How to Cook a Turkey (The Best Recipe!)
This is the only roast turkey recipe you'll ever need. It's ridiculously delicious (the herb butter is everything!), but simple and easy enough for anyone to pull off.
Serves10 to 12
Makes1 turkey
Prep20 minutes
Cook2 hours 50 minutes to 3 hours 20 minutes
Editor’s Note: If you’ve cooked this beloved recipe before, it might look a little different these days! We recently improved it to make it even easier to follow and more delicious.
This is the easiest, simplest way to roast a whole turkey. Whether you’re roasting a turkey for the first time or just need your annual Thanksgiving and holiday-season refresher, this guide will help you through all the steps to a perfect turkey: Crispy skin, tender meat, well-seasoned (hello herb butter!), and so delicious you’ll wonder why you only eat it once a year.
I’ve cooked at least one turkey a year for the past 15 years, and sometimes more if I’m testing something for work. Let’s just say that I know how to cook a turkey, and it’s not as scary as it seems. In fact, if you’ve ever made a roast chicken, you can most definitely make a roast turkey.
This recipe works best for a 12 to 15-pound bird, which serves 10 to 12 guests. You can use any type of turkey: Big or small, wet-brined turkey or dry-brined turkey, free-range or otherwise. Cooking times will vary, but the basic technique will be the same.
Your Turkey Recipe Cheat-Sheet
- How much turkey do you need? Plan for 1 to 1 1/2 pounds of turkey per person. Stick to this range to make sure you have enough turkey with plenty of leftovers.
- How long to cook the turkey? Plan for 13 minutes of roasting time for each pound of unstuffed turkey and 15 minutes per pound for turkey filled with stuffing.
- What temperature to cook the turkey? Preheat your oven to 450°F, then drop the temperature to 350°F after putting the turkey in the oven.
- Does the turkey bake covered or uncovered? Technically, both. The turkey roasts uncovered to ensure crispy skin, but you can cover the top with aluminum foil if it gets too dark.
- When is the turkey done? The turkey is cooked when it registers a minimum of 165°F in the thickest part of the thigh.
- How long to rest the turkey? Rest the turkey for at least 30 minutes before carving.
How to Safely Thaw a Frozen Turkey
Be sure to let your turkey completely thaw before cooking. The safest, most hands-off way to thaw a turkey is in the refrigerator, and it will take several days depending on the size. Place the turkey in its original packaging in a pan to catch any juices that may drip from the turkey’s packaging as it thaws so that the juices don’t cross-contaminate other food in your fridge. If you have one, place it on a roasting rack in a roasting pan, as the rack helps to elevate the turkey and provide circulation on all sides for even thawing.
How Long Does a Frozen Turkey Need to Thaw?
A frozen turkey needs about 24 hours thawing time for every five pounds of turkey. For quicker thawing, place the turkey in a cold water bath (it is not safe to thaw a turkey with warm water) and change the water every 30 minutes until it’s thawed — about a half-hour per pound.
What If Your Turkey Is Still Frozen?
If your turkey is still frozen — fully or partially — no worries! You can roast a frozen turkey and it will turn out just fine! Just follow our instructions for cooking frozen turkey. You’ll be fine.
Should You Brine Your Turkey?
I’ve had great results with brining and heartily endorse it, although the method here will still work without brining. Brining involves immersing the turkey in a salt-water solution (called a wet brine) or dry-brining in salt for a day or so before cooking.
The end result is moist, well seasoned white and dark meat and perfectly crispy skin. The way I see it, any turkey will taste better if brined in salt for a day or two before cooking.
How to Cook a Turkey
- Unwrap and dry the turkey. About 1 hour before roasting, take the turkey out of its packaging (or brine) and pat dry with paper towels. Let it sit at room temperature on a rack in a roasting pan to let the skin dry out. This helps the turkey cook more evenly and brown better.
- Preheat the oven. Heat the oven to 450ºF. You’ll start the turkey in a hot oven to give the skin a head start on browning and crisping.
- Make the herb butter. Melt some butter and add a few sprigs of fresh herbs in to infuse it with flavor. (No need to chop them up!) Cut up a lemon if you are using one.
- Season the turkey. If you didn’t brine your turkey, season it all over with salt and pepper. Put the herb sprigs from the butter and the lemon pieces into the turkey. Brush it all over with some of the herb butter.
- Prep for roasting. Tuck the wing tips under the turkey and pour in some broth or water into the roasting pan. This will keep the drippings from burning.
- Roast the turkey. Place the turkey in the oven and immediately turn the temperature down to 350ºF. Roast the turkey for about 13 minutes per pound (or 15 minutes with stuffing inside).
- Baste the turkey. Every 45 minutes, brush the turkey all over with the rest of the herb butter. If you run out of herb butter, brush with the pan drippings. If the breast meat is getting too dark before it’s ready, cover it with a sheet of aluminum foil to prevent overcooking.
- Check the turkey’s temperature. The turkey is ready when an instant-read thermometer inserted into several places (the breast and the thickest part of the thigh not touching bone) registers at least 165ºF.
- Remove the turkey from the oven. When the turkey is ready, remove the roasting pan from the oven. Lift up one end of the turkey to let the juices drip out of the other end into the roasting pan (use these juices for gravy).
- Rest the turkey. Carefully transfer the turkey to a clean cutting board. Tent loosely with aluminum foil and let the turkey rest for at least 30 minutes.
- Carve and serve. Be sure to refrigerate leftover meat within two hours of cooking to prevent foodborne illness.
How Long to Cook a Turkey
Your turkey’s cooking time depends on how much it weighs and whether it’s stuffed or unstuffed. As a rule of thumb, 12–15 pound turkey will take between 2 1/2 and 4 hours to cook. Here’s another way to think about it:
- Unstuffed Turkey: about 13 minutes per pound
- Stuffed Turkey: about 15 minutes per pound
How to Check a Turkey’s Temperature
Be sure to check your turkey’s temperature about halfway through cooking. The best way to do this is with an instant-read thermometer, and this is the most accurate way to know when the turkey is ready. Insert the thermometer into the breasts and the thighs and take their readings. The thighs usually take longer than the breasts.
When the turkey’s internal temperature registers a steady 165°F in the thickest part of the thigh not touching bone, the meat is done.
How (and When!) to Make Turkey Gravy
After roasting, the turkey should rest for 30 minutes before carving so that the juices can redistribute in the meat. Move the turkey to a cutting board and cover loosely with foil to keep warm. This is a perfect time to use all those tasty pan drippings to make gravy. (If you’d rather check things off in advance, it’s definitely possible to make gravy ahead of time, too.) Read these how-tos for more:
How to Carve a Turkey
Relax, carving a turkey is just like carving an extra-large chicken. Make sure you have your serving platter, paper towels, a sharp chef’s knife, and tongs at the ready. Here’s what to do:
- Remove the wings first, and then the legs — pop out the joints that keep these pieces attached to the bird and cut through right next to the joint.
- Carve off the breasts: Slice close to the rib cage with the flat of your knife right up against the rib bones.
- Once you have the meat off, you can separate the legs into thighs and drumsticks, and carve the breast meat into individual slices. Don’t forget to save the bones and carcass for turkey stock!
For a good demonstration, watch our cooking school video on carving a chicken.
More Ways to Cook Turkey
What to Serve with Roasted Turkey
How to Cook a Turkey (The Best Recipe!)
This is the only roast turkey recipe you'll ever need. It's ridiculously delicious (the herb butter is everything!), but simple and easy enough for anyone to pull off.
Prep time 20 minutes
Cook time 2 hours 50 minutes to 3 hours 20 minutes
Makes 1 turkey
Serves 10 to 12
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 1
(12- to-15-pound) whole turkey, thawed if frozen
- 8 tablespoons
(1 stick) unsalted butter
- 4 sprigs
fresh thyme, rosemary, or sage, or a combination
- 1
medium lemon (optional)
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups
low-sodium chicken, vegetable, or turkey broth, or water
Instructions
Prepare the turkey for roasting:
Thirty minutes to an hour before roasting, take the turkey out of the refrigerator. Remove any packaging, plastic, pop-up thermometer, neck, and the bag of giblets if present (check in the body and neck cavitys). Pat the inside and outside of the turkey dry with paper towels. Set the turkey in a roasting rack set in a roasting pan to give the skin time to dry out.
Arrange an oven rack in the bottom third of the oven, remove any racks above it, and heat the oven to 450°F. Place 1 stick unsalted butter and 4 fresh herb sprigs in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat just until the butter is melted. Turn off the heat. Quarter 1 medium lemon if using.
If you brined your turkey or have a kosher or pre-salted turkey, skip this step. If your turkey is straight out of the package, rub it generously all over, including inside the cavity, with kosher salt and black pepper. Try to get some of the seasoning under the skin and directly onto the meat. We recommend leaving the turkey un-stuffed and un-trussed, both because it's easier and because the turkey will cook more evenly.
Arrange the turkey on the rack breast-side up. Take the herb sprigs out of the butter and place them inside the turkey. Stuff the lemon pieces inside the turkey. Brush the turkey all over with some of the butter.
Pour 2 cups low-sodium broth or water into the roasting pan. Tuck the wing tips underneath the turkey.
Roast the turkey:
Place the turkey in the oven and immediately turn the heat down to 350°F. The rule of thumb for cooking a turkey is 13 minutes per pound, so a 15-pound unstuffed turkey is estimated to cook in about 3 1/4 hours. Plan on the 13-minute-per-pound rule, but start checking the temperature of your turkey about halfway through the scheduled cooking time to gauge how fast it's cooking.
Every 45 minutes, remove the turkey from the oven, close the oven door (don't let that heat out!), and brush the turkey all over with the remaining butter (melt it over low heat again if it’s solidified). If you run out of melted butter, baste with the pan juices instead.
Begin checking the turkey's temperature about halfway through the estimated cooking time. Check the temperature in three places: the breast, outer thigh, and inside thigh. In every case, the meat should be at least 165°F when the turkey has finished cooking. If any place is under that temperature, put the turkey back in the oven for another 20 minutes before checking again.
Shield the breast meat with a sheet of aluminum foil if needed to keep it from overcooking or if the skin is getting too dark.
Rest and carve the turkey:
Remove the turkey from the oven. Stick a wooden spoon into the cavity at the neck end of the turkey. Use it to lift that end of the turkey up so that the liquids inside the turkey cavity run out the opposite end into the pan. (These juices can used to make gravy.) Lower the turkey back onto the rack and remove the spoon.
Lift the whole turkey (still on the rack) and transfer it to a clean cutting board. Tent the turkey loosely with aluminum foil and let it rest for at least 30 minutes. This gives time for the meat to firm up and the juices to be re-absorbed into the muscle tissue, making the turkey easier to slice and taste juicier. It’s also a great time to make the gravy.
Transfer the turkey onto the cutting board and carve it: Remove the wings first, then the legs, then the breast meat. Once you have the meat off, you can cut the legs into thighs and drumsticks and cut the breast meat into individual slices. One final note! Once you've sat down at the table, don't forget about the turkey back on the counter. The leftover meat needs to be refrigerated within two hours of cooking, after which the risk of something nasty taking up residence starts to increase exponentially. Be safe!
Recipe Notes
Reheating: Arrange sliced turkey in a single layer in a baking dish. Cover with broth (1 cup per 1 pound of turkey) and top with dots of butter. Bake at 350°F until heated through, 30 to 35 minutes. (All leftovers should be reheated to a minimum of 165°F).
Storage: Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 2 months.