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.
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Helpful Reader Review
“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!” – Jennifer ★★★★★
Juicy Roast Turkey Video
This turkey recipe is well-loved with hundreds of 5-star reviews over the years. It’s fantastic! 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.
In this video, I’ll show you how to make this turkey, step-by-step so you can feel confident making “the year’s most important dish.”
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. Keep the turkey drippings to make the best Turkey Gravy; it’s super delicious and will be the talk of your Thanksgiving dinner!
Roast Turkey Ingredients
- Turkey – this recipe is written for an 11-15 lb turkey. A larger turkey will work, but bake time will vary (see chart below). You’ll also need salt and pepper to season the turkey inside and out.
- Flavored Butter – unsalted butter, olive oil, lemon juice and zest, garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper
- For the Turkey Stuffing – You can use my stuffing recipe, but I stuff the turkey cavity with onion, garlic, parsley, and a quartered lemon. 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 the stuffing reaches 165˚F in the center.
Don’t Forget to Thaw Your Turkey
Make sure you give yourself enough time to thaw and roast your turkey. A larger bird will take longer to thaw and roast, so plan according to the chart below.
Per the USDA guidelines, thaw your frozen turkey in the refrigerator 1 day for every 4 to 5 lbs of turkey. My 12 lb turkey took 3 days to thaw, while a 16 lb turkey would take 4 days. For a quick-thaw method, see my Spatchcock Turkey Recipe (you can defrost a 12 lb turkey in 6 hours).
How to Prepare Your Turkey for Roasting
- Defrost the Turkey – You should never cook a frozen or partially frozen turkey or it will cook unevenly. Follow the turkey thawing guide above, depending on the size of your turkey.
- 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 and set it on a roasting pan.
- 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.
Seasoning, Stuffing, and Tying up a Turkey
- Season inside of turkey cavity generously with about 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.
- 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!
- 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 and juicy and provides rich flavor.
- 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.
- 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 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 170-180˚F on the temperature probe and the turkey breast at 165˚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 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.
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.
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. 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!
I’d love to hear what is on your Thanksgiving menu this year (scroll down to see my personal menu). And I’m so curious – do you make Turkey on Thanksgiving AND Christmas? My Mom sure does and I love it! I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.
Juicy Roast Turkey
Ingredients
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, peeled and quartered
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
- 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 then discard the paper towels. 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
*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
Filed Under
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”
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!
- Sweet Potato Casserole
- Mashed Potatoes
- Turkey Gravy
- Cranberry Sauce
- Apple Pie
- Pumpkin Pie (or Pumpkin Cheesecake)
- Cheesecake
- Sweet Potato Salad
- Au Gratin Potatoes
- Stuffing
We cooked our very first turkey with this recipe and nailed it !!!! It was a huge hit my boyfriend made a perfect glistening juicy turkey.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Just tried a variation of this but w/o the lemon juice/zest (I substituted a few drops of lime juice) and it was the juiciest turkey I’ve ever had!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Tried this recipe for Thanksgiving today and it was great!! 13 lb turkey with butter mixture applied the night before, just under 3 hrs total cook time, took out when temp was 160, rested about an hour and the meat was very juicy. Can’t wait to do this again! Thank you.
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review 🙂
I’m making this recipe this year. My turkey is reading 180 F after only 1.5 hours at 340 (and after the 20 minutes of 420) did I do something wrong?
Hi Emily – That is possible if you were using a smaller turkey or maybe were using a convection setting on your oven which would cause it to roast faster (I recommend regular bake mode for this recipe). Also, make sure you are checking the temperature in the proper places of the turkey (deep in the meat and not just under the skin) and with a reliable thermometer. I sure hope that helps!
How often should u baste
Occasionally is best. We did it about every 30-40 minutes or so.
Made the turkey today. Easy and was ready in 4.5 hours bGot so many compliments on how wonderful the turkey was.
Turkey was moist and flavorful.
Will be making this again
Thanks so much for sharing.
You’re so welcome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review 🙂
Thank you for the amazing turkey recipe! We loved it!
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review 🙂
Question: what do you do with the neck and giblets? I saw you put the neck in the roasting pan, but how do you present it on the dish?
Thanks! Giving this a shot. Looks and smells DELISH so far!
Hi Mark, I add the neck to the pan and just serve it on the turkey platter right next to the turkey. 🙂 I personally love the neck 🙂
And what about the giblets? Do you just toss those? or is there some other magical use for them?
Hi Mark, I personally just toss them but here is a good reference on what to do with giblets. They are often used to make gravy.
U dont put a lid while cooking?
Hi Joel, no, I only apply the foil triangle after the first 20 minutes of roasting.
So… I messed up and did 3 sticks of butter not 2..its bubbling a LOT in the oven.. You think it will be OK? Or should I drain some of it?
Hi, it should still be ok. Extra butter won’t ruin the turkey 🙂 Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
i just want to say thank you for all the photos with each step. Awesome! Happy Thanksgiving!🦃
Just getting started – will leave results review later.🐷
You are so very welcome!! I hope you absolutely love the turkey and Happy Thanksgiving!
So is the cook time 5.5 hrs or 2.5hrs?
HI Darek, for a 12 lb bird, I roasted at 430˚F for 20 min then reduced to 350˚F and baked another 2.5 hours.
I don’t usually comment on recipes.. But I had to say, I prepped my turkey last night with the butter mixture and I couldn’t stop sniffing it!! It smells SO good. I am going to try it on fish sometime! My bird is in the oven now and smells fantastic. The only thing I did differently was injected a little salty apple juice into the turkey last night. Can’t wait to see how it turns out!
I’m curious to hear how it goes with the salty apple juice! Sounds amazing!!
I am ready to wow my family with your turkey recipe 😊
Have you ever roasted your turkey in a convection oven?
Suggestions, opinions?!?!
Hi Cindy, I honestly haven’t tried this in a convection oven so I wouldn’t be able to make recommendations on that. If anyone else has tried, please let us know! 🙂
Hey there, I gotta tell you I have used this recipe the last 4 years or so and I am about to once more. It is the best turkey I have ever had with so much flavor in every bite not just the bites with the skin. It is never dry and the leftovers are just as amazing as the first serving. Thank you so much for this recipe, my family loves it and is always looking forward to thanksgiving so that I make another one. I’ve used a small bird and a bigger 20 lb bird and either way as long as you adjust the ingredients to account for the size, it is always perfect. Thank you
That is so wonderful to hear! I’m so glad you have loved this turkey recipe enough to make it 4 years in a row!! Fantastic! Thank you for sharing your thorough and amazing review! Happy Thanksgiving!!
Hi Natasha, Happy Thanksgiving!! Not sure if you’ll be answering questions now on the holiday, but I’m a young wife and this is my first time making a turkey and hosting Thanksgiving. I accidentally prepared the bird upside down… so I put the butter mixture underneath the skin on the opposite side of what you did.
When I realized this, I flipped the turkey and put the butter where it was supposed to go. This means I separated the skin around the entire turkey and did oil, salt and pepper on both sides. Do you think this will be too much? Should I be prepared for a ruined turkey?
Thank you for the great tips, video and recipe!!
Hi Kate, I don’t think it would be too much. you’ll probably have a wonderfully flavorful roast turkey! I hope you love the recipe and happy Thanksgiving!
Hi, I prepped my turkey tonight, but was a little confused with the ingredients for a 20lb turkey flavored rub that Shannon wrote. Do the measurements for the oil, garlic , salt and pepper stay the same for the flavored butter?
For the stuffing 2 lemons and 8 garlic cloves, 1 onion, and 1/2 bunch of parsley? Thank you
It looks like she used 1/3 more of everything in the flavored butter. It looks like she stuffed with 2 lemons, 1 large onion, 8 garlic cloves and 1/2 bunch of parsley. I would be careful with the lemon juice and not add more than 4-6 Tbsp to the flavored butter so it won’t be too difficult to blend it into the butter and also so your pan drippings wouldn’t be overwhelmingly lemony (If you are using the drippings to make turkey gravy).
Thank you , Happy Thanksgiving!
Hi Natasha,
The total time is 5 hours from what I read at the very beginning but then at the bottom it says a different thing. I’m confused.
Hi Johana. Were you possibly reading about my note regarding the cook time for the 20+ pound Turkey from another readers experience? This recipe calls for a 12 lb turkey so total time should be about 2 hours and 50 minutes.
Thank you Natasha! I have a 17 lb turkey. Should I cook it for 3?
HI Johana, I would recommend using the guidelines in the post on how long to roast a turkey: Once the oven is reduced to 350˚F, bake 13 min for every pound of turkey. I highly recommend a meat thermometer and 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 internal turkey temp continues to rise slightly after it’s out of the oven).
Great, will do. Thank you! It’s my first time cooking a turkey so I’m looking forward to this yummy recipe. Happy thanksgiving to you and your family! Thanks so much for responding so quickly.
I love love love this recipe!!! So delicious and juicy! Thank you for the perfect turkey recipe!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it
Hi! I’m gonna try this recipe this year! I was just wondering what you did with neck and gizzard. Do you have a good stuffing recipe? Thanks! Happy Thanksgiving!!
Hi Meg, we don’t currently have a stuffing recipe since it isn’t something we grew up eating (neither my husband or I), but if I come up with something great, I will be sure to share it! 🙂 I do toss the gizzard but keep the neck and roast it alongside the turkey in the pan, but my Mom stuffs the turkey with the gizzards along with the vegetables. I’m just a little grossed out by them. lol.
Hi! I am a first time turkey chef this year and plan to use your recipe. I am nervous as my mom and hubby’s mom only use butter with theirs. I find that good but not very flavorful shhhhh dont tell them lol. My only hesitation is the lemon. Does it give the turkey a profound lemony taste? I have a hard time imagining a lemon flavored turkey and gravy. Thanks ahead of time for a great recipe. I read all of the reviews and sounds like you are one awesome cook!
Hi Jackie, the turkey meat doesn’t have an overpowering lemon taste. The gravy has a stronger lemony flavor so you could cut back if you wanted to but the turkey meat will not be overwhelmingly lemon-flavored 🙂 Others have reported great results even cutting the lemon juice in half. I hope you love it!