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
I use this recipe every year now, and the turkey is amazingly good.
It really is the best, I’m so happy you loved it, Amy!
I can’t remember if I’ve ever reviewed this recipe before, but if not I definitely should have! I’ve been making your turkey for several years now and it’s always amazing! Brined it last year and doing that again this year. We’ve usually tried to get around 15 lb birds but this year we went with a 10 pounder (they had nothing between that and 20+!). Will definitely keep an eye on the temp so we don’t overcook it but I think it should be extra juicy being on the smaller side. Thank you for such an amazing recipe! (And I always chuckle at comments where people totally change a recipe or let everyone know how they do THEIR turkey when “rating” your recipe- lol). Anyhoo…we love you, Natasha, and have yet to find a bad recipe of yours (and trust me- we’ve tried LOTS of them!)
You’re so welcome, Amy! I’m so happy you’ve tried many of my recipes. Happy Thanksgiving!
Hi there,
I am doing your recipe this year! Question, I just finished the butter, seems fairly lemon heavy, will that 🤔 fade?
Hello! Yes, the lemony flavor will mellow down a bit during roasting but it will not completely disappear.
Hello… I am brining my turkey now and I need to let it sit overnight, but I was wondering if I could make the herbed butter today… the day before Thanksgiving. I made this last year and it was delicious,but I didn’t brine it. So I thought I’d try brining it this year. Last year I prepared the Turkey with the herbed butter the day before,but since I’m brining the Turkey, I can’t do that. If I prepare the butter today, will the texture be off for trying to coat the turkey tomorrow?
Hi Kelly, you can try making it ahead, but you will need to bring it back to room temperature tomorrow to spread it.
I am worried about the cooking time for a 23 pounder. Plus your directions on the tent is not clear as to when to put it on, for how long and etc. Thanks.
Hi Carl, see step 4 for instructions on when I apply the shield. See the section below the recipe card where I highlighted a comment from a viewer who made this with a 23 lbs turkey. The best way to check for doneness is with a food thermometer.
Hi Caarl, You got this!! I bet it will be so good! I recommend checking the size chart. Also, I only tent the turkey breast portion with foil at the lower temperature. We add it during the roasting process during step #4 after the first baste.
Seems like an easy recipe but I’ll be making my changes tonight and tomorow. For one, skip the parsley and especially kale. I would also use salted butter and extra virgin olive oil. It’s the only kinds I ever use. Plus I will have a juicy turkey because I inject my turkey each year. I add extra fine salt, garlic juice/oil and light color wine (rose, pinot, white). I inject with a cooking needle. This makes the turkey more flavorful and juicy and loved by all of the “turkey haters” in the family. Sometimes for a more citrus flavor we use sour orange marinade found in the hispanic sections or stores. We are Caribbean Hispanics and like the citrus and garlic. No chili and not Jamaican. What do you think?
Thank you for sharing that, Carl! It sounds like a very tasty Turkey!
I’ve been using your turkey recipe for years now for any holiday I cook for! It’s the best!! Tastes amazing! Thanks!!!
Hello it my first time doing thanksgiving dinner any & all will be helpful thank you.
I have a 13lbs bird and your recipe i’m going for a moist turkey with a nice crunchy skin. Thank you Happy Thanksgiving GOD bless you and your family
Happy Thanksgiving! I think this one will be a hit!
It’s me again😅 did you brine your turkey first?
Hi Meg! I have a Turkey Brine recipe here. If you’re using a brined turkey with this recipe, reduce or omit the salt in the herb butter. But this recipe works without brining too.
Do I still use salt and pepper to season the inside and outside of the turkey prior to adding the butter mixture?
Reduce or omit the salt all together, but pepper is fine.
Hi, when you say roast for 20 minutes, do you mean broil or is roast the same thing as bake?
Hi Meg! Sorry for the confusion. You’re not changing the bake mode, just baking it uncovered now for 20mins.
If my store bought turkey is already injected with 4% water and salt solution, Can I still follow this recipe, or will it be too salty?
You can stll follow the recipe but just be cautious with adding salt. You can skip or reduce added salt in your seasonings or rub.
For the herb butter, can I use a simple blender to incorporate the lemon juice?
Hi Elias! Yes, a simple blender will work just fine to mix the herb butter with the lemon juice. You can also mix it by hand with a fork or spatula.
Hello, can I use extra virgin olive oil if thats all I have,& can I use store bought lemon juice & skip the zest if I can’t get my hands on a lemon
I’ve heard reports of extra virgin causing smoking so I would use light olive oil or something with a higher smoke point.
Thank you I actually did end up using a little bit of olive oil in the butter and to drizzle and I just wanna say it came out fine but I wanna say this was the best turkey I’ve ever made in my whole life. It was Moise juicy delicious so five stars to you and your recipe. Thank you so much for helping me create a beautiful meal. This picture is my go to recipe for every turkey I will ever make ever in my life again. Thank you have a beautiful holidays.
Have you ever injected the butter brine into the turkey?
Hi Breanne! I have not tested that method.
Can I do all the prep the night before on the Turkey? And should I cover the Turkey or leave it uncovered. Thanks
Yes, you can refrigerate this after prepping. It does not need to be covered, but if you would like to keep it covered, that is fine.
Can I skip the lemon juice? My husband does not like citrus taste. Also, is the turkey still hot after letting it rest for an hour? BTW, your tortilla recipe is the best.
Hi Camille! I don’t like lemon taste either unless it’s lemonade! I’ve been making this recipe for years and it’s wonderful!!
Hi! Last year my turkey was done an hour before dinnertime using a different recipe, so this year I am considering making it ahead, carving it and reheating on Thanksgiving with broth in a shallow pan in the oven, covered. Have you tried this and if so would you recommend making ahead, or no? Thanks!
Hi Meg! 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, just a quick clarification to make sure I get this, the turkey goes in uncovered and when you reduce the temp to 350, you only cover the breast? So rest of the turkey never gets covered, right? Thanks!
Hi Nadja! That’s correct, the turkey uncovered and then the breast is shielded to prevent burning and drying out.
If I was going to prepare the Turkey a day before and then refrigerate to cook the next morning… Do I still let it rest to room temperature before applying the butter mixture and stuffing it or do I work with it cold.
Hello there! I think it’s better to cook the turkey cold than from room temperature for food safety purposes.
Thank you for your response… I don’t know what I did wrong but my turkey was so bland and zero flavor, not juicy at all. It was a 10 pound Turkey from Costco. I wanted to do a more natural flavor rather than using the injection you buy at the market. Thankfully we had a ham from Costco that came out super yummy and other fixings. Every year I make your apple pie recipe from dough to filling! That is such a huge hit every year. This is my first recipe of yours that did not come through… I’m just wondering where I went wrong? Oh well! I am a big fan of your recipes. Again, Thank you
My 11 year old grandson said that this was the best Turkey he ever had!
I do have to agree with him !!
Absolutely delicious !!
That’s wonderful, Karen! Thanks for sharing.