Turkey is the star of Thanksgiving, and it’s pretty important to get it right – I have you covered with this simple, failproof, and mouthwatering Roast Turkey Recipe. This has a crisp, salty skin with a flavor-packed, juicy center. You’ll love my trick for a tender turkey breast every time.

Juicy Roast Turkey with golden brown skin on a serving platter garnished with fruit

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You don’t need to be scared to try new things in the kitchen, like the Thanksgiving turkey which is the “year’s most important dish”. You can’t go wrong by adding this roast turkey recipe to your menu. It’s fantastic. 

Juicy Roast Turkey Video

In this video, I’ll show you how to make this turkey, step-by-step. Then read on to learn everything you need to know for a perfect turkey. P.S. You can even make this turkey recipe a day in advance (see make-ahead tips below) if it makes your life easier, and it will taste even better! Plus, Turkey Brine is optional here, saving you a day of prep.

Turkey Recipe

I was so excited about this juicy roast turkey recipe every step of the way, and I think you’ll feel the same way when you try it. The first turkey I ever made was such a flop that I was discouraged for a few years to revisit it. When I set out to make this turkey recipe, I was determined to ensure you had success the first time and every time you made this recipe.

I spent days researching the best turkey recipes online and in cookbooks, with trusted advice from my Mom and you, my readers. This Turkey recipe has been gracing your holiday tables since 2014! I’ve also been perfecting it over the years, and I can confidently say this tender and delicious turkey will impress your dinner guests.

The turkey breast is so juicy and flavorful, and the skin is crisp and roasts to a beautiful golden brown. I invited all of my family over to help eat this turkey and received rave reviews from 10 adults and quite a few kiddos. I was so giddy and excited when I tasted the juicy bird.

P.S. Keep the turkey drippings to make the best Turkey Gravy; it’s super delicious and will be the talk of your Thanksgiving dinner!

Juicy roasted turkey on a serving platter

Roast Turkey Ingredients

  • 12 lb turkey (Anything from 11-15 lbs will work, but bake time will vary – see below)
  • Salt & Pepper for the inside and outside of the bird

For the Flavored Butter

  • 1 cup (2 sticks or 226 grams) unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 Tbsp light olive oil (not extra virgin), or other high-heat oil, plus more to drizzle the top
  • 4 Tbsp fresh lemon juice (from 1 large lemon), plus 1/2 Tbsp lemon zest
  • 3 large garlic cloves, pressed
  • 1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley
  • 1/2 Tbsp salt (I used sea salt)
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
Ingredients for flavored butter to stuff under turkey skin

For the Turkey Stuffing

I prefer to cook turkey stuffing separately from the turkey, so I stuff my turkey with aromatics instead (which makes the gravy taste awesome), but if you do stuff the turkey with traditional stuffing, make sure it reaches 165˚F in the center.

  • 1 large onion, quartered (no peeling)
  • 4 garlic cloves, halved (no peeling)
  • 1/2 bunch parsley
  • 1 lemon, quartered

Tools You Will Need for Roasting a Turkey

Raw turkey and roasting pan for holding turkey

To Cook a Larger Turkey:

Many of you have asked about using a larger turkey. One of my readers, Shannon, shares her experience with a 23-pound turkey (Thanks Shannon!):

“Used this recipe last night with a 23 lb turkey and it was superb!! I used 3 sticks of butter, 1 cup of parsley, kept the zest and juice of 2 lemons and quartered them for the stuffing. Kept 1 large onion peeled & largely sliced, used about 8 cloves of garlic peeled and sliced in half. Cooked at 430 for 20 min and then 350 for about 5 1/2 hours, basting occasionally. I used the tin foil hat and had to made a couple other tin foil accessories for the legs that started to scorch. Took the tin foil hat off when it had 10 min of cook time left to ensure a nice browned top. Had tons of drippings to make a delicious gravy with. Will use this recipe every year! So flavorful and yummy. Thank you”

How to Prepare Your Turkey for Roasting

  • Defrost the Turkey – If using a frozen turkey, defrost it in the refrigerator. Per the USDA guidelines, thaw in the refrigerator 1 day for every 4 to 5 lbs of turkey. This 12 lb turkey would take 3 days to thaw, while a 16 lb turkey would take 4 days. For a quick-thaw method, see our Spatchcock Turkey Recipe (you can defrost a 12 lb turkey in 6 hours).
  • Optional Brine Step – once the turkey is thawed, you can Brine your Turkey if you prefer (it requires 1 hour per pound), although it’s not necessary for this recipe. Also, check the turkey packaging since some turkeys are pre-brined, so you don’t need to brine again if that is the case.
  • Remove turkey from fridge about 30 minutes before you start working with it. If the turkey is closer to room temperature, it will bake more evenly. *Remove the neck and bag of giblets from the turkey.
  • Pat dry turkey with paper towels. Let turkey sit in over paper towels to soak up any excess water from the turkey.
  • Fold the wings behind the turkey; if you don’t they are the quickest to scorch and dry out.
Patting dry turkey and tucking wings behind turkey

Seasoning, Stuffing, and Tying up a Turkey

  • Season inside of turkey cavity generously with about 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.
Seasoning inside turkey carcass
  1. Make the Flavored butter – In a medium bowl (it’s even easier in the bowl of a food processor), combine 2 sticks of softened butter, 2 Tbsp olive oil, 1/2 Tbsp lemon zest, 4 Tbsp lemon juice, and 3 pressed garlic cloves, 1/4 cup chopped parsley, 1/2 Tbsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper. Mash/stir with a fork or process until well combined (the lemon juice doesn’t easily stir into butter, but keep mixing and it will happen after a few minutes). This mixture was adapted from Gordon Ramsay’s Christmas Turkey video and it’s wonderful. Take a whiff of it; you’ll fall in love with how fresh it smells!
mashing together flavored butter ingredients for turkey
  1. Separate the skin from the turkey breast by pushing your fingers under the skin. Do this from the front and the back of the turkey, being careful not to tear the skin.
Loosening turkey skin to stuff with flavored butter
  1. Stuff 2/3 of the butter mixture under skin, then spread the butter around by massaging over the top of the skin. This butter keeps the turkey breast tender and juicy and provides rich flavor.
Stuffing flavored butter under turkey skin and spreading it out
  1. Pat dry the skin and rub the remaining butter over the outside of the turkey (breast, legs, wings). Drizzle all over the top of the turkey with olive oil and generously season with salt and pepper; I just love a crisp, salty skin.
Drizzling turkey with oil and seasoning before baking
  1. Stuff the turkey cavity with a quartered onion, 4 halved garlic cloves, 1/2 bunch parsley and quartered lemon. Use kitchen string to tie the turkey base and legs together; crossing the legs to better close up the turkey cavity, plus it looks extra fancy on the table.
How to tie turkey legs together to truss turkey

How to Roast a Turkey

  • Prep: Pre-heat the oven to 430˚F on the bake mode. Place oven rack in the lower part of your oven (mine was on the second level from the very bottom) – this ensures that your large turkey roasts in the middle of the oven and keeps the turkey breast further from the top heating element.
  • Here is a fantastic tip I picked up from Alton Brown to protect the turkey breast and keep it juicy: Fold a large square sheet of foil into a triangle. Rub one side of your triangle with olive oil and shape the foil (oil-side-down) over the turkey breast, then remove foil;  it will shield your turkey breast and keep it from getting dry. You’ll apply this shield later in the roasting process.
oiling foil shield for turkey breast
Measuring and shaping foil shield over the turkey breast
  1. Insert Thermometer – Place an oven-safe meat thermometer into the bird; beneath the drumstick; deep into the dark meat. It’s ready for the oven. Start roasting uncovered at 430˚F for 20 min.
Where to insert temperature probe into turkey under the thigh

Just like that – it’s ready for the oven! Also, I love this sweet photo from 2014 when we filmed this video recipe. It’s hard to believe my son is a teenager now!

Natasha and son holding turkey prepared for the oven
  1. Baste Turkey – Remove from oven; quickly baste with butter from the bottom of the dish. You can use a baster or tilt one side of the pan and collect drippings with a large spoon. Now apply prepared foil triangle to turkey breast area.
Basting roast turkey with butter
roasted turkey covered with a foil shield
  1. Reduce oven to 350˚F and bake for another 2 hours 30 min for a 12 lb bird. (Once you have reduced the oven to 350˚F, you will bake about 13 min for every pound of turkey). The turkey thigh should register at 170˚F on the temperature probe and the breast at 160˚F to make sure it’s fully cooked through then remove from the oven (keep in mind the turkey temp continues to rise slightly after it’s out of the oven).

Pro Tip:

Temperature recommendations based on the USDA say the safe poultry temperature is 165˚F, but the deeper thigh parts should be at 170-180˚F to be fully cooked through.

Juicy Roast Turkey Recipe resting in the roasting pan
  1. Rest the Turkey – Transfer turkey to a serving platter and cover loosely but fully with foil. Let turkey rest for at least 1 hour. It will become more tender and easier to carve, the longer it sits. Keep drippings from roasting pan for a most delicious turkey gravy. Decorate around your turkey and make it festive. I used kale for my greens, then added small apples, sliced oranges and quartered lemons.
Juicy Roast Turkey on a serving platter decorated with kale and fruit

Make-Ahead

  • To Refrigerate: You can fully prepare your turkey a day ahead – stuff, butter it up, cover, and refrigerate overnight. Remove from the refrigerator one hour before baking the next day.
  • To Freeze leftover turkey: Shred the meat and transfer it to freezer-safe zip-top bags or use a food saver to squeeze out as much air as possible, then freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator.
  • To Reheat Leftovers: My secret to the best-tasting reheated turkey is our Leftover Turkey in Gravy. We make this every year on the day after Thanksgiving.
Slicing into juicy turkey breast on a baked turkey

So many of you have made this roast turkey over the years, and it gives me so much joy to hear your success stories and see this turkey in photos from your Thanksgiving feasts.

Natasha holding the Thanksgiving turkey on a platter

Natasha’s Thanksgiving Menu

These are the classic Thanksgiving recipes that we can’t go without for our annual Thanksgiving feast. Only the best for the biggest cooking day of the year!

I’d love to hear what is on your Thanksgiving menu this year in the comments below! And I’m so curious – do you make Turkey on Christmas as well? My Mom sure does! I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.

Juicy Roast Turkey Recipe

4.95 from 764 votes
Author: Natasha of NatashasKitchen.com
Juicy Roast Turkey on a serving platter garnished with fruit
How to Make the Juiciest Roast Turkey Recipe – no lengthy marinating required, and the turkey brine is optional. You'll love the crisp, salty skin and the foil tip produces the juiciest turkey breast. An easy and failproof method for Thanksgiving turkey.
Cook Time: 2 hours 50 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 50 minutes

Ingredients 

Servings: 12 people

For the Turkey

  • 12 lb turkey, (Anything from 11-15 lbs will work, but bake time will vary), thawed*
  • Salt & Pepper, for the inside and outside of the bird

For the Flavored Butter

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened, (2 sticks)
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil, not extra virgin, plus more to drizzle top
  • 4 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, from 1 large lemon, plus 1/2 Tbsp lemon zest
  • 3 large garlic cloves, pressed
  • 1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley
  • 1/2 Tbsp salt, I used sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground

For the Stuffing

  • 1 large onion, quartered (no peeling)
  • 4 garlic cloves, halved (no peeling)
  • 1/2 bunch parsley
  • 1 lemon, quartered

Instructions

Prepping your Turkey

  • Remove thawed turkey* from the fridge about 30 minutes before you start working with it. If the turkey is closer to room temperature, it will bake more evenly. Remove the neck and bag of giblets and pat dry turkey with paper towels. Let it sit in a roasting pan lined with paper towels to soak up any excess water. Fold the wings behind the turkey so they don't scorch in the oven.

Seasoning, Stuffing, and Tying up a Turkey

  • Season inside of turkey cavity generously with about 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.
  • Make Flavored Butter – In a medium bowl or in a food processor*, combine: 2 sticks softened butter, 2 Tbsp olive oil, 1/2 Tbsp lemon zest, 4 Tbsp lemon juice, 3 pressed garlic cloves, 1/4 cup chopped parsley, 1/2 Tbsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper. Mash /stir with a fork until well combined (the lemon juice doesn't easily stir into butter but keep mixing and it will happen after a few minutes).
  • Separate the skin from the turkey breast by pushing your fingers under the skin. Do this from the front and the back of the turkey; being careful not to tear the skin.
  • Stuff 2/3 of the butter mixture under skin then spread the butter around by massaging over the top of the skin. This butter keeps the turkey breast tender, juicy and provides rich flavor.
  • Pat skin dry and rub remaining butter over the outside of the turkey (breast, legs, wings). Drizzle all over the top of the turkey with olive oil and generously season with salt and pepper; I just love a crisp, salty skin.
  • Stuff turkey cavity with quartered onion, 4 halved garlic cloves, 1/2 bunch parsley and quartered lemon. Use kitchen string to tie turkey base and legs together; crossing the legs to better close up the turkey cavity, plus it looks extra fancy on the table.

How to Roast a Turkey

  • Prep – Pre-heat the oven to 430˚F on the bake mode. Place oven rack in the lower part of your oven (mine was on the second level from the very bottom).
  • Make Foil Shield – to protect the turkey breast and keep it juicy: Fold a large square sheet of foil into a triangle. Rub one side of your triangle with olive oil and shape the foil (oil-side-down) over the turkey breast, then remove foil; it will shield your turkey breast and keep it from getting dry. You'll apply this shield later in the roasting process.
  • Place an oven-safe meat thermometer into the bird; beneath the drum stick; deep into the dark meat. Start roasting uncovered at 430˚F for 20 min.
  • Baste – Remove from oven; quickly baste with butter from the bottom of the dish. You can use a baster or tilt one side of the pan and collect drippings with a large spoon. Now apply prepared foil triangle to turkey breast area.
  • Reduce oven to 350˚F and bake for another 2 hours 30 min for a 12 lb bird. (Once you have reduced the oven to 350˚F, you will bake about 13 min for every pound of turkey). The turkey thigh should register at 170˚F on the temperature probe and the breast at 160˚F to make sure it's fully cooked through then remove from the oven (keep in mind the turkey temp continues to rise slightly after it's out of the oven*).
  • Rest Turkey – Transfer turkey to serving platter and cover loosely but fully with foil. Let turkey rest for at least 1 hour. It will become more tender and easier to carve, the longer it sits. Keep the drippings from roasting pan for turkey gravy. Now you can decorate around your turkey and make it festive. I used kale for my greens, then added small apples, sliced oranges and quartered lemons.

Notes

*To Thaw Turkey – If using a frozen turkey, defrost it in its plastic bag in the refrigerator 1 day for every 4-5 lbs (thaw a 12lb turkey for 3 days before roasting).
*A food processor makes it much easier to blend the lemon juice into t he flavored butter, saving time and effort.
*Final Temperature – As the turkey rests, it will continue to rise to a final temperature of 165˚F at the breast and 175-180˚F at the thigh. 
*Nutrition label is a rough estimate – remember that most of the butter and oil will remain in the pan when the turkey is done roasting.

Nutrition Per Serving

556kcal Calories3g Carbs103g Protein13g Fat4g Saturated Fat2g Polyunsaturated Fat4g Monounsaturated Fat0.2g Trans Fat312mg Cholesterol828mg Sodium1113mg Potassium1g Fiber1g Sugar343IU Vitamin A10mg Vitamin C61mg Calcium4mg Iron
Nutrition Facts
Juicy Roast Turkey Recipe
Amount per Serving
Calories
556
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
13
g
20
%
Saturated Fat
 
4
g
25
%
Trans Fat
 
0.2
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
 
2
g
Monounsaturated Fat
 
4
g
Cholesterol
 
312
mg
104
%
Sodium
 
828
mg
36
%
Potassium
 
1113
mg
32
%
Carbohydrates
 
3
g
1
%
Fiber
 
1
g
4
%
Sugar
 
1
g
1
%
Protein
 
103
g
206
%
Vitamin A
 
343
IU
7
%
Vitamin C
 
10
mg
12
%
Calcium
 
61
mg
6
%
Iron
 
4
mg
22
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Juicy Roast Turkey
Skill Level: Medium
Cost to Make: $$$
Calories: 556
Natasha's Kitchen Cookbook

Natasha Kravchuk

Welcome to my kitchen! I am Natasha, the creator behind Natasha's Kitchen (established in 2009), and I share family-friendly, authentic recipes. I am a New York Times Best-Selling cookbook author and a trusted video personality in the culinary world. My husband, Vadim, and I run this blog together, ensuring every recipe we share is thoroughly tested and approved. Our mission is to provide you with delicious, reliable recipes you can count on. Thanks for stopping by! I am so happy you are here.

Read more posts by Natasha

4.95 from 764 votes (299 ratings without comment)

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Comments

  • Aki
    December 2, 2024

    Hi! Looks great! How much salt and pepper would you recommend for the skin?
    Thank you!!

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      December 2, 2024

      Depends on your turkey.But it should be around 1 tablespoon of kosher salt per 5 pounds of turkey for standard sized turkey.

      Reply

  • Jennifer Robinson
    November 30, 2024

    I have been making your turkey recipe for a couple of years now every Thanksgiving and Christmas. My family has gone from not looking forward to turkey to RAVING about how flavourful, delicious and moist this Turkey is! Thank you SO MUCH for sharing this recipe!

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      December 1, 2024

      That’s so great to hear, Jennifer! Thank you for sharing that with me.

      Reply

  • Mark
    November 29, 2024

    I can always count on you for quality recipes! I used this one for the first time this year, it will definitely be my annual go-to from now on. I subbed lime for lemon due to an allergy, but otherwise made exactly as written. Overall the most flavorful turkey I’ve roasted in the past few years, thank you so much for this fantastic option!

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      November 29, 2024

      That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Mark!

      Reply

  • Monica
    November 29, 2024

    Can I use my own stuffing recipe instead of stuffing the cavity with the ingredients you use? Would the turkey be less moist and flavorful if I stuffed it with a bread stuffing?

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      November 29, 2024

      Hi Monica! I think it would be fine but that depends on the recipe. We prefer the stuffing on the side. If you do use bread stuffing, make sure it reaches a safe temperature of 165 with a food thermometer.

      Reply

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