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.
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
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
Made the best turkey of my life! It was so delicious and tender. I am ready to cook this forever.
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, Jillian!
I wanted to try this recipe for Thanksgiving this year and wanted to know if this would work if I cooked it in a Oster Roasting Oven with self basting lid so I can free up the oven . Would this work?
Hi Suzanne, I haven’t tested that but I think it could work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
Hey guys,
I want to make this turkey for Christmas for my family. I never made a turkey before in my life and I am very suspicious when it comes to recipes that promise a lot and my own skills. So I decided to calculate a little and practice this recipe on a normal chicken xD
Let me tell you guys it was the most tender chicken that I ever had! My friends and I tested it together and it was amazing!!
Feeling very confident about Christmas now!
Greetings and thanks a lot!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
This recipes is amazing! My family absolutely loved it!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review, Michelle!
Do you need to stuff the turkey ? I generally like to keep them unstuffed.
Hi Brittany, I don’t cook stuffing inside the turkey because it isn’t traditional in our family and the juices from the turkey drip into the stuffing while baking so the stuffing needs to get to 145˚F for it to be safe for consumption and by that time, the turkey breast becomes much too dry. I’ve seen some methods pre-cooking the stuffing partially and others make the stuffing and bake it in a separate dish and serve it on the side.
I made a 14 pound turkey using this recipe. It turned out tender and juicy. However, for my taste, the hint of lemon just doesn’t fit with turkey. Ruined it for me. Next time I’ll leave out all the lemon.
Hi Marsha, you could even cut the lemon in half or use smaller lemons (larger lemons and riper lemons give off more juice). It wills till work great with less lemon juice.
HI Natasha
I have a 22 lb turkey to cook this weekend. I want to try your recipe, but I usually stuff my bird with dressing. If I did, do you think I will get the same results?
Mary-jo
Hi Mary-Jo, I don’t cook stuffing inside the turkey because it isn’t traditional in our family and the juices from the turkey drip into the stuffing while baking so the stuffing needs to get to 145˚F for it to be safe for consumption and by that time, the turkey breast becomes much too dry. I’ve seen some methods pre-cooking the stuffing partially and others make the stuffing and bake it in a separate dish and serve it on the side.
Oh Waooo Nathasha what a great recipe! It took me 60 years to make my first turkey! I am in the country of Panama and my family could not believe I made such a great bird. I am not a cook and whatever I make is with a recipe on hand. One of my sisters who is a great cook but does not makes turkey said ” from now on you are in charge of the turkey”. Thank so much for making our Christmas a successful and fun one! Many regards from Panama!
That’s so great! I’m inspired by reading your review, thank you!
Hands down the best turkey recipe I have ever tried! My turkey was so moist and juicy. I followed your recipe to the T. My bird was 14 pounds so I added 26 minutes and it was PERFECTION! I finally have a turkey recipe I can hand down. Thank you so much for all the research and work you put into this recipe!
Kind regards,
Rebecca
Sounds like you found a new family favorite!!
Hi Natasha, I made the juicy turkey on Xmas for 16 people. I never saw a juicy turkey like this one. Thank you so much it was a hit also made the gravy recipe. both recipies went around the house. I can still taste it. Now making your turkey potato soup.
Awww that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me :). I’m all smiles!
This has become my go to turkey recipe after many years of constant basting. It has become the star of two annual turkey hosting events and the addition of the gravy really does allow for a delicious meal and just as importantly free time.
This is a really well done and clear recipe and I appreciate the video which answered all my questions.
Keep up the fine work and I’ve checked back often for your additional recipes.
I’m so happy you found a favorite on our blog! Thank you for that great feedback!
I tried your turkey for Christmas dinner this year. The flavor was great and everyone loved the gravy. I did have one problem though, after cooking my turkey for the first 20 minutes, the skin on the turkey breast split. So it was no longer keeping the turkey juicy. Do you have any suggestions for when I try this again?
Hi Karen, was the turkey patted dry before putting it into the oven? Also, was it rested or put into the oven really cold from the fridge? I’d love to troubleshoot some more.
This is hands-down the BEST turkey recipe I have ever made, and my family all agreed, the best turkey they had ever eaten. I think my six-year-old ate a pound herself. My mom had seconds, and she *never* has seconds of turkey, because (her words) it’s always dry. Thank you for helping me bring a truly special main dish to Christmas dinner!!!
Wow! Thank you for that awesome review, Crystal!! 🙂 I’m so happy you all enjoyed that!
Turkey was amazing! No changes period! It was perfect!
Thank you!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it!
I made this yesterday and it was amazing! The best tasting turkey I’ve ever had and I received many compliments on it. And the gravy was divine! Thanks for a fabulous recipe!
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing that!
Wow Natasha, that makes a tasty turkey! And the skin is crisp and salty, just the way I like it!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
I cooked a turkey for our Christmas dinner yesterday. I have never cooked a turkey before as I’m not a fan of turkey – it’s always dry.
I followed your recipe and it was fabulous. So moist and tender. Yum.
Thanks so much.
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing that!
Zero experience on cooking turkey, never see how turkey is made.
With your recipe and super clear step by step instructions, my first turkey came out EXCELLENT!!! Thank you so much for your turkey recipe, plus the gravy recipe you posted on the other page, we did enjoy a lot the turkey (and many days after!)
(It’s also work really well with cranberry sauce and blue cheese mash potato)
Turkey 19 lbs (after removing the stuff)
20mins at 430F and 5 hours at 350F.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me 🙂
I just made this for Christmas day and it was a hit. So delicious and juicy. I had a bit of left over and i made a fried rice with it and add a bit of bacon. Thank you for the recipe i definitely do this again.
I’m so glad you loved the turkey recipe!! Thank you for the amazing review!
Amazing recipe! I’ve used it twice and the turkey ended up nice and crispy on the outside and moist and juicy on the inside.