Easy Slow Cooker Turkey Tenderloin — 🦃🍁🙌🏻 The ultimate SET IT and FORGET IT turkey recipe that’s great for smaller Thanksgiving or Christmas dinners or holiday entertaining! Boneless turkey tenderloins are coated in a FLAVORFUL lemon herb rub before being slow cooked to MOIST and JUICY perfection! This recipe is so EASY and effortless that you can even make it for weeknight family dinners – so you can enjoy turkey more than just once a year!
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Easy Slow Cooker Turkey Tenderloin Recipe
This turkey tenderloin recipe is similar to my Slow Cooker Turkey Breast recipe, but instead of using a whole bone-in, skin-on turkey breast we’re going to be slow cooking the boneless, skinless tenderloins.
Just like with pork tenderloin and beef tenderloin, the turkey tenderloin such a precious cut of meat because it’s the most tender cut of the entire bird.
And one of the easiest to cook too because they’re smaller and more manageable. No bones, no white and dark meat. Turkey tenderloin is all white meat that comes from a thick, boneless, skinless strip of meat from the turkey breast.
Here’s why I adore this Crockpot turkey tenderloin recipe:
- My slow cooker does all the work for me! I can pop the tenderloins into the slow cooker, set a timer, and walk away.
- It frees up precious oven space on the busiest cooking day of the year. My oven is already going to be jam-packed with a maple pecan ham or a glazed apple spiral ham, stuffing, green bean casserole, and more as I am cooking my holiday meal.
- This recipe is ideal for smaller groups. It makes two tenderloins, which will feed four people comfortably.
- Make and enjoy turkey more often. I don’t know about you, but we rarely eat turkey throughout the year (with the exception of ground turkey in place of ground beef in recipes). Mostly because I have a small family and also don’t have the desire to make a big ‘ole turkey so this recipe cures all that!
- It uses dried herbs instead of fresh, so there’s no need to run to the supermarket just to buy pricey herbs for one recipe. However if you have fresh herbs on hand, use them! Double the amount of finely minced fresh herbs that you would compared to dried.
Ingredients for Crock Pot Turkey Tenderloin
This easy slow cooker turkey tenderloin recipe calls for basic ingredients you likely have on hand. The only “special” item is the actual tenderloins!
Gather the following:
- Turkey tenderloin – tenderloins are typically sold in packs of two and you’ll likely use both
- Dried rosemary
- Dried oregano
- Dried parsley
- Paprika
- Dried basil
- Salt
- Ground black pepper
- Lemon zest
- Chicken broth – I use reduced sodium
- Olive oil
- Lemon juice – fresh is best and you need a lemon anyway for the zest
- Onion – white or yellow
- Garlic
- Fresh parsley – optional, for garnishing
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Cook Turkey Tenderloin in a Slow Cooker
Making turkey breast tenderloin in a slow cooker is so simple and is nearly impossible to mess up so long as you don’t cook it for longer than instructed.
Here are the basic recipe steps of this slow cooker recipe:
- Season the turkey tenderloins: Blot or pat with paper towels and then coat all sides with the dried herbs and spices.
- Assemble in the slow cooker: Place the chopped onion and garlic in the bottom of the slow cooker insert. Lay the seasoned turkey tenderloins over top.
- Top with marinade mixture: Pour a mixture of chicken broth, olive oil, lemon juice and zest into the slow cooker.
- Cover and cook: The turkey tenderloins can be slow cooked on LOW for 4 to 5 hours which is my preference, or on high for 2 to 3 hours, or until the internal temp is 165F as measured by a digital meat thermometer.
- Rest before carving: Remove the tenderloins from the slow cooker and tent loosely with foil. Let rest for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing.
What to Serve with Turkey Tenderloin
Tip: Use the Drippings to Make Gravy!
In the recipe card below, I’ve explained how you can use the drippings and cooking liquid from the slow cooker to make a simple turkey gravy. Or use the drippings to make my Classic Turkey Gravy recipe. Don’t want to use the drippings? Make my simple Mushroom Gravy or Shortcut Chicken Broth Gravy instead!
Storage
In the Refrigerator: This recipe will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4-5 days.
In the Freezer: This recipe will keep airtight in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To Reheat: I use my microwave for quickness and ease and reheat my leftovers for about 30 seconds on high, or as needed. Easy does it though, you don’t want to dry it out!
Recipe FAQs
Not exactly. The turkey tenderloin is taken from the breast, and it’s boneless and skinless. Turkey tenderloins strongly resemble large chicken breasts and they become moist and tender once cooked.
Don’t buy a bone-in turkey breast by mistake or else you’ll need to adjust the cook time. However, if you do buy a turkey breast by accident, ollow my Slow Cooker Turkey Breast recipe instead — crisis averted!
Both will work. If you select frozen tenderloins, you’ll need to thaw them overnight in the fridge before you can make this recipe. Don’t add frozen tenderloins to your slow cooker or they will cook unevenly and the exterior will likely wind up being tough before the interior fully cooks through.
They’re usually sold in packs of two and weigh roughly 2 pounds total (that’s 1 pound per tenderloin). Depending on how many sides you plan on serving, the 2 pounds of meat should comfortably feed 4 people, maybe more, because that’s 1/2-pound meat per person.
I used my 6-quart slow cooker, and a 7-quart slow cooker is fine. Don’t use anything smaller than a 6 quart (pass on those circular ones too) or else the meat won’t have enough room to cook evenly.
Turkey tenderloins are safe to consume at 165F as measured with a digital thermometer or thermometer laser. You can remove the meat from the slow cooker when it hits 160F, let it rest, and the internal temp will come up to 165F. Make sure NOT to overcook your tenderloins because they won’t be tender any longer!
Technically, yes. You could chop hearty vegetables (butternut squash, carrots, parsnips, potatoes, etc.) into ½-inch chunks and place them in the bottom of the slow cooker, beneath the tenderloins.
However, in my experience vegetables, if not diced small, will take longer to cook than the turkey. And by adding them, it will increase the overall cooking time which is only logical since there’s more in the slow cooker. I have a Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin with Vegetables recipe to give you a general idea how to do it. For it, I do add them 1 hour earlier (although they’re cut more chunky so maybe not necessary if you cut them small enough) and I use an 8-quart slow cooker.
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Easy Slow Cooker Turkey Tenderloin
Equipment
- 1 6-quart slow cooker OR
- 1 digital thermometer OR
Ingredients
- 2 pounds turkey tenderloin, usually sold in a package of two, weighing about 1 pound each
- 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 medium white or yellow onion, diced small
- 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
- Finely minced fresh parsley, optional for garnishing
Instructions
- Season the tenderloins evenly with the dried herbs including rosemary, oregano, parsley, paprika, basil, salt, and pepper. Make sure to season both sides. Set aside momentarily.
- To a small bowl, zest the lemon, then add the chicken broth, olive oil, lemon juice (from the lemon you just zested), and whisk to combine. Set aside momentarily.
- Spray the slow cooker liner with cooking spray if desired and then scatter the diced onions in the bottom of the slow cooker, and evenly sprinkle the garlic.
- Place the seasoned tenderloins on top of the bed of onions and garlic, and drizzle the liquid broth and lemon mixture into the slow cooker. Tip – I pour a bit of it on top of the tenderloins, and the rest around the sides, so that the liquid doesn't "wash off" all the seasonings I just applied to the tenderloins.
- Slow cook on LOW for 4-5 hours (my preference) OR on HIGH for 2-3 hours, or until the tenderloins are done. Tips – Turkey tenderloins are done when the internal temp reaches 165F as measured by digital thermometer. I pull my tenderloins when they're about 160F and allow them to rest on a cutting board for 5-10 minutes with a sheet of foil over the top, during which time the juices will redistribute and the internal temp will come up to a safe 165F. Don't overcook turkey tenderloins because they's so lean that they will be tough and dry if you do. And always rest the meat before slicing.
- Optional Gravy – Make a slurry by combining 2 tablespoons cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water, add this to the juices in the bottom of the slow cooker, set to HIGH, place the lid, and allow it to thicken for 15 minutes, or as desired; check on it and stir it every few minutes.Alternatively, you can transfer the juices to a saucepan on the stove, add the slurry, and simmer over medium-heat for about 5 minutes, or until it has thickened as desired; whisk nearly continuously. Please see the links below as well if you want a more traditional gravy.
- After the turkey has rested, optionally garnish with parsley, slice, and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Holiday Slow Cooker Main Dishes:
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Crock-Pot Whole Chicken – 🍗🙌🏻😋 The EASIEST way to cook a whole chicken because your slow cooker does all the work for you! The chicken is lightly flavored with lemon, garlic and herbs, and turns out so moist, juicy, and tender!
Slow Cooker Apricot Glazed Pork Tenderloin — Pork tenderloin is coated in a sweet and savory apricot glaze then slow cooked until juicy and tender! Leftover pork tenderloin is delicious in sandwiches, sliders, and wraps and reheats well the next day!
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