Try this Traeger Smoked Turkey Breast recipe for a juicy and flavorful holiday meal or Sunday supper. With a delicious dry rub and no need for brining, it's an easy and impressive main dish that your guests will love.
Use leftovers to make a pot of Smoked Turkey and White Bean Soup or turkey sandwiches.
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This Traeger smoked turkey breast recipe is easy, flavorful, and one of my favorite Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner recipes. The homemade dry rub helps lock in moisture, making the white meat tender and juicy. Serve it with a side of Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Smoked Green Bean Casserole, Smoked Asparagus , and Whole30 Cranberry Sauce or 3 Ingredient Cranberry Sauce for a delicious meal.
I used my Traeger pellet grill, but any smoker will work, including a Pit Boss pellet grill or electric smoker. You can even use a gas grill and smoke the turkey breast over indirect heat.
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How long to smoke a turkey breast
A turkey breast can take anywhere from 2 to 4 hours to smoke, depending on the breast's size and the smoker's temperature. You'll need to smoke for longer if you're smoking at a lower temperature. On a Traeger grill, it will take approximately 45-60 minutes per pound. I smoked a 3-pound turkey breast, and it took 3 hours. Smaller turkey breasts will cook more quickly than large turkey breasts.
Why I Love This Juicy Smoked Turkey Breast
- It is the perfect holiday meal when cooking for a small family.
- No turkey brine is needed.
- This smoker recipe is foolproof and yields juicy, flavorful meat every time. You will love the crispy skin!
- The entire smoking process is easy.
Related Recipe: Smoked Turkey Roast
Ingredient Notes
This juicy turkey breast recipe is super easy. It requires only a few simple ingredients and about 5 minutes of prep time.
- Turkey breast. I used a boneless, skinless turkey breast. You can use a boneless turkey breast with the skin. However, if you make this recipe with a bone-in turkey breast, you will need to add 1-1.5 hours to the cooking time.
- Olive oil. I used extra virgin olive oil. This is used so the dry rub has something to stick to. You can also use melted butter or avocado oil.
- Turkey rub. To elevate the flavor of your Traeger-smoked turkey breast, my homemade turkey rub is the secret ingredient. It contains brown sugar, smoked paprika, sea salt, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, crushed rosemary, poultry seasoning, and ground thyme. Feel free to use fresh rosemary and fresh thyme if you have it. You can also use my dry rub for smoked chicken, your favorite turkey rub, smoked chicken rub, or poultry rub.
See the printable recipe card for exact measurements and a complete list of ingredients.
How To Smoke A Turkey Breast On A Traeger Grill
- Step 1: Preheat your Traeger grill or pellet smoker to 250 degrees F.
- Step 2: While the smoker is preheating, mix the ingredients for the turkey rub in a small bowl. Dry the whole turkey breast with paper towels to remove any excess moisture. Apply olive oil to the entire outside of the turkey breast (Image 1).
- Step 3: Apply the dry turkey rub. Make sure to cover the entire boneless breast in the spice rub. You want to cover the top, bottom, and sides. Press the rub in slightly with your fingers (Image 2).
- Step 4: Place turkey breast directly on the grill grate of your preheated smoker. Insert a digital meat thermometer probe into the thickest part of the breast. (Image 3). Smoke the turkey breast until the internal temperature in the thickest part reaches 165 degrees F.
- Step 5: Remove the turkey breast from the smoker, cover it with aluminum foil, and let it rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving. Serve with your favorite barbecue sauce, turkey gravy, or cranberry sauce. (Image 4).
Variations
- Spicy - add cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, or Cajun seasoning to the spice rub.
- Sweet - Add extra brown sugar to the spice rub.
- Brine - Brine it in my Fresh Herb Citrus Turkey Brine if you want to do a wet brine.
Another excellent option for cooking a turkey if you don't have a smoker is to make a turkey in a roaster oven.
Recipe Tips
- Resist the urge to open the grill too often, which will let out heat and prolong the cooking time.
- Cook with the thermometer, not the clock.
- Leftover turkey breast can be kept in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- According to the USDA, turkey is safely cooked at a minimum internal temperature of 165 °F (73.9 °C).
What to Serve with Juicy Smoked Turkey Breast
Some of my favorite side dishes are Twice Baked Mashed Potatoes, 5-Ingredient Sweet Potato Casserole, Campbell's Classic Green Bean Casserole, Ruth's Chris Sweet Potato Casserole, and Homemade Stuffing with Bacon.
And you can even cook these sides along with your smoked turkey breast: Smoked Cauliflower, Smoked Cheesy Potatoes, Smoked Zucchini, Smoked Mashed Potatoes, Smoked Sourdough Bread, Smoked Cornbread, Smoked Green Bean Casserole, and Smoked Asparagus.
Recipe FAQs
I think the best wood pellets for smoking a turkey breast are the Turkey Blend by Traeger. However, hickory, mesquite, Signature Blend, apple wood, pecan, and cherry wood are all excellent options.
The smoked turkey breast is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F in the thickest part of the meat.
No, you cannot smoke a frozen turkey breast. You need to thaw the turkey breast before smoking it. Smoking a frozen turkey breast will not cook the turkey properly, possibly resulting in foodborne illness.
Did you make this Simple Smoked Turkey Breast recipe? If you did, can you do me a big favor and leave a rating and review letting me know how you liked it? This helps my website grow so I can continue to publish free recipes. Thank you! 😊
Printable Recipe
Traeger Smoked Turkey Breast (No Brine)
Ingredients
- 1 (3-5 pound) turkey breast boneless, skinless
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or melted butter
- 3 tablespoons homemade turkey rub recipe below, or get the link to the full recipe post below in the notes
Homemade turkey rub
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon rosemary crushed
- ¼ teaspoon poultry seasoning
- ⅛ teaspoon ground thyme
Instructions
- Preheat your smoker to 250℉.
- Mix the turkey dry rub ingredients in a small bowl (brown sugar, smoked paprika, sea salt, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, crushed rosemary, poultry seasoning, and ground thyme).
- Pat the turkey breast dry with paper towels. Apply olive oil to the entire outside of the turkey breast. Sprinkle on the dry turkey rub, covering the entire breast on the top, bottom, and sides. Press the rub in slightly with your fingers.
- Place the turkey breast directly on the grill grate of the preheated smoker. Insert a digital meat thermometer probe into the thickest part of the breast. Smoke the turkey breast until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F. The cook time of my turkey breast was 3 hours, and it weighed 3 pounds.
- Remove the turkey breast from the smoker and allow it to rest for 10-15 minutes before carving.
- Serve with your favorite barbecue sauce or cranberry sauce.
- If you loved this recipe, please leave a 5-star rating and review below!
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Notes
- Click here for my full recipe post on Homemade Turkey Rub.
- Resist the urge to open the grill too often, which will let out heat and prolong the cooking time.
- Cook with the thermometer, not the clock.
- Leftover turkey breast can be kept in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
The provided nutrition information is automatically calculated. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
Cameron S. says
Fantastic recipe! Great flavor and Turkey came out very juicy! Only change I’d recommend is adding a few pats of butter to the foil while the breast is resting.
Jeri Walker says
I'm so happy you loved the recipe, Cameron! Thanks for the kind words, and the butter tip. A few pats while it rests sounds like a great idea, and I'll add that note to the post. I really appreciate the rating and review! 😊
LaTanya Loveridge says
Made this for thanksgiving and it was amazing so tender and juicy. The rub was great and flavorful. I will definitely be making this again.
Jeri Walker says
Thanks so much LaTanya! I'm so glad you liked it! 🙂
Alyssa says
Did you thaw the breast first? Mine says frozen to oven but figured I'd need to thaw it for this.
Jeri Walker says
Hi Alyssa. Yes, you'll need to thaw the turkey breast first.
Orville Wooldridge says
haven't eaten it yet, but man does it look and smell good!
Jeri Walker says
Fantastic! It should be super moist and juicy! Enjoy! 🙂