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
Hi! Thank you for the delicious recipe, I cannot wait to try it! Question, is it OK to prep the turkey 2 days in advance? And All I have is extra virgin olive oil, will that work?
Hi Aubree, I have stuffed and seasoned/rubbed the turkey 2 days ahead then refrigerated and brought it to room temp before baking and it worked well. You can still make it work but extra virgin is not ideal because it doesn’t tolerate high eat well and does not have a high smoke point and the turkey is on high heat for the first 20 minutes. You can also use canola oil or even better is avocado oil if you have it.
Hi Natasha,
This will be my fourth year making the turkey and using your wonderful recipe. Thank you so much!
This year I will try to prepare the butter turkey the night before. Would you recommend that I put the butter mixture over the turkey skin as well as under OR should I apply under the skin the night before and then apply over the skin the day of baking?
Thank you,
Miranda
Hi Miranda, I had the turkey completely assembled with the butter everywhere before refrigerating overnight so I didn’t even have to get my hands dirty the next day. Just be sure to take it out of the fridge for about an hour to get the chill off before baking for more even baking.
Hi, I have been making this recipe for 2 yrs now. Myfmilyloves it and my mom suggested I wrap the Turkey with bacon. Should I adjust any of the original salt and oil measurements?
Thank you for your input!
Hi Kathy, I honestly haven’t tried wrapping with bacon so I can’t say for sure. You might just need a little less salt sprinkled on the outside since bacon is fairly salty but I would leave the butter mixture the same. If you experiment, please let me know. Did she share any tips on how to keep the bacon from burning or over-browning with such a lengthy bake time?
I will definitely let you know. My mom just saw it on TV and has never done it. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Kathy! Looking forward to it!
Hi, I’m wondering are there any changes I should make if I’m making the turkey in a Roasting Oven? Thank You!
Hi Inna, I haven’t tested that but I think it could work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
Hi Natasha
Really enjoyed reading this (and I am son who will help his mother this year
Do we need to brine the turkey before?
Thank you
Mudasir
Hi Mudasir, I don’t brine but you can if you prefer, it just isn’t necessary for this recipe. Several of our readers have brined and followed this recipe with great results!
I would not. This recipe leaves the Turkey super moist. Dry brining essentially drys it out a bit, with a salty crust so you are competing for a different result so to speak.
Hi, I have a 28 lb Turkey. How much of each ingredient would I use and could I bake it an oven bag?
Hi Gem, wow that is a very large bird! I don’t have an oven bag method so I won’t be able to help with that. One of my readers shared her experience using a 23 lb turkey which should help with proportions and timings. Please see the notes from Shannon in the recipe post above.
Hi Natasha,
4 years ago I was given the responsibility of making the turkey for Thanksgiving, and let me tell you, I was TERRIFIED! The pressure was on, my husband who is from the South who lives on flavor and food and plus my family of 7 plus guests. I came across your recipe and THANK YOU THANK YOU. I was so shocked that my turkey came out so good. No left overs – meaning everyone took a plate to go as well.
This year, I wanted to try something a little different…just because. And my husband refused and begged me to not change a single ingredient or step. So this recipe is officially our Thanksgiving turkey staple =)
I read your notes about preparing the turkey the night before to help with time but also you mentioned it tastes better, so I will try that extra step this year. I do have one question…
The night before while stuffing the bird with butter under the skin, should I also rub the remaining butter over the outside too, before covering and refrigerating? Or would you recommend I wait the day of baking and rub the butter on the “outside” ?
Thank you,
Miranda P
Hi Miranda, thank you for the amazing review! I’m so glad this has become a Thanksgiving staple. I completely prep the bird ahead with butter under and over the skin before refrigerating so I don’t even have to get my hands dirty the next day. I do suggest taking it out of the fridge and letting it sit at room temperature for about an hour before baking so it bakes more evenly.
Hi this will be my first time making a turkey for my mom and I’m horrible at math …can you please tell me how long I would cook a 14 pound recipe for?
Hi Esperanza, once you reduce the heat down to 350˚F, it will be 13 minutes for every pound of turkey, so 14 lbs x 13 minutes = 182 minutes or about 3 hours. I would still highly recommend using an oven-safe thermometer to double-check since not all ovens or turkeys are created equal.
Hello,
Please tell me what kind of parsley you use. I bought Italian, but after a closer look, I think it maybe curly.
Wish me luck, I’m trying your turkey, gravy, and mashed potatoes this year!
Thank you, and Happy Thanksgiving
Hi Carole, we used Italian parsley. we have a photo in the recipe, does yours look similar?
Hi Natasha,
This will be my first time roasting a turkey and this recipe sounds delicious. Can I also add rosemary and thyme to the butter? Silly question when you say bake do you mean to set oven in the conventional bake setting. My oven also has conventional roast?
Thank you
Hi Mireya, I do mean the conventional bake setting. I wanted to clarify incase someone was trying to use the convection setting which would bake faster and require a different timing.
Thank you, would you recommend using thyme and rosemary?
Hi Mireya, I think rosemary would work nicely here if you wanted to add it.
This is the same compound butter I make and love it! Curious about why leaving the skins on the onion & garlic might be a good thing (other than the ease of not having to peel, which I love!)
I’m so glad you enjoyed that, Erica!
I have the same question is there a reason why the onion and garlic should not be peeled per the recipe?
Hi Carisa, it isn’t necessary since the stuffing isn’t eaten, but just infuses flavor into the bird. You totally can peel it if you prefer but it just saves a little time if you don’t have to. It’s similar to making stock – since the solids are discarded after it is made you don’t have to make them picture perfect.
Hi Natasha,
I bought a pre-brined turkey. Will this recipe be fine for it? Also can I make this the morning of?
Thanks!
Hi Nancy, a brined turkey will work fine for this. You can make it the morning of but I would recommend planning to take it out of the oven about 2 hours before your dinner which will give it adequate time to cool down without getting too cold and it will still be at its peak of freshness. Giving yourself a little time to make the turkey gravy out of pan drippings is always a good idea!
Thank you! Another concern is should I cut down on the salt since it’s already brined?
Hi Nancy, the salt should be ok since the brine is just intended to push flavor deeper into the turkey meat while this method covers the turkey but doesn’t marinate long enough to result in over-salted meat in your turkey. I’ve had several readers report great results using brined turkeys and following this recipe. I hope you love it and happy Thanksgiving!
Hi Natasha! I recently discovered your channel and I’m loving it so far! I’m going to try your turkey recipe this week. This is my first time cooking a turkey all by myself and I’ll be entertaining 15 people! Sooooo, just to clarify: after I reduce the temperature of the oven to 350 degrees, I no longer have to baste it, right?
Thanks so much!
P.S.
I’m going to use your gravy recipe too!!!
Hi Kaitlynn, that is correct. You can baste if you want to but keep in mind, every time you open the oven, you will lose heat so you will probably have to bake slightly longer if you choose to do additional basting.
For anyone looking for a Thanksgiving turkey recipe, look no further. I used this last year and it was the best turkey I have ever made. I even used my own gravy recipe and the gravy was better than usual because of the flavor coming from this turkey!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review!
Hey, just wanted to say thank you very much for your recipe. I’m in charge of cooking the turkey every Thanksgiving while my wife does everything else. Your recipe has come out amazing every time I use it(2 years now). I tried many others but yours is always the best!! Thank you!
Hi Rich, I am smiling big reading your comment. Thank you for the amazing review and for trying our recipes. Happy Happy Thanksgiving to you!
Hi! Can this be made with a turkey breast? I’ve made it before with a 12 pound turkey and it was absolutely amazing. But this year there aren’t a lot of us. Hoping to get the same flavors/results just on a smaller scale. Any tips would be helpful!!
Hi Nicole, I bet the rub would be great on that although the cook time will need to be reduced. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe
Hi Nicole, that should work fine, just be sure to use an oven-safe thermometer to check for doneness of the turkey breast since it will bake faster.
You have a great site. Tried a few recipes, The beef stroganoff was phenomenal. I was wondering for the turkey gravy, if you use this recipe on your turkey it seems that the gravy or drippings in the pan have an off a lot of butter. Are the two gravy recipes compatible with this type of roasting? Thanks for your time.
Great question Sean, yes, we used the drippings for the gravy posted within the recipe here. I hope that helps.
Could you then use this type of butter rub on chicken before roasting also?
I bet that would work, Sean!
Can I use salted butter? I bought salted so please let me know
Hi Sherri, I think that will work fine. Our readers only had salted butter and mentioned it turned out great! I hope you love this recipe!
Hi – I haven’t tried the recipe yet but it sounds wonderful. Can an orange be substituted for the lemon?
Hi Dottie, I’ve never tried this substitution, orange might not give as much flavor as a lemon. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
Hi if this turkey recipe is cooked the day before how would you recommend warming it up so not to prevent the juiciness from drying out please.
Hi Amanda, I’ve never been able to achieve juicy results reheating the next day. It is best to make and serve it the same day it is made. If anyone else has any tips here, please let us know.
Natasha, this will be my first Turkey! I noticed you used a pan without a rack for your turkey. Would a 16X10 ceramic casserole dish work better or a roasting pan with a rack? Thank you!
Hi Allison, my only reservation with a glass pyrex or a ceramic dish is that at higher temperatures, glass can be dangerous and this one does start at 430˚F. If you can remove the rack from your roasting pan, that will work great. I don’t use a rack because the turkey self-bastes at the bottom in the pan drippings and the results are excellent. I hope that helps.
Natasha,
Thank you for the recipe!
So you make gravy as well from the drippings? Do you have a recipe posted for that?
Thank you!
Hi Viktoria, we have this Turkey Gravy recipe here and this leftover turkey gravy recipe here. I hope this helps.
I have made this recipe the last 3 years and we all LOVE it!!! I have made it in the oven and in an electric roaster (which cooks WAY FAST) this year I was hoping to get as much done ahead of time and was wondering if I could make the butter a few days in advance and then leave it out ahead of time to soften the day I use it?
Isn’t it the best!! I bet that would work, just get that butter softened to a room temperature before spreading.
First let me say that I really like your style. You’re approachable & keep things simple enough for an “everyday” cook. Thank you!
My question: Thanksgiving this year looks… cramped. Is it possible to follow this beautiful turkey recipe using an electronic roaster? If so, how would I adjust the temperatures, time, etc?
Thank you!
Hi Debbie, I don’t have an electric roaster to test that so I’m not sure. If you experiment, let me know how it goes – you might google instructions for it first to get some guidelines/timings/temps.