This Boneless Turkey Breast Roast is stuffed with garlic, has a golden herb crust and comes out tender and juicy every time! You need only 6 ingredients for flavorful and impressive results every time!
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Make this juicy boneless turkey breast roast for Thanksgiving dinner instead of roasting a whole turkey! I am a pro at cooking turkey breast for holidays because it’s always just 4 of us.
Over the years I have perfected a slow cooker boneless turkey breast, Instant Pot turkey breast and even turkey breast in air fryer. One time I made a bone-in turkey breast and for extra naughty version we once had bacon wrapped turkey breast.
So, lots of options for you depending what you are feeling like this year!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Perfect for small holiday gatherings: If you are feeding only 4 – 6 people, this turkey roast is a perfect size.
- Flavorful and customizable: Anything stuffed with garlic is always delicious! Spices in this recipe are very simple and you can go for them, or use this turkey breast rub.
- Turns out juicy every time: Juicy whole turkey is a hit and miss, where as a turkey breast guaranteed to be juicy because cooking it is so easy!
- Frees up oven space: You need only 1 1/2 hours to cook this roast vs. 4-5 hours for a whole bird.
Ingredients for Boneless Turkey Breast Roast
6 simple ingredients is all you need for this recipe! When purchasing your turkey roast, general rule of thumb is 1/2 pound of turkey breast per person, so purchase accordingly to the number of guests you will be serving.
- Boneless turkey breast roast: This recipe calls for fresh boneless skinless turkey breast roast. If you have a frozen one, thaw it first. It can be boneless turkey breasts, only turkey thighs or both. In either case, meat is shaped and held together by stretchy mesh.
- Fresh rosemary: Not dried. I am all for shortcuts but holiday roast calls for fresh herbs as it infuses the best taste.
- Garlic: There is really no substitute for fresh garlic, which has a very distinctive flavor. If you are allergic to garlic, maybe bake with a bit of lemon juice and zest. And sprinkle with fresh chives before serving.
- Olive oil: Can also use avocado oil or grapeseed oil. I do not recommend to use melted butter because it will solidify as soon as you brush it on cold turkey breast roast and herbs will not stick.
- Salt and black pepper: To season and taste.
How to Cook Boneless Turkey Breast
You need only 10 minutes to prep this recipe. I prefer to roast turkey breast in my 6 Quart Dutch oven but you can also do so on a baking sheet or in a roasting pan.
If your meat is frozen, here is an easy tutorial how to thaw a turkey breast, even if you need to do so quickly.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Stuff with garlic: In a medium roasting pan or Dutch oven, place turkey breast and make 10-15 inserts with a paring knife. Stick garlic slice into each hole until you run out of garlic.
Season with rosemary: Rub roast with oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper all around. Taking small handfuls of rosemary pat it onto the roast, then sprinkle some.
The goal is to coat the roast in herbs for best roasted turkey flavor.
Bake uncovered for 30 minutes per 1 pound at 350 F: I cooked 3 pounds turkey breast roast for 90 minutes or until meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the breast reads 160 degrees F.
Remove mesh casing and slice: Using sharp knife or kitchen scissors, cut casing in the middle, remove and discard. Slice into thin slices without pushing on meat too hard.
How Do I Know It’s Done?
If you had to remember one thing it would be that minimum internal temperature in the thickest part of the breast should reach 160 degrees F when checked with an instant read meat thermometer.
As per USDA guidelines, poultry meat is a safe for consumption when it is cooked to 165 F. Don’t worry, though! As the turkey rests tented under foil or in Dutch oven, it will continue to cook with residual heat and will reach 165 degrees F optimal temperature. This way it will be juicy!
How Long to Cook Boneless Turkey Breast Roast in the Oven?
You are probably wondering “how long to cook boneless turkey breast roast per pound?”. And it’s a good question because it is the key to success to a juicy roast.
The general rule of thumb is to cook it for 30 minutes per pound in preheated to 350 degrees F oven.
Here is a table of cooking times for quick reference:
| Turkey breast weight | Cooking time |
|---|---|
| 2 pounds | 60 minutes or 1 hour |
| 3 pounds | 90 minutes or 1 hour 30 minutes |
| 4 pounds | 120 minutes or 2 hours |
| 5 pounds | 150 minutes or 2 hours 30 minutes |
| 6 pounds | 180 minutes or 3 hours |
Extra Large Roast
7-10 pounds roast: Cook for 30 minutes per pound but check with a thermometer 30 minutes before calculated total time. Just to avoid overcooking your turkey breast as oven gets hotter with time.
Tips for Best Results
- Don’t remove the casing before cooking: Under any circumstances, please don’t. Casing is holding pieces of meat together. If you remove it, meat will fall apart. Do not worry, we will season it inside. It will come out juicy and delicious.
- Bake roast uncovered: If you cover it, white meat will steam instead of roasting.
- Don’t check on it during baking: I do not recommend to open the oven and try to baste it with turkey broth or melted butter. Each time you open the door, the oven temperature drops and your cook time will be skewed.
- Important to let meat rest! Resting meat results in juicy and tender turkey. Remove roast from the oven, cover with aluminum foil and let turkey breast rest for 10 minutes. Don’t skip!
- Browned crispy skin: You can try broiling the roast for a few minutes at the end. Just be careful not to dry out the turkey.
Variations
This recipe as is produces amazing results! If you want to try some variations though, here are some ideas.
- Additional rub seasonings: Onion powder, crushed thyme, sage, and smoked paprika are great. Or just try my delicious turkey breast rub that is full of yummy seasonings to complement the turkey breast perfectly.
- Can’t stand the thought of not using butter to rub turkey? Melt small amount of butter then mix with EVOO or some readers have had success with using room temperature butter.
- Stuffed turkey breast: If you are up for the challenge, some readers have successfully removed mesh, unrolled the breast and spread additional layer of fresh herbs and butter, then rolled it back up and stuffed breast back in mesh before roasting.
- Brine turkey overnight for additional flavor.
How to Serve
Since I usually make this turkey roast at Thanksgiving, I serve it with healthy turkey gravy and healthy cranberry sauce.
Are you wondering “What else to serve with turkey breast?”. Here are a few more holiday side dishes that are the perfect complement to your festive celebration.
- Healthy sweet potatoes
- Cauliflower mashed potatoes
- Crispy Parmesan potatoes
- Parmesan roasted brussels sprouts
- Healthy sweet potato casserole
- Healthy green bean casserole
- Cauliflower stuffing
Storing Leftovers
Store: Refrigerate cooked turkey roast whole or sliced in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Leftover turkey is so good cold on its own, in a sandwich or we love these leftover turkey quesadillas. Or reheat just until warm with gravy. This recipe is so versatile!
Freeze: Freeze leftovers sliced or cut into bite sized pieces in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw in refrigerator and then use leftovers for turkey noodle soup, turkey and rice soup, as a protein in a salad for lunch, or for turkey tacos!
FAQs
Yes. It is simply deboned turkey breast pieces being held together by a netting.
You should roast turkey breast uncovered. Cover it after cooking to let meat rest, become juicy and reach desired internal temperature of 165 F.
First, this recipe is for a fresh boneless turkey breast roast. If your roast is frozen, be sure to thaw turkey completely. If your breast is frozen in the middle, it will change the cooking time and end results will be dry.
Second, trust the first internal temperature check, remove it from the oven and let rest so turkey juices settle back into the roast. Also to keep it moist for a while, don’t slice it right away but rather before serving.
To save time during the Holidays, you could season the turkey breast with garlic and herbs, cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours. Let turkey come to room temp, then proceed with roasting.
If your roast comes out tough, it is because of type of meat the store used to wrap into the casing. I once happened to buy a small 2 pounds roast and it was pretty chewy with muscle tissues. I highly recommend to buy a minimum 3 pounds of larger boneless skinless turkey breast roast.
More Main Dish Recipes to Try
Here are a few more suggestions for your small holiday meal instead of traditional turkey!
Boneless Turkey Breast Roast
Ingredients
Boneless Turkey Roast
- 3 pounds fresh boneless turkey roast in casing
- 3 large garlic cloves cut into matchsticks
- 3 large rosemary sprigs leaves removed and minced
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
- Ground black pepper to taste
Easy Pan Gravy (Optional)
- 2 cups low sodium chicken stock or water
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
Boneless Turkey Roast
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium roasting pan or Dutch oven, place turkey roast and make 10-15 inserts with a paring knife. Stick garlic slice into each one until you run out of garlic.
- Rub roast with oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper all around. Taking small handfuls of rosemary pat it onto the roast, then sprinkle some. The goal is to coat the roast in herbs.
- Bake uncovered for 90 minutes. Check with meat thermometer, it should read 160 degrees F.
- Remove from the oven, cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Internal temperature will reach 170 degrees F and juices settle.
- Using a sharp knife or scissors, remove the casing and slice. Serve warm at a Holiday table with traditional sides of mashed potatoes and gravy, cold as an appy or use in sandwiches instead of deli meat.
Easy Pan Gravy (Optional)
- Place roasting pan with juices from cooking turkey roast on medium heat. Scrape and shake rosemary and burnt on pieces from removed casing into the pot. There is a lot of flavor. Discard the casing.
- Add broth and bring to a boil. Cook for 5 minutes and whisk to scrape the walls. Again lots of flavor in there. Add white wine, butter, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low-medium and cook for 5 minutes.
- In a small bowl, add a bit of gravy from the pot and cornstarch. Whisk well with a fork, pour back into the pot and whisk until gravy starts boiling.
- Cook for 2-3 minutes or until thickened a bit. Serve with a turkey roast.
Video
Notes
- Make ahead: Season the turkey breast with garlic and herbs, cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours. Let turkey come to room temp, then proceed with roasting.
- Store: Refrigerate roast whole or sliced in an airtight container for up to a week. It tastes so good cold. And warm with gravy. This recipe is so versatile!
- Freeze: Freeze leftovers sliced or cut into bite sized pieces in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw in refrigerator.
- Fresh boneless turkey roast: This recipe calls for fresh boneless skinless turkey roast. If you have a frozen one, thaw it first.
- Bone in roast: If you want to cook turkey breast with bone in, check out this bone in turkey breast roast.
Hello! I was wondering if I could use butter instead of olive oil?
Hey Lisa!
I do not recommend to use melted butter because it will solidify as soon as you brush it on cold meat and herbs will not stick.
I prefer to use butter over oil. I let the butter come to room temperature and add my herbs/spices to it and spread it over the turkey, which is also already at room temperature. Bringing any type of meat to room temperature ensures better even cooking, and the butter will not solidify.
Hello, thank you in advance for such detailed, careful instructions. I’m making a boneless breast for the first time, it would have been miserable without your advice! Enjoy Thanksgiving and know that you’ve helped a lot of people!
So happy to hear, Nancy! I appreciate it because this was hard work by a team of 3 people. 🙂 Happy Thanksgiving, I ate mine back in October, “Canada problems” haha.
Would the instructions differ at all for cooking two roasts at the same time, both 3lbs? Anything I should do differently?
No, I don’t think so. I would put them far from each other so they roast, I mean not touching. Enjoy!
Hi! My name Gerald. I have a 12lb boneless turkey breast. It is wrapped in plastic . I’m told to cook with plastic on. How do you season it?
I would not cook anything with plastic. You are the 2nd person that is asking. I have never seen a roast in plastic. I would remove it, run out and buy kitchen twine, even in a dollar store, and tie roast with it after removing plastic. Season as per recipe.
Hello! My turkey roasts came wrapped in a plastic bag instead of a mesh one. Could I cut slits into the plastic for the garlic and herbs?
You have to remove plastic bag. Don’t cook with it under any circumstances. Instead run out and buy kitchen twine, even in a dollar store, and tie roast with it after removing plastic.
Can’t wait to try this. I have a turkey breast roast and a whole chicken to roast. The chicken cooks at 425 so I can’t cook together. My second oven is a Thermidor Speed/ microwave. Not sure how to cook the roast in it. If I cook the roast in my main oven early would it be ok to serve a couple of hours later? Is it possible to reheat? Thanks so much!
Hi Amy. I would cook chicken first and you can always reheat it covered at 350 before serving. It has less chances to dry out because it has fat and bones. Roast is lean meat and I would cook it before serving last. Never tried the oven like yours, so I can’t tell. Maybe its manual will help with cooking chicken, if it can fit into it?!
Anything else I can use to replace the Rosemary?
Fresh thyme.
My turkey breast doesn’t have any mesh. It’s a turkey breast boneless roast. How should I cook it?
Hi Janet! As long as it is boneless, you can cook it the same way!
I received a 3lb turkey breast “roast” from whole foods via delivery, however it is not in a casing. Can I prepare same way?
Is it just like a breast or thighs meat? You can roll them into similar shape roast with kitchen twine and then follow the recipe, yes! 🙂
Just bought one of these after our 10 guests for Thanksgiving canceled because of Covid fears. 😕 We found another friend who will use the large turkey we had purchased, so that’s good, but I didn’t know how to make the small roast. Now I’ve got a reliable source for a way to cook the small roast ! Thanks so much for a timely post !
You are very welcome Susan!