This Sous Vide Turkey Breast recipe is absolutely the easiest way to make the juiciest, most flavorful and tender turkey breast ever! All you need is a boneless turkey breast, turkey seasoning, and a sous vide water bath to make this easy recipe.

sliced turkey breast on a plate with a serving fork and fresh thyme sprigs

Table of contents

Originally posted in 2017, this sous vide turkey breast recipe has been updated with new tips and tricks that I’ve learned over the last 7 years to create the most juicy turkey breast in the sous vide!

Sous vide is a method of cooking food in airtight sealed plastic bags submerged in a temperature controlled water bath. The result is perfectly even cooked food from the inside out, thus making it awesome for cooking meats.

The great thing about using the sous vide to cook turkey is that you can’t overcook it! This eliminates the number one problem when cooking a turkey, which is cooking it for too long and drying it out.

I’ve served this sous vide turkey breast at several events over the years and the comments I received were things like “I can’t believe this is white meat, it’s so flavorful!” and “This is the juiciest turkey I’ve ever tasted!”

Say goodbye to dry, boring turkey breast and hello to the taste of juicy, flavorful sous vide turkey breast! The best part is, this recipe couldn’t be easier to make. Just toss the turkey breast in a bag with my flavorful turkey seasoning, place it in a water bath, and let it sous vide for two and a half hours.

This is the easiest turkey breast recipe I’ve ever made and it doesn’t take up any room in the oven on Thanksgiving! It’s easy enough to make for a weeknight meal, but impressive enough to earn a spot on your holiday dinner table.

boneless turkey breast in packaging next to a bowl of turkey seasoning

Ingredients

  • Boneless turkey breast – if you’re buying a frozen, packaged boneless turkey breast, you’ll usually find 2 turkey breasts in the package, bound together with netting. These packaged turkey breasts usually vary from 3-5 pounds in size. Turkey breast roasts can also be used in this recipe and these will also range from 3-5 pounds in size. The turkey breast used in this recipe is 4.75 pounds. During the month of November, these are quite easy to find at most grocery stores both fresh and frozen. During the rest of the year, you’ll find these frozen at most major grocery stores.
  • Turkey seasoning – I highly recommend using my homemade seasoning blend. It’s so flavorful and easy to mix up in less than 5 minutes, with herbs, spices and pantry staples like garlic powder, kosher salt and black pepper. Click the link to grab the recipe and make it in advance. You can store it in the pantry for up to 6 months and use it in several different recipes!
vacuum sealed turkey breast with seasonings in a bag
vacuum sealed turkey breast in a water bath with a sous vide on the side

Instructions

  1. Season and seal the turkey breast. Remove the the turkey breast from the packaging. If it’s in netting, you can either leave it in the netting, or remove it from the netting. Place it in a vacuum seal bag, or large zipper bag. Add the turkey seasoning to the bag and rub the seasoning into the turkey. Either use a vacuum sealer to seal the bag closed, or use the “water displacement method” with a Ziplock bag. To do this, place the bag with the turkey in it, almost all of the way under water, leaving just about an inch of the top of the bag open, use the water to press out as much air as possible around the turkey in the bag. You can then seal the bag closed.
  2. Sous vide the turkey breast. Add water to a large tub or large pot that will fit the turkey breast completely under the water. Heat the water with a sous-vide machine to 150°F. Add the seasoned, sealed turkey breast in the bag to the water bath. Cook for 2 hours and 30 minutes.
  3. Finish the turkey breast in the oven. This step is optional. I have made this recipe several times serving the turkey breast straight out of the bag. After it’s cooked for two and a half hours, you will have a fully cooked turkey that’s ready to eat. If you would like to add more flavor and color to the outside of the turkey breast, follow these steps. Cut the bag open and use kitchen tongs to move the turkey breast from the bag to a wire rack on top of a foil-lined rimmed sheet pan. Pour the juices from the bag into a small pot on the stove over high heat. Reduce the liquid down for 10 minutes. Preheat the oven broiler to high and arrange a rack in the middle of the oven. Brush the liquid on the outside of the turkey breast and place it under the broiler in the oven for 3 minutes. This will brown the outside of the turkey and caramelize some of the liquid on the outside for even more flavor! Remove the turkey breast from the oven, let it rest for 5 minutes, then slice it and transfer it to a serving dish.
sliced turkey breast on a plate with a large serving fork

Time saving tip

You can leave the turkey in the sous vide water bath for more than 2 hours and 30 minutes. This will keep it hot until you’re ready to serve it.

The great thing about cooking in a sous vide is that the temperature of the meat will never rise above what the water temperature is set at, so technically you can never overcook the turkey breast in a sous vide. Yes, that does mean that you could leave it in the sous vide for 24 hours, but I wouldn’t recommend it.

Why, you ask? Because although the temperature inside the meat isn’t rising, the meat is still cooking at the set temperature. This means that the proteins will continue to break down and eventually the texture of the meat will start to shred apart. But don’t worry, this won’t happen for hours, so feel free to leave it in there for 4-5 hours, no problem!

Recipe notes

  • Leaving the skin on, or taking it off, is up to you. I like to remove the skin for this recipe. To remove it before you start the recipe, you’ll need to remove the turkey breast from the netting. Use a sharp knife to remove and discard the skin. If you’d like to remove it after you cook the turkey breast, you can slice it off after you remove the netting.
  • Leaving the netting on or off is also your choice. If the turkey breast is still frozen, or partially frozen, it will be nearly impossible to remove the netting. In this case, I recommend leaving it on. Otherwise, I recommend removing it before you season and seal the turkey breast. The whole reason the netting exists is to keep the turkey breasts together when cooking. Once they’re sealed in a bag, they’ll stay together anyway, so you don’t need the netting.
  • Yes, you can sous vide a frozen turkey breast without thawing it first! No need to change the recipe, just follow the instructions as it’s written whether the turkey breast is coming from the fridge or freezer.
  • Ziploc bags are safe to use in a sous vide. They do not contain BPA so you do not have to worry about the chemical leaking into your food. Ziploc bags will not soften until 195°F.
  • Plan for a half pound of turkey per guest. If you’re serving 8 people, you’ll need a 4 pound turkey breast.
sliced turkey breast on a plate

What to serve with it

This sous vide turkey breast recipe is easy enough to make any time of the year. But it’s also so delicious, it’s worthy of becoming your go-to Thanksgiving turkey recipe! Pair it with any of these sides for a tasty meal anytime.

Maple Bacon Brussels Sprouts

Roasted Butternut Squash Salad

Honey Glazed Carrots

Au Gratin Potatoes

Mushroom Gravy

Rosemary Blue Cheese Mashed Potatoes

More sous vide recipes

Whether you’re new to sous vide cooking, or just looking for some new sous vide recipe inspiration, I guarantee that you’ll love all of these perfectly cooked recipes!

sliced turkey breast on a plate with fresh thyme and a serving fork
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Sous Vide Turkey Breast

This Sous Vide Turkey Breast recipe is absolutely the easiest way to make the juiciest, most flavorful turkey breast ever! All you need is a boneless turkey breast, turkey seasoning, and a sous vide water bath to make this easy recipe.
Servings: 8 people
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 35 minutes
Author: Whitney Bond
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

  • 4-5 pound boneless turkey breast
  • 3 tablespoons turkey seasoning, click link for my homemade recipe

Instructions

  • Add water to a large tub or large pot that will fit the turkey breast completely under the water. Heat the water with a sous-vide machine to 150°F.
  • Remove the the turkey breast from the packaging. If it’s in netting, you can either leave it in the netting, or remove it from the netting. Place it in a vacuum seal bag, or large zipper bag. Add the turkey seasoning to the bag and rub the seasoning into the turkey.
  • Either use a vacuum sealer to seal the bag closed, or use the “water displacement method” with a Ziplock bag. To do this, place the bag with the turkey in it, almost all of the way under water, leaving just about an inch of the top of the bag open, use the water to press out as much air as possible around the turkey in the bag. You can then seal the bag closed.
  • Add the seasoned, sealed turkey breast in the bag to the water bath. Cook for 2 hours and 30 minutes.
  • Remove the turkey from the water bath. You can slice and serve the turkey straight from the bag, or use the drippings in the bag to season and brown the turkey breast in the oven for a nice finish.

Optional finish in the oven

  • Cut the bag open and use kitchen tongs to move the turkey breast from the bag to a wire rack on top of a foil-lined rimmed sheet pan. Pour the juices from the bag into a small pot on the stove over high heat. Reduce the liquid down for 10 minutes.
  • Preheat the oven broiler to high and arrange a rack in the middle of the oven. Brush the liquid on the outside of the turkey breast and place it under the broiler in the oven for 3 minutes. Remove the turkey breast from the oven, let it rest for 5 minutes, then slice and serve.

Notes

  • You can leave the turkey in the sous vide water bath for more than 2 hours and 30 minutes. This will keep it hot until you’re ready to serve it.
  • I like to remove the skin for this recipe. To remove it before you start the recipe, you’ll need to remove the turkey breast from the netting. Use a sharp knife to remove and discard the skin. If you’d like to remove it after you cook the turkey breast, you can slice it off after you remove the netting.
  • Leaving the netting on or off is your choice. If the turkey breast is still frozen, or partially frozen, it will be nearly impossible to remove the netting. In this case, I recommend leaving it on. Otherwise, I recommend removing it before you season and seal the turkey breast. The whole reason the netting exists is to keep the turkey breasts together when cooking. Once they’re sealed in a bag, they’ll stay together anyway, so you don’t need the netting.
  • Yes, you can sous vide a frozen turkey breast without thawing it first! No need to change the recipe, just follow the instructions as it’s written whether the turkey breast is coming from the fridge or freezer.
  • Ziploc bags are safe to use in a sous vide. They do not contain BPA so you do not have to worry about the chemical leaking into your food. Ziploc bags will not soften until 195°F.

Nutrition Facts

Serving 4servingCalories 234kcal (12%)Carbohydrates 1gProtein 49g (98%)Fat 4g (6%)Saturated Fat 1g (5%)Polyunsaturated Fat 1gMonounsaturated Fat 1gCholesterol 122mg (41%)Sodium 468mg (20%)Potassium 559mg (16%)Fiber 0.2g (1%)Sugar 0.2gVitamin A 85mg (2%)Vitamin C 0.2mgCalcium 47mg (5%)Iron 2mg (11%)
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