengthwise
  • 2 ribs of celery, halved
  • 2 TBSP olive oil or melted butter
  • 2 TBSP seasoning, like poultry or rotisserie, Or 1 tsp sea salt and 1 tsp cracked black pepper, give or take

Homemade Poultry Seasoning (optional)

  • 1/2 tsp ground dried sage
  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp dried marjoram
  • 1/4 tsp dried rosemary
  • 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

Instructions 

For the seasoning:

  • Mix all of the ingredients into a small bowl. Taste and adjust to your preference, then set aside.

Air Fryer Turkey Breast

  • Take the turkey breast out of the fridge about 20-30 minutes prior to cooking to allow it to come to room temperature.
  • Preheat the air fryer to 350º F. When heated, remove the air fryer basket and pour some chicken broth into the bottom of the air fryer basket base. Put the sliced vegetables and fresh herbs onto the surface of the fryer basket, and place the turkey breast in the middle.
  • With a basting brush or clean hands, cover the top (skin side) of the bird with olive oil or melted butter, getting some of the oil or butter beneath the skin. After that, rub the entire turkey breast with rotisserie seasoning, or salt and pepper if you're using that. Flip the bird to skin side down, and pop it in the air fryer for 15 minutes at 350º F.
  • After 15 minutes, open up the air fryer basket and carefully flip the turkey breast to skin side up with large tongs or two spatulas. Cook it in the air fryer for another 30 minutes.
  • When done, check the internal temperature of the turkey breast with a meat thermometer; you want an internal temperature of 160-165º F.
  • Carefully remove the breast from the air fryer with the tongs and place it onto a cutting board or serving platter to rest for 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

Notes

Seasoning—Salt, pepper, and poultry or rotisserie seasoning is what I like to rub over my turkey before popping it into the air fryer. I’ve included the measurements for my own poultry seasoning below, but feel free to use any seasoning blend you’d like!
Aromatics—You can also pop fresh herbs onto the air fryer rack along with the carrots and celery, like sage, rosemary, thyme, etc. Garlic cloves are also a great addition.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 170kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 4g
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5 from 94 votes (1 rating without comment)

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176 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Cooking turkey in the oven has always intimidated me, so I love the option to make it in the air fryer instead! I’ll have to try this out next week to see if it’s a contender for Thanksgiving dinner. Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply

    1. Yes! I’m always so skeptical when these new and trendy appliances come out, but I eventually cave lol. And I’m so glad. Because the air fryer is LEGIT.

      Reply

    1. Toni, I’m so glad! Thank you! I’ve been having a lot of fun playing around with air fryer recipes and this one is high on my list. You just can’t beat something that makes doing a holiday dinner easier—and it comes out so delicious!

      Reply

  8. 5 stars
    My husband is insisting on making 2 turkeys this year because he wants to try smoking one. I’m making ALL the other sides, so this air fryer turkey recipe will make preparing the second turkey so much easier!!

    Reply

    1. Haha, your husband sounds just like mine. We actually celebrate both Canadian and American Thanksgiving in this house since I’m from Canada, so we have the chance to switch it up. But yes! Doing the turkey in the air fryer alleviates so much stress and makes so much room for all of the other fixings :)

      Reply

  10. 5 stars
    Gave this a test run tonight and wow, so good! I didn’t brine it, I’ll try that on Thanksgiving, but I’m very excited to have found this recipe. It’s so easy! Thank you!

    Reply

    1. Thrilled to hear you enjoyed this, Jay! Keep me posted on that brine and feel free to contact me directly with any questions.

      Reply