Slow Cooker Turkey with Gravy, Candied Sweet Potatoes, & Green Peas brings the flavors of Thanksgiving together in one easy, comforting meal!
A Thanksgiving turkey dinner meal that is perfect for a few people instead of a crowd or for one with some leftovers! If you are looking for other easy ways to make a whole Thanksgiving dinner, try out my Slow Cooker Thanksgiving Dinner (for 2!) or Sheet Pan Thanksgiving Dinner.
Why You’ll Love This Thanksgiving Dinner?
- This recipe makes Thanksgiving dinner so easy, having the slow cooker do most of the heavy lifting.
- Perfect for two people to share, or one with some leftovers!
Sabrina’s Slow Cooker Turkey with Gravy, Candied Sweet Potatoes, & Green Beans Recipe
Thanksgiving in a flash! This recipe is one of my favorites. Thanksgiving is my second favorite holiday, which says a lot because I love celebrating the holidays. If it had my favorite stuffing with it, this would be a meal I could eat every day for the rest of my life! Make this for when you only have one or two people to feed or when it’s only July but you get that Thanksgiving dinner craving.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 4 turkey thighs , bone in, skin on (you can also use legs)
- kosher salt , divided
- coarse ground black pepper , divided
- 2 pounds sweet potatoes , peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 6 tablespoons brown sugar , divided
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 12 ounces frozen peas
Instructions
For the Turkey:
- Add ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper to the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Add in turkey pieces, skin side up. Top with remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
- Cook on low for 7 hours.
For the Sweet Potatoes:
- 30 minutes before turkey is finished cooking, start working on sweet potatoes. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
- Add salt (to taste, I use ½ teaspoon), pepper (to taste, I use ¼ teaspoon), oil, and 3 tablespoons brown sugar to sweet potatoes and combine.
- Spread sweet potatoes on a baking pan and roast in oven for 30 minutes.
For the Gravy:
- Remove turkey from the slow cooker. Pour the liquid left behind in the slow cooker into a measuring cup and remove as much of the fat as you can.
- Melt the butter into a saucepan on medium high heat and combine with 2 tablespoons of flour.
- Whisk and let cook on medium for one minute to cook out the raw flour taste.
- Add in the rest of the turkey liquid and let it cook until thickened, approximately 3-5 minutes.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper (I use ½ teaspoon of each).
Finishing the Meal:
- Remove sweet potatoes and top with additional 3 tablespoons brown sugar.
- Microwave or steam the green peas.
Serve:
- Serve turkey, covered with gravy, sweet potatoes covered with brown sugar and steamed peas on the side.
Nutrition
Want to save this recipe? Create a free account to easily save your favorite recipes
Chef’s Note
As an alternate way to make the peas, I sometimes reserve about a half cup of the turkey liquid, and microwave the peas in the liquid. It seasons them with almost no extra effort! You can also use a ¼ cup of the gravy to toss with the frozen peas and microwave, but they would be a bit creamier that way.
Table of Contents
About this Recipe
Slow cooked turkey that is browned, moist and tender covered in a rich gravy with candied sweet potatoes and green peas in just 7 Ingredients (not including salt and pepper)! The turkey is moist and flavorful with a rich and creamy gravy on top. The candied sweet potatoes make me want to start Christmas shopping!
Can this be made ahead of time?
Yes, you can make this ahead of time and store it in the fridge in separate airtight containers for 3-4 days. You could also make this meal and then freeze it ahead of time for up to 3 months. If you are looking to make prep time a little faster, you could pre-dice your sweet potatoes, and have them ready to go.
How to Store
- Serve: Don’t leave your turkey dinner at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
- Store: Once the Thanksgiving meal has cooled to room temperature you can put it in an airtight container to store in the fridge. Either put each part of the meal in separate containers or store it all together. The dinner should stay good for about 3-4 days.
- Freeze: You can also freeze your turkey dinner for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight and reheat it for lunch tomorrow.
Oven Baked Method
- Note: This oven baked method is using a 2 lb turkey breast, not thighs.
- Season one large 2-pound breast with salt and pepper.
- Roast it in the oven at 350°F degrees for 1 hour, tented with foil.
- Check that internal temperature has reached 165°F.
- Add the sweet potatoes to the oven 30 minutes after the turkey so that they will finish at the same time.
- Make your gravy after the turkey and sweet potatoes comes out of the oven.
- Cook the peas according to the recipe card.
- Enjoy this easy Thanksgiving feast!
Variations
- Turkey: You can choose to make turkey breast instead of dark meat, but I would not put it in the slow cooker. See my cooking instructions above. The dark meat is really tender and delicious in the slow cooker though and if you don’t have a need to switch to white meat, I highly recommend trying it this way first.
- Potatoes: While this recipe calls for sweet potatoes, you could always stick with a regular Russet as well. If you are going this route, your probably thinking Mashed Potatoes so I would recommend my Easy Mashed Potatoes for that.
- Veggies: The point of this recipe is to make life easier, so if you don’t like frozen peas, swap them out for frozen green beans, frozen corn, frozen mixed vegetable medley instead. Of course, you could always opt for fresh as well but it will increase the cook time to prepare.
Related Recipes
Add These to Your Feast!
These photos were in a previous version of this post:
Does it really take 7 hours on low? That seems like a really long time since the newer crockpots cook hotter than the ones from years ago.
Feel free to use your meat thermometer and check for a temp of 165 degrees at the thickest part of the meat to ensure your meat is fully cooked. Enjoy!
Wow, We love turkey thighs anytime. This looks delicious and cannot wait to
try this this weekend!
I will try this recipe next time my hubby and I are alone at Thanksgiving!
Sounds like a great idea! I have to say, this coming thanksgiving I am butchering some turkeys! Legs, thighs and wings (going to test this) in the slow cooker and the breasts roasted off for lunch meat!
This looks like a very wholesome dinner that the whole family can enjoy.
Thanks!
This is perfect comfort food and something I would make all year round! Great recipe!
Oh yes, don’t mind the fact I’m in a heat wave in July, we had it for dinner again last week!
perfect and easy recipe, must save for Thanksgivimg!
Thanks! I hope you enjoy it!
I am SO with you – dark meat all the way! This is how I make turkey too 🙂
See, now if a rock star like you makes it the same way as me, it is officially the best ever! Haha.
This slow cooker turkey looks so delicious!! Sounds like the perfect comfort food meal! :)Pinning!
Thanks for the pin Neli!
I love turkey prepared in the slow cooker. It has such a hearty flavor. Sometimes I buy the leftover turkey in the refrigerated case after Thanksgiving and make it again, just to have some to freeze. Thanks for the great tip about mixing the gravy in the peas, wouldn’t have thought of that!
Absolutely my pleasure Dede! I genuinely would eat this all the time if turkey wasn’t so pricy out of season!
What a good idea to use the slow cooker! I must give those candied sweet potatoes a try!
Thanks Meagan!
I love slow cooker recipes! Now I am really wanting some turkey LOL!
I know right? So random in July but hey you don’t have to heat up your oven for 6 hours to make it!
Wow I’d love to make this. I always forget about turkey when I’m planning dinners but this would be perfect!
Yup and it is a set it and forget it slow cooker dish!
I’ve never thought of doing my turkey in the slow cooker before. What a perfect way to cook it without ever turning the oven on!
Yes! And look at the pics, it comes out AMAZING.
Okay, this is totally going on my meal plan next month. It sounds and looks delicious. I know it sounds crazy, but I never think of turkey except for thanksgiving…
Me too! Then one day I literally had to have stuffing. I just had to. I was going to make it with sausage and brussels and I walked past some turkey in the store. You could have seen the light bulb go on above my head! Haha. Now we make it once a month or so. I even make it and freeze whole meals for later. We love it.
This looks really awesome!!
Thanks 🙂
Oh you’ve done it again! I always find myself drooling over food on your site! This sounds so amazing. I can seriously smell it right now! Perfect family home cooked dinner!
Thanks! I love making people hungry haha.
This looks like such a delicious meal. I love sweet potatoes. I am going to try making this on the weekend.
I hope you love it!
Those sweet potatoes have brought on a serious craving. I love them with brown sugar!
When I have candied sweet potatoes I just have to have turkey with it. It would be like eating peanut butter without the jelly without the turkey.
This dish looks so amazing! Looks like it should be for Thanksgiving! Yum!
Yup, except we make it at least once a month. I love turkey in the slow cooker.
OOH this makes me want to eat my computer! This looks amazing! Congratulation on the e-cookbook! I will be checking out all the recipes!
Thanks so much! I hope you love it!
This looks like such a great comfort meal! I’ll be adding this to my fall menu plans!
Wonderful!
Makes me want to make a thanksgiving feast. Looks so good!
Having it go live today and noticing I have a loaf of stale french bread made me put stuffing on tonight’s menu! haha
I love Thanksgiving dinner and eating it anytime of the year makes me happy! I can’t wait to give this a try it looks so delicious!
Thanks Mary!
That sounds absolutely delicious. I can’t wait to make this for my family!
Thank you 🙂