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
This Thanksgiving Dinner I used 5 of your recipes they all came out as good as when You taste it..
Roasted Turkey and gravy.
Mashed Creamy Potatoes
Roasted Carrots
Pumpkin Pie
Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving to you and your beautiful family.
Fantastic! I’m so glad that you loved all the recipes that you tried.
I made this for Thanksgiving and it was a hit!!! Best turkey I ever made and everyone loved it my sister in law usually doesn’t like turkey but kept saying how it was so good and moist thank you Natasha I love your recipes
You are so welcome. Thank you for sharing this good feedback with us, it helps inspire me to do more recipes!
Hi, I’m regards to the oven temperature setting, firts 430 on Roast and then 350 on bake? Or 350 on roast setting?
Hi, it depends on your oven. I go with the bake setting because my roast setting gives off too much heat over the top and scorches my bird faster.
I fixed the turkey for Thanksgiving. The turkey was so juicy and very tasty.
So awesome! Thank you, Robin. I’m glad you enjoyed the turkey!
OMG, this recipe was amazing. First time cooking a turkey and it was absolutely delicious. Thank you!!
You’re most welcome, Gabriel. Thank you for trying out this recipe!
We really enjoyed the turkey. Thanks a lot for this wonderful recipe!! Happy Thanksgiving!
I’m glad you did! Thank you too for your good feedback and Happy Thanksgiving.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!
Quick question, after 20 min at 430 temperature do you continue cooking it on the lowest rack or move it to the middle?
Thank you,
Aliona
Hi Aliona, I keep it on the same rack, but I aim to have the turkey sitting in the center of the oven. Since the turkey is tall, I keep that in mind when placing my rack.
Hi Natasha. Thank you very much for responding so quickly on Thanksgiving day. The turkey came out perfect.
I have been a fan of your website for years and tried a lot of your recipe. Loved all of them!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review, Aliona!
Waayyyyy overcooked – do not follow roasting directions. Roasted 13lb bird for 2.7 hrs – internal temp was 190°. This recipe ruined my bird.
I’m sorry to hear that – that is such a bummer. I am always happy to help troubleshoot – Did you make sure to reduce the temperature in the oven at the right time? Also, make sure not to use convection or you would have to reduce the temperature. Lastly, as I wrote above, make sure to use a thermometer to check the bird since not all turkeys are equal in size, width, thickness, etc.
Hi Natasha!
Is it necessary to chill for an entire hour before baking? I prepped it last night and woke up just a tad bit later than expected
Hi, I don’t usually chill before baking. It will bake more evenly if it has been on the counter for an hour before putting it in the oven. I rest for an hour after it comes out of the oven before cutting into it. As long as you give it at least 30 minutes to rest after it comes out of the oven, it should be good to cut and serve.
Hi, just wondering if you leave the breast shield on the entire time at 350? Or when do you take it off again?
Thanks!
Hi Shannon, we have notes on that in the recipe. I recommend reading through all of our tips there. We added the foil hat after the first baste during step 3. We then took the tin foil hat off when it had 10 minutes of cook time left to ensure a nice browned top.
If you need to defrost your Turkey, here is a quick method!
https://youtu.be/tLYDuMDvYLw
I just realized it called for olive oil, not ECOO. What do I do if I only have EVOO and vegetable oil?
Hi Margaret, I would use vegetable oil since it has a higher smoke point. EVOO can make your kitchen smoky roasting at higher temperatures.
thank you, you guys look like such a beautiful family!
You’re so nice! Thank you for that wonderful review!
What brand is the blue roaster you are using?
Hi Angela, you can find our favorite tools in our Amazon Affiliate Shop HERE or our Blog Shop HERE.
Good morning Natasha! Happy Thanksgiving!!! This will be the first year I try your recipe and the first time I Bake a turkey for my boyfriend of 4 years!!! He says he doesn’t like turkey cause it’s always dry and gamy!! But he’ll eat anything I cook. I’m hopeful this changes his thoughts on turkey for thanksgiving! I am so excited about it! I prepared the turkey yesterday morning and I’m up early and so excited to bake it!!!! The Butter does smell AMAZING! 🥰🍁🦃
Dianna, thank you for making our turkey recipe, I would love to hear your feedback 😀
I hope this does also! It truly is so good and so juicy! I hope you both love this recipe, Dianna! Happy Thanksgiving!
Hi Natasha!
Have you or any of your followers ever tried adding additional items to the cavity? Such as sage, rosemary, thyme, apples, etc? I’m making your recipe this year but my husband loves stuffing the turkey with those items usually. Do you think the flavors will mix well or do you think they’ll clash?
Hi Shawna, all of those items should work here for stuffing the turkey. You might skip the lemons on the inside though.
Natasha, HELP! I just realized that I used twice as much butter as I should have 🙁 and have already stuffed and prepped the turkey for cooking tomorrow. Any suggestions?? Thanks.
Hi Dottie! Since it is ready, I would leave it. I hope it makes for an ultra juicy recipe!
Where is the slider to adjust for a larger turkey. I have a 17 lb one. Thanks so much.
Hi Barb, I just went ahead and added that functionality for you. I hope that is helpful to you.
Hi Barb, Click ‘Jump to Recipe’ at the top of the post or scroll down to the printable recipe card. You will see red lettering by the serving size. Hover over that and adjust the slider to work for your turkey size. I hope this is helpful!
Hey Natasha! I was wondering i have a 23lb turkey so would i just double this recipe?
Hi Lidia, I would recommend using the calculation above for a 16 lb turkey (Once you have reduced the oven to 350˚F, you will bake about 13 min for every pound of turkey). I highly recommend using an oven-safe thermometer that stays in the turkey as it roasts. In regards to the ingredients doubling it may be too much but should still work.
Hello. I’ve read you can bake the bird breast side down. I’m guessing it won’t look as pretty, but that breast will be juicy. Thoughts?
Hi Jerome, I have not tried that yet but that could work. Please share with us how it goes, if you do an experiment!
Hi there! I’m super excite to try this recipe this year! Just out of curiosity, do you think placing this turkey in one of those Reynolds oven bags will help with the juiciness? I’m always so paranoid about having a dry turkey! Thank you in advance for the help!
I Angelina, I honestly haven’t experimented with 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.
I have used the Reynold’s bag for years and will be trying this recipe with it tomorrow! I don’t see why it would not work!