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
Season’s greetings, Natasha! I’m not one to post comments on my opinion about things I’ve tried. In this case, though, I must. First, I must say that because of the many recipes my wife and I have made from your fabulous recipes ( how about pork tenderloin kabobs-(to die for! ), my wife and I had last week, cranberry, white chocolate chip cookies-(my favorite cookie ever!), I knew I could trust you with your recipe for Thanksgiving turkey with the butter mixture placed under the skin. My wife and I are 74 years old. My wife, who is a VERY picky eater, has told me over the last two days that your recipe for this turkey is the best turkey she’s ever eaten! You can believe me when I say that when a meal is not to her liking, I hear about it. You might have heard the husband’s advice for new husbands-“if you have to ask for your wife’s opinion, you haven’t been listening!”—-We had our family of 7 for dinner and they all raved about how tender and flavorful the turkey was. Yes, it was a huge hit and a feather in my cap to have pulled off such a feat, considering it was the first time I’ve used your recipe. Over the years of cooking Thanksgiving turkeys, I’ve tried many recipes—everything from deep frying to the labor-intensive brining method. I now have your recipe that I won’t ever deviate from.
Thank you!
You’re very welcome, Dennis! I’m so happy this was a hit with your wife, you and your family! Your comment has made my day. Happy Holidays.
Hi Natasha. I have made several of your recipes and I am now a huge fan. In addition to your wonderful suggestions and videos I appreciate that we can ask you questions.
My turkey came out delicious and everyone raved about it but I did have a couple of problems.
I have another small one in the freezer and I want to get it perfect next time.
I brined my 13 lb turkey and then let it sit in the fridge uncovered for 24 hours. I followed the rest of your instructions except I put it on a well oiled rack. I am 79 years old and some habits are hard to break.
When I went to baste it and put the tent on after 20 minutes the pan looked like it was staring to burn. I added water just up to the rack but not touching the meat. I basted it every hour or so. After three hours I saw the bottom was still raw looking. I decided to turn it and I cranked the oven back to 425 for 20 minutes until it got color. I took it out of the oven to flip it back and let the temperature go back to 350. Did I make a mistake adding water to the pan? How do you get color on the bottom of your turkey if you never turn it?
Can we substitute some of the butter for oil. It was delicious but maybe it make it healthier?
Thank you for sharing your talent. Best of luck!!
Hi Mary, thank you for your kind & encouraging words. I’m so happy to hear your family loved this turkey, and that you’re already planning for the next one. Regarding the water, it sounds like you didn’t ruin anything since the turkey still turned out delicious. Adding the water just changes how the dripings cook and keeps the pan from burning, but that is also what prevents the bottom of the turkey from getting a brown color since it steams it instead of cripsing it. The bottom of the turkey should get its color form the hot air circulating, so you should not have to flip it, Mine always turns out golden. The butter is what gives the turkey that amazing golden color and flavor also, so I wouldn’t swap it out completely. But you can replace about 2 TBSP or so of the butter with oil if you wanted to lighten it a bit. But I would keep most of the butter for that classic roast flavor and look. It sounds like you did great! I hope the next one is even better.
I found this response to another poster. What do you think of this verses the method you described?
… start the breast-side down for 45–60 minutes since thighs cook faster. Ice the breast for 20–30 minutes before roasting, it’s a trick to slow the breast so they will finish together. Add the foil shield later (around breast 135–140°F), not from the start and cook at 325–350°F for more even heat.
Hi Mary, I haven’t tested anything like that so I can’t really speak to all of it. It seems to be a common technique among some chefs, starting it breast down. I think it can be helpful to ice the breast too, but not necessary.
Natasha, this is my go-to recipe for roast turkey. Very reliable. Your comments on timing is excellent. My only adjustments are that after the first 20 minutes at high temperature I used bacon grease for my baste and then tented the whole turkey with aluminum foil. Then took the foil off for the last 30 minutes of roasting. Turned out perfect.
Natasha, Best Turkey I ever had. Made a 24.75lb turkey. Doubled recipe for the flavored turkey and aromatics for the stuffing. Thank you
You’re welcome! I’m so glad you found a new favorite on my blog.
May this for the first time it was delicious thank you so much for the recipes
I highly Recommend this one
You’re welcome, Julie. I’m so glad you loved it.
This is the 4th year I have made turkey following your recipe and it has always been exceptional! Thank you for making the “star of the show” so picture worthy, as well as being moist and tasty.
Aww that’s the best, your comment made my day, Bonnie!
In all my years of cooking a turkey for Thanksgiving dinner ,this was by far the juiciest and most flavorful turkey .Thank you for this great recipe!
Thank you so much for your feedback. I’m so happy that you enjoyed it!
This was the most juicy and best tasting turkey I have pretty much ever tasted, moist, flavorful. I recommend this turkey recipe to anyone that’s looking for a turkey that everyone loves and everyone wanted seconds.
Thank you for your good words and feedback. We appreciate it!
Thank you!! Turned out perfectly moist and delicious!!
You’re welcome, Elaine! I’m so glad to know you enjoyed the recipe!
I never cooked or ate anywhere such a great turkey. My go to recipe now forever. Such moist white meat. Wonderful flavor. Everyone in family complimented it. Will make bone broth tomorrow. Betting it will be delicious.
Hi Ginny! That’s so great to hear. I’m glad you loved it! Thank you for sharing.
Any idea on why my 22lb turkey was done in 3 hours instead of, almost 5? I followed your recipe and I used 2 different thermometers because I thought something was wrong with the first one. Both said the same thing. I ended up putting the turkey in foil and in a cooler chest with towels. It sat there for 4 hours. It ended to being very good but I was stressed because I didn’t know how it was going to turn out.
Hi Susan, are you possibly using a convection oven? A convection oven will bake it faster. I’m glad you had thermometers to gauge doneness. Also, some ovens run hotter and that would cause it to bake faster. I use an oven-thermometer to check the temperature of my oven. My own oven says it’s preheated when it’s actually 25 degrees under so the thermometer is a good investment to see the oven temp.
This was my first year making Thanksgiving dinner and I was incredibly apprehensive about finding a turkey recipe within my skill range that also resulted in a great meal. This was SO amazing! My husband said it was the best turkey he’s ever had. Easy to follow instructions, simple ingredients, and the turkey turned out so moist and flavorful (We had a 10 lb. bird, so reduced cook time by about 25-ish minutes). We also used your mashed potato recipe, which was easy and awesome. Thank you so much for sharing these recipes, you totally made my Thanksgiving!
That’s wonderful, Kassandra! So happy to know your family enjoyed my recipes for this special season. Happy thanksgiving!
Wow wow wow! I am 51 years old and I have never made a more perfect juicy turkey in my entire life. Nothing has ever came close and this recipe should win a prize. The meat just fell off the bones and each piece was so tender that it almost felt like it was melting in my mouth. This is the best turkey I have ever had. I followed the instructions precisely and what came out was something I couldn’t fathom creating. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!!
You’re welcome, Debbie! I’m so glad this was your favorite turkey yet! Thank you for stopping by my blog and leaving this review.
Is it possible to bake on low throughout the night?
HI Mel, I honestly haven’t tried and haven’t heard of that being done unless it was maybe in a slow cooker?
Ok 🙂 a coworker said they put their turkey in the oven on low and cook throughout the night and it’s done around morning. Just curious. Thanks!!
Should I remove the foil towards the end of cooking or will the skin still be crunchy if I leave it on the whole time?
Lea, I leave it on to protect the turkey breast from getting too dry but it still does get color even with the foil. You can remove it toward the end if you prefer a crisper turkey skin.
Happy Thanksgiving! Thanks for this recipe. I’m wondering when you take the foil off the breast? Don’t you want it to get crispy from the oven element?
Hi Erica, it does get nice and crispy using this method. It starts off uncovered and then covered to finish it off. The foil tent helps keep the breast moist.
Turkey sounds wonderful but 2 different starchy potatoes, 2 different sweet potatoes AND dressing. Way too many carbs. Where are the greens, healthy veggies, healthy salads? You’re so lucky to eat like that and be so healthy and slim.
Hi Becky, even with a fabulous Thanksgiving feast, I still try to take things in moderation. I try to do more protein and veggies lately on my plate and I started my day with a crazy workout this morning. Thankful for health and I do what I can to keep it up :). I hope you have a lovely Thanksgiving!
I have two general questions: Should the foil shield for the breast be regular foil, or heavy duty foil? At my local grocer, the larger size foil for a large bird was heavy duty. My second question is how often are you basting?
Great question, Cyndee! Either regular or heavy duty will work, since they are both oven safe. If you’re concerned, the foil should have a temperature marker on the packaging. Just be sure to shape it well so it stays in palce. For the basting – we keep it simple. We baste once when we take the turkey out to add the foil shield and then again half way through baking. There is no need to baste constantly, the turkey stays juice on its own – note, openign teh oven too often causes the turkey cook process to slow down quite a bit.
Thank you. Question, my mom keeps asking me to cover the whole turkey for the first hour and then make the triangle. The pressure of making turkey with multi generations watching closely:-).
Hi Alexandra! Happy Thanksgiving! I totally understand the pressure of cooking with multiple generations watching. For this recipe you do not need to cover the turkey during the first baking window (20 minutes). We roast it uncovered at the start to help the skin develop a beautiful golden color. After the initial bake and basting, that’s when we add the foil triangle to protect the breast and keep it juicy as it cooks. I bet mom means well, but you can let her know this is a method that has been tested again and again. You’ve got this!
Hi Natasha! I’m confused – the recipe makes it sound as though the turkey is covered with foil after the first 20 minutes but in your response you said to leave the turkey uncovered for the first hour. Can you clarify?
I updated to clarify, we don’t cover until after the first 20 minutes in the oven.
Cant wait to try this recipe!! Curious..if I am doing your brining technique do we cut back on the sodium with the seasoning for roasting?
Hi Kaitlyn, yes, 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.