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 will be my second year making this recipe and I’m so excited! I do have a question I have more guests this year so if I do a 20lb turkey could I just double the recipe? Or just use the same amount of ingredients?
Hi Evelyn! So glad you loved this recipe. See the note above in my blog post where I shared a long response from one of my readers, Shannon who used a 23lbs turkey. I think you’ll find it very helpful. 🙂
Hi Natasha, I plan on trying your recipe this Thanksgiving but I’ve always stuffed my turkey with a bread stuffing and didn’t know if this can be done with your recipe?
Hello Rose, I have not experimented on that to advise. I recommend doing a test first to see hown it goes and we’d love to know too!
Made this tonight, brined my turkey for about 16 hours first. Followed the recipe to the letter, I only added more seasoning to the butter and outside of bird. It was so flavourful and made the best gravy. I never would have tried the lemon but wow did it make it good!
Thanks for sharing, Kelly! Happy to hear that you love this recipe!
I have used this turkey recipe for the last 3 years and I have been volunteered to make the turkey every year. My family absolutely loves it! I will be sticking to this for years on out.
I’m so glad you hear that! Thank you for sharing.
Hi Natasha,
Do I use the 2.5 hours+ of cooking time for two 12lb turkeys or do I use the 5 hour cooking time listed above from the comment about the 23 pound Turkey? Doing this for a Friendsgiving this Saturday!
Hi Yana, I haven’t tried baking 2 turkeys at once but it probably won’t be as long as the 23 lb turkey since it won’t be as thick. Does your oven have enough space to accommodate 2 turkeys at once? I would follow the instructions for 1 turkey and then increase from there (2 turkeys will take a little longer). My best recommendation is to use an in-oven thermometer and it would be best if you could put one thermometer in each turkey if they are different sizes.
Would you say this has a strong taste of lemon and garlic, or does it all just mix together nicely? I am a huge lemon fan, but not sure everyone wants it to dominate, so I want to make sure both of those aren’t overpowering flavors. Thanks!
They just mix together nicely. I hope you love it too!
I am looking forward to trying this recipe. I do have a question, did you use a rack in the roasting pan to cook the turkey on?
Hi Julie, I personally 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.
I followed this recipe and made the turkey for the very first time and it’s truly amazing. Thanks Natasha!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Mich! Thank you for your great review!
I’ve tried several different methods of cooking turkey. This one was one of the best, producing a juicy/tasty bird. I added a bit more garlic. It was a big hit at our Easter dinner.
The 14.5 lb turkey took 2.5 hrs @ 350 F (20 min at 430 F, initially).
Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Hi Shaun, you’re very welcome! Thank you for the excellent review. I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe.
Just for a change, I switched from my normal turkey recipe to this one based on the number of great reviews it had. I’m very sorry I did.
This was THE most TASTELESS and dry turkey I have ever made. My guests asked what I did differently because they didn’t like it either. I guess I’ll stay with my tried and true next time.
What do you do normally? I personally love Natasha’s recipe and would like to know what the difference is
Do you bake it uncovered at 350? (With the foil over the breasts, of course)
Hi Christine, that’s right! I do not have a lid for my roasting pan; I tent with foil. You could skip the tenting if you have a lid since the lid serves as a tent.
Merry Christmas! And it was, I followed your very juicy turkey recipe and managed to get my fingers under the skin and got rave reviews! I will do this again! Thanks for your straightforward advice, I love reading your recipes.
I’m so glad this was a hit! That’s the best when you get rave reviews!
This turkey recipe is amazing. I made it several years ago. I was wondering if it’s ok if I prep the turkey today and let it sit in the fridge for 2 days.
Hi MM, you sure can! You can make this turkey recipe a day in advance (stuff, butter it up, cover, refrigerate overnight, then bake the next day) if it makes your life easier, and it will taste even better! I haven’t tried two days, but I imagine that will work.
Hi Natasha for asking a silly question-my turkey is only 8.6lbs so am I still able to use your recipe? Ps-absolutely love al your recipes!
Hi Christine, you sure can, simply adjust the ingredients to the size of your turkey. I hope you love this recipe!
I’ve never liked turkey so never bothered to try cooking one. But this year I did and honestly I read over 20 recipes and this is the one that sounded the best and boy am I grateful I did. It came out absolutely perfect! Juicy meat and crisp perfect skin. Thank you so much for this! I also read tons of gravy recipes and wasn’t confident I could do it but you’ve given me confidence and I can’t wait to make it!
You are most welcome! I’m happy to hear that you’re enjoying these recipes, I hope you’ll enjoy all that you will try!
Is there a typo in the recipe where it says to lower oven to 350 and cook for 5 1/2 hours? I think it should be 2 1/2.
Hi Bonnie, this specific comment was for a larger turkey at 18 lbs. I recommend using the guide based on how big your turkey is. I hope you love it.
TO DIE FOR!! Seriously the best turkey I have ever made, my guests agreed.
I did add a great dry brine as well with kosher salt, Blk pepper, fresh thyme, fresh sage finely zested citrus peel and smoked paprika. More flavour than a smoked turkey even. This is a keeper. Gone are the days of overcooked, dry, tasteless, must add gravy to eat turkey, this was delish!
Thank you for your awesome feedback, Robin! Your comments and review just made my day brighter.
This is a great recipe! I especially like the foil tent over the breast. It really did keep the breast moist. The seasoned butter under the skin and the onion, garlic & lemon inside the turkey made the turkey extra tasty. This will be my go to turkey recipe from now on!
Yay, that sounds perfect! I’m so happy that you loved this recipe and you found a new favorite!
This sounds amazing, I can’t wait to try it. Would I be able to put this turkey in a oven bag to roast?
I hope you love it, Michelle! I honestly haven’t experimented with cooking this turkey in a bag, so I’m unsure. 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.
Honestly over the last 20 years I have never enjoyed/looked forward to having turkey however this recipe made me change my entire outlook. Best turkey I have ever had! So juicy and flavourful. Just wow. Thank you so much!
I’m so glad to hear this was the best, Samantha! This is my favorite also! 🙂
Best turkey and gravy I have ever made. Got rave reviews from dinner guests. Will definitely be making it again. Going to try it on chicken and know it will be awesome also.
Thank you for sharing your recipes.
Love it! Yes, please try and share with us how you liked the recipe with chicken. I hope you love it too!
Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe! It was the best turkey I’ve had in many years! You made our Thanksgiving this year – 12 people enjoyed it including a family member who’s in hospice care who had not eaten solid food for weeks! This is a keeper recipe to be passed down in the family! Thanks again, Natasha!
Alice
Aww, I’m so glad this was a hit with your family! It sounds like a very special Thanksgiving!