Turkey is the star of Thanksgiving, and it’s pretty important to get it right – I have you covered with this simple, failproof, and mouthwatering Roast Turkey Recipe. This has a crisp, salty skin with a flavor-packed, juicy center. You’ll love my trick for a tender turkey breast every time.
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
Helpful Reader Review
“I have been making your turkey recipe for a couple of years now every Thanksgiving and Christmas. My family has gone from not looking forward to turkey to RAVING about how flavourful, delicious and moist this Turkey is!” – Jennifer ★★★★★
Juicy Roast Turkey Video
This turkey recipe is well-loved with hundreds of 5-star reviews over the years. It’s fantastic! You can even make this turkey recipe a day in advance (see make-ahead tips below) if it makes your life easier, and it will taste even better! Plus, Turkey Brine is optional here, saving you a day of prep.
In this video, I’ll show you how to make this turkey, step-by-step so you can feel confident making “the year’s most important dish.”
Turkey Recipe
I was so excited about this juicy roast turkey recipe every step of the way, and I think you’ll feel the same way when you try it. The first turkey I ever made was such a flop that I was discouraged for a few years to revisit it. When I set out to make this turkey recipe, I was determined to ensure you had success the first time and every time you made this recipe.
I spent days researching the best turkey recipes online and in cookbooks, with trusted advice from my Mom and you, my readers. This Turkey recipe has been gracing your holiday tables since 2014! I’ve also been perfecting it over the years, and I can confidently say this tender and delicious turkey will impress your dinner guests.
The turkey breast is so juicy and flavorful, and the skin is crisp and roasts to a beautiful golden brown. I invited all of my family over to help eat this turkey and received rave reviews from 10 adults and quite a few kiddos. I was so giddy and excited when I tasted the juicy bird. Keep the turkey drippings to make the best Turkey Gravy; it’s super delicious and will be the talk of your Thanksgiving dinner!
Roast Turkey Ingredients
- Turkey – this recipe is written for an 11-15 lb turkey. A larger turkey will work, but bake time will vary (see chart below). You’ll also need salt and pepper to season the turkey inside and out.
- Flavored Butter – unsalted butter, olive oil, lemon juice and zest, garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper
- For the Turkey Stuffing – You can use my stuffing recipe, but I stuff the turkey cavity with onion, garlic, parsley, and a quartered lemon. I prefer to cook turkey stuffing separately from the turkey, so I stuff my turkey with aromatics instead (which makes the gravy taste awesome), but if you do stuff the turkey with traditional stuffing, make sure the stuffing reaches 165˚F in the center.
Don’t Forget to Thaw Your Turkey
Make sure you give yourself enough time to thaw and roast your turkey. A larger bird will take longer to thaw and roast, so plan according to the chart below.
Per the USDA guidelines, thaw your frozen turkey in the refrigerator 1 day for every 4 to 5 lbs of turkey. My 12 lb turkey took 3 days to thaw, while a 16 lb turkey would take 4 days. For a quick-thaw method, see my Spatchcock Turkey Recipe (you can defrost a 12 lb turkey in 6 hours).
How to Prepare Your Turkey for Roasting
- Defrost the Turkey – You should never cook a frozen or partially frozen turkey or it will cook unevenly. Follow the turkey thawing guide above, depending on the size of your turkey.
- Optional Brine Step – once the turkey is thawed, you can Brine your Turkey if you prefer (it requires 1 hour per pound), although it’s not necessary for this recipe. Also, check the turkey packaging since some turkeys are pre-brined, so you don’t need to brine again if that is the case.
- Remove turkey from fridge about 30 minutes before you start working with it. If the turkey is closer to room temperature, it will bake more evenly. *Remove the neck and bag of giblets from the turkey and set it on a roasting pan.
- Pat dry turkey with paper towels. Let turkey sit in over paper towels to soak up any excess water from the turkey.
- Fold the wings behind the turkey; if you don’t they are the quickest to scorch and dry out.
Seasoning, Stuffing, and Tying up a Turkey
- Season inside of turkey cavity generously with about 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.
- Make the Flavored butter – In a medium bowl (it’s even easier in the bowl of a food processor), combine 2 sticks of softened butter, 2 Tbsp olive oil, 1/2 Tbsp lemon zest, 4 Tbsp lemon juice, and 3 pressed garlic cloves, 1/4 cup chopped parsley, 1/2 Tbsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper. Mash/stir with a fork or process until well combined (the lemon juice doesn’t easily stir into butter, but keep mixing and it will happen after a few minutes). This mixture was adapted from Gordon Ramsay’s Christmas Turkey video and it’s wonderful. Take a whiff of it; you’ll fall in love with how fresh it smells!
- Separate the skin from the turkey breast by pushing your fingers under the skin. Do this from the front and the back of the turkey, being careful not to tear the skin.
- Stuff 2/3 of the butter mixture under skin, then spread the butter around by massaging over the top of the skin. This butter keeps the turkey breast tender and juicy and provides rich flavor.
- Pat dry the skin and rub the remaining butter over the outside of the turkey (breast, legs, wings). Drizzle all over the top of the turkey with olive oil and generously season with salt and pepper; I just love a crisp, salty skin.
- Stuff the turkey cavity with a quartered onion, 4 halved garlic cloves, 1/2 bunch parsley and quartered lemon. Use kitchen string to tie the turkey base and legs together; crossing the legs to better close up the turkey cavity, plus it looks extra fancy on the table.
How to Roast a Turkey
- Prep: Pre-heat the oven to 430˚F on the bake mode. Place oven rack in the lower part of your oven (mine was on the second level from the very bottom) – this ensures that your large turkey roasts in the middle of the oven and keeps the turkey breast further from the top heating element.
- Here is a fantastic tip I picked up from Alton Brown to protect the turkey breast and keep it juicy: Fold a large square sheet of foil into a triangle. Rub one side of your triangle with olive oil and shape the foil (oil-side-down) over the turkey breast, then remove foil; it will shield your turkey breast and keep it from getting dry. You’ll apply this shield later in the roasting process.
- Insert Thermometer – Place an oven-safe meat thermometer into the bird; beneath the drumstick; deep into the dark meat. It’s ready for the oven. Start roasting uncovered at 430˚F for 20 min.
- Baste Turkey – Remove from oven; quickly baste with butter from the bottom of the dish. You can use a baster or tilt one side of the pan and collect drippings with a large spoon. Now apply prepared foil triangle to turkey breast area.
- Reduce oven to 350˚F and bake for another 2 hours 30 min for a 12 lb bird. (Once you have reduced the oven to 350˚F, you will bake about 13 min for every pound of turkey). The turkey thigh should register 170-180˚F on the temperature probe and the turkey breast at 165˚F to make sure it’s fully cooked through then remove from the oven (keep in mind the turkey temp continues to rise slightly after it’s out of the oven).
- Rest the Turkey – Transfer turkey to a serving platter and cover loosely but fully with foil. Let turkey rest for at least 1 hour. It will become more tender and easier to carve, the longer it sits. Keep drippings from roasting pan for a most delicious turkey gravy. Decorate around your turkey and make it festive. I used kale for my greens, then added small apples, sliced oranges and quartered lemons.
Make-Ahead
- To Refrigerate: You can fully prepare your turkey a day ahead – stuff, butter it up, cover, and refrigerate overnight. Remove from the refrigerator one hour before baking the next day.
- To Freeze leftover turkey: Shred the meat and transfer it to freezer-safe zip-top bags or use a food saver to squeeze out as much air as possible, then freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator.
- To Reheat Leftovers: My secret to the best-tasting reheated turkey is our Leftover Turkey in Gravy. We make this every year on the day after Thanksgiving.
So many of you have made this roast turkey over the years, and it gives me so much joy to hear your success stories and see this turkey in photos from your Thanksgiving feasts. Also, I love this sweet photo from 2014 when we filmed this video recipe. It’s hard to believe my son is a teenager now!
I’d love to hear what is on your Thanksgiving menu this year (scroll down to see my personal menu). And I’m so curious – do you make Turkey on Thanksgiving AND Christmas? My Mom sure does and I love it! I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.
Juicy Roast Turkey
Ingredients
For the Turkey
- 12 lb turkey, (Anything from 11-15 lbs will work, but bake time will vary), thawed*
- Salt & Pepper, for the inside and outside of the bird
For the Flavored Butter
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened, (2 sticks)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil, not extra virgin, plus more to drizzle top
- 4 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, from 1 large lemon, plus 1/2 Tbsp lemon zest
- 3 large garlic cloves, pressed
- 1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley
- 1/2 Tbsp salt, I used sea salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
For the Stuffing
- 1 large onion, peeled and quartered
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
- 1/2 bunch parsley
- 1 lemon, quartered
Instructions
Prepping your Turkey
- Remove thawed turkey* from the fridge about 30 minutes before you start working with it. If the turkey is closer to room temperature, it will bake more evenly. Remove the neck and bag of giblets and pat dry turkey with paper towels. Let it sit in a roasting pan lined with paper towels to soak up any excess water then discard the paper towels. Fold the wings behind the turkey so they don't scorch in the oven.
Seasoning, Stuffing, and Tying up a Turkey
- Season inside of turkey cavity generously with about 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.
- Make Flavored Butter – In a medium bowl or in a food processor*, combine: 2 sticks softened butter, 2 Tbsp olive oil, 1/2 Tbsp lemon zest, 4 Tbsp lemon juice, 3 pressed garlic cloves, 1/4 cup chopped parsley, 1/2 Tbsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper. Mash /stir with a fork until well combined (the lemon juice doesn't easily stir into butter but keep mixing and it will happen after a few minutes).
- Separate the skin from the turkey breast by pushing your fingers under the skin. Do this from the front and the back of the turkey; being careful not to tear the skin.
- Stuff 2/3 of the butter mixture under skin then spread the butter around by massaging over the top of the skin. This butter keeps the turkey breast tender, juicy and provides rich flavor.
- Pat skin dry and rub remaining butter over the outside of the turkey (breast, legs, wings). Drizzle all over the top of the turkey with olive oil and generously season with salt and pepper; I just love a crisp, salty skin.
- Stuff turkey cavity with quartered onion, 4 halved garlic cloves, 1/2 bunch parsley and quartered lemon. Use kitchen string to tie turkey base and legs together; crossing the legs to better close up the turkey cavity, plus it looks extra fancy on the table.
How to Roast a Turkey
- Prep – Pre-heat the oven to 430˚F on the bake mode. Place oven rack in the lower part of your oven (mine was on the second level from the very bottom).
- Make Foil Shield – to protect the turkey breast and keep it juicy: Fold a large square sheet of foil into a triangle. Rub one side of your triangle with olive oil and shape the foil (oil-side-down) over the turkey breast, then remove foil; it will shield your turkey breast and keep it from getting dry. You'll apply this shield later in the roasting process.
- Place an oven-safe meat thermometer into the bird; beneath the drum stick; deep into the dark meat. Start roasting uncovered at 430˚F for 20 min.
- Baste – Remove from oven; quickly baste with butter from the bottom of the dish. You can use a baster or tilt one side of the pan and collect drippings with a large spoon. Now apply prepared foil triangle to turkey breast area.
- Reduce oven to 350˚F and bake for another 2 hours 30 min for a 12 lb bird. (Once you have reduced the oven to 350˚F, you will bake about 13 min for every pound of turkey). The turkey thigh should register at 170˚F on the temperature probe and the breast at 160˚F to make sure it's fully cooked through then remove from the oven (keep in mind the turkey temp continues to rise slightly after it's out of the oven*).
- Rest Turkey – Transfer turkey to serving platter and cover loosely but fully with foil. Let turkey rest for at least 1 hour. It will become more tender and easier to carve, the longer it sits. Keep the drippings from roasting pan for turkey gravy. Now you can decorate around your turkey and make it festive. I used kale for my greens, then added small apples, sliced oranges and quartered lemons.
Notes
*A food processor makes it much easier to blend the lemon juice into t he flavored butter, saving time and effort.
*Final Temperature – As the turkey rests, it will continue to rise to a final temperature of 165˚F at the breast and 175-180˚F at the thigh.
*Nutrition label is a rough estimate – remember that most of the butter and oil will remain in the pan when the turkey is done roasting.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
To Cook a Larger Turkey:
Many of you have asked about using a larger turkey. One of my readers, Shannon, shares her experience with a 23-pound turkey (Thanks Shannon!):
“Used this recipe last night with a 23 lb turkey and it was superb!! I used 3 sticks of butter, 1 cup of parsley, kept the zest and juice of 2 lemons and quartered them for the stuffing. Kept 1 large onion peeled & largely sliced, used about 8 cloves of garlic peeled and sliced in half. Cooked at 430 for 20 min and then 350 for about 5 1/2 hours, basting occasionally. I used the tin foil hat and had to made a couple other tin foil accessories for the legs that started to scorch. Took the tin foil hat off when it had 10 min of cook time left to ensure a nice browned top. Had tons of drippings to make a delicious gravy with. Will use this recipe every year! So flavorful and yummy. Thank you”
Natasha’s Thanksgiving Menu
These are the classic Thanksgiving recipes that we can’t go without for our annual Thanksgiving feast. Only the best for the biggest cooking day of the year!
- Sweet Potato Casserole
- Mashed Potatoes
- Turkey Gravy
- Cranberry Sauce
- Apple Pie
- Pumpkin Pie (or Pumpkin Cheesecake)
- Cheesecake
- Sweet Potato Salad
- Au Gratin Potatoes
- Stuffing
Would this work (with changes) for a whole bone-in turkey breast?
Hi Lisa! Yes, it can work with just a turkey breast. Monitor it closely and check with a food thermometer for doneness so it doesn’t overcook.
Saw this recipe and video and will definitely be trying it this year. If you choose to dry brine, is it difficult to the separate the skin from the meat in order to spread the butter under the skin? When I’ve dry brined in the past, the skin isn’t able to be loosened easily.
Hi Mel! Salt in general can make the skin slightly tighter but it’s totally liftable.
You only baste the turkey one time? I remember as a kid my mom basting and basting the turkey, what felt like all day.
That’s correct, but you can definitely keep
basting if you’d like.
Hi Kenzie, you can do it more if you feel it needs it, but using this method, we found the perfect balance and it was just enough. We try to avoid opening the oven and letting the heat escape also.
Hi Natasha! I noticed the cook-time chart lists 3.5–4 hours for an 11–15 lb turkey, but your example mentions cooking a 12 lb bird for 2 hours and 50 minutes. Could you clarify which timing is best? Is 13 minutes per pound the standard you use? I just want to be sure mine won’t be undercooked. I’ll have a lot of people hovering in the kitchen on Thanksgiving, so I’d love to feel confident in my timing and decisions. Thanks so much!
HI Anni, I removed the third column from the chart since bake times can vary significantly based on the cooking temperature and oven settings. The recipe instructions are most accurate for this oven-roasting method and that is what I would recommend following. As per my recipe, once the oven temperature is reduced, you’ll bake for about 13 minutes per pound.
Hi Natasha,
I have plan to bake Thanksgiving turkey this year for the first time using your recipe and I have a question. I love turkey thighs, so do I need to rub butter mixture on turkey thighs and legs so they taste great as well? All your recipes are fantastic. Thank you.
Hi Paris? You definitely can. Lift the skin on the thighs if you can and slide some of the butter mixture underneath (just like with the breast).
Love your Roasted Turkey video Natasha. Your site is a favorite of mine. Been cooking turkeys for over 50 years and you are never too old to learn. I will try this method for Xmas. Your instructions are always so easy to follow. I bought your book and love that too!
Thank you so much, Joy! That means a lot to me.
Natasha can I use the aluminum throw away pans you get in the stores? Maybe put two of them together so the bottom of the turkey doesn’t burn? What do you think? I’m roasting a 24 lb. turkey.
Hi Debra, while I have not tried that a few of my readers have, but still found a roasting pan as the best outcome.
Natasha,
I need to cook a 20 pound bird for 20 peeps this yr. I saw your ratios for a 12 pound turkey for the butter and stuffing, should I just double your recommendations? I will need to cook the turkey in a roaster oven d/t it will not fit in my regular oven.
Hi Patty! Yes, that would be fine to double everything.
In the Make Ahead section you said you can stuff the turkey and put in refrigerator till you cook the next day—- I always thought stuffing it ahead is a big NO NO.
Hi Karen, we don’t use bread stuffing. We stuff it with onion, garlic, parsley, and lemon.
Hi! I was wondering if I could use a turkey roaster for this? I do have an oven but it’s an older one and not always reliable to stay the same temperature throughout the process.
Hi Elizabeth! I haven’t tried this is an electric roaster so I can’t provide any advise on that. I did see a comment from one of my viewers that it did not work well for them but have also had others comment saying they use an electric roaster and it works great.
Made this last year..Great flavor. Question this year..if I bake a day ahead what temp and how long should I reheat? PS..love your chocolate chip cookies plus many others.
Hi Linda, I’m happy to hear you loved it last year. Reheating a full sized turkey would be difficult and you would likely dry it out by the time it was properly heated through. Instead I would suggest completely prepping it the night before and then baking the next day (it becomes very stress free and your oven does all the work the day of your feast). See the make-ahead tips for more details on that.
Hi Natasha. I have loved every one of your recipes that I have made. I am hosting Thanksgiving this year and am a bit intimidated by cooking a turkey. Everyone advises me to cook it in a roasting bag. Your recipe sounds fabulous and I am wondering if it is compatible with using a bag. Thank you in advance.
Hi Audrey! 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.
Going with several of your recipes this year to host my first Thanksgiving. I’m an experienced cook and I use your website all the time! However, I’m never super thrilled with my turkeys and I feel like for all that time and effort, I want to be wow’ed. 🙂 So I can’t wait to try this method.
Question– You don’t roast your turkey on a rack? Does this keep it juicier? (I think it’s a great idea just on the premise of not having to wash the rack afterwards….!)
PS- tomorrow is my son’s 7th birthday and he requests your Creamy Tomato Soup recipe for his birthday dinner, which is the very first recipe I ever made from your website, years ago! Thank you for years of delicious dinners, desserts, and snacks.
This turkey always wows in my totally biased opinion, but its also very popular and my readers keep coming back to make this one each year. 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 personally like to eat the neck it has so much flavor. If you would like to omit them you can! Happy birthday to your boy! I love the tomato soup this time of year!
We deep fry our turkey every year. I make a lot of your recipes and they are delicious I love watching your cooking videos. What seasoning would you use to deep fry the turkey to have the best flavor?
Hi Tabatha, this is our favorite recipe to use with turkey and we love the flavor profile, but without trying it in a deep fryer myseld, I can’t advise. I wonder if using the same seasoning as here would work myself. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
I am looking forward to trying this turkey recipe but my challenge every year is what kind of turkey to buy…Do you have a recommendation? There are so many to choose from. Fresh, frozen organic etc…It is the center of the meal and I want it to taste really good. I don’t mind spending the
money for the best one. Any thoughts?
Hi Marcy! It really comes down to what is important to you. If taste and quality are priority and you don’t mind spending the money- organic or free-range/pastured raised turkey would be excellent options. It can be fresh or frozen. Fresh may be harder to obtain unless you preorder through a farm or local store (if it’s offered). Frozen is best for convenience because it can be purchased ahead of time and stored until ready to thaw and use. I hope that helps.
Have you ever used cheesecloth to cover the turkey? It’s my go to and it browns so nicely. Just baste with the cheesecloth on.
Hi Liz! I have not but I hear great success stories about it.
Going to try this for Thanksgiving. I will use the Nesco to cook it in to free up my oven for other things, anyone else try this with a Nesco?
Natasha, before you put the butter mixture under the skin, take a fork, tines down and poke the breasts to allow the butter and seasonings to enter the breasts.
I will try this year. However, I stuff my
Bird with a herb stuffing. Any changes to times?
Many thanks! PS my husband is crazy over your almond croissants!
Hi Karen! It may take longer since it will be stuffed. Use a food thermometer to check for doneness. The stuffing should reach 165 °F at its center for safety.
OMG I will never cook a turkey any other way. Everyone raved about how juicy and tender it was. A definite hit. Will always cook my turkey this way. Thank you so much❤️
You’re so welcome, Marjorie! I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Looks great!! do you make gravy after with the drippings?
Hi Rachel! Yes, Keep the drippings from roasting pan for turkey gravy.