This Roasted Air Fryer Turkey Breast is juicy and moist, and so easy to make. Use bone-in or boneless turkey breast to make this beautiful, golden roasted turkey in under an hour.
You’ll find the full recipe with ingredient amounts and instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. Be sure to check out the blog post itself for extra tips and tricks!
Turkey is not just for Thanksgiving. It’s available year-round and is perfect for times when you get tired of simple roasted chicken. The turkey breast in the air fryer is ideal for the times you:
- Don’t want to turn on the oven to roast a small turkey breast.
- Don’t feel like taking the extra step of brining the turkey.
- Want to have a turkey on the table in less than an hour.
- Love your Air Fryer so much that you make anything and everything in it (this is me, this is me!)
This recipe works for bone-in and boneless turkey breasts and requires no brining.
I love making turkey breast in the air fryer. It’s quick, easy, and always turns out juicy. It’s perfect for a family dinner or when I need cooked turkey for another dish, like a stack of delicious turkey sandwiches. For this recipe, I use mayonnaise to coat the turkey breast. It's the trick to getting a nice golden crust on my turkey.
In this post, I included directions for both bone-in and boneless cuts, so you can use whichever you prefer.
♡ Tanya
A Quick Look at the Ingredients
Ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions are on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Turkey breast - I have included directions for both bone-in and boneless turkey breast. If using a boneless turkey breast with netting, ensure the netting remains in place while cooking.
- Mayonnaise - Acts as a binder to help the seasonings stick and promotes a beautifully golden, crispy skin. You can use oil or butter if you prefer to skip the mayo.
- Seasonings - I use a simple blend of poultry seasoning, salt, garlic powder, and black pepper. These add depth and color without overpowering the turkey's flavor. Feel free to adjust the blend based on your taste or what you have on hand.
How to cook a turkey breast in the air fryer
Bone-in turkey breast in the air fryer
Step 1: First, ensure you have a fully defrosted turkey breast that fits in your Air Fryer basket. Some of those bone-in breasts are huge and literally won’t fit in your everyday basket air fryer. I prefer a breast that weighs 4 pounds or less. I suggest using an air fryer that is at least 5.3 quarts in size.
Step 2: Rub mayonnaise and seasonings all over the turkey breast. I also season under the skin.
Step 3: reheat your air fryer to 360°F (182°C). For a bone-in turkey breast, I place it on its side and cook it for 25 minutes. Then, I open the basket, carefully flip the turkey, and cook for another 25 minutes. The turkey is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C) on a quick-read thermometer.
Step 4: Allow your turkey breast to cool on a cutting board for 5-10 minutes before slicing and serving.
3-pound boneless turkey breast in the air fryer
My boneless turkey breast typically comes with a net around the meat. I like to keep the net on the meat so that the meat cooks together and slices better after cooking.
Step 1: Preheat your air fryer to 360°F (182°C) and season your turkey breast.
Step 2: Place the turkey breast in the air fryer and cook for 1 hour, turning it every 15 minutes to ensure even cooking. I’ve found that boneless turkey breasts can take a bit longer than bone-in, especially if they’re wrapped in netting. Use a quick-read thermometer to make sure the internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C) before serving.
Step 3: Allow the turkey breast to cool on a cutting board for 5-10 minutes, then remove the net before slicing.
Tanya's Top Tips
These tips will help you make the most delicious turkey breast in the air fryer.
- I use defrosted turkey breast so I can properly season it and have the seasonings stick to the meat. You can also choose to dry-brine it and let it sit in the refrigerator for a few hours. I usually just season and get to cooking.
- I chose mayonnaise to coat the breast because I like the taste and the golden color it gives my breast. You could opt for a reduced amount of oil instead.
- If making the boneless breast, be careful when removing the netting after cooking. Some meat may stick to the netting when removing.
Plan Ahead + Storage Tips
- Prep Ahead: Season the turkey breast up to 24 hours in advance and refrigerate until ready to cook.
- Leftovers: Store cooked turkey in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freezing: Freeze cooked, sliced turkey for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
- Reheating: Reheat in the air fryer at 300°F (150°C) for 10–15 minutes, or until heated through. You can also microwave in short intervals, covered with a damp paper towel to retain moisture.
Additional turkey recipes you may enjoy
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do, or are looking for more ways to cook a turkey breast, try these out:
How to serve turkey breast
If you need ideas of what to serve this with, try these:
FAQs:
Cook the turkey until it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C).
No, I've never brined my turkey, as it's cooked in a delicious blend of spices that pack lots of flavor into the finished turkey breast. However, if you prefer, you can dry-brine the turkey with the spices and let it rest in the fridge for a few hours before cooking.
I do not recommend it. I recommend fully thawing the turkey breast and adding seasoning to it before air frying. Cooking from frozen may result in the outside browning/cooking too quickly while the inside takes longer to reach the correct temperature.
If you have tried this turkey breast recipe, or any other recipe on my blog, then please rate it and let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
Air Fryer Turkey Breast Recipe (Bone-In or Boneless)
Ingredients
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer to 360 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Season turkey breast with mayonnaise, poultry seasoning, salt, garlic powder, and black pepper.
- Place turkey breast in the air fryer basket on its side. Cook on one side for 25 minutes, flip, cook on the other side for 25 minutes or until internal temperature has reached a temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Preheat your Air fryer to 360 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Season your boneless turkey breast with mayonnaise, poultry seasoning, salt, garlic powder, and black pepper.
- Air fry on 360 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 hour, turning every 15 minutes or until internal temperature has reached a temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Nutrition
Video
Notes
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!This post was originally published on October 22, 2019. It has been updated with helpful information and storage tips.
Shana says
Dear Tanya,
I tried this recipe for the first time for an early Christmas dinner, and everybody said that the turkey was SO moist, and I must agree. I added different seasonings though which included all purpose seasoning, cracked black pepper, Spanish paprika, salt, garlic powder, and onion powder. In the end, adding mayonnaise was the key. Thank you so much for such clear instructions. I will definitely be trying this again.
Les says
Followed recipe; was terrific. Very moist. Did the boneless version. Will be doing this as long as we buy Turkey Breasts. Love it.
Sheri says
I don’t have an air fryer with the basket…can I just sit it on the rack and serve the same purpose? I do have a rotisserie feature…I have the air fryer power XL
Tanya says
Hi Sheri, yes, you can just use the racks or even the rotisserie.
Cy says
Yeah- so moist and delicious! Thank you!
Paul says
Only 3 of us for Tgiv this year. Did a 4lb breast in fryer, if not best, in the top 2 turkeys ever and I have baked, fried and smoked alot! If I were smart enough to figure out how, I would show a picture of how I put a piece of Andjoulie sausage in the middle part for flavor, part because the slices look incredible! Thanks so much for recipe.
Jillian says
Can I do this with an 8 lb Turkey breast? If so how long?
Tanya says
Hi Jilian, a 4lb breast is the largest that will fit in most basket-type air fryers. If you have a larger oven-type air fryer that can fit an 8lb breast, you will be able to do it but you may need to cook a little longer. You'll need to monitor it. I'd say try for about 12 minutes per pound on 360F.
Leslie Booth says
Even though we’ve not tried this yet, I love your video. You just put some fun into this and so enthusiastic! Definitely thumbs up. Will let you know how ours turns out. Thanks so much.
Tanya says
Thank you so much Leslie 🙂 I hope you like the recipe too 🙂
Lee Whittinghill says
My wife and I have absolutely taken a shine to you and your recipes. This recipe is spot-on, as are all your others. Miss Tasteful Tanya, you hit the spot! Thanks!
Tanya says
Thank you Lee 🙂
Nancy says
Hi Tanya, your guidance is perfect for a 4 lb half turkey breast. It fit in the basket really well. Sunday dinner was delicious. Gravy recipe great too!
Lynn says
I made a 3 lb butterball boneless today and my husband is beyond happy with this! I have the Instant Vortex Pro and put it in the rotisserie basket and used your timing. It was great! Thanks so much.
Tanya says
Thanks Lynn! So glad you liked the recipe 🙂
Rhonda says
Would this work in a 4-quart air fryer? I just purchased tonight and I am starting to worry that it might be too small to cook much.
Tanya says
Hi Rhonda, it should fit fine.
Mzjoseph says
Made this for my family last Thanksgiving. It came out so very well! Thank you for sharing
Leslie says
Thank you for this recipe! We made it last night with a boneless breast in our basket air fryer. It came out moist with the outside crispy. I didn't take the netting off beforehand, but was careful when taking it off the breast. I didn't have an issue with it pulling all the good stuff off. I checked it every 15 minutes and ended up overcooking since it went from 140 to 180 in minutes, but it still turned out amazing! Thank you!
Penny says
First time trying my air fryer. Bought a 3 pound Butterball boneless turkey. Your recipe was perfect. Beautiful color and moist. Next time will use less salt. Thanks for this recipe..will be making many times.
Priya <3 says
Hi, I really want to do this recipe, but my mom wants something juicy and wants to brine the turkey, is this recipe juicy as it would be when brining it or... do you the brining it would be better if your looking for juicy.
Tanya says
Hi Priya, I find it juicy without brining but it wouldn't hurt to brine it if that's what you prefer.