• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Recipe Diaries
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Summer
  • Recipes
  • Press
  • About
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
    • YouTube
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Summer
    • Recipes
    • Press
    • About
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
    • YouTube
  • ×
    Home » Recipes » Thanksgiving

    Ninja Foodi Grill Smoked Turkey Breast

    Published: Oct 6, 2024 · Modified: Apr 1, 2025 by Jenna · This post may contain affiliate links · 4 Comments

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

    Smoked turkey breast is a delicious and flavorful alternative to traditional roasted turkey. Using applewood chips and a dry rub adds a delicious smoky flavor with a touch of sweetness

    Finished smoked turkey breast on a wooden cutting board.

    If you've never had a smoked turkey before, you must try it! I think it is by far better than any deep-fried turkey or oven roasted turkey that you'd have for Thanksgiving. Not to mention the turkey comes out super moist and delicious and great for making a club sandwich the next day. The rub makes this.

    If you like smoker recipes try my recipe for Traeger Smoked Whole Chicken, Smoked Lobster Tails, Easy Smoked Salmon, Smoked Salsa, Smoked Chicken Tenders, or Smoked Queso .

    Jump to:
    • Why I love my Smoker 
    • Ingredients Needed
    • How to make Applewood Smoked Turkey Breast
    • Smoked Turkey Breast Tips and Tricks
    • What can I see with smoked turkey?
    • Recipe FAQS
    • Recipes to Check Out 
    • Ninja Foodi Grill Smoked Turkey Breast

    Why I love my Smoker 

    I love my smoker. It is a lot easier than lighting a charcoal grill and waiting FOREVER for the stupid coals to light up. All you do is flip the switch and turn it to whatever temperature you want to smoke at. All the other food blogs out there like to grill, and there is nothing wrong with that. This girl likes to smoke her meat instead. 🙂

    Ingredients Needed

    Ingredients needed for smoked turkey breast.
    • Dry Rub
    • Brown sugar - Or  regular granulated sugar, I do not use sugar substitutes of any of my recipes but if you know the conversions feel free to do so
    • Smoked paprika - gives the seasoning an extra layer of smoke flavor
    • Chipotle chili powder - Is a blend of mixed red chilis that have been dried up and pulverized until it resembles powder. Sometimes other spices like cumin and paprika.
    • Garlic powder -  made from dehydrated garlic cloves and like the chili powder above it gets pulverized into a powder or flour consistency.
    • Salt and black pepper to taste
    • Ground cumin - Cumin is a member of the parsley family. It is a dried seed that is made from a plant called Cuminum cyminum.
    • Butter, melted and melted - can also use olive oil
    • 3 pound turkey breast - the main star! Can also do this with a whole chicken.

    See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.

    How to make Applewood Smoked Turkey Breast

    Step 1: Preheat your smoker to 225 degrees F, adding your wood chips to the burner.

    Step 2: In a bowl, combine the sugar, paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, onion powder and cumin, mixing well to combine.

    Spice rub ingredients in a bowl for smoked turkey breast.

    Step 3: Gently lift the skin of the turkey and rub the melted butter all over the meat. Use it all up! I use both my hands and a spoon to drizzle it down in spaces that I can't reach. Take the spice rub and rub it all over the meat as well, underneath the skin. Rub the rest of it all over the outside of the skin, covering the turkey.

    Rubbed turkey breast with butter and spices.

    Step 4: Smoke the turkey breast for 1.5 hours at 225 degrees.

    Finished smoked turkey breast on a wooden cutting board.

    Smoked Turkey Breast Tips and Tricks

    Smoke turkey breasts over applewood chips at a low temperature until it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.

    I have tested this recipe at 300 degrees and that temperature is too high for a smoked turkey breast. The result comes out very dry so stick to 225 degrees or lower.

    What can I see with smoked turkey?

    If you're looking for some tasty side dishes you've come to the right place.

    Paula Deen's Crock Pot Mac and Cheese and Slow Cooker Calico beans are some great side dishes to make in a crock pot.

    Make a loaded air fryer baked potato with all the fixings in your air fryer or a twice baked potato.

    Some fun fruit salads to serve with this apple wood smoked turkey breast would be Fruit Cocktail Salad or Red, White, and Blue Berry Cheesecake Salad.

    Recipe FAQS

    How long to smoke for a 4 to 7 pound turkey breast?

    This turkey breast was almost 4 pounds and took only 1.5 hours to smoke. A 7 pound turkey breast would take up to 3 hours. 

    What are the best wood chips for smoking a turkey breast

    My favorite wood chips to use for smoking a turkey breast is always Applewood. I have a Traeger grill and used their pellet chips. Other types of wood chips that would work would be Apple, Cherry, Maple, Alder, and Hickory.

    How do I store leftovers?

    Always store leftovers in clean, food-grade containers. The type of container doesn’t really matter. Use zip lock, glass, plastic,  whatever! 

    Recipes to Check Out 

    Grinder Salad Sandwich - Tiktok 

    Air Fryer Pizza 

    Air Fryer Hard Boiled Eggs

    Easy Air Fryer Chicken Breast - How Long to Cook 

    Tiktok Lemon Pasta 

    Ninja Foodi Grill Smoked Applewood Smoked Turkey Breast on a white plate.

    If you tried this Applewood Smoked Turkey Breast or any other recipe on my website, please please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you! Follow along on Tiktok @jennarecipediaries

    Want to Save This Recipe?

    Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!

    Save Recipe

    By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Recipes Diaries.

    Print
    clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon

    Ninja Foodi Grill Smoked Turkey Breast

    5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 1 review
    • Author: Jenna
    • Prep Time: 30min
    • Cook Time: 1.5 hrs
    • Total Time: 1.5 hrs
    • Yield: 8 1x
    • Category: Medium
    • Method: Smoker
    • Cuisine: American
    Print Recipe
    Pin Recipe

    Description

    If you've never had a smoked turkey before, you must try it! I think it is by far better than any deep-fried turkey or oven roasted turkey that you'd have for Thanksgiving. 


    Ingredients

    Scale

    Dry Rub

    • 3 tablespoons brown sugar
    • 1 ½ tablespoons smoked paprika
    • 1 ½ teaspoons chipotle chili powder
    • 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
    • 1 ½ teaspoons salt
    • 1 ½ teaspoons black pepper
    • 1 teaspoon onion powder
    • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
    • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
    • 3- 4 pound turkey breast 

    Instructions

    1. Remove the turkey from the packaging and pat it completely dry with paper towels. Place it on a baking sheet and refrigerate it for an hour or two so it dries thoroughly.
    2. Preheat your smoker to 225 degrees F, adding your wood chips to the burner.
    3. In a bowl, combine the sugar, paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, onion powder and cumin, mixing well to combine.
    4. Gently lift the skin of the turkey and rub the melted butter all over the meat. Use it all up! I use both my hands and a spoon to drizzle it down in spaces that I can't reach. Take the spice rub and rub it all over the meat as well, underneath the skin. Rub the rest of it all over the outside of the skin, covering the turkey.
    5. Smoke the turkey breast for 1.5 hours at 225 degrees.

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @recipediariesww on Instagram

    Recipe adapted from How Sweet Eats

    More Easy Thanksgiving Recipes

    • Perfect Pie Crust Ina Garten
    • Good Eats Turkey Brine
    • Greek Yogurt Mashed Potatoes with Garlic
    • Beer Bread with Self Rising Flour

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jenna says

      October 16, 2020 at 8:53 am

      The recipe for the dry rub is in the ingredients list. Refresh your page please.

    2. JEANNE KAETHER says

      October 16, 2020 at 8:45 am

      Can you provide the dry rub recipe? I see the ingredients listed, but not the proportions of each ingredient. Thank you.

    3. F. McArthur says

      April 02, 2019 at 12:29 am

      I did this recipe smoking on the BBQ at 200-250F for 6 hours. Beautiful colour, texture and flavour. Did it a second time, changing the apple Jack for apple Crown Royal Canadian rye, and the turkey for beef brisket and took second in the Squadron smoker challenge. Fed 120 personnel sample amounts.

    4. Mike says

      October 14, 2018 at 5:41 pm

      I really like this recipe and can't wait to try it. I do have to give one "critique" however. Since you are cooking your turkey at 375 degrees, you are not actually smoking the bird. Anything over 250 degrees even in a smoker, is roasting. In order to smoke a turkey, would have to be "low and slow" - under 250 degrees, and probably somewhere In the 3 to 5 hour range. If you like the flavor that your smoker gives you, even when roasting, here's a tip: set your smoker for high smoke and smoke the turkey for 30 to 60 minutes. Then turn it up to 375 and cook as you would using a meat probe to get the timing right. Hope this is helpful!

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

    Primary Sidebar

    Hey, I'm Jenna! I'm a graphic designer, photographer, and home cook from From Fargo ND. I love my Ninja Creami, Air Fryer, and Blackstone. I created this blog to share recipe tips and tricks with everyone, enjoy!

    More about me →

    Summer Recipes

    • Air Fryer Ham
    • Easter Crack
    • Peeps Cake
    • Trisha Yearwood's Country Quiche
    • Trisha Yearwood's Blueberry Pancakes
    • Cinnamon Roll Cake

    Popular Recipes

    • Air Fryer Hard Boiled Eggs
    • Smoked Sausage and Potatoes Roasted in Oven
    • Paula Deen's Crockpot Mac and Cheese
    • Tiktok Ramen with Soy Sauce and Brown Sugar
    • Weight Watchers Egg Roll in a Bowl
    • Weight Watchers Zero Point Cabbage Soup

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy

    My Other Site!

    • My other blog is Spoon and Spin and it's all about Ninja Creami recipes.

    Contact

    • Press
    • FAQ
    • Drop me a message!

    Copyright © 2022 Recipe Diaries