This Easy Roast Turkey Recipe is the best way to make your holiday turkey. The best Thanksgiving turkey recipe for no-fuss, beginner-friendly friendly and delicious juicy meat every time.
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Ever wonder how to cook a turkey so the skin is crispy and the light meat and dark meat alike are juicy and tender? You've come to the right place! A lot of people think cooking turkey is an impossible task, but it's much easier than we think.
I tackled my first Thanksgiving turkey last year and boy was I nervous. After some research (and trial and error) I discovered there is a general rule of thumb for each step to follow to guarantee a perfect turkey every single time.
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🌟Why You'll Love this Recipe
- Easy to follow. If it's your first time making a whole turkey for your holiday this recipe is easy and simple to follow.
- Juicy turkey. This is the best turkey recipe to guarantee juicy meat every time.
- Crispy skin. Buttering underneath and on top of the skin is the key to crispy skin.
The Perfect Roast Turkey
- Thaw your turkey. 4–12 pounds: 1 to 3 days, 12–16 pounds: 3 to 4 days, 16–20 pounds: 4 to 5 days, 20–24 pounds: 5 to 6 days
- Temper your turkey. Allow your turkey to sit at room temperature for 1 hour before seasoning and cooking.
- Prep your oven. Set the rack to the lowest rung and preheat your oven to 450 degrees F.
- Butter and season your turkey. Butter your turkey underneath the skin (don't be shy) and use the remaining butter to brush in the cavity and the outside of the turkey. The butter adds moisture and flavor directly to the meat as well as contributes to crispier skin.
- Stuff the cavity and add aromatics. Stuff the cavity with onions, herbs and lemon.
- No basting is needed. Basting is not necessary to create a moist inside with a crisp layer of skin. Skip this tedious part for an easy roast!
- Cover and then uncover the turkey. Cook the turkey on high heat for 30 minutes to crisp the skin and lock in moisture. Then, reduce the heat and cook covered for the remaining few hours.
- Calculate the cooking time per pound of turkey.
- For an 8- to 12-pound turkey: 325°F for 2¾ to 3 hours
- For a 12- to 14-pound turkey: 350°F for 2¾ to 3 hours
- For a 15- to 16-pound turkey: 350°F for 3½ to 3¾ hours
- For an 18- to 20-pound turkey: 350°F for 4 to 4¼ hours
🥘Ingredients
- 12-16 pound frozen turkey. Found easily at your local grocery store or butcher.
- Yellow or white onions. Onions have a strong and savory flavor that infuses into the meat during the cooking process.
- Carrots and celery. Carrots and celery release moisture as they cook, creating a humid environment in the roasting pan.
- Fresh garlic cloves. Fresh garlic has a distinct savory flavor that releases into the turkey as it cooks.
- Fresh herbs. Fresh herbs add depth and complexity to the turkey meat.
- Lemon. Fresh lemon slices contribute to a fresh, citrusy flavor to the meat. Lemons contain a significant amount of water, and as they heat up during cooking, the moisture is released into the cavity.
- Unsalted butter. I like using unsalted butter so I can season how I please.
See the recipe card below for the remaining ingredients and quantities.
🔪Instructions
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Remove the giblets from the cavity of the turkey along with any excess skin, fat and feathers on the turkey. Pat dry with paper towels. Season the cavity with salt and black pepper and stuff with onion, herbs and lemon slices.
Step 2: In a small bowl, mix together the butter, garlic, lemon zest, salt, black pepper and herbs. Using your hands, season the turkey between the skin and the meat with the herb butter and use the remaining butter to cover the top of the skin.
Step 3: Place onions, carrots and celery in the bottom of a large roasting pan, add a roasting rack and place the turkey on top. Add 1-2 cups of turkey broth to the bottom of the roasting pan. Place the turkey on the middle oven rack and roast for 30 minutes.
Step 4: Turn the oven down to 350 degrees F, cover with aluminum foil and roast for another 4-4.5 hours using a meat thermometer to ensure the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F in the thickest part of the breast. Make sure the turkey rests for at least 15 minutes uncovered before carving and serving. Enjoy!
How to carve a turkey
- Let the turkey rest for 15-20 minutes before carving.
- Remove the legs.
- Separate the thighs and drumsticks.
- Take off the wings.
- Carve the breast. Make a horizontal cut along the base of the breast, near the wing joint. Slice vertically down along the breastbone to create even slices. Use the carving fork to steady the turkey and make clean, even cuts.
- Serve on a platter!
💭Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can prepare the turkey by buttering it and stuffing the cavity the day before. Be sure to keep it in the refrigerator overnight and allow it to come to room temperature 1 hour before cooking.
Bringing a turkey to room temperature ensures a more even cook. If the turkey is cold the outside of the turkey will take longer to cook which will cause an uneven, overly cooked dry turkey.
You can! I like to cook my stuffing separately so it has a better chance of browning. I also think the turkey has a better chance of cooking evenly when it's not overstuffed.
Use an instant-read thermometer in the thickest part of the turkey breast to make sure the internal temperature has reached 165 degrees F.
The thawing time per turkey will differ depending on weight. 4–12 lb turkeys take 1 to 3 days. 12-16 lb turkeys take 3 to 4 days. 16–20 lb turkeys take 4 to 5 days, and 20–24 lb turkeys take 5 to 6 days to thaw.
My general rule of thumb is 1 lb of turkey per person. Remember, the weight of the turkey includes non-consumable parts like the bones.
👩🏻🍳Chef Tips
- Use a meat thermometer. Always use a meat thermometer to make sure your meat is fully cooked and you're following food safety guidelines. The thermometer should be placed in the thickest part of the meat (usually the breast of a turkey) and reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
- Oven temperature. Your oven temperature is one of the most important parts of cooking a turkey. Cooking a turkey for 30 minutes at 450 degrees has a few reasons behind it. Crisping and browning are the number one. Searing the turkey at a high temp to start locks in moisture.
- Cook uncovered then covered. Sear the turkey uncovered to lock in moisture, then reduce the heat to continue the cooking process.
- Let the turkey rest before carving. You should always let meat rest before cutting into it. When meat is cooked the juices flow to the center and resting allows the juices to redistribute and lock in for a juicy bird.
🥗Serving
The perfect roast turkey recipe is only complete with all the fixings. Cranberry sauce, savory mashed sweet potatoes, Yukon gold mashed potatoes, bacon and maple brussels sprouts, and my favorite easy-baked mac and cheese.
🥣Storage & Reheating
- Turkey leftovers are a given but storing them properly is important. Turkey meat can stay in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. In the freezer, it's good for 2-3 months.
- Reheat in a roasting pan, covered in foil at 325 degrees F until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
- Use your turkey carcass to make some yummy nourishing stock or soup.
- For those extra leftovers you can't seem to shake, make a Thanksgiving leftover pot pie!
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Did you make this recipe? Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and a comment below—I’d love to hear how it turned out! THANK YOU!
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Easy Roast Turkey Recipe
See the full post for extra tips and photos
Ingredients
- 12-16 pound whole turkey
- 2 yellow onions, cut into quarters
- 4 carrots, roughly chopped
- 4 celery sticks, roughly, chopped
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 2 sage leaves
- 1 lemon, quartered
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups chicken or turkey broth
Garlic Butter
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 tablespoons lemon zest
- 3 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 2 teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup fresh chopped herbs, rosemary, thyme, sage, parsley, etc.
Instructions
- Remove the turkey from the fridge an hour before cooking.
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Remove the giblets from inside the cavity and remove any excess fat, skin and leftover feathers. Pat the turkey dry with paper towels.
- Season the cavity with salt and black pepper. Stuff the cavity with onion, herbs and lemon.
- In a bowl mix together the butter, garlic, lemon zest, salt, black pepper and herbs.
- Using your hands, season the turkey between the skin and the meat with the herb butter and then use the remaining to cover the top of the skin.
- Place onion, carrots and celery in the bottom of a roasting pan, add a rack and place the turkey on top of the rack. Pour in 1-2 cups of broth.
- Place the turkey in the middle rack of the oven and roast for 30 minutes. Turn the oven down to 350 degrees F, cover with foil and roast for another 4-4.5 hours until the internal temperature is 165 degrees F in the thickest part.
- Optional: After the first hour of roasting at 350°F, begin basting the turkey every 30 minutes or so. Use a baster or a large spoon to scoop the drippings from the bottom of the pan and pour them over the top of the turkey. This is optional but will result in a juicier turkey.
- Let the turkey rest for at least 15 minutes uncovered before carving and serving. Enjoy!
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Sarah's Tips
- Use a meat thermometer. Always use a meat thermometer to make sure your meat is fully cooked and you're following food safety guidelines. The thermometer should be placed in the thickest part of the meat (usually the breast of a turkey) and reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
- Oven temperature. Your oven temperature is one of the most important parts of cooking a turkey. Cooking a turkey for 30 minutes at 450 degrees has a few reasons behind it. Crisping and browning are the number one. Searing the turkey at a high temp to start locks in moisture.
- Cook uncovered then covered. Sear the turkey uncovered to lock in moisture, then reduce the heat to continue the cooking process.
- Let the turkey rest before carving. You should always let meat rest before cutting into it. When meat is cooked the juices flow to the center and resting allows the juices to redistribute and lock in for a juicy bird.
- Turkey leftovers are a given but storing them properly is important. Turkey meat can stay in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. In the freezer, it's good for 2-3 months.
- Reheat in a roasting pan, covered in foil at 325 degrees F until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
- Use your turkey carcass to make some yummy nourishing stock or soup.
- For those extra leftovers you can't seem to shake, make a Thanksgiving leftover pot pie!
KITCHEN TOOLS NEEDED
- 1 Roasting pan
- 1 Roasting rack
- 1 Meat thermometer
- 1 Carving fork
- 1 Knife and cutting board
Naomi says
No basting required?
Sarah Hill says
Hi Naomi, the butter adds a lot of juiciness to the turkey but you can definitely baste it throughout. I am going to add it as an option to the recipe and next time I make it, I will test out basting it to see if it comes out better. Thanks for asking!!