Turkey Tenderloins are an inexpensive and easy way to enjoy a turkey dinner without having to buy and prepare a whole turkey. The turkey cooks over onions, and the juices that drip down make a delicious gravy that everyone will love.
Turkey tenderloin is a cut of meat that is really underutilized. The tenderloin is juicy, flavorful, and well, tender. I have a slow-cooker turkey breast recipe that we make all the time, but I feel like the delicious tenderloin is often neglected.
❓What Is A Turkey Tenderloin?
We started cooking turkey tenderloins when my husband started bringing home wild turkeys, and it is now one of our favorite cuts from the big bird. It is a muscle, but it is so tender – even on older turkeys. Turkey tenderloins can also be huge – sometimes bigger than individual chicken breasts, so you can get a lot of food out of them.
If you buy the tenderloins at the store, obviously, they come in a package, but if you are harvesting them yourself from a wild turkey, you’ll find them nestled kind of under the breast, in between the two breast meat and the bone. It’s a thick strip of meat that actually kind of looks like a dark pink chicken breast. (If you buy a regular grocery store turkey, the tenderloin will likely be really small as these turkeys are raised to be breast heavy – I would not go looking for the tenderloin in a Thanksgiving turkey.)
Turkey tenderloin is a great way to make a delicious turkey dinner for a smaller group during the holiday season – just to try something different – or just to make a tasty family dinner on a busy weeknight.
Table of Contents
🥘 Ingredients Needed
- Plain Turkey Tenderloins – You can buy flavored turkey tenderloins at the store that are already in a marinade (Aldi sells a few flavors), but this recipe uses plain tenderloins. (We will make our own marinade.) I buy the package of fresh turkey tenderloin at Publix in the meat section that comes with two tenderloins. They are a really easy way to get a delicious meal on the table without having to cook a whole turkey.
Turkey Tenderloin Marinade
- Olive Oil
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Honey
- Dijon Mustard or Creole Mustard – Creole mustard adds a little bit of heat, which changes the flavor a little, but it is really tasty.
- Fresh Garlic Cloves – I like to smash the garlic so the flavor seeps into the marinade and can get into the turkey. It then cooks in the crockpot and gets pureed in the delicious gravy.
- Fresh Rosemary
- Fresh Thyme
- Kosher Salt
- Black Pepper
For the Bottom of the Slow Cooker
- Onion
- Chicken Broth or Turkey Stock
To Thicken Turkey Tenderloin Gravy
- Cornstarch
- Water or Cooking Liquid from the crockpot
🍽 Equipment Needed
- A Slow Cooker – A crockpot is just a brand of slow cooker – that’s what mine is. Mine is 7 quarts, and most are around that size. (6 -7 quarts is a common size.) You can definitely use one that is a little smaller. (You can make this in an Instant Pot on the slow cooker mode, but I would recommend searing the tenderloins first, then using the “slow cook” mode on high. It might take longer to cook than a regular slow cooker would because the Instant Pot slow cooker setting does not work that well. There are more Instant Pot instructions below.)
- An Instant Read Thermometer or a Meat Thermometer
🥣 How to Make Crockpot Turkey Tenderloins
Slow cooker turkey tenderloin is so easy to make.
Begin by making the marinade. Combine the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, honey, dijon mustard, smashed garlic cloves, roughly chopped fresh rosemary, fresh thyme, salt, and pepper in a small bowl and whisk until everything is well combined. This marinade smells like a delicious salad dressing. (Pictures 1 – 2)
Coat the tenderloins in the marinade, then pour the tenderloins and the marinade into a Ziploc bag. Refrigerate for at least one hour or up to overnight if possible. (Pictures 3 – 4 )
When you’re ready to cook, lay onions and broth in the crockpot, then pour the turkey tenderloins and the contents of the bag of marinade on top. (Picture 5)
Put the lid on the crockpot and cook on low heat for 4 – 6 hours. Even though it is set to a low temperature, my crockpot heats up quickly, so the tenderloins cook pretty fast. (Do not use a high temperature/high heat because the turkey will end up dry and tough.)
The cook time will vary based on your slow cooker, so I recommend checking on the tenderloins at 3 or 4 hours to see if they are cooked. If they are not totally cooked, cover the crockpot and cook a little longer. (Pictures 6 – 8)
When the turkey is done cooking, remove it from the slow cooker and let it rest, tented with foil to keep warm, before slicing. Check the thickest portion of the meat to be sure that the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
While the turkey rests, make gravy from the cooking liquid and onions.
Add a slurry of cornstarch and water to the liquid in the crockpot and stir until it dissolves. Blend with an immersion blender or carefully in a regular blender, then cook until it thickens. (Pictures 9 – 10)
You can either increase the temperature of the crockpot to high heat or cook the gravy in a saucepan. (A saucepan will be faster, but you can do whatever works for you!)
Pour the warm gravy over the tenderloins to serve and enjoy! The onions add such a rich flavor to the gravy – it’s so good!
🙋♀️ Frequently Asked Questions
No, the tenderloin is boneless and skinless, as it is a muscle. You can brown the outside, but there is no way to get “crispy skin” as you would on a whole turkey or a roasted turkey breast.
You can, but I would still marinate the tenderloin for at least an hour to give it a little time to soften up and absorb some flavor – then add an extra 2 hours of slow cooking.
The tenderloin is white meat, but it is tender and juicy, like a chicken thigh.
Yes, tenderloins are very lean muscles, and when cooked properly, they can be so flavorful. Just like pork tenderloin, they can be overcooked and dried out, but the crockpot traps the moisture and will help you cook a delicious, juicy, and tender turkey tenderloin.
🥫 How to Store Leftover Turkey Tenderloin
Once cooled, the leftover turkey should be stored in an airtight container. Reheat leftovers in the microwave or dice the leftover turkey into smaller pieces to make a turkey pot pie.
✏️ Helpful Tips
- Turkey tenderloins are boneless and skinless, so you want to make sure to marinate them well and keep them covered while cooking so they don’t dry out.
- If you make turkey tenderloin in your Instant Pot, make sure to sear the tenderloins on each side first, then saute the onions in the meaty bits left behind in the bottom of the Instant Pot. Deglaze the bottom of the pan with the broth, then cook the turkey on the Slow Cook mode set to High. Start slow cooking immediately to keep the residual heat in the Instant Pot. (The Slow Cook mode on Instant Pots is notoriously not awesome, so you want to maintain as much heat as you can.) Cover the Instant Pot with the Instant Pot lid or a clear glass lid, and try not to open the lid if you can avoid it. The one nice thing about using an Instant Pot is that it is much easier to make the gravy when the turkey is done cooking!
🦃 What to Serve With Turkey Tenderloin
If you want, you can toss some red potatoes into the crockpot to cook with the turkey. They will absorb a lot of the cooking juices, so you won’t have as much gravy, but the potatoes will be really flavorful!
You can also serve turkey tenderloin with your favorite side dishes. Here are some of our favorites:
- Green Bean Casserole
- Mashed Potatoes – I love to serve turkey with buttermilk mashed potatoes or garlic mashed potatoes.
- Israeli Couscous – I follow the cooking directions on the package of couscous and add extra butter.
- Air Fryer Green Beans
- Peruvian Green Beans
- Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Wild Rice
Have You Tried This Recipe?
Please rate it and leave a comment below. I would love to hear what you think!
Crockpot Turkey Tenderloins with Honey Mustard Gravy
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 ½ tablespoons dijon mustard
- 4 garlic cloves crushed
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme or the leaves from 3 – 4 sprigs of fresh thyme
- ½ tablespoon fresh rosemary roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 turkey breast tenderloins a typical package has 1½ – 2 pounds
- 1 large onion thickly sliced
- 1 cup chicken broth chicken stock, or turkey stock
For the Gravy/Slurry
- 1 – 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 – 2 tablespoons cooking liquid
Instructions
- Begin by making the marinade. Combine the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, honey, dijon mustard, smashed garlic cloves, roughly chopped fresh rosemary, fresh thyme, salt, and pepper in a small bowl and whisk until everything is well combined. This marinade smells like a delicious salad dressing.2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 ½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons honey, 1 ½ tablespoons dijon mustard, 4 garlic cloves, ½ teaspoon dried thyme, ½ tablespoon fresh rosemary, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Coat the tenderloins in the marinade, then pour the tenderloins and the marinade into a Ziploc bag. Refrigerate for at least one hour or up to overnight if possible.2 turkey breast tenderloins
- When you're ready to cook, lay onions and broth in the crockpot, then pour the turkey tenderloins and the contents of the bag of marinade on top.1 large onion, 1 cup chicken broth
- Put the lid on the crockpot and cook on low heat for 4-6 hours. Even though it is set to a low temperature, my crockpot heats up quickly, so the tenderloins cook pretty fast. (Do not use a high temperature or high heat because the turkey will be dry and tough.)
- The total cooking time will vary based on your slow cooker.
- When the turkey is done cooking, remove it from the slow cooker, and let it rest, tented with foil to keep warm, before slicing. Check the thickest portion of the meat to be sure that the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
- Then, make gravy from the cooking liquid.
- Add a slurry of cornstarch and water to the liquid in the crockpot and stir until it dissolves. Blend with an immersion blender or carefully in a regular blender, then cook until it thickens. You can either increase the temperature of the crockpot to high heat or cook the gravy in a saucepan. (A saucepan will be faster, but you can do whatever works for you!)1 – 2 tablespoons cornstarch, 1 – 2 tablespoons cooking liquid
- Serve & enjoy!
Notes
Helpful Tips
- Turkey tenderloins are boneless and skinless, so you want to make sure to marinate them well and keep them covered while cooking so they don’t dry out.
- If you make turkey tenderloin in your Instant Pot, make sure to sear the tenderloins on each side first, then saute the onions in the meaty bits left behind in the bottom of the Instant Pot. Deglaze the bottom of the pan with the broth, then cook the turkey on the Slow Cook mode set to High. Start slow cooking immediately to keep the residual heat in the Instant Pot. (The Slow Cook mode on Instant Pots is notoriously not awesome, so you want to maintain as much heat as you can.) Cover the Instant Pot with the Instant Pot lid or a clear glass lid, and try not to open the lid if you can avoid it. The one nice thing about using an Instant Pot is that it is much easier to make the gravy when the turkey is done cooking!
Special Equipment Needeed
Nutrition
Nutrition information is approximate and is automatically calculated, so should only be used as a guide.
