Air fryer turkey tenderloin is the perfect way to enjoy homemade turkey in about 30 minutes. No need to fuss with the oven or a large whole turkey. Turkey breast tenderloins are lean, boneless, skinless and super easy to cook.
You’ll absolutely love the simplicity of this recipe. If you love a good turkey dinner, then this recipe is for you!
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What is turkey tenderloin?
Turkey breast tenderloins are very lean white meat from under the turkey breast. They are generally ½lb to 1lb in size, are rather narrow in shape and considered very tender. They are excellent for many styles of cooking and are ideal for a healthy air fryer meal.
Where to get turkey tenderloin?
Turkey tenderloins are found in the fresh meat section of most supermarkets. Most are packaged very similar to pork tenderloin – in long, narrow vacuum sealed packages of two. Most are already brined, which means they contain a solution of salt to help maintain freshness, and aid in flavor, texture and tenderness.
Ingredients
We’re going to season our turkey breast tenderloins with a simple combination of ingredients very common for roasted turkey recipes. These ingredients give us a classic, very savory flavor we know and love.
- Garlic powder
- Rosemary
- Thyme
- Paprika
- Sage
- Salt and pepper
Simple Preparation
Remove the tenderloins from the package and give them a quick rinse. We’re nor rinsing away any of the flavor, simple getting them better prepared for the air fryer process. After the quick rinse, dry them with paper towels as best you can. Add a teaspoon of olive oil to each tenderloin and rub in all the seasoning mix. You will have just enough to get all the sides of both tenderloins coated.
Ready in about 30 minutes
With our turkey tenderloins seasoned, it’s time to place them into a preheated air fryer and cook on the “air fry” setting at 400°(F) for 20-25 minutes, turning once while cooking. The internal temperature should reach 165°(F).
Let rest before slicing
Once the turkey tenderloins are done, carefully remove to a plate and let rest for 3-4 minutes. This gives the natural flavors and juices a chance to redistribute. Then you’re ready to slice and enjoy!
Serving suggestions
As with most traditional turkey dinners, there’s any number of classic ways to serve this wonderful dish. When it comes to turkey, I LOVE cranberry sauce. I like to scoop it all up with one fork and enjoy it together. We have a great recipe for Instant Pot Cranberry Sauce. Mashed potatoes are another favorite side dish for turkey and our Instant Pot Parmesan Garlic Mashed Potatoes are out of this world! Of course, you can stay with the air fryer and try our Air Fryer Asparagus or Air Fryer Garlic Herb Potatoes. Both are excellent with turkey breast tenderloin.
Substitutions and changes
One of the things that makes a recipe such as this so versatile and good, is that it can be seasoned any number of ways. The recipe, as written, will give you a very savory flavor profile. Missing one of the ingredients? That’s ok! There’s not really any true substitutions necessary. If you don’t have the sage or rosemary or thyme, you can leave any of them out. You can also use an Italian blend seasoning and achieve a wonderful flavor profile. Marjoram and tarragon are also wonderful herbs with a savory flavor and are excellent as well.
How to store leftovers and reheat
Store the leftovers in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. It can help to add a teaspoon or two of broth or water to the meat in the container to help maintain juiciness. To reheat, the microwave is always the most convenient way. One or two minutes usually does the trick. You don’t want to go too long and dry out the meat.
You can also reheat in the air fryer. Keep the temperature low at about 350° and reheat for 7-9 minutes or until thoroughly heated.
PrintRecipe
Best Damn Air Fryer Turkey Tenderloin
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 servings
Description
Mouthwatering, savory and tender turkey breast tenderloins, expertly seasoned and cooked to perfection in your air fryer. Less than 30 minutes from fridge to table.
Ingredients
- 2 turkey breast tenderloins, ¾lb each
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp rosemary, dried
- ½ tsp thyme, dried
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp ground sage
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Rinse and pat turkey breast tenderloins dry, then coat with vegetable oil.
- Mix remaining ingredients and apply to meat. Season well on all sides.
- Preheat air fryer at 400° for 5 minutes.
- Place seasoned turkey tenderloins into air fryer basket (for basket style air fryers) or on air fryer tray (for tray style air fryers), and use air fry setting at 400° for 20-25min. Flip once during cooking.
- Turkey tenderloins are done when internal temperature reaches 165°(F) when checked with an instant read thermometer.
- Remove turkey from air fryer and let rest for a couple of minutes before slicing.
Notes
Air fryer temps and times can vary. Be sure to cook your turkey tenderloin to an internal temperature of 165°F.
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Cook Time: 25 min
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Air Fryer
- Cuisine: American
Matt Spade says
WOW! Perfect recipe and mine came out so juicy and rich.
Fennel says
Holy mother of turkey tenderloins! Jason continues to crank out culinary masterpieces with his deceptively simple recipes. I made this tonight for friends who licked their plates clean. Too bad they saw the printed recipe on my counter because I would have loved to have taken credit for its creation! Thanks, Jason. Keep ’em coming!
RecipeTeacher says
Lol… love it! Thanks for the feedback and kind words, Fennel!
Mark says
Step #3 indicates air dryer instead of air fryer! ????
RecipeTeacher says
I knew it was only a mater of time before I made that typo! Lol! Thanks for pointing that out, Mark.
Sonali says
We bought Turkey tenderloin for the first time and I needed a quick and tasty way to cook it…this recipe nailed it! The kids ate every little last bite. Perfectly seasoned and cooked. Thanks for the recipe!
Tyler says
Amazing!!! Yes it’s a tenderloin, but damn just as the recipe states this is so tender, savory and absolutely mouthwatering. Thanks for sharing!!!
T Henry says
I’ve made this twice. My son and his friends absolutely love it. I use smoked paprika instead of the regular one.
RecipeTeacher says
Awesome! I love getting feedback on this recipe. Turkey tenderloin is SO good and doesn’t get the recognition it deserves.
Darlene says
I had my doubts that this would be moist, but my husband and I loved it! It was moist and the spices were perfect! I will definitely be making this again.
Nicole Calvert says
This is a go to meal for dinner here. We love the flavors and the turkey stays moust as well.
Susan says
I have used this recipe numerous times since I discovered turkey tenderloins at the grocery. Never fails wonderful juicy turkey!
RecipeTeacher says
Aren’t they great? We love them too.
Hannah says
So easy and so good! Turned out so juicy this is a new favorite recipe and cut of meat! Thank you!!!!