How to Sous Vide Frozen Turkey Breast (New Guide)

This sous vide frozen turkey breast recipe is the perfect weeknight dinner — especially when you forget to take meat out to thaw! A similar process to sous viding fresh turkey, this recipe results in the most delicious, juicy turkey breast and requires only 10 minutes of active prep time.

Why sous vide frozen turkey?

• Not thawed? No problem. 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 overnight before sous viding it — it just goes right into 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.
• The flavor is perfect. 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.
• It’s quick and easy. The extra convenience factor comes from learning how to sous vide frozen turkey breast. So in short: sous vide cooking from frozen is great for busy people.

Before sous vide cooking, my other go-to weeknight meal was always homemade pizza with store bought dough. Now? It’s all about the sous vide. Check out the results of my best sous vide turkey breast recipe experiment.

Ingredients for sous vide frozen turkey

This simple sous vide turkey recipe requires basic ingredients, many of which you likely already have in your pantry. I used about 4 pounds of skin-on, frozen turkey breast, but you can adjust the amount of turkey based on your own needs. For planning purposes, prepare 1-2 pounds of turkey per person. Other than the turkey, you’ll need a few basic ingredients to season, including rosemary, lemon, garlic salt, and shallots.

How to make sous vide frozen turkey

Step 1. First preheat the sous vide machine to 145 degrees F. Then form a paste by mixing together the garlic salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme, and ghee in a small bowl.

Step 2. Next season the outside of the frozen turkey breast by smearing it with half of the paste. Then add the seasoned turkey breast to a vacuum-seal bag. Next add lemon slices, and then vacuum-seal the bag closed. Finally, sous vide the frozen turkey breast for 4 hours.

NOTE: You sous vide frozen turkey breast for 4 hours to allow the protein 1 hour to defrost and 3 hours to cook. If cooking thawed turkey, you would sous vide for only 3 hours.

Step 3. 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. Then remove the turkey from the bag and pat dry.

Step 4. Now preheat your oven broiler to high. Then coat the turkey with the remaining seasoning paste. Next broil the turkey on high for 3 to 8 minutes, or until golden brown. Finally, allow the turkey to rest at least 15 minutes before serving.

FAQs

Do you need special equipment?

Nope, you just need the basics: a sous vide machine, a sous vide container, and a bag to hold the turkey.

The type of sous vide machine is personal preference, whether that is the Anova, Joule, or Instant Pot Slim. Your container can simply be a big bucket for the food to cook in, and you can use a ziplock bag or vacuum sealer for the turkey.

Still deciding what sous vide to buy? Learn more about all the new instant pot sous vide machines in my quick guide.

Is the cook time the same for frozen turkey and defrosted turkey?

No — and this is the most important adjustment you need to make! When cooking a frozen turkey breast sous vide style, you need to add 60 minutes of cook time. With this in mind, you should end up cooking the turkey breast for about 4-5 hours total.

Is the temperature the same for frozen turkey and defrosted turkey?

Yes! There is no need to change the temperature for cooking sous vide turkey breast that is frozen. Whether frozen or thawed, you still cook the turkey breast at 145 degrees F, just as the recipe states.

Kitchen tools to help

Seriously delicious meat. Get something special to cook from my affiliate partners. This recipe featured meat from Crowd Cow. Crowd Cow and Snake River Farms ship craft butcher cuts of meat right to your door. I love buying meat delivery in bulk. When my butcher order arrives, I usually vacuum seal meat and often sous vide from frozen.

Knives need sharpening? Get your knives sharpened by mail with $10 off a sharpening package from Knife Aid with code SBG10. See my documentary-style video on mail-in knife sharpening.

Final tips for making sous vide frozen turkey

• Prep before you freeze. Prep your turkey breast before you freeze it for the easiest process for cooking later. 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 sous vide water bath right away, cutting down on day-of prep time.
• Meal prep your week. Because you can season, seal, and freeze your turkey breast ahead of time, this sous vide frozen turkey breast recipe is actually perfect for meal prepping. Simply make a few differently seasoned turkey breasts over the weekend, vacuum seal and place them in the freezer. Then, you’ll just need to pop them in the sous vide bath for a delicious but easy weeknight dinner! If you’re into sous vide meal prep, see this guide on how to freeze then sous vide chicken.
• Broil to finish. Whenever I make sous vide frozen turkey, I like to finish it in the oven broiler on high to get a nice crispy, golden skin before serving. It adds just a few minutes to the total cook time, but the texture added is definitely worth the extra step.

Are you a foodie, too?

I’m passionate about sous vide cooking, and maybe that’s why Sip Bite Go has become one of the most popular sous vide blogs on the web. It’s where I share what I’m doing in the kitchen, and I love putting up new videos and recipes so you can follow along.

Find me on Instagram to see my latest sous vide cooks @sipbitego.

For in-depth tutorials on sous viding frozen turkey and more, subscribe to the Sip Bite Go channel.

Find new ways to enjoy your favorite food with sous vide cooking with my new book – The Home Chef’s Sous Vide Cookbook.