Slow Cooker Turkey with No-Fuss Gravy
Simplify turkey with this slow cooker turkey breast – it is unbelievably delicious and flavorful and so easy, even the gravy makes itself!
So I know that in the whole scheme of Thanksgiving planning, it’s wonderful and ideal and rockstar-ish to pull out the big guns and roast the most beautiful, impressive, golden wonder of a bird like the world has never seen.
I get it.
I’m totally bowled over by gorgeous, golden turkeys, I am. And every year it seems someone has a new, better way to produce The Juiciest Turkey with The Crispiest Skin with The Best Gravy.
But you know what? There is brilliant wisdom in simplifying sometimes and this slow cooker turkey breast – while it won’t produce the crispy golden skin and wow-that-whole-bird-is-pretty effect – is out of this world juicy, delicious and so ridiculously simple, I swear, it will leave you twiddling your thumbs on Thanksgiving.
Ok, maybe not that, but close, especially since the cooking method basically produces instant gravy at the end of the process.
Instead of a full turkey, a bone-in turkey breast slow cooks in a simple medley of vegetables and braising liquid and as is wont to happen in most slow cooker applications, the low and slow cooking method results in an incredibly juice, flavorful turkey.
After a few minutes of stovetop simmering, you’ll also have a mighty tasty gravy to slather over that turkey.
Taking Thanksgiving out of the picture, this is a fabulous, easy meal for a Sunday dinner (which is how we enjoyed it) that can be made any time of the year, and the turkey leftovers are fabulous. As turkey leftovers always are, in my opinion.
If you are looking to simplify Thanksgiving, this recipe totally has your back. It is definitely some of the finest tasting turkey I’ve ever enjoyed and as a self-professed turkey lover who has eaten a lot, a lot of turkey, I’m kind of an expert in this area.
What to Serve With This
- Cheesy Au Gratin Potatoes or Baked Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Steamed vegetable or this Green Bean Casserole
- A really, great dinner roll (for homemade I suggest these Lion House Dinner Rolls)
One Year Ago: Tortellini Sausage Soup
Two Years Ago: Black Bean & Pumpkin Chili
Three Years Ago: BBQ Turkey Quesadillas
Slow Cooker Turkey with No-Fuss Gravy
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
- 1 large carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped
- 1 stalk celery, coarsely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ cups no-salt added or low-sodium chicken broth
- ½ cup water
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme or 1/2 tablespoon dried
- 2 bay leaves
- 6-8 pound bone-in skin-on turkey breast
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- In a large, nonstick skillet melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic and cook for 8-10 minutes, until the onion is translucent and the vegetables are lightly browned.
- Stir in the flour and cook for 2-3 minutes until the flour coating the veggies turns golden. Whisk in 1 cup of the broth, working to smooth out any lumps as it cooks and thickens. Stir in the remaining broth and water. Add the thyme and bay leaves.
- Pour the mixture into the slow cooker. Season the turkey breast all over with salt and pepper (see the note above about how much salt to use). Place the turkey in the slow cooker (breast side down). Cover and cook on low for 5-7 hours until the internal temperature of the turkey breast reaches 165 degrees.
- Carefully transfer the turkey breast to a cutting board (or 9X13-inch pan to catch any juices), tent with foil and let rest while preparing the gravy.
- Strain the liquid in the slow cooker into a saucepan. Let it settle for 5 minutes or so and then skim the fat from the surface. Bring the gravy to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes, stirring often, until it is slightly thickened. It won’t be as thick as traditional gravy but will be silky and slightly thick. If you’d like it thicker, simply whisk together a slurry of cornstarch and cold water (a tablespoon or so of cornstarch in a couple tablespoons of water) and stir the slurry into the gravy, simmering for 2-3 minutes.
- Season the gravy with any additional salt and pepper, if needed.
- Carve the turkey and serve with the warm gravy.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted from a recipe referred to me by a long-time reader, Rebecca L., from America’s Test Kitchen Slow Cooker Revolution (thanks, Rebecca!)
Terrific! I only had chicken bouillon, so I used 1 tsp. of that with 3 cups water in the crock pot. I used about 1 tsp. seasoning salt on the turkey. I love my turkey with rosemary, so I used that instead of thyme and bay leaves. The flavor was great. Not too salty at all. My hubby actually licked off his plate.
As a side note, I saved the carrot, garlic and onion peels and celery leaves to throw in the crock pot with the turkey bones to make broth. It smells amazing.
hello ~ hoping to make this recipe on friday (grown kids couldn’t be here in November so we’re celebrating thanksgiving when they’ll all be home for Christmas:)…can I use a frozen boneless turkey breast in the slow cooker or does it have to be defrosted first?
thank you!
Hi Shawne, it will cook much more evenly and quickly if it is thawed first. I haven’t tried it with a frozen turkey breast, but I’d recommend thawing first if you can.
This turkey was the centerpiece of our Thanksgiving and worthy of the leading role. The gravy is delicious, too, and it couldn’t be much easier!
It was a Mel’s Thanksgiving around here with your recipes center stage:
— Slow Cooker Turkey with No Fuss Gravy
— Creamy Mashed Potatoes with Parmesan Crumb (make ahead)
— Gourmet Green Salad with Homemade Vinaigrette Dressing
— Amazing Crustless Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes with fresh Whipped Cream
I also made corn to round out the meal. These recipes are all delicious! Thank you, Mel, for all the time and effort you put into your website. In this season of “thanks,” I’m grateful for you.
Thank you so much, Joan! Your comment brightened my day – I appreciate you!
Seriously Mel, this was so fantastic. I used the boneless Butterball turkey from Costco, and it turned out so dang good. I will never make a real turkey again. I will actually make this throughout the year too! Thank you for making my thanksgiving a lot less stressful!
Perfect!
Just two of us and I cooked this recipe today, the day before Thanksgiving. The breast was moist and well flavored and now the turkey is already done for tomorrow. Ours was a 6.33 lb. Breast and the only thing I would change is to cook this size for a little less time. Well worth the few minutes it takes to make the vegetable gravy as it adds a lot of flavor to both the meat and finished gravy
I was looking through your recipes the other day and was so happy to find this one! We had a frozen turkey breast that needed to be used, but who wants to roast a turkey in August? Cooking turkey in the crockpot was so easy, didn’t heat up our kitchen, and the gravy was pretty much as good as making gravy the traditional way. We added some cornstarch to thicken it a bit. Next time I will probably cook less than 7 hours.
I make this in my Instant Pot, and it is a complete one pot meal. I use the Sauté function for making the gravy, then plop the Turkey breast in. When it’s done, I make the gravy using the sauté function again and drip in a bit of cream to make the gravy silky. Using my Instant Pot simplifies it down to just one pot to clean in the end! This has been my Turkey meal staple for a couple of years now. It’s incredibly delicious! I make it all year long, not just for Thanksgiving.
I quit making a turkey years ago, I hate dealing with the carcass & it is just such a mess & more work than I want to go thru since neither my husband or I are huge turkey fans. I have used this recipe 3 times & making it again today (Easter) & we love it. Hardly any clean up as I use a liner in my slow cooker, the gravy is wonderful (hubbies favorite part of turkey dinner) & the turkey is moist & perfect. Best part of turkey dinner for me…cold turkey sandwiches & I’ll have those all week. Thanks for one of my favorite recipes!
I’ve made this quite a few times in my instant pot on the slow cooker function and it’s perfect every time.
Do you think I could prep this the night before (and put instant pot stainless insert in the fridge) and then turn on in the morning?
Yes, I think that could work pretty well!
Very moist and love the gravy. My new favorite way to make turkey.
I found this recipe 3 or 4 years ago and it has become my go-to holiday turkey! Everyone loves it. I am elderly and doing the whole oven roasted turkey and fixings has just become too much. This is simple and delicious. Thank you so much!
Would it be ok to use a boneless breast? Would I need it change anything? Thank you!
You can definitely try – bone-in will probably be a bit more tender but I think a lot of others have tried it with boneless.
I use a boneless breast and it turns out great. Super tender.
About how many with this recipe serve?
About 12-15
Mel,
Love this recipe! I’d like to incorporate stuffing. Do you think I could tuck stuffing under the breast for an hour?
JB
You could definitely try! (Haven’t tried it myself…worry that it might get a bit soggy in the slow cooker).
This is the ONLY way we cook turkey now! Love your site and every recipe we have ever tried. We make this GF by using Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 flour and dairy free by using olive oil.
I’m going to try this for a whole chicken in the slow cooker. Any recommendations for me?
That’s a great idea! Should be about the same cooking time and method for a chicken.
I couldn’t find a turkey breast at my grocery store, so I bought 4 bone-in turkey thighs. I cooked for the same amount of time listed in the recipe and it was DELICIOUS! The gravy was incredibly tasty too. Thanks, Mel! 🙂
Typically my family makes 3 turkeys a year, because we have big thanksgiving dinners. With COVID this year, or thanksgiving was cut down to like 15 people. We had a 22 pound turkey and 2 turkey breast! This was a huge hit! Nobody touched the big turkey, and the 2 breast were gone before I could even make my plate! Lol the gravy was delicious! Thanks so much!
These are terrible instructions. You have water and 2.5 cups of broth in the recipe but in the instruction you only use 1 c of broth. really not helpful
It clearly says to add the remaining broth… read next time
LOVE This recipe. So easy, so tasty, and the aromatics just make the gravy perfect.
Two questions:
Will this work with a brine?
Also, is there a way to brown it so the skin gets crispy?
This recipe doesn’t work well for browning to get a crispy skin, unfortunately. The slow cooker prevents the skin from crisping up. You could try a brine – not sure how it would affect the overall saltiness.
I have a 9.58 lb turkey breast. I am hoping to use your recipe. To big?
As long as it fits nicely in the slow cooker, it should work.
Ever tried this with a 20 lb turkey in an electric roaster?
I haven’t…sorry!
This is particularly wonderful way to cook turkey as it can be done the day before. Then the juices can be refrigerated so the fat rises and can be removed before making the gravy on the following day. I have also been known to do a breast and then a few legs to keep the dark meat folks happy too. Only wish my pot were big enough to do them at the same time. But this works well enough–and the house smells good for days!
I don’t have a slow cooker large enough to fit a 6-8 pound turkey breast. I have a 4 quart, so what size (pounds) of turkey breast would you suggest and how long would I cook it? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
I don’t know if turkey breasts come in smaller 3-pound sizes, but you could look for a smaller one like that. Cook time should be about the same.
I get a 3-lb breast. as we are a small group,. I just start checking it after 4 hours, but usually leave it on low for about 6 hours. I haven’t adjusted the aromatics at all and it turns out great. Also, my daughter uses the liquid as the “gravy.” Sometimes I add a few more vegetables.
This is my go to for turkey! I use it for sandwiches and salads throughout the week! So yummy and easy!
Loved, loved, loved this recipe! So easy to make. The turkey fell off the bone and was oh-so flavorful. I kept picking at it from the the time I took it out of the slow cooker to the time I put it away in the frig. Yum, yum, yummy!
Thank you, thank you for this recipe! I made it for Thanksgiving. It was the best turkey I’ve ever had and it was so easy! I used a 5.8 lb turkey breast and two turkey legs. It all barely fit in my crockpot. We are planning on a bigger group for Christmas. Do you think I could do this same method with a whole turkey in a turkey roaster? Or should I stick to the recipe and double it using two crockpots?
I don’t know about using a whole turkey but I have done a couple of turkey breasts in an electric roaster and it worked great!
I made this for Thanksgiving this year and my husband and I both agree that it’s the best turkey we’ve made over the past 4 years of cooking our own turkey. It was delicious and fell off of the bones. plus, it was much easier than making a whole turkey for our family of six, only two of which will actually eat said turkey. We’re hopeful our kids will one day like Thanksgiving food, and not just lick the butter off of their rolls. Haha.
Thanks Mel for a delicious recipe. I made this recipe with a 1.2 kg turkey breast (no skin and no bone) and it was delicious. It also made great gravy. My husband raved about the tenderness of the turkey.
We live abroad and will celebrate Thanksgiving with friends this coming weekend. However I really wanted to produce a turkey dinner for our family of four on Thanksgiving, which was a weeknight here and busy. This recipe allowed me to do that while still managing the other activities.
Thank you!
Thank you so much, Amy! Happy Thanksgiving!