Take the stress out of cooking Thanksgiving dinner with this foolproof Thanksgiving turkey recipe. Follow these step-by-step instructions for a perfectly juicy and flavorful turkey every time.
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Skip the stress of cooking with these easy-to-follow steps for a Thanksgiving turkey. Though it can seem overwhelming to cook such a large bird, it really is quite simple. There are a lot of ways to season your turkey, however, this one is as simple as it gets using fresh herbs and garlic. This turkey recipe will help guide you through the roasting process with the end result being a tender, seasoned turkey that completes your holiday meal.
Why you will love this recipe!
- Fool-proof: My helpful tips and step-by-step instructions will guide you to cook the most perfectly tender, incredibly juicy, and completely stress-free Thanksgiving turkey ever!
- Easy to make: There’s no fancy kitchen skills needed to cook your holiday dinner and no out-of-the-way ingredients either.
- Juicy and delicious: Rubbing herb butter underneath the turkey skin adds extra flavor and keeps the meat moist and juicy. And the herb butter rub on the turkey gives it a that desired, golden skin too.
Roast Turkey Ingredients
For a full ingredients list with measurements, check the recipe card below.
- Turkey: The cook times in this recipe are based off of a 12–16-pound turkey. Make sure that the turkey is thawed well before you need it and that the neck and giblets are removed.
- Onion: Yellow onion gives the best flavor to the bird. Peel it and slice it into quarters to that the flavor breaks down, but the pieces stay intact.
- Lemon: One of the secret ingredients in the recipe. Not only does the acid in the lemon keep the meat tender but it adds a brighter flavor too. You’ll need 2 lemons – one for stuffing the turkey as well as extra juice and zest for the herbed butter.
- Unsalted butter: This is used to coat the turkey and will turn the outer skin crispy and golden. Make sure that the butter is at room temperature before you need it.
- Seasonings: You’ll want to add garlic cloves, rosemary, thyme, and sage leaves to the turkey. Though you can use dried herbs, fresh will always taste best. Along with that, salt, and pepper are needed for the herb butter.
- Vegetables for roasting (optional): I like to add chopped vegetables to the roasting pan. They add a lot of flavor to the turkey while roasting and also take your turkey gravy to the next level.
Quick Tip
You can brine a partially frozen turkey, just make sure you remove the neck and giblets first. I have also noticed that the turkey thaws a little faster that way. This also saves you time because it brines while it thaws.
What Size Turkey To Buy
The general rule of thumb is to plan for 1 – 1.5 lbs of turkey per serving, and increase to 2lbs if you have big eaters or want leftovers.
- For 4 or less people: get a turkey breast
- For 5 to 8 people: get a 10-12 pound turkey
- For 9 to 12 people: get a 14-18 pound turkey
- For 12 to 16 people: get an 18-24 pound turkey
- For 16 to 18 people: get a 24 – 26 pound turkey
- For 18+: get 2 turkeys, or 1 turkey and 1 ham
How to Cook Perfect Thanksgiving Turkey
- Set at room temperature. Let the turkey sit at room temperature for at least one hour before cooking.
- Pat it dry. Use paper towels to remove any extra moisture on the bird.
- Season and stuff. Season the cavity of the turkey with salt and pepper before filling it with the onions, lemons, garlic, and fresh herbs.
- Make the butter. Mix together all the ingredients for the herb butter until smooth.
- Rub with herb butter. Very carefully, separate the skin from the turkey breast without tearing it. Rub the herb butter under the skin and on top of the turkey.
- Roast it. Place the turkey breast side up on a rack in a roasting pan. Tuck the wing tips under the turkey and tie the ends of the turkey legs together with kitchen twine. Roast for 3 – 3.5 hours until cooked through to 165F.
- Let it rest. When the turkey is fully cooked, remove it from the oven and transfer it to a serving platter. Cover it loosely with aluminum foil and let it rest for 30 minutes before carving.
TIPS FROM NELI’S KITCHEN
Expert Tips for Juicy Thanksgiving Turkey
Here are some tips and tricks to ensure your Thanksgiving Turkey turns out perfect every time:
- Don’t wash the turkey. Any bacteria will get killed while baking in the oven.
- Brine for flavor: A simple brine (water, salt, honey and aromatics) can enhance moisture and flavor. Soak your turkey for 12-24 hours before roasting for the best results.
- Don’t cook stuffing in the bird. Stuffing the bird slows down the cooking process and it takes longer to cook it to the perfect temperature.
- Use a roasting pan with a roasting rack. I also like to add some coarsley chopped vegetables like carrots, onion, garlic, and celery, and a cup of broth or water. Those drippings and the flavors from the vegetables make for the best gravy.
- Tuck the wings. When you place the turkey in the roasting pan, make sure to tuck the wings under the turkey and tie the ends of the legs together with kitchen twine before roasting.
- Roast for 15 minutes per pound of weight. A good rule of thumb is to roast a turkey for 15 minutes for every pound of weight. Some ovens tend to cook hotter or cooler, so be mindful that it might take less time to cook.
- Check the turkey as it cooks. When the roast turkey’s breasts are golden brown, start checking the internal temperature of the turkey and keep an eye on it. Remove it from the oven when it reaches about 160 F in the thickest part of the thigh. I love to use an oven safe meat thermometer that I insert in the thickest part of the thigh and leave it there while it cooks.
- Cover if necessary. If the skin is becoming too brown, very loosely cover the bird with aluminum foil.
- Save the drippings and the bones. You can make a delicious turkey gravy and turkey stock.
Turkey Roasting Time Per Pound
Plan on about 15 minutes of cooking time per pound of turkey. But the most important thing to check is the temperature. Aim for the turkey to reach to 165 F, measuring at the thickest part of the thigh.
You can remove the roasted turkey from the oven when it reaches about 160 F, and let it rest for 30 minutes. The internal temperature will rise to 165 F while it rests, this is called carryover cooking.
- 10 to 14 pound turkey: roast for 2 ½ hrs to 3 ½ hrs
- 14 to 18 pound turkey: roast for 3 ½ hrs to 4 ½ hrs
- 18 to 22 pound turkey: roast for 4 ½ hrs to 5 ½ hrs
Serving Suggestions
Below are our favorite Thanksgiving side dishes to make your roast turkey into a complete meal.
Using And Storing Leftovers
I love to use leftovers to make Turkey Salad sandwiches or Turkey and Sweet Potato Frittata the next day, , or this Turkey Rice Soup.
Leftover Thanksgiving turkey can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Here’s how I like to use turkey leftovers:
- Soups: I usually make turkey rice soup for a quick and nourishing meal the next day.
- Sandwiches: One of my favorite ways to use leftovers is to make turkey cranberry pannini, turkey salad sandwiches, or turkey quesadillas (add turkey, cranberry sauce and shredded cheese to a large tortilla, fold in half and brown in a skillet)
- Salads: My Turkey salad could be served as is or as a sandwich on a gluten-free or sourdough bread.
- Breakfast: Try my Turkey and Sweet Potato Frittata for a filling brunch over the weekend.
- Turkey Stock: Don’t throw away the turkey carcass. I use the bones along with some chopped onion, celery, carrots, and apple cider vinegar to make a delicious and nutritious turkey stock that I freeze in these freezer molds with lids (souper cubes).
Recipe FAQs for the Best Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe
To roast the perfect Thanksgiving turkey, you need to have it fully thawed before you cook it. For every 5 pounds of turkey you have, let it thaw in the fridge for 24 hours. Make sure to place it on a cooking sheet or another surface to catch any drippings that come off while thawing.
How long you will roast the turkey depends on how big the turkey is. It’s best to plan to cook the turkey for about 15 minutes per pound of weight. This means that a 12 lb turkey will take about 3 hours to cook, or until the internal temperature in the thickest part of the thigh reaches 165 F.
It’s best to cook the turkey at 325 F. This lower temperature lets the turkey cook slowly and evenly, helping it stay juicy and tender.
No. Basting the turkey will cause it to lose some of its golden-brown exterior. The herb butter you rub along the skin will brown it enough. Opening the oven door frequently as well can cause the turkey to have to cook longer as heat escapes.
I have found that these are the best ways to achieve moist, tender and juicy turkey:
– Rub seasoned herb butter under the skin and over the turkey.
– Roast at a lower temperature (325 F) so the turkey cooks slowly and evenly without drying it out.
– I like to do a wet brine for a few hours before I roast the turkey – the salty brine adds a lot of flavor and keeps the meat moist.
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Bring to room temperature. Remove the turkey from the refrigerator 1 hour before roasting and remove the neck and giblets.
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Preheat the oven. Adjust your oven rack so the turkey will sit in the center of the oven. (I placed my rack in the lower middle position, NOT at the bottom.) Preheat the oven to 325°F.
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Prep turkey. Pat the turkey dry with paper towels. Season the cavity of the turkey with salt and pepper. Fill the cavity with quartered onions, lemons, garlic head cut in half, and fresh herbs. Don’t overfill it.
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Make herb butter. Make the herb butter by combining and mixing with a fork the softened butter, minced garlic, lemon juice & zest, , chopped fresh herbs, salt and pepper.
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Rub with herb butter. Run a spoon facing down between the skin and turkey breast to separate the skin without tearing it. Rub the herb butter under the skin of the breasts and over the turkey.
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Prep for oven. Place the turkey, breast side up, on a rack in a roasting pan, tuck the wing tips under the turkey to prevent them from burning, and tie the ends of the turkey legs together with kitchen twine. (Optionally, you can add to the pan coursely chopped carrots, onion, and garlic, they will add flavor to the drippings that you can use to make the gravy later.)
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Roast. Place the turkey in the oven and roast for about 15 minutes per pound, or about 3.5 hours for 14 lb turkey, or until the temperature at the thickest part of the thigh and breast have reached 160°F. The turkey will continue to cook and will rise in temperature to 165 F while resting. (AKA carryover cooking)
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Cover with tin foil. Check the turkey a couple times throughout cooking. If the skin is becoming too brown, loosely cover the turkey with tin foil.
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Let turkey rest. Transfer the turkey to a serving platter and loosely cover the turkey with foil and let it rest for about 30 minutes before carving.
Here are some tips and tricks to ensure your Thanksgiving Turkey turns out perfect every time:
- Don’t wash the turkey. Any bacteria will get killed while baking in the oven.
- Brine for flavor: A simple brine (water, salt, honey and aromatics) can enhance moisture and flavor. Soak your turkey for 12-24 hours before roasting for the best results.
- Don’t cook stuffing in the bird. Stuffing the bird slows down the cooking process and it takes longer to cook it to the perfect temperature.
- Use a roasting pan with a roasting rack. I also like to add some coarsley chopped vegetables like carrots, onion, garlic, and celery, and a cup of broth or water. Those drippings and the flavors from the vegetables make for the best gravy.
- Tuck the wings. When you place the turkey in the roasting pan, make sure to tuck the wings under the turkey and tie the ends of the legs together with kitchen twine before roasting.
- Roast for 15 minutes per pound of weight. A good rule of thumb is to roast a turkey for 15 minutes for every pound of weight. Some ovens tend to cook hotter or cooler, so be mindful that it might take less time to cook.
- Check the turkey as it cooks. When the roast turkey’s breasts are golden brown, start checking the internal temperature of the turkey and keep an eye on it. Remove it from the oven when it reaches about 160 F in the thickest part of the thigh. I love to use an oven safe meat thermometer that I insert in the thickest part of the thigh and leave it there while it cooks.
- Cover if necessary. If the skin is becoming too brown, very loosely cover the bird with aluminum foil.
- Save the drippings and the bones. You can make a delicious turkey gravy and turkey stock.
Calories: 287kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 52g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 161mg | Sodium: 518mg | Potassium: 550mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 0.3g | Vitamin A: 198IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 32mg | Iron: 2mg
