Wanting a smaller feast of turkey? Try an Air Fryer Turkey Breast with Gravy. It is just like roasting a whole bird for flavor, juiciness, and giving a perfect brown skin but in a fraction of the time. We flavored our turkey with garlic and rosemary and made the best rich, brown gravy ever.
Love turkey and want more recipes? Then try our Smoked Turkey – The Quintessential Guide, Cheesecloth Herb Butter Turkey Recipe, or Southwest Grilled Turkey Breast.
You may also like to try some other air fryer recipes like our air fryer roast chicken, air fryer easy garlic bread, air fryer monkey bread, air fryer Brussels sprouts, or air fryer home diner fries.
Helpful Items For This Recipe
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Thanksgiving Fall Festive Green 14 x 10 Glass Harvest Platter
What Goes on a Turkey Breast for the Air Fryer?
This recipe is for a deliciously juicy and tender roast turkey breast with the fresh herb flavor of rosemary and air-fried roasted garlic.
This is a whole bone-in turkey breast which will give you better results than a boneless turkey breast in this application.
It has simple ingredients, most of which you may have on hand already.
Ingredients
Turkey Breast
Turkey Breast (Bone-In)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt
Black Pepper
Whole Garlic Heads
Fresh Rosemary
Lemon
Rich Turkey Gravy
Fat Drippings
All-Purpose Flour
Turkey or Chicken Broth
Soy Sauce
Dark Brown Sugar
Black Pepper
Butter
How to Cook a Turkey Breast in an Air Fryer
Preheat Air Fryer to 350 degrees.
Remove the turkey breast from the package. Discard any extra juice and pat the turkey breast dry.
Pour the olive oil over the top of the outside of the turkey breast.
Sprinkle the salt and pepper on top.
Next, remove the skins from the two garlic heads.
Place one whole garlic head inside of the turkey.
Chop up the other garlic head into smaller pieces and place the pieces on top of the turkey skin (and under the skin if you wish).
Add the chopped rosemary and squeeze the lemon all over the top of the turkey.
Place the turkey breast in the air fryer.
Cook at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes to 35 minutes.
Flip the turkey breast over, raise the temperature to 375 degrees and cook it for an additional 20 minutes to 25 minutes, depending on the size of your turkey breast.
The turkey breast is ready when it’s a nice golden brown, has crispy skin and the instant-read thermometer reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
After removing the turkey from the air fryer, there will be fat drippings and juice left in the pan; this is what you want for the gravy.
Making The Gravy
You’ll want to heat the pan drippings back up until they start to sizzle and brown a little. You can do this on the stovetop.
Heat a saucepan at medium-high heat, add the fat drippings to the saucepan.
Once they are browned, add the flour in slowly, constantly stirring with a whisk.
Heat for about a minute or until golden brown.
Next, add the turkey broth. Then add the soy sauce, brown sugar, black pepper, and butter. Whisk well.
Continue to cook it until it starts to bubble, stirring consistently. Reduce the heat and simmer for about five minutes, continuing to stir.
Transfer gravy to a gravy boat or serving container.
If gravy is too thick – you can add a little water or more stock. If it is too thin, you can add a little cornstarch.
Any leftover gravy can be reheated via stovetop or microwave. Store the gravy in a covered container in the fridge.
Tips and Tricks For The Best Air Fryer Turkey Breast
Use an instant-read thermometer to determine the internal temperature of the turkey breast. It needs to reach 165 degrees to determine if it’s cooked thoroughly. Make sure to insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the turkey breast but, avoid the bone.
This is a fresh, whole, bone-in turkey breast.
Depending on what kind of air fryer you have and how big your turkey breast is, you may have to use the actual air fryer dish or tray if the turkey won’t fit into the basket. Flipping it halfway through cooking time still leaves you with crisp skin and even cooking. This one was made in the Ninja Foodi 9-in-1 Air Fryer / Pressure Cooker. The turkey breast is about 7 lbs and is in the base pot instead of the basket. I have also used this same recipe to make a 5 lb one, which fits into the basket.
Additionally, I’ve used this recipe in the Ninja Foodi 5-in-1 Air Fryer / Indoor Grill and the Instant Pot Air Fryer. So, it really just comes down to selecting a turkey breast that fits into your air fryer. The cooking time only varies by about ten minutes which is accounted for in the recipe.
Tips for Peeling Garlic More Easily
Here are 3 steps to peel garlic more easily:
1) Start by placing the whole garlic head on a flat surface. Press down your palm on top of it, twisting & pressing firmly until the cloves start to break apart. This will actually remove a lot of the skin as well.
2) Place the garlic cloves into a medium-size bowl or a container with a lid. Carefully flip the bowl over, making sure the lid is secure, and shake forcefully.
3) Flip the bowl back over and remove the lid. The skin should be loose, and most of the garlic should be skinless now. You can also slice into it if there’s any you can’t peel off. It makes it much easier. Remove any last remnants, and it’s ready to use.
This turkey breast is made with fresh rosemary and garlic cloves. Cooking turkey breast in the air fryer instead of the oven means it’ll be ready in half the time! This is also perfect for Thanksgiving as it means you’ll be able to throw all of your sides in the oven while the turkey cooks on the counter!
Crispy outer skin with a moist, tender breast.
If you do have any leftovers, you can store them in the fridge for 3-4 days. Besides turkey sandwiches, leftover Turkey is perfect for making pot pies, soups, casseroles, or anything else you can think of!
Pin it HERE!!
Pin it HERE!!
Air Fryer Turkey Breast with Gravy
Ingredients
Turkey
- 7 lb Turkey Breast Bone-In
- 1 1/2 Tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 Tsp Salt
- 1 Tsp Black Pepper
- 2 Fresh Whole Garlic Heads
- 1 1/2 Tbsp Rosemary Chopped
- 1/2 a Lemon
Gravy
- 1/4 Cup Fat Drippings
- 1/2 Cup All Purpose Flour
- 2 Cups Turkey or Chicken Broth
- 1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1 Tsp Dark Brown Sugar
- 1/2 Tsp Black Pepper
- 1 Tbsp Butter
Instructions
- Preheat Air Fryer to 350 degrees.
- Remove the turkey breast from the package. Discard any extra juice and pat the turkey breast dry.
- Pour the olive oil over the top of the outside of the turkey breast.
- Sprinkle the salt and pepper on top.
- Next, remove the skins from the two garlic heads.
- Place one whole garlic head inside of the turkey.
- Chop up the other garlic head into smaller pieces and place the pieces on top of the turkey skin (and under the skin if you wish).
- Add the chopped rosemary and squeeze the lemon all over the top of the turkey.
- Place the turkey breast in the air fryer.
- Cook at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes to 35 minutes.
- Flip the turkey breast over, raise the temperature to 375 degrees and cook it for an additional 20 minutes to 25 minutes, depending on the size of your turkey breast.
- The turkey breast is ready when it’s a nice golden brown, has crispy skin and the instant-read thermometer reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
- After removing the turkey from the air fryer, there will be fat drippings and juice left in the pan; this is what you want for the gravy.
- Making The Gravy
- You’ll want to heat the pan drippings back up until they start to sizzle and brown a little. You can do this on the stovetop.
- Heat a saucepan at medium-high heat, add the fat drippings to the saucepan.
- Once they are browned, add the flour in slowly, constantly stirring with a whisk.
- Heat for about a minute or until golden brown.
- Next, add the turkey broth. Then add the soy sauce, brown sugar, black pepper, and butter. Whisk well.
- Continue to cook it until it starts to bubble, stirring consistently. Reduce the heat and simmer for about five minutes, continuing to stir.
- Transfer gravy to a gravy boat or serving container.
- If gravy is too thick – you can add a little water or more stock. If it is too thin, you can add a little cornstarch. Any leftover gravy can be reheated via stovetop or microwave. Store the gravy in a covered container in the fridge.
Comments & Reviews
URL says
The turkey breast is ready when it’s a nice golden brown, has crispy skin and the instant-read thermometer reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
wordle today says
Thanks for the useful culinary advice! In fact, I’ve tasted smoked turkey, and it’s unquestionably the best option.
Tara Noland says
You should try this air fryer recipe for a change.