Use this Turkey Tenderloin Recipe for moist and tender turkey with gravy. A brief pan searing on the stove finishes by roasting in the oven.
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Do you ever want simple turkey and gravy? Just a little turkey with no big production, unlike many turkey tenderloin recipes with multiple ingredients or marinades. You can have simple; follow these easy step-by-step photo instructions.
😊Why you should make this recipe.
- There is no need to cook a whole turkey or even an entire breast but use a turkey breast tenderloin with this easy pan-seared turkey tenderloin recipe. Two turkey tenderloins are about 1 ½ pounds in total.
- You can have melt-in-your-mouth, moist and tender turkey with gravy all year round and not eat leftovers for a week. Add gravy, and your juicy, delicious turkey dinner is ready.
- Pan searing will create a Maillard reaction for great flavor and more flavorful gravy, but it can be done without searing by adding about 10 minutes of oven time (watch the temperature.)
- The processors inject most turkey tenderloins, so usually, no need to brine, which simplifies the process and has moist and tender results. If not injected, it is optional.
- Done in about 45 minutes from the start to the plate with gravy. This makes turkey an everyday recipe without the massive leftovers.
Serve with Thanksgiving-type side dishes like Easy Sausage Stuffing, Sweet Potato Casserole, Green Bean Casserole, Homemade Gravy, and many more. And check out the other turkey recipes like Roasted Turkey Breast, Grilled Turkey Breast, and Leftover Turkey Tetrazzini.
🦃Ingredient
- Turkey tenderloin
- Butter
- Salt and pepper to taste
For Gravy
- Turkey broth or stock—substitute chicken if necessary
- All-purpose flour
👨🍳How to cook a Turkey Tenderloin
- Trim and pat dry turkey breast tenderloin with paper towels—lightly salt and pepper.
- Sear the tenderloin with melted butter in an oven-proof pan over medium-high heat. Cast iron is preferred for even heat.
- Bush the tenderloin with melted butter and place it in the oven.
- Bake until an internal temperature of 165°—about 20-25 minutes.
- Make gravy in the same pan.
🌡️When is the turkey tenderloin done?
A 165° internal temperature in the thickest part of the meat is the minimum safe temperature measured with a meat or instant-read thermometer.
This will take about 20 to 25 minutes but is highly variable. The variables are the turkey tenderloin size and thickness, how much searing you did, the oven, and the pan.
So start checking the internal temperature at about 20 minutes, and don't be surprised if it takes over 30 minutes.
Always cook to a final internal temperature for recipes like this, and never by time. I give times just as a general guideline for meal planning.
🥣How to make turkey gravy
Oil and juices will be left in the skillet after cooking, along with some great taste. I suggest a slurry method for making the gravy where a thickening agent, like flour, is dissolved in cold liquids—usually water or broth.
Add enough turkey or chicken broth to the pan with the juices to make the amount of gravy you want. Bring to a boil and slowly add the flour slurry to the drippings and broth while continuously boiling and whisking. Whisk constantly and add more slurry if needed every few minutes until thickened. Taste test and add salt or pepper if needed.
I have instructions in the recipe below, but for more details on gravy making at home, see How To Make Gravy at Home for more information. It is easy to do.
Variations
- Use other spices like garlic powder, thyme, rosemary, or paprika.
- Use a brown sugar dry rub with chili powder, oregano, cumin, and salt if not injected. Skip the searing and add about 10 minutes to the oven time.
- Use a marinade.
- Cook without searing. This will take about 10 minutes longer in the oven but watch the internal temperature.
❓FAQs
It is part of a turkey breast but not the same thing.
The turkey tenderloins are a very tender long strip that is the somewhat triangular muscle under the main part of the turkey breast. You have seen a slice of it when you slice a turkey breast, and there is the inside part that tends to separate.
Because the tenderloin is an underused muscle, it is very tender—like a chicken, beef, or pork tenderloin. It can be fork-tender and an enjoyable cut of meat when cooked carefully.
You can occasionally find commercial turkey broth or stack in your local store. But I buy Turkey Soup Base from Penzey's®️ to make my own.
Most people will use chicken broth or stock.
The minimum safe internal temperature for any poultry, including turkey, is 165° per the USDA. That will kill the harmful bacteria. You must measure this with an instant-read or meat thermometer.
Yes. It is a lean white meat that will fit a healthy diet like a low-calorie or low-fat diet or even a low-carb keto diet.
If you are sure your turkey is not injected or brined, you can add a simple brine of 2 cups of water, 2 tablespoons of salt, and 1 tablespoon of sugar for 1 to 2 hours. Gently rinse after brining, and do not add any additional salt.
See How to Brine a Turkey—A Basic Brine with Enhancements for a full discussion.
Leftovers
Store leftovers in airtight containers. Store the turkey and the gravy separately. If stored in the refrigerator, use it within 4 days. If frozen, freeze for up to 3 months.
To reheat leftovers, thaw if frozen, then I prefer combining the gravy with the turkey in a saucepan over medium heat—you may to a splash of water to thin the gravy some. You can also use a microwave.
This recipe is listed in these categories. See them for more similar recipes.
🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
Preheat oven to 375° convection or 400° conventional. Trim and pat dry two turkey tenderloins—about 1 ½ pounds total.
Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in an oven-proof pan over medium-high heat. Add pepper to the tenderloin. You can salt lightly if you wish, but remember, it has probably been injected.
Sear the tenderloin. Start with the shiny side up and sear for about 2-3 minutes. Flip and sear for 2-3 minutes more. Get to approximately the final color you want. Flip back.
Microwave 2 tablespoons of butter to melt. Bush the tenderloin with butter and place in the oven. After about 10 minutes, baste again with butter.
Bake until the temp of 165°—about 20-25 minutes of total oven time. Remove from pan and tent with foil on a plate while making gravy.
Add 2 cups of turkey or chicken broth or stock to the pan. Over medium-high heat, bring to a boil.
Make a slurry of ¼ cup of AP flour and ½ cup of cold water and whisk or shake until smooth. Add most of the flour slurry slowly while whisking continuously. It will thicken the gravy in a few minutes. You can add more slurry in a few minutes if needed. Taste test and add salt or pepper if needed.
Cut the turkey tenderloin across the grain to make it fork-tender.
Recipe
Turkey Tenderloin with Gravy
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pound Turkey tenderloin - 2 tenderloins
- 3 tablespoons butter
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cups chicken stock - or turkey stock if you can find it
- ¼ cup AP flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° convection or 400° conventional. Trim and pat dry two turkey tenderloins—about 1 ½ pounds total.
- Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in an oven-proof pan over medium-high heat. Add pepper to the tenderloin. You can salt lightly if you wish, but remember, it has probably been injected.
- Sear the tenderloin. Start with the shiny side up and sear for about 2-3 minutes. Flip and sear for 2-3 minutes more. Get to approximately the final color you want. Flip back.
- Microwave 2 tablespoons of butter to melt. Bush the tenderloin with butter and place in the oven. After about 10 minutes, baste again with butter.
- Bake until the temp of 165°—about 20-25 minutes of total oven time. Remove from pan and tent with foil on a plate while making gravy.
- Add 2 cups of turkey or chicken broth or stock to the pan. Over medium-high heat, bring to a boil.
- Make a slurry of ¼ cup of AP flour and ½ cup of cold water and whisk or shake until smooth. Add most of the flour slurry slowly while whisking continuously. It will thicken the gravy in a few minutes. You can add more slurry in a few minutes if needed. Taste test and add salt or pepper if needed.
- Cut the turkey tenderloin across the grain to make it fork-tender.
Your Own Private Notes
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips:
- Turkey breast tenderloins are usually injected with something so do not brine.
- Generally, there are two pieces making about 1 ½ pounds. You can do only one and freeze the other for 3-4 months.
- Use a larger oven-safe pan so you have room to make the gravy. I prefer cast iron.
- You can use oil in the pan and baste with butter if you have smoke issues.
- The shape of your tenderloin may vary. This can affect cooking time. So remember you are cooking to a final internal temperature and not by time.
- Sear close to the final color you want.
- The final internal temperature is 165° and not less.
- When you make the slurry of water and flour for the gravy, be sure to have all the flour dissolved to prevent lumps.
- You can oven bake without searing. It will take about 10 minutes longer oven time but watch the internal temperature.
- Seasoning, serving, and storage options are in the post.
- Cutting across the grain will make it more fork-tender.
To adjust the recipe size:
You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.
Nutrition Estimate
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Editor's Note: Originally Published June 29, 2012. Now updated with expanded and improved text, refreshed photos, and a table of contents.
Sandy R.
I have used this recipe the last two years. It is very easy to do and very tasty. I will be making again tomorrow for Thanksgiving. I got rave reviews on this recipe. Thanks for sharing.
Kelly Parker
Wow! Made this with a twist! Open faced roast turkey with onion gravy and topped with whole cranberry sauce on oven toasted French bread with melted Swiss/provolone/white cheddar cheese blend. Added a side of savory whipped sweet potatoes. It was like an unconventional Thanksgiving meal! A precursor to the real deal in a few days! The Turkey tenderloin and gravy were a slam dunk!!!! Thank you for the inspiration! Wish I could post a photo!!
Kelly
Sandy
Turkey was moist. Gravy was delicious. No waste, easy one pan cleanup, recipe needed no changes. I did add sautéed mushrooms. Best recipe I’ve followed in years