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
Hello, I was wondering if I can cook this the day before and then warm it up in the oven the next day?
I have a lot of food to bring to my in-laws and thought it might be easier on me to be able to do this ahead of time.
Hi Kait, I worry about the taste and tenderness since 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.
Hi Natasha. I have always stuffed my turkey with a sausage bread stuffing mixture. That is my sons favourite part of christmas dinner. I would like to try your method but still stuff the bird with stuffing. Do you think that will change the outcome of the turkey being moist?
Hi Sherryl, 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.
Can I omit the stuffing as I make my stuffing in a separate dish will my Turkey still be moist..
Hi Madona, the stuffing inside the turkey is mostly for aromatic purposes. We discard it after the turkey is roasted.
Hello there … can I use a whole chicken instead??
Hi Naomi, yes and here are instructions for baking temperatures and times using a whole roasted chicken.
Won’t the turkey be cold once removed from the oven for one hour, only covered in foil? Can we not serve right away?
Hi Lisa, the turkey is so large that it won’t cool down that quickly.
Looks like a mouthwatering dish, thinking to make it on Christmas.
I hope you love it! We look forward to your feedback!
Yesterday Xmas eve the friends I am staying with had a sudden craving for turkey and bought one in the afternoon. They asked me to bake it so I went on your blog for a recipe. We had all the ingredients for this one so we went for it. It was juicy and tender just perfect and I also made your gravy. The meal was a delight thanks to you. Merry Xmas to you and your family.
I am so happy to hear that!! Thank you for sharing that with me. I’m so glad your turkey dinner was a great success. Merry Christmas to you!
We had our first Thanksgiving at home with most of our Kids. I tried this recipe but Brined the turkey for 18 Hrs the day before. I can tell you that it was the best Turkey I have ever had. The white meat was the juiciest. The comments from Family and Friends was the same and we almost finished it all off. This was a Big winner! Thanks
Wow! Thank you for that amazing review!! I’m so glad you liked it Brian!
How do you brine a turkey?
When brining your turkey did it cook faster? If so how long did you cook it for?
Can I use your herb butter for turkey that I am planning on cooking in a bag?
Hi Jenn, I honestly haven’t experimented cooking this turkey in a bag so I’m not sure. If anyone else has tried, please let us know. I had a couple of readers report great results using a bag but I just haven’t tested it myself to say if any modifications need to be made.
Hosted my first Thanksgiving with my first-ever turkey! This recipe/instructions helped so much. I feel like I’m a pro now.
That’s just awesome, Tara! Thank you for that awesome review!
My first time hosting a family Thanksgiving and first time making a turkey and it was perfect! Even the white meat was juicy and so were the leftovers. Lots of compliments!! The turkey was finished before the Honey Baked Ham… so you know it was that good!!!
That’s just awesome, Dana! Thank you for sharing that great review with us!
At what point do you remove the tin foil hat?
Hi Alicia, keep that foil triangle on the remainder of the time in the oven.
OMG!!! I am 80 yrs old .. I used this recipe with a 24 lb turkey. Have never had as many positive comments from family and friends. Also, made apple pie using your recipe along with the pie crust recipe . Awesome !!!
That’s amazing, Margie! Sounds like you found a new family favorite!
Why no rack? I’m about to put it in and the only times I use no rack is because I would slow cook it breast side down for a super juicy bird.
Hi Sean, I do not use a rack so the bottom of the turkey essentially self-bastes as it roasts. The bottom of the turkey has some of the best tasting meat on the entire bird and most people miss it but it’s ok with us because it makes for the best leftover turkey in mushroom gravy the next day.
Makes sense. I’ll take it off the rack. Thanks
Thank you for the recipe! The turkey turned out so great! I was a bit scared to try, since I’m very new to cooking. After this recipe, my confidence in myself raised and I’m definitely ready for more challenges. Thanks again!
Turkey seems intimidating & high maintenance but I’m so glad you gave it a try! Thank you for sharing that great review with us.
Great!
And how could I have forgot the gravy….WOW!!! Phenomenal!!!!!! Best. Gravy. Recipe. Ever. If you reading this you have to try this turkey and grab recipe!!!! It’s out of this world, no over exaggeration!!
This comment just made my day! I’m so glad you enjoyed both recipes this Thanksgiving!
THIS IS THE BEST TURKEY RECIPE EVER!!!!!!!!! I made my turkey for the first time this year and it turned out AMAZING! And it was so flavorful and juicy!!!! YOU MUST TRY IT!!! THANK YOU FOR SHARING THIS RECIPE! I’ll be using this for years to come!!
Thank you for that amazing and thoughtful review, Christina!!! I’m so glad you found a favorite on our blog!
Thank you for this recipe!!! I used it to make my very first turkey and it was amazing!!! The recipe is easy to follow with simple ingredients and the flavor is awesome. I got so many compliments. I also made your gravy recipe and it was just as great!!!!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review, Robin!
I cooked your turkey recipe for thanksgiving and it’s perfect! Thank you so much!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Vivien!
Great recipe easy to follow made a 13.5 turkey , for 3.5hr. Came out looking and tasing great && the trick worked perfectly kept breast soft and juicy ! For sure be my thanksgiving turkey recipe for now on 😀
P.S this was my first time making turkey and this recipe made it so easy for me don’t get me wrong I was so scared to burn it but glad I didn’t
Aww that’s the best, Guadalupe! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe.
It’s my 5th Thanksgiving in the country and just this year I decided to make whole turkey. And it went so well! Turkey was so juicy.
Thank you so much for the great recipe!
Will definitely do it next year again! Now I know that it’s not so hard!
The first time always seems intimidating with Turkey! I’m so glad this recipe worked for you, thank you for that awesome review, Nadya!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me!