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Air Fryer Turkey Tenderloin 🦃🍁 is how to free up your oven AND make perfectly juicy turkey with just 5 minutes of prep, no brining, and it cooks in 20 minutes! If you’re hosting Thanksgiving or a holiday meal and you don’t need a whole bird, consider this foolproof air fryer turkey recipe for flavorful, tender meat! Great when you don’t need tons of turkey leftovers.
Easy Air Fryer Turkey Tenderloin Recipe
- Easy, foolproof, ready in 30 minutes. Five minutes of prep, about 20 minutes of cook time in the air fryer, rest, slice, and get ready to enjoy this moist and juicy turkey tenderloin without any of the worry that can come from cooking a whole turkey.
- No marinating or brining. Rub on the spice rub and cook it right away. No need to plan ahead more than that which is music to my ears especially over the holidays.
- Simple pantry seasonings. A mix of onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, rosemary and sage are all you’ll need. You can used dried seasonings or if you happen to have fresh rosemary and fresh sage on hand from other dishes you’re making for the holidays like the Best Classic Stuffing or Slow Cooker Sausage Stuffing, go ahead and use fresh herbs.
- Frees up the oven. The air fryer handles the turkey, so your oven stays open for sides like Sweet Potato Casserole or Corn Casserole.
- Turkey without the whole bird – and all the leftovers. One tenderloin serves 4-6, which makes it a great recipe for me to enjoy turkey for my small family holiday gatherings or even on a busy weeknights. Anything leftover is great in my 30-Minute Turkey Noodle Soup but I have my limits and don’t need leftovers for days.
Turkey Tenderloin vs. Turkey Breast
The main differences between this air fryer turkey tenderloin recipe and my air fryer whole turkey breast recipe is that the tenderloin is simply less quantity of meat – about 1 pound of tenderloin rather than 3-4 pounds breast meat.
And while both are tender and flavorful, tenderloin meat is softer whereas breast meat is a bit firmer.
Need a Crockpot turkey tenderloin? In case you’re more of a slow cooker rather than air fryer person, try this Slow Cooker Turkey Tenderloin. It’s super easy as well!
Air Fryer Turkey Tenderloin Ingredients
- Turkey Tenderloin: Make sure it’s fully thawed so it cooks through evenly in the air fryer. If yours is large, you can halve it into two so it fits into your air fryer better.
- Olive Oil: Brushed over all sides so the spice rub sticks. I prefer oil to butter for this air fryer turkey recipe.
- Spices: I use this combination of pantry spices including gnion powder, garlic powder, paprika, rosemary, sage, salt, and pepper. If you happen to have fresh rosemary or fresh sage on hand, go for it. Optionally, a bit of thyme is also lovely.
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
My favorite Air Fryers
Instructions For Air Fryer Turkey Tenderloins
- Preheat the air fryer. Heat it to 370°F. If your air fryer doesn’t have a preheat setting, set it to 370°F and let it run for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Pat dry and oil. Pat the tenderloin dry with paper towels, then brush the olive oil over all sides so the spices stick rather than sliding off.
- Season. To a small bowl, add the herbs, salt, pepper, and then pat the dry rub all over the tenderloin(s). If it’s longer or larger than the air fryer basket, slice it into two pieces.
- Air fry. Line the basket with a paper liner if you’re using one, add the tenderloin, and cook for about 20-25 minutes. Tenderloins vary in thickness, so check the thickest part with a meat thermometer. It’s done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165F.
- Rest and slice. Let it rest for 5 minutes to lock in juiciness and moisture and before slicing against the grain, garnish with fresh sage, rosemary or thyme if desired, and serve. Don’t forget the gravy (see below), sweet potatoes, and cranberry sauce!
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for step-by-step photos and process shots of the cooking process.
gravy to serve with turkey
Air Fryer Turkey Tenderloin
🦃🌿🍂 How to free up your oven AND make perfectly juicy turkey with just 5 minutes of prep, no brining, and it's ready in 20 minutes! If you're hosting Thanksgiving or a holiday meal and you don't need a whole bird, consider this foolproof air fryer turkey recipe! Flavorful, tender meat, and a great choice when you don't need turkey leftovers for days.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 16 ounce turkey tenderloin, thawed if purchased frozen; halved if you need to so it fits in air fryer
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, or as desired to coat
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon fresh sage, finely minced and to taste (or sub with 1/2 teaspoon dried sage)
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, finely minced and to taste (or sub with 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary)
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, finely minced and to taste (or sub with 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme); optional
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer to 370F and if yours doesn't have a preheat setting, turn it on to 370F while you prep the turkey and spices.
- Pat turkey dry with paper towels.
- Evenly brush with oil or use your fingers to rub oil and coat it evenly.
- To a small bowl, add the salt, paprika, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, sage, rosemary, optional thyme, and stir with a small spoon to combine to form the spice rub.Seasoning & Spices Tips – Measurements are approximate and measure with your heart, i.e. if you love garlic or onion, use a bit more. No rosemary or thyme on hand? Simply omit. If you have fresh herbs on hand from other recipes you're making, fresh herbs are great but dried herbs work just fine. As a general rule, use about half the amount of dried as called for with fresh. So 1 teaspoon fresh = approx 1/2 teaspoon dried.
- Evenly pat the spice rub all over the tenderloin.
- If desired, add a paper liner to the air fryer, place the tenderloin into the air fryer, and air fry for about 18-20 minutes, or until done. You can flip over once when it's a bit more than halfway done if you'd like which exposes both sides to circulating air for a crispier exterior. Turkey is done when a digital thermometer measures 165F. Do not guess; take the temperature.
- Air Frying Tips – Because all air fryers very in their heat output, and in their overall size or capacity; and all cuts of turkey tenderloin will vary slightly in weight and thickness, air fry until they're fully done whatever that means in your air fryer. It could be longer than 18-22 minutes; maybe up to 28-30 minutes, it just really depends on your air fryer. Start checking earlier, rather than later and go by the internal temperature not time on the clock.
- When done, remove the tenderloin from the air fryer, place on a cutting board, and allow meat to rest for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing so that the natural juices have time to redistribute and don't run out when you slice the turkey.Tip – While the turkey is resting, I like to make my chicken broth gravy because you do not need pan drippings. It only takes 10 minutes to make and you can make it while the turkey rests.
- Slice against the grain, optionally, garnish with additional fresh herbs, and/or gravy, and serve.
Notes
Spice rub adapted from my own Air Fryer Turkey Breast recipe
Storage: Leftover turkey will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat gently in the microwave as desired, or eat cold straight from the fridge.
Leftover turkey to use? I have many leftover turkey recipes.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 159cal, Carbohydrates: 1g, Protein: 27g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 51mg, Sodium: 658mg, Potassium: 31mg, Fiber: 0.5g, Sugar: 0.1g, Vitamin A: 274IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 11mg, Iron: 0.4mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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