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This Thanksgiving Turkey recipe is practically foolproof – it’s flavor packed and so tender and juicy with a golden, crispy skin. With my step-by-step tutorial, even first time cooks can pull this roast turkey recipe off stress-free!
Table of Contents
About This Recipe
This perfect Thanksgiving Turkey will be the star of your family’s holiday dinner. Of course, the best turkey recipe needs the best Thanksgiving side dishes, like my Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes, Homemade Stuffing, and classic Green Bean Casserole.
This juicy turkey recipe isn’t complicated at all. There’s no brining, no basting, no weird cooking techniques. Just simple instructions to give you great results every time while your bird roasts stress-free.
In this post, you’ll learn tons of tips and tricks, plus step-by-step instructions for the most perfectly tender, incredibly juicy, totally stress-free, best Thanksgiving turkey recipe, ever! Your holiday meal is about to get a whole lot easier.
Why This Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe Works
- It’s easy! Even a first time cook can make a delicious turkey for Thanksgiving, or any day, by following this easy turkey recipe.
- Placing butter underneath the turkey skin adds extra flavor and keeps the meat moist and juicy.
- Covering the top with foil during the first few hours of cooking helps to keep the breast meat from drying out since the turkey legs take a little longer to cook.
- Turning up the heat during the last hour ensures a golden, crispy skin without drying out the meat.
Ingredients
No brining, no basting, just simple ingredients for an exceptionally flavorful Thanksgiving turkey! Be sure to scroll down to the recipe card for the complete list of ingredients and instructions.
- The bird – For this recipe and the cooking times that go with it, I used a 12-pound turkey. This is a fairly average size that will feed 8-10 people.
- Butter – Pats of butter are placed under the skin of each turkey breast. Add even more flavor by using my yummy Garlic Butter.
- Onion and garlic – peel and stuff inside the cavity of the turkey. You can also add fresh herbs and citrus fruits, like lemon or orange, if you like.
- Dry Rub – Mix together kosher salt, dried thyme, dried sage, rosemary, paprika, black pepper, and ground mustard and rub into the skin. This is also a delicious seasoning for Roast Chicken.
- Equipment – A big roasting pan, preferably with a wire rack to hold the roast turkey up above the drippings.
How To Cook A Turkey: A Step By Step Tutorial
How To Defrost A Turkey
If your turkey is frozen, you will need to completely defrost it in the refrigerator before you even remove any of the packaging. Place your bird in a deep roasting pan in the fridge to catch any juices that may run out.
Resist the urge to thaw in your kitchen sink as this can encourage harmful bacteria to spread. Be sure to start defrosting the turkey a few days before you need to cook it.
How long do you defrost a turkey? A good rule of thumb is to allow 24 hours for every 4 pounds of turkey. So for our 12 pound bird, at least 3-4 days. To be safe I usually give it an extra 12-24 hours.
Once your turkey is fully defrosted, you can prep it for roasting using the recipe below.
How To Prep A Turkey For Roasting
Remove from packaging and remove extra parts. Remove the fully thawed turkey from its packaging. I usually do this in a large container in the kitchen sink. If included, remove the neck and the bag containing the gizzards and giblets. Keep these for making extra stock for the Homemade Turkey Gravy or discard them.
Dry the skin. Pat the skin dry with paper towels. Dry skin equals crispy skin!
Separate the skin from the breast. Using clean hands, gently lift the skin from the turkey breast starting on the side closest to the legs. Slide your hand underneath, separating the skin from the breast meat. Repeat the process with the other side.
Add butter under the skin. Slide 3 pats of butter (1 pat = 1 tablespoon) under the skin on each side and spread it around with your fingers.
Add seasoning and aromatics. Mix together the dry rub, sprinkle it all over the outside of the turkey, and press it into the skin. Sprinkle a little inside the cavity, too. Place the onions and garlic inside the cavity, then transfer the whole bird to a roasting pan with a rack.
Roasting The Turkey
These instructions are for how to cook a 12 pound turkey in the oven. If your bird is bigger or smaller, you will need to adjust the cooking time based on the provided instructions. Scroll down to the printable recipe card for the full instructions, or check out the handy chart below.
- Preheat your oven. We start with the oven at 325℉, keeping it low and slow for 2 hours (depending on the size) so the meat gets moist and tender, then crank it up to 400 for the last hour to get that crispy skin.
- Cover. Cut a piece of foil large enough to cover the turkey breasts. Press it down and mold the foil to the shape of the breasts. This will keep the breasts from drying out. You’ll remove it before the turkey is finished cooking to brown the skin.
- Roast the turkey in the oven at 325℉ for 2 hours, adding additional time depending on the size (use the chart below). Then turn the heat up to 400℉, remove the foil, and roast until the cooked turkey reaches the optimal temperature. Use our handy guide below to adjust the time. (Be sure to pin this chart to save it for later!).
- Let the turkey rest. Remove the turkey from the oven and let it rest for at least 15-20 minutes or up to 40 minutes. This will give you plenty of time to cook a Sweet Potato Casserole or warm up some dinner rolls.
Frequently Asked Questions
A pound of turkey per person will feed your guests and leave them satisfied. But if you want leftovers, I recommend 1.5-2 pounds per adult and about half a pound per child. I personally think leftovers are awesome, because you can make Turkey Tetrazzini or Turkey and Stuffing Casserole.
A 12 pound turkey takes about 3 hours to cook. Start at 325℉ for 2 hours, then increase the temperature to 400℉ for another hour. For a larger bird, increase the initial cooking time (at 325℉) by 15 minutes per pound.
One of the best tricks we have for keeping your cooked turkey juicy and moist is butter! Stuffing pats of butter under the skin creates a beautifully crisp skin, but it also melts and keeps the meat super moist and juicy.
Another trick I use is placing aluminum foil over the turkey breasts to help dissipate some of the heat and lock in moisture. Since dark meat takes longer to cook than light meat, this method lets the thighs and legs get their roast on while the breast gently cooks.
A turkey should be cooked until it reaches an internal temperature of 165℉. Insert an instant-read meat thermometer in the base of the breast meat or the thickest part of the thigh, careful not to touch any bone. Those are the absolute basics.
The actual length of time it takes to reach the correct temperature will depend on the temperature of the bird before cooking, its size, and your oven temperature.
Expert Tips
Every year we get lots of questions about how to cook a turkey, so we’ve put them all in one place. Hopefully, these helpful hints will take the guesswork out of cooking your turkey!
- Resist the urge to wash your turkey. Washing poultry is a no-no and will just contaminate your sink. Remove from the packaging and pat dry with paper towels.
- No basting? No brining? These extra steps are really unnecessary for achieving the perfect roast turkey. Basting requires constantly opening your oven, which costs you valuable heat and extends the cooking time. Brining isn’t necessary with a high-quality turkey.
- Don’t cook inside of your turkey. If you cook stuffing inside your turkey, the meat will be dry before the stuffing reaches a temperature that’s safe to eat. Instead, stuff the turkey with aromatics like onions, garlic, celery, herbs, or lemons that will add a ton of flavor to the bird as well as to the drippings for pan gravy. Cook the stuffing in a baking dish, like my Classic Sausage Stuffing Recipe or Bacon and Onion Stuffing.
- Save the turkey drippings. The drippings are used to make the gravy, and the flavor will complement beautifully.
Make Ahead, Storage, and Freezing
Make Ahead: Once your turkey is fully thawed, you prep it for roasting up to 24 hours in advance. Add the butter, seasoning, and aromatics, then cover loosely with foil and place in the fridge overnight. Take it out about 30 minutes before you put it in the oven so it can shake off the chill.
Storage: If you’re going to eat your leftovers within 3-4 days, store in an airtight container or resealable plastic bag in the fridge. Use for sandwiches, BLT Turkey Wraps, tacos, and Turkey Soup.
Freezing: One of the reasons I love turkey leftovers is because I can keep some in my freezer and easily toss it in Turkey Shepherd’s Pie or in soups.
Reheating: If you’re just looking to reheat a late-night Thanksgiving dinner leftovers plate, you can do that in the microwave. If it’s frozen, thaw it overnight in the fridge before adding to other recipes.
Best Thanksgiving Side Dishes
Your Thanksgiving turkey may be the best ever, but you’re still going to need to fill some supporting roles. Here are some of our favorite Thanksgiving sides that will compliment your cooked turkey in the best way!
Side Dish Recipes:
- Cheesy Broccoli Casserole
- Oven Roasted Vegetables
- Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese
- One Hour Dinner Rolls
- Scalloped Corn Casserole
- Twice Baked Potatoes
- Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes
- Orange Cranberry Sauce
- Cranberry Fluff Salad
- Pumpkin Dump Cake
- Classic Apple Pie
- Southern Pecan Pie
101+ Thanksgiving
Side Dishes
Find all the sides you could possibly want for the perfect Thanksgiving menu!
Need a smaller turkey this year? Try my other easy turkey recipes for cooking a turkey breast in the air fryer, roasting in the oven, or even an Instant Pot Turkey Breast. Any of these recipes would be a great way to feed a smaller crowd, or to add some extra servings of turkey to your meal.
Best Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe
Equipment
- Roasting Pan (click the link to see the one I use)
Ingredients
- 12 pound turkey thawed
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into 1 Tablespoon pats
- 1 1/2 yellow onions peeled and halved
- 4 garlic cloves peeled
Dry Rub:
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.
- In a bowl, combine the salt, thyme, sage, paprika, pepper, and ground mustard until evenly incorporated.
- Remove the turkey from its packaging. From the bird’s cavity, remove the neck and the bag containing the gizzards and heart. (You can keep these items to make stock or discard them.)
- Use a few paper towels to dry off the skin of the bird and inside the cavity.
- Lift the skin over the turkey breast (on the side closest to the legs) and slide your hand under the skin separating it from the breast meat. Do this on both sides of the breast.
- Insert three pats of butter under the skin on one side fo the turkey breast spreading them around evenly. Repeat on the other side.
- Sprinkle the dry rub all over the turkey – breast, legs, wings, anything you can see. Using your hands press the rub into the skin a little. If you have any extra rub sprinkle it inside the cavity.
- Place the onion halves and garlic cloves inside the turkey’s cavity.
- Transfer the bird to your roasting pan. (I like to use a pan with a rack to keep the bottom of the turkey from getting soggy.)
- Take a good sized piece of foil and place it over the turkey breast. (You want to make sure to the foil piece is big enough to fit over the whole breast.) Press down and mold the foil to the breast., let the ends stick out if the foil’s a bit big.
- Place the turkey in the oven and roast for 2 hours. Carefully remove the foil from the turkey. Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees and cook the turkey for another hour, or until the internal temperature of the breast reaches 165 degrees F and the skin is golden and crispy.
- Remove the turkey from the oven and let it rest for 30-45 minutes before carving.
Notes
- 10 pounds: 1 hour 30 minutes at 325 degrees; 1 hour at 400 degrees.
- 12 pounds: 2 hours at 325 degrees; 1 hour at 400 degrees.
- 14 pounds: 2 hours, 30 minutes at 325 degrees; 1 hour at 400 degrees.
- 16 pounds: 3 hours at 325 degrees; 1 hour at 400 degrees.
- 18 pounds: 3 hours, 30 minutes at 325 degrees; 1 hour at 400 degrees.
Nutrition
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This was hands down the best turkey I have ever made. I made it for Christmas and wow! It was so juicy and flavourful. It was so easy and straight forward. It will now be my go to recipe for making a turkey.
Awesome feedback Gabby! Thanks for stopping by.
Hi Kristen,
I’m planning on making this for Christmas and am wondering, when you put it in the oven, do you cover your roasting pan with a lid? Or just the foil? Or both? ?♀️
Hi Angela, just cover the top (breasts) with foil. No lid.
I made my first turkey for our family three years ago. So this was the third year in a row that I’ve used this article. It is tried and true! I’ve made some modifications to the dry brine and aromatics. I also use a compound butter that goes on top of the turkey in addition to placing it under the skin. This year was the best turkey yet. There is one thing that I can’t figure out. I’ve followed the oven instruction to the letter. Over the 3 turkeys I’ve made, when I take the turkey out and check the thigh, it’s always ~190 degrees! What I don’t know, is when to check the temp and hot to adjust the time. I would think that you’d want the turkey at 400 for the last full hour to make sure the skin gets crispy. Now despite that higher than desired temp, the turkey has never been dry. In fact, it’s always juicy and flavorful inside with a crispy skin. So I guess I’d just like to know when to check the temp of the bird and how to adjust. Thanks for this delicious tutorials and recipe!
Hi Brett, I say, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! As long as the breast reaches 165, you’re good. The dark meat is often a higher temp, and that’s ok because it stays juicy.
I’m so thankful that I found this recipe! This was the first time that I had to make a turkey and I’m beyond proud to say that it was perfect! Thank you so much!
That is so awesome Kimberly! Thank you for stopping by.
You mentioned something about basting the turkey, when should that be done? Thanks
Hi Pamela, I don’t mention basting in this post, other than that’s a method I used to use. There is no need to baste this turkey.
Hi Kristen…just wanted to thank you for sharing this recipe. My husband and I usually get to enjoy our turkey day in Florida with family (we live in New York) Due to covid we spent turkey day at home with family and I hosted dinner. Followed your recipe and our turkey was AMAZING!! So very moist! Your tips, techniques and all the info was extremely helpful. If we cant go to Florida next year, this will definitely be my go to turkey recipe!?
You are so welcome Lisa! Thank you for stopping by.
This was the by far the best recipe I have ever used in cooking a turkey. It was moist on the inside and delicious all around. Well never cook a turkey any other way!
Awesome feedback RC! Thanks for stopping by.
This was the best Turkey, and I make a great Turkey to begin with! Making it this way forevermore.
Now I would love to try your roast chicken recipe! Do you have one? Thanks for this recipe and possible for a chicken one as well!
So glad you enjoyed it! And yes, I do have a Roast Chicken recipe that is similar to the turkey and totally delicious!
We made this Turkey for this Thanksgiving. It was so juicy , tender and tasty. And it was easy too. I would definitely make it again.
Nice! Thank you so much for stopping by Marcia.
Thank you, Kristin! Best turkey I have ever made! Juicy white meat, crisp skin, and delicious gravy! 40 years later and I finally and I finally found the perfect recipe!
You are so welcome Annamary! Thank you so much for stopping by.
Hello! What temperature should the Turkey be before turning the heat up the last hour?
Hi Christina, No need to measure the temp before turning up the heat.
Made my first turkey today from this recipe. It turned out wonderful. Thank you so much. This recipe is a keeper.
You are so welcome Hope! Thank you for stopping by.
I’ve been using this recipe for the last three years it is amazingly delicious and the turkey comes out ?
Thank you Tara! Thanks for stopping by.
Number 11 says roast for 2 hours. I’m assuming ignore that and stick to the chart below? Thanks for this recipe!
The recipe is for a 12 pound turkey. The chart offered in the notes gives you the formula for a larger or smaller bird.
Can I use this recipe and still use a turkey bag?
Hi Kris, I suppose you could, but the skin won’t get crispy.
Last minute shopper here and I wasn’t able to get sage or thyme. I do have the rest of the seasonings I hand as well as poultry seasoning. Any suggestions on how to switch up the portions?
The herbs mentioned are similar to what’s in poultry seasoning. So you’d be fine to just use that in place of the sage, and thyme. Poultry seasoning probably has pepper in it too.
Should I double the seasoning for a 20 pounder?
Yes you could do that. Maybe not double but 50%?
Hi – any considerations for high altitude? Cook for a longer duration?
Nope you won’t need to alter the recipe for altitude. That’s usually for baked goods.
Best recipe all around. Several people have said, “you’re doing the hard part of the meal”. Its really pretty simple with this recipe. This will be my 3rd year. I’ve had my nephews say its the best turkey they’ve had. Love it. Great for ADD moms 🙂 Thank you for sharing!
You are so welcome Annette! Thanks for the awesome feedback.
So ,you should do the butter and seasoning step then let your turkey get close to room temperature before putting it in the oven?
I’m not sure I understand your question. The turkey won’t come to room temperature just during the 20 minutes it takes to prep it. And you won’t be letting it sit out at all, it goes straight in the oven.
This is what I was referring to.
Once your turkey is fully defrosted, you can prep it for roasting using the recipe below. Allow the bird to come close to room temperature once prepped to help it to cook evenly.
Oh yes I see; this pretty much happens while you’re prepping it. But yes you can let it sit for a little bit longer.
If I don’t have a pan and rack can I still make it work ?
A pan and rack is best; however, some of the alternatives I’ve seen are using a deep baking dish and placing balls of foil, or using the ceramic insert of a slow cooker (just the insert AND only if the instructions for your device permit oven cooking). As a last resort, you can roast without a rack, the bottom would be sitting in some of the liquid but it will still cook fine.
Thank you so much ! 🙂
Hi there! I’m going to try your recipe tomorrow. So no need to baste it at all while cooking? Thanks!
Nope, no need to baste it.
I’m thinking of stuffing my bird with dressing. Should I plan on adding additional time for cooking. About how long would I add. Can’t wait to try your recipe
If you want to stuff your turkey, make sure the stuffing is completely cooled to room temperature or chilled so that the bird won’t sit at an unsafe temperature for too long. Remember that the stuffing needs to be cooked to 165 degrees F because it absorbs the drippings from the turkey.
Check out my homemade stuffing!