Sous viding meat from frozen is one of my favorite ways to utilize this method of cooking. That’s why I’m so excited to share this technique with you. Cooking a sous vide turkey breast from frozen is similar to cooking a sous vide turkey breast from either defrosted or fresh. The results are delicious and juicy turkey. But you need some extra tips to pull off this cook. I’ll teach you how it’s done.
How does sous vide frozen turkey breast turn out?
Cooking turkey sous vide from frozen will result in a tender texture that you know and love from sous vide, while keeping the meat tasting rich and savory.
The extra convenience factor comes from learning how to sous vide frozen turkey breast.
See the results of my best sous vide turkey breast recipe experiment.
Why sous vide it?
Cooking frozen turkey breast sous vide style completely separates what you can do with a sous vide machine from other pieces of kitchen equipment.
You don’t have to let the turkey thaw over night before sous viding it.
It just goes right in the sous vide bath to thaw and cook.
This has saved me endless trips in the middle of the night down to my kitchen. You see, I used to remember just as I was falling asleep that I forgot to take out food to thaw for the next day.
Now I can realize I have no plans for dinner the day-of, and still be able to turn around non-existent dinner plans and cook a tasty meal.
Before sous vide cooking, my other go-to weeknight meal was always homemade pizza with store bought dough.
So in short: sous vide cooking from frozen is great for busy people.
And it’s especially great for Thanksgiving, too.
How to cook turkey sous vide from frozen
With these basic steps in mind, you need to make a few adjustments to a recipe for cooking a fresh turkey breast sous vide in order to cook a sous vide turkey breast from frozen.
Prepping the frozen turkey
It also might be a good idea to prep your turkey breast before you freeze it for the easiest process for cooking your frozen turkey breast sous vide.
If you seal the turkey breast and your desired spices in a vacuum sealed bag before freezing it, you’ll be ready to put it into your water bath right away, cutting down on day-of prep time.
Do you need special equipment?
Probably not!
You need the basics. Like a sous vide machine – whether that is the Anova, Joule, or Instant Pot Slim. (see more on the new instant pot sous vide machines)
Plus a sous vide container like a big bucket for the food to cook in.
And a bag to hold the turkey.
Adjust the time to cook from frozen
The most important adjustment you need to make is to the cooking time for your frozen turkey breast. When cooking a frozen turkey breast sous vide, you need to add 60 minutes to the cooking time.
With this in mind, you should end up cooking the turkey breast for about 4-5 hours.
Temperature for cooking frozen turkey sous vide
You do not have to change the temperature for cooking a turkey breast sous vide that is frozen.
You still cook the frozen turkey breast at 145⁰F just like the recipe states.
Just add 60 minutes to the sous vide cook time.
If you’re into sous vide meal prep, see this guide on how to freeze then sous vide chicken.
Finishing the turkey
In the recipe below for turkey sous vide from frozen, you’ll learn how to pop the turkey in the oven broiler on high to get a nice crispy, golden skin.
It just takes a few minutes to finish.
Love turkey? Get the recipe for sous vide turkey breast and sous vide turkey legs.
Check out 100+ of my favorite sous vide recipes in The Home Chef’s Sous Vide Cookbook.
It’s so convenient to learn how to sous vide meat from frozen. Try it with beef. Learn all about sous vide frozen steak.
Don’t forget to give it a tasty mayo sear!
Love to sous vide?
Try these popular sous vide recipes
- Sous Vide Turkey Legs
- Sous Vide Turkey Breast
- Sous Vide Brussels Sprouts
- Bone In Steak Sous Vide
- Sous Vide Brisket
Sous Vide Frozen Turkey Breast Recipe (Sip Bite Go)
I’m so excited to share this technique with you. Cooking a sous vide turkey breast from frozen is similar to cooking a sous vide turkey breast from either defrosted or fresh. The results are delicious and juicy turkey. But you need some extra tips to pull off this cook. It’s delicious for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and beyond…
Ingredients
- 4 lb turkey breast skin-on, frozen
- 2 tsp garlic salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 3 tbsp ghee substitute butter
- 1 tbsp shallots diced
- 1 tsp rosemary diced
- 1/2 lemon sliced
Instructions
Preheat sous vide machine to 145ºF. Form a paste by mixing together the garlic salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme, and ghee in a small bowl.
Season the outside of the frozen turkey breast by smearing it with half of the paste. Add seasoned turkey breast to a vacuum-seal bag. Add lemon slices and vacuum-seal. Sous vide frozen turkey breast for 4 hours (3 hours for turkey + 1 hour to defrost).
When sous vide frozen turkey is done in the sous vide bath, Remove it from the hot water and shock the bag in an ice bath for 10 minutes. Remove turkey from the bag and pat dry.
Preheat broiler to high. Coat the turkey with the remaining seasoning paste. Broil turkey on high for 3 to 8 minutes, until golden brown. Rest at least 15 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes
- For planning purposes, prepare 1-2 pounds of turkey per person.
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This sous vide recipe looks so good! I always love seeing new ways to cook and this is one I will have to try soon.
I haven’t tried this method yet, but I did last night and my turkey came out perfect! It still had some juiciness and tenderness.
Such a clever to cook a turkey breast! Love this. 🙂
I have always wanted to try sous vide cooking turkey. Thanks.