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You’ve never had turkey like this before! My amazingly juicy Sous Vide Turkey Breast recipe is perfectly tender with no chance of drying out, and you barely need to touch it once it gets cooking. Perfect for busy nights!
Jump to:
- Sous Vide Turkey
- Why You’ll Love My Sous Vide Turkey
- Turkey Breast Sous Vide Ingredients
- Sous Vide a Turkey
- What to Serve with Turkey Breast Sous Vide
- Expert Tips
- How to Make This Recipe without a Sous Vide?
- Sous Vide Turkey FAQ
- Turkey Storage and Reheating
- How to Cook Turkey Guides
- Side Dishes for Turkey
- Pin it for later!
- Recipe
- Reviews
Sous Vide Turkey
Sous vide cooking has taken over my kitchen! I tried it once in a friend’s kitchen, and knew that the next thing I was going to do was get my own sous vide machine. It’s magical; no matter what you cook sous vide, it turns out perfectly cooked and juicier than you could believe!
My first big success with sous vide was pork chops, which turned out more delicious than I ever could have imagined. Then, my sous vide prime rib and beef tenderloin. Those turned out so incredible, I knew it was time to try turkey breast sous vide!
Normally you would worry about turkey drying out if you leave it cooking for just a little too long, but not for sous vide. Sous vide turkey breast won’t dry out at all, but will stay at the perfect temperature, ready for you to finish it with a quick sear in the oven! You can’t get better than that!
What’s So Special about Sous Vide Cooking?
It’s all in the science of pasteurization! By keeping turkey at an even heat for a long period of time, sous vide kills off harmful bacteria while being able to cook turkey to lower temperatures than the oven. This means safe to eat turkey cooked to 140°F, which retains so much more moisture than 165°F! It’s literally juicier, and just as safe to eat!
Why You’ll Love My Sous Vide Turkey
- Juicier than Ever Before! I’m not just saying this. Because sous vide can cook turkey to lower temperatures while staying safe, this is literally the juiciest turkey you can make.
- Hands-off Process! Season the turkey, toss it in the sous vide machine, give it a quick roast at the end to turn it golden brown, and the turkey main course is done!
- Infused with Flavor! By cooking the turkey in its own juices and packing herbs in with it, you’ll have herb-infused turkey ready to be slathered with compound butter for even more flavor.
Turkey Breast Sous Vide Ingredients
- Turkey Breast: You can use bone-in turkey breast or boneless turkey breast. They cook to the same temperature, so either one will work great!
- Fresh sage: By packing the sous vide bag with sage, the flavors of the herb infuse the meat as it cooks,
- Salt: I recommend a nice flake salt like kosher or sea salt.
- Black Pepper: Freshly ground is best, if you can!
Turkey Compound Butter Ingredients
Compound butter takes this turkey breast recipe over the top! Spread it on the turkey breast before finishing it in the oven, and you will be amazed at how much flavor it adds. Visit the recipe page for more info and suggestions for how to use it.
- Salted butter: You’ll want this at room temperature. Leave it out as the turkey cooks and it’ll be perfect by the time it’s ready to serve!
- Garlic: Use fresh garlic, not powdered. It will add its oils to the butter and add so much depth of flavor.
- Flaked sea salt: It’s important to use a quality salt! Taste the butter before adding the whole amount to ensure it’s not too salty.
- Fresh thyme: Fresh herbs work much better in compound butter than dry! They have so much more flavor and a better texture.
- Fresh sage: Use thee rest of the leaves that you don’t add to the turkey!
- Lemon zest: Lemon zest is my secret to the most flavorful compound butter!
Sous Vide a Turkey
- Set sous vide cooker to 140°F. Pat turkey breast dry with a paper towel. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Place the turkey breast in a vacuum-sealed bag or sous vide bag with sage leaves. Remove all air manually by submerging in a sink of water, or use a vacuum sealer.
- Add the bag to the sous vide water bath. If necessary to keep the bag submerged, clip it to the side of the container. Cook for 3 hours.
- After 3 hours, remove the bag from the sous vide. Place it into an ice bath for 10 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. When ready, remove the turkey breast from the bag and discard the sage leaves. Place turkey skin side up onto a sheet pan with a roasting rack. Pat the turkey dry with paper towels, then spread compound butter all over the turkey breast, making sure to coat all sides.
- Place turkey in the oven for 12-15 minutes or until the skin is golden-brown and crispy. Remove and let rest for 5 minutes.
- Let the turkey rest for 10 minutes. Slice, serve, and enjoy the most tender turkey breast you have ever had!
What to Serve with Turkey Breast Sous Vide
Expert Tips
- I love sage and garlic herb compound butter with my sous vide turkey breast, but you can customize this recipe by using your favorite herbs. I have tried rosemary and it is also delicious.
- If your sous vide cooker can accommodate a large amount of water, you could cook double the amount of turkey breast for a larger crowd in place of a whole turkey.
- If your turkey breast has skin and you want it extra crispy, you can remove it and roast it in the oven stretched flat between two pieces of parchment paper, then pressed flat sandwiched between rimmed baking sheets. Bake it at 400°F for 30-45 minutes, then serve it with the turkey!
- You should not attempt to cook a whole turkey sous vide. Only turkey breast should be cooked this way.
- Always let your turkey rest for 10 minutes before slicing it so it retains the juices.
How to Make This Recipe without a Sous Vide?
You can certainly make this recipe even if you do not have a sous vide machine. I made this many times before purchasing mine, and I was always amazed at how juicy and flavorful my turkey turned out.
Follow steps 1 and 2 above until you are ready to place the turkey in the water.
Fill a large pot or Dutch oven with water and attach your thermometer on the side. Heat the water until it reaches 145°F.
Let the turkey sit and cook for 3 hours, then sear, rest, and serve as normal. Then follow steps 5 through 7.
Sous Vide Turkey FAQ
Sous vide turkey breast at a temperature of 140℉ (60°C). Normally, the safe internal temperature for turkey is 170°F, but when cooking turkey breast sous vide, a temperature of 140°F is maintained for long enough to achieve the same bacteria-eliminating results as it reaching 170°F. For the times and temps of turkey cooked other ways, see: Turkey Temperature
Sous vide turkey at a temperature of 140°F for 3 hours. After 3 hours, quickly roast the turkey breast for 15 minutes in the oven at 450°F. This very long cook time ensures that the turkey is totally bacteria free and completely safe to eat, while retaining a juicier flavor than any other cooking method!
When cooking turkey breast sous vide, you may notice the meat is still slightly pink when it is done cooking. This is not a cause for concern as long as the meat has reached an internal temperature of 140°F as set on the sous vide cooker.
Turkey Storage and Reheating
- Refrigerator: Slice the turkey evenly, then place it in an airtight container or plastic bag in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Turkey is perfect for freezing! If you have lots of leftovers, I recommend freezing them. Just pack the turkey into a freezer-safe plastic bag, then press the air out. Store in the freezer for up to 4 months.
How to Reheat Sous Vide Turkey
You can reheat sous vide turkey how you would reheat any other cooked turkey. Heating it in small intervals in the microwave with gravy, stock, or butter is a good way to ensure it doesn’t dry out while heating. Smaller pieces will cook more evenly, so slice the turkey beforehand.
How to Cook Turkey Guides
- How Long to Thaw a Turkey
- How to Make Turkey Stock
- Butter Injection for Turkey
- Turkey Temperature: Times and Temps for Turkey
Don’t forget to try my Dry Turkey Brine, too, which makes it even juicier. Seriously!
Side Dishes for Turkey
- Southern Sweet Potato Casserole
- Creamy Mashed Potatoes
- Instant Pot Stuffing
- Green Beans Casserole
- Creamed Corn Casserole
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Recipe
Sous Vide Turkey Breast
Equipment
- 1 Knife
Ingredients
Sous Vide Turkey
- 2 pound turkey breast 2 to 3 pounds
- 4 fresh sage leaves
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
Compound Butter
- 1 garlic clove
- pinch flaky salt
- 6 fresh sage leaves chopped
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme leaves removed
- 3 teaspoons lemon zest
- 2 sticks salted butter room temperature
Instructions
- Set your sous vide to 140℉/60°C. Pat turkey breast dry with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper to taste.2 pound turkey breast, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper
- Place the turkey in a vacuum seal bag with sage leaves inside. Remove air and seal the bag.4 fresh sage leaves
- Cook turkey in the sous vide for 3 hours.
- After 3 hours, remove the bath from the sous vide and immediately place it into an ice bath for 10 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 450℉. Remove turkey breast from the bag and discard sage leaves. Place turkey onto a sheet pan with a roasting rack on top. Pat turkey dry with paper towels. Spread compound butter all over the turkey breast, making sure to get all sides. (See notes for compound butter mixing instructions).pinch flaky salt, 6 fresh sage leaves, 6 sprigs fresh thyme, 3 teaspoons lemon zest, 2 sticks salted butter, 1 garlic clove
- Place turkey in the oven for 12-15 minutes or until the skin becomes golden brown. Remove the turkey from the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes.
- Let the turkey rest for 10 minutes. Slice and enjoy!
Video
Notes
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- I love sage and garlic herb compound butter with my sous vide turkey breast, but you can customize this recipe by using your favorite herbs. I have tried rosemary and it is also delicious.
-
- If your sous vide cooker can accommodate a large amount of water, you could cook double the amount of turkey breast for a larger crowd in place of a whole turkey.
-
- If your turkey breast has skin and you want it extra crispy, you can remove it and roast it in the oven stretched flat between two pieces of parchment paper, then pressed flat sandwiched between rimmed baking sheets. Bake it at 400°F for 30-45 minutes, then serve it with the turkey!
-
- You should not attempt to cook a whole turkey sous vide. Only turkey breast should be cooked this way.
- Always let the turkey rest for 10 minutes before slicing so it retains the juices.
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