The BEST Thanksgiving Turkey recipe that packs all of the flavor and juiciness you expect from the perfect Thanksgiving turkey, with none of the stress! Plus a step by step tutorial for how to cook the perfect turkey.
Not only is this roasted turkey recipe fool-proof and easy to make, it will exceed expectations as the centerpiece of your Thanksgiving feast!
Thanksgiving Turkey
Why in the world do people stress so much over their Thanksgiving Turkey? Ok, I guess it IS the centerpiece of your Thanksgiving meal. And that usually means you have a table full of people not to disappoint. Ok, I get it. It’s a big deal.
My hope is to squash any fears or insecurities you might have about cooking a perfect, beautiful Thanksgiving Turkey. This method is completely fuss-free and EASY. There’s no brining or basting the turkey, no cooking it upside down, or anything weird.
You don’t even need an expensive roasting pan. I’m convinced that this recipe is not only the simplest way to cook a Thanksgiving turkey, it also yields a gorgeous, super juicy, perfectly cooked turkey.
The real KEY to baking a perfect Thanksgiving Turkey is not to overcook it–that’s what dries out the meat, and you want to carve into a juicy, moist turkey on Thanksgiving! So, just plan ahead to get the timing right.
Let’s go ahead and go over the basics– the do’s, and the don’ts– for How to Cook a Thanksgiving Turkey:
What size turkey to buy for Thanksgiving dinner:
First things first: Buy about 1.5 pounds of turkey per person. (So if you’re feeding 6 people, buy at least a 10 lb. turkey). That way you’ll have leftovers.
How to thaw your turkey:
Make sure and allow plenty of time for your turkey to thaw! A good rule of thumb is to allow one day in the fridge for ever 5 pounds of turkey. I always give myself one extra day, just to be safe. Set the turkey on a cookie sheet or pan, to catch any liquid the turkey may drip as it defrosts in the fridge.
Don’t wash the turkey.
If you wash your turkey in your sink you will just contaminate your sink. Remove the turkey from it’s packaging, dry it off with some paper towels, and then prepare it for the oven. Any bacteria on the turkey will be killed in the hot oven while it bakes.
Don’t brine the turkey.
If you buy a high-quality turkey from the store (like Butterball or Norbest), then brining the turkey is an unnecessary step. You can do it if you want, but you can still achieve a deliciously moist turkey without brining it. However, if the turkey is wild, you should brine it the night before to make sure it will be moist and flavorful.
Don’t baste the turkey.
Basting is really unnecessary to produce a beautiful golden brown turkey. It also requires you to constantly open the oven, which causes the oven to loose heat and the turkey to take longer to cook–which could lead to a dry turkey. By smearing an herb butter mixture over the outer and inner skin of the turkey you will ensure the skin will brown beautifully, and taste amazing.
Don’t cook stuffing inside the turkey.
If you try to put stuffing/dressing inside the cavity of the bird, the turkey will be overcooked by the time the stuffing reaches a temperature that’s safe to eat. Instead, cook your stuffing in a casserole dish. Then you can fill the cavity of the turkey with things that will give it flavor (and add flavor to the drippings/stock): salt and pepper and any mixture of onion, apple, carrots, celery, or citrus.
Do test the turkey with a thermometer.
The only way to really tell if the turkey is cooked (165 degrees F), is by using a thermometer (I love this one). Test the turkey right from the oven—if it reaches 160 degrees F, I take it out and tent it with foil. It will continue to cook inside the foil tent to make up that extra 5 degrees.
Do let the turkey rest.
After removing the turkey from the oven, let it rest for at least 15 minutes, or up to 40 minutes (that gives you some extra time if you need to bake or warm anything else in the oven). If you’re using the drippings for gravy, remove the turkey from its pan, to a cutting board and tent it with foil while it rests there. If you’re not using the drippings, then just leave the turkey in the pan and tent with foil.
You don’t need an expensive roasting pan.
If you have a big metal roasting pan, great! If you don’t, no worries. Just use a casserole dish big enough to fit the bird, or buy a $1 disposable foil roasting pan from Walmart (then you can throw it away after). Place a bunch of chopped veggies on the bottom of your pan. The veggies will act like the wire rack in a regular roasting pan by elevating the turkey slightly. Place the turkey right on top of the chopped veggies.
Do save the turkey drippings.
After the turkey is finished cooking there will be juice and browned cooked bits at the bottom of your roasting pan. You can reserve all of it for making turkey gravy. You can also use the leftover neck and giblets you pull from the turkey when you remove it from the packaging, to make giblet gravy. The most flavorful gravy! Your grandma would be proud 😉
How to prepare a simple roasted Thanksgiving turkey:
First, remove the thawed turkey from it’s packaging. Remove the neck (usually found in the large cavity of the bird) and the bag of giblets (sometimes found in the smaller neck cavity of the bird). Discard them, or save them for gravy. Pat the turkey dry with paper towels.
Next, season the cavity of the turkey with salt and pepper. Stuff it with the quartered lemon, onion, apple and herbs.
Tuck the wings of the turkey underneath the turkey and set the turkey on a roasting rack inside a roasting pan (or on top of a bed of chopped veggies —carrots, onion and celery work well—in a disposable roasting pan). Tucking the wings prevents them from burning, and helps the turkey sit flatter.
Use your fingers to loosen and lift the skin above the breasts (on the top of the turkey) and smooth a few tablespoons of the herb butter underneath. Use some twine to tie the turkey legs together. Then slather the outside turkey in the rest of the herb butter. That’s it! You are ready to let your oven do the rest of the work!
You will want to check the turkey about half way through cooking. Use your oven light to see if the skin is golden, and then place a large piece of tinfoil over the breast meat of the turkey to help keep it from overcooking.
Whether this is your first time cooking a turkey, or you just decided to give this method I try, I would love to hear from you! Rate the recipe and comment below with your experience.
Consider Serving this With:
- Best Homemade Rolls
- Broccoli Casserole
- Perfect Mashed Potatoes
- Sausage Cranberry Pecan Stuffing
- Sweet Potato Casserole
- Cranberry Fluff Salad
- Apple Cranberry Fruit Salad
- Triple Berry Pie
- Other pie recipes
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Recipe
Easy, No Fuss Thanksgiving Turkey
Ingredients
- 1 12-20 pound turkey*
- 1 onion , peeled and quartered
- 1 lemon , quartered
- 1 apple (your favorite kind), quartered
- .75 ounce container fresh rosemary*
- .75 ounce container fresh thyme*
- .75 ounce container fresh sage*
For the herb butter:
- 1 cup unsalted butter , softened
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 6-8 cloves garlic , minced
- fresh chopped herbs
Instructions
- If the turkey is frozen: Thaw in the fridge, 24 hours for every 5 pounds of Turkey. I like to give myself 1 extra day, just to be safe.
- Remove the thawed turkey from the fridge 1 hour before roasting, to let it come to room temperature.
- Adjust your oven rack so the turkey will sit in the center of the oven. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- Make the herb butter by combining room temperature butter, minced garlic, salt, pepper, one tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary, one tablespoon fresh chopped thyme, and half a tablespoon of fresh chopped sage. (You’ll use the remaining fresh herbs for stuffing inside the cavity of the turkey)
- Remove turkey from packaging and remove the neck and giblets from the inside the cavities of the bird. (Reserve them for gravy, if you want, or discard them). Pat the turkey very dry with paper towels.
- Season the cavity of the turkey with salt and pepper. Stuff it with the quartered lemon, onion and apple and leftover herbs.
- Use your fingers to loosen and lift the skin above the breasts (on the top of the turkey) and smooth a few tablespoons of the herb butter underneath.
- Tuck the wings of the turkey underneath the turkey and set the turkey on a roasting rack inside a roasting pan*.
- Microwave the remaining herb butter mixture for 30 seconds (it doesn’t need to be completely melted--just really softened). Use a basting brush to brush the remaining herb butter all over the outside of the turkey, legs and wings.
- Roast at 325 degrees F for about 13-15 minutes per pound, or until internal temperature (inserted on middle of thigh and breast) reaches about 165 degrees.
- (I remove the turkey from the oven once it reaches 160 degrees. Then, I tent it with foil, and let it rest on the counter. It will continue cooking under the foil, to reach 165 degrees F.)
- ***Check the turkey about halfway through cooking, and once the skin gets golden brown, cover the top of the turkey with tinfoil, to protect the breast meat from overcooking. Alternately, you could start cooking the turkey with it tented in foil, then during the last hour or so of cooking you can take the foil off to let the turkey brown.
- Allow turkey to rest for 20-30 minutes before carving. https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/how-to-carve-a-turkey/
- Reserve any drippings and juice remaining in your roasting pan to make turkey gravy.
Notes
Nutrition
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Have you tried this recipe?!
RATE and COMMENT below–I would love to hear your experience.
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I’d never cooked a turkey before, and to say I was intimidated was an understatement! Well, I had my dad over for Father’s Day, and I used your recipe. It was WONDERFUL! So flavorful and juicy. Thank you for sharing this!
The most juiciest turkey ever!! Using this recipe from now on. Absolutely delicious. Than you!
It’s not true that cooking your stuffing inside the turkey will dry it out. When the turkey is done cooking you take it out and the stuffing is done by then. You don’t leave the turkey in longer to cook the stuffing, i mean that would be silly.
If you stuff the turkey with stuffing, then you must measure the temperature with a food thermometer to make sure the stuffing is safe to eat (165 degrees F) because it’s been cooking inside a raw turkey, with raw turkey juices soaking into it. By the time it takes for the stuffing to reach a safe consumption temperature, the turkey meat will likely be overcooked.
Thank you so much for this recipe! I LOVE it! It is so well explained, easy, and makes the juiciest, most delicious, best turkey. Every time I roast a turkey I follow this recipe and I do one every few months because it’s so economical, creates delicious leftovers, and I can cook so many future meals all at once and store the leftovers in the freezer. The garlic butter under the breast skin makes the breast meat incredibly tasty.
I find my cooking time is usually on the lower end of the range but I also cook my turkey to a lower temperature. I did some research on safe temperatures and now take my turkey out of the oven when it reaches 150F measured at multiple “thick”spots (breast, thigh). I leave the lid of my roasting pan on and the thermometer in the bird as it rests for 30 minutes and I’m always amazed at how much the temperature rises as it rests (usually 17F or more). A turkey only needs to reach 150F for 3.8 minutes to kill salmonella and at 165F salmonella is killed instantly. I feel safe and haven’t made anyone sick yet with this method and the turkey is so incredibly juicy! Do a bit of research and decide what you feel safe with, this lower temperature method works for me! I have an excellent, thick walled, high quality roasting pan which helps hold heat in during the resting period.
I followed this recipe for a 19 lb turkey. It was good. Turkey was a nice golden brown, cooked for 4.5 hours, and it was juicy and tasty.
What I didn’t see addressed anywhere (or maybe I missed it) was how much more/less to adjust the ingredients based on the size of the turkey. Recipe says 12-20 lb turkey so I just stuck with the steps in the recipe. It worked out fine.
This worked great and wasn’t too complicated! My juiciest turkey yet. Thanks!
Wow! I made this tonight and the turkey is sensational! Thank you for excellent directions; they made it so easy and with this recipe, I am brave enough to make it for company now. 🙂
Fantastic recipe! This was my first attempt cooking a turkey and it turned out great. Followed the recipe exactly as written. Thank you for sharing a delicious recipe that was easy to follow.
Made this turkey recipe for second time. It is absolutely the best and the easiest. Let my turkey sit covered in foil for over an hour – carved beautiful and so juicy. The recommended timing was spot on! Thanks for sharing. Merry Christmas!
I was skeptical at first but this was literally the easiest and tastiest turkey I’ve ever cooked. The broth is gorgeous, looking forward to making soup with it tomorrow .
So great!
Perfect! I followed the recipe exactly and the result was a great hit at our Christmas Eve dinner.
Really simple and moist, tasty, as described. Fool proof and takes stress out of roasting a turkey. Love it and all the tips are really helpful too. Read them!
I’m the go to chef for big turkey dinners for my extended family. Every year we cook for 16-20 people and this is hands down the best recipe I’ve come across. ~10 times now and it’s a hit every time. Follow it to the letter and you and your guests will never be disappointed. Thanks a ton to the author!
This is my go to recipe for roasting a turkey in the oven. It is delicious 100% of the time. The drippings make fabulous gravy and it makes great hot turkey sandwiches too. I also make turkey pot pie with the leftovers. This is definitely a trustworthy recipe and is easy enough to use if it is your first time. I have used a rack and also chopped vegetables underneath the turkey. Both methods work. Thank you for sharing this recipe. It’s one of my favourites, and I have many!
Have used this recipe for years and everyone loves it. Super juicy and flavorful.
We make this recipe every year for Thanksgiving and it’s always the best turkey. Who actually likes eating turkey? Not many people. But my guests always gobble this up. One tweak we have discovered is applying the room temp herb butter the night before and letting it sit overnight. Then cover in the melted herb butter before roasting. For some reason this locks in so much more flavor! Everyone always asks me for my recipe and I share this page!
I made this recipe for Thanksgiving, and it’s the best turkey that I ever tasted. It was very moist and flavorful. I will do it again for Christmas.
Totally agree. I do the compound butter (garlic, herbs and butter, salt, pepper) a day ahead. Make sure to add a bit of olive oil to prevent the butter from burning. Stuff it under the skin EVERYWHERE. Thighs, breast, etc… Add a bit of olive oil to the outside of the skin. Voila!
Easy and moist
Thank you for such a wonderful, simple recipe! I have used this recipe several times and it always turns out amazing.
I have always used smaller birds, but this year I have a 25lb turkey. Do you have any suggestions for bigger birds?
Thank you!
Great recipe that I’ve used for 2 years now, and will continue to use. Both times were incredible! My family was very happy. Thank you!
My first turkey! My husband brined it for me the night before then I followed the instructions although I did not let it come to room temp. I tented it for the first 3 hours and then uncovered it. It took about 4.5 to 5 hours and it was AMAZING! Crispy skin and super moist inside. no basting, no fuss, perfection!
This recipe is simple and delivers a delicious turkey!
Best turkey EVER!!
Yo, I was worried it was gonna be a plain turkey cause the ingredients were simple and the directions were too. But I trusted the people in the reviews, and went forward with it. Let me just say… this Turkey had the hood grubbin!!!! The breast was so juicy, Juss how I like em. I ain’t juss talking bout poultry either. I’m kidding. All in all. Good looking out. I highly recommend this. If I could give shawty another star I would fa sho. The hood thanks ya. I thank ya.
Damnnnnn dawg. That sounds like the shnizzle!!! og turkey in da house!!!!
My turkey was 21 pounds. Followed the instructions and my turkey was beyond done after after 3 1/2 hours!!! Very disappointed! Nothing like a ruined dinner party!
Either your oven runs hot, or you should get run out of the kitchen!! Obviously, 8,000+ 5-star reviewers could follow instructions, but your culinary skills aren’t worth a single star!! People like you shouldn’t be allowed to rate this wonderful recipe!
What part of checking the temperature do you not understand? Obviously you didn’t read the entire directions. She even gave notes on different type of ovens. Just stay out of the kitchen.
Patty Haag, you seem to confirm that the equipment you used to cook your turkey wasn’t faulty — but your culinary skills are! Maybe I didn’t make myself clear — OVER 8,000 reviewers, including myself, successfully followed simple instructions but YOU ALONE FAILED!! You should ask yourself, “Why is that?”
Patty Haag, of course, admitting self-defeat is more difficult than the ease of blaming YOUR FAILURE on a tried and true 5-STAR RECIPE, but that’s like telling the judge in traffic court, “It’s not my fault, Your Honor! It’s that 1-star Lamborghini that’s to blame for my incredibly reckless driving!”
Patty Haag, in parting I compare you to the heartless Grinch: but instead of stealing Christmas, your flawed logic stole the overall 5-star rating from this wonderful recipe, reducing it to 4.99 stars. You nauseate me, Patty Hagg!
This was my first time making a turkey and I chose this recipe based on it being simple and the good reviews. All my guests raved about it and were shocked it was actually moist! It wasn’t even hard, I will continue to make this every year. I took it out early as suggested (at 160) and tented it in foil and I think that really helped keep it juicy
Surprisingly good! I was skeptical about the lack of brining or basting, but the method worked! Super juicy bird. The timing was spot on. I baked a 17 pound turkey in 5 1/2 hours.
Great recipe!! Very flavorful with the fresh herbs. The breast meat was juicy. I will be making this again!
I have tried numerous methods to cook a turkey over the years, and this was hands down the most moist and perfectly browned turkey I have ever made. This recipe will be followed every year from now on. Thank you!
It has been about 10 years since I cooked a turkey for the holidays. I found this recipe and it was very easy. Definitely the best bird I have ever made. I was lucky I had fresh rosemary, thyme and other herbs from my indoor garden. Stuffing with the automatics made a huge difference in the taste. Juicy and just perfect. This will be my go to for a no stress experience.
Wonderful recipe. 21+ pound bird was done in 3.5 hours, and was incredible, the white meat was so juicy! I didn’t use nearly as much garlic, and added herbs inside and out. /Users/DonnaHome/Pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/resources/derivatives/6/6147DB10-DD8A-42D5-AC9A-130FD395F94E_1_105_c.jpeg
Quick, easy and juicy perfection! I brined my turkey for a day and a half and it required less cook time than suggested in the instructions (glad I pulled it out to check on it). This is my forever recipe from here on out but unlike the blog states, I think brining is a necessity. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!
AMAZING! I hosted for the first time this year and was quite nervous about the turkey. Lauren’s recipe and YouTube videos (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LR3dXQAX91A and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LON85qR769I) were so helpful and informative. My entire family loved the turkey and my (hard to please) grandmother said it was the best turkey she ever had!
I also made extra of the herb butter to put on the dinner rolls, super delish.
Made this and it was awesome! Making it again as it was so good! Will be my go to every year from now on.
My wife was stressing about making another turkey that doesn’t turn out for Thanksgiving. I told her not to worry, me and Lauren would handle it! I followed your directions and it turned out perfect! First juicy breast meat I’ve ever had! I WILL be making that more often! Thank you Lauren!
I made this exactly as specified but omitted the garlic. I will be making it again next year. So good and moist!
I made this exactly as specified but omitted the garlic. I will be making it again next year. So good!
Yup, that’s it!! Found the best recipe for turkey
Best turkey I have ever made in40 years
I used this recipe this year just as written. In 40 years of roasting turkeys this is, hands down, the best turkey I have ever cooked. Came out beautiful and tasted even better. First slice of the breast left a puddle, literally, of juice when removed. I will be using this recipe for the next 40 years. Fantastic recipe and don’t change a thing.
This was the most delicious turkey I’ve ever eaten.
Thank you for the great recipe.
Followed the recipe mostly and this turkey came out AMAZING! I added an orange by mistake, (LOL) but I’d do it again. The apple, orange, lemon, and NOT basting really made the difference. It was the juiciest turkey ever! Made the gravy with the drippings, flour, brandy, salt, and pepper. It was next level.
Turkey came out flavorful and moist!
SO good – the BEST Thanksgiving turkey. Guests were raving about the smell as it cooked (and the taste when it was time to eat!).
I WANT TO THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH FOR THIS RECIPE THE BEST EVER TURKEY SO JUICY AND MOIST AND TENDER. THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH AGAIN LAUREN ALLEN
3rd year in a row using this recipe. cooked the turkey in a roaster and it turned out beautifully
Delicious! I was looking for an easy turkey recipe as the last time I made turkey, it came out awful. This recipe was super easy and the turkey came out juicy & flavorful! Thank you for your easy, detailed instructions as well as your video. This is my new go-to Thanksgiving turkey recipe!
I had only ever cooked a thanksgiving turkey once before and I’m honestly not a huge fan of the bird however that being said I cannot get enough of this turkey. It came out so good with all the fresh herbs and crispy skin and you can really taste the citrus I loved it thank you
I followed this recipe from A to Z and everyone complimented me on how flavorful and juicy the Butterball turkey was. I may have added too much salt to the cavity because the gravy ended up being a bit too salty – not sure if that was from the pan drippings or the fact I added McCormick turkey gravy seasoning to thicken it up a bit. Guests liked the gravy, though, too and I was the only one worried about it being too salty.
I have done my Turkey the same way for probably the last 12 to 15 years. I Decided to give this recipe a try although my family Tried to persuade me to stick to how a normally do it because of how Good it turns out. I mostly followed the recipe but instead of using fresh herbs on the outside I used my dried herbs plus added smoked paprika. I placed my 24 lb turkey in at 10 pm on 210°. In the morning around 8:30 I turned it up to 275°. I took it out at 10 am so I could use my oven for casseroles. Then at 11:30 placed it back in the oven without the foil on speed bake at 425° till browned (about 10-15 min). It was perfection. Not only was it the best, juciest Turkey I’ve ever made… the drippings made the best gravy in the world! Thanks 🙂
This was juicy and tasty. I did not follow the recipe to the t. I did additional high quality butter blended with the same herds and inject the turkey twice during the baking process. Other than that I did follow and it was amazing. Also, I did not use expensive turkey(frozen and cheap). It was delicious
This was the tastiest and juiciest turkey I have ever made, and the gravy was fantastic, thank you! I did have one issue though with the timing of the various temps of the turkey with the breast reaching 165 while the legs still registered 159. Any suggestions on what to do differently next time to facilitate more even cooking? I took it out when the breast was done and put the legs in the microwave for a minute this time!
This was a wonderful recipe! We all enjoyed it greatly. I have cooked many turkeys, and many were a great success, but this was our favorite! Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
Recipe was easy to follow. Turkey tasted delicious 🙂 I did have some trouble with the turkey browning. Otherwise it tasted great and flavorful.
To help brown further- I basted with butter and honey in the end And that helped
27 yrs of making Thanksgiving turkeys and this was by far the easiest and best tasting one I have ever made! Texture was spot on. Oh, and the gravy from the pan drippings?!? Didn’t need to season it even a bit! Sooooo flavorful! My new go to recipe!! (And I didn’t change a thing!)
This was my first time hosting Thanksgiving. I made the turkey using this exact recipe. It came out perfect! It was the most delicious and juicy turkey ever! This will be my go-to every year! Thank you!
Outstanding! I followed the recipe exactly as written except for swapping out carrot and celery for the apple. The turkey smelled amazing while roasting and I only had to cover the top with a small piece of foil for an hour or so. I’ll make this again and share the recipe with others.
This is a keeper. I have been trying different recipes for years and this one pleased everyone. Looked and cooked beautifully.
It was perfect!! Followed your recipe, except the butter. I used olive oil instead due to grandson’s dairy allergy!! It was flavorful and juicy!! Also, “pretty”! It was a big hit here and there were ZERO left overs. That’s says a lot because the Ham is usually what everyone in this family goes to!! Thank you. Will be using this again!!
Hi! This was my first turkey, hosting Thanksgiving for 9. Followed all instructions – made a 12 lb fresh turkey. Breast meat was 165 at 2.5 hours, even after tenting at the halfway point, and I thought the thighs were done, so I took it out to rest about 45 minutes. After cutting into it, breast meat was juicy and perfect. Thighs were medium rare. So we cut off the breast meat and put the bird back in the oven.
I have four oven rack heights in my oven, so I didn’t put it on the lowest rack, but the second from lowest because that put it in the middle of the oven as you instructed. Heat source is on the top. It obviously should have cooked longer, but I was afraid the breasts would overcook since they hit 165. Should I have put it on the lowest rack? What could I have done differently so the bird cooked more evenly? After finishing the dark portions in the oven and microwave, it was all eventually great, but hoping for advice. Thanks!
I’ve made turkey before but wanted to try something new. This recipe worked very well and I appreciated the thorough instructions. The house smelled so delicious while the bird was in the oven and ended up tasting just as good. What could go wrong with so much butter and garlic? I will definitely make this one again. Thank you for a carefully thought out recipe.
Best turkey I’ve ever made. I love herbs, so I didn’t measure them. I just added as much as I wanted. I also added lemons, carrots, celery, & onion to the pan with a carton of chicken stock. I covered w/ foil & uncovered for the last 30 min. It was juicy & delicious! Thank you for the recipe.
Followed the recipe exactly and my turkey came out dry with no flavor.
Turkey turned out great, thank you!
The white meat on the top of this turkey breast was moist and delicious! Easily some of the best white meat we’ve ever had. But the legs were overcooked and the under side seemed undercooked :/ Any advice would be appreciated! I used a regular roasting pan.
First time I ever attempted to roast a turkey. So glad I found this recipe. 15 lb turkey came out a beautiful golden brown, aromatic and moist. I posted a photo on Instagram, almost didn’t want to cut into it, glad I did, was delicious and surprised everyone, especially since my first bird to cook!
AMAZING!! I found this recipe last minute and have literally made 2 other turkeys in my life. This was so easy and fool-proof and turned out so moist. My family loved it. Thank you!!😃
Best. Turkey. I’ve. Ever. Made! Will definitely use again. Over and over. Fresh herbs (plus a lot of butter) make a HUGE DIFFERENCE!!
Last year my Turkey came out horrible so I was nervous this year because it’s only my 2nd time cooking one. I’m happy to say my Turkey was delicious and both of my kids loved it! I’m bookmarking this recipe as it was great!
Hands down, the BEST recipe for Turkey ever! I’ve made it for 3-4 years now. It is so tender every time.
Wonderful! My family raved about the turkey this year – juicy and delicious, absolutely perfect. I only used about half of the butter, and it was excellent. Cooking time was exact. Thank you! Will be my go to for future Thanksgiving meals.
Best and easiest recipe ever! It turned out PERFECT! I mean so perfect, so juicy, it was falling off the bones. I LOVED the light flavoring of the citrus. We’re using this recipe from now on!!! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
My first time cooking a turkey and it turned out perfect! A lot of compliments of how juicy and flavorful it was.
The moment I found this recipe, I was no longer nervous. Reading Everyone’s reviews were so helpful, so if this is your first time cooking a turkey or using this recipe I highly recommend taking the time to read reviews.
I cooked a 21 lb Butterball turkey for 15 family members. I followed the recipe exactly. I did prep the turkey last night and got up at 3:30 am to let it sit for an hour to reach room temperature. In the oven at 4:45 am and took it out at 163 degrees at 11 am.
Covered it with foil and let it rest for two hours in the same pan, then cut and placed on a platter. Perfect, I will forever use this recipe.
Followed your recipe, but only made half the amount of herb butter, and placed all of it underneath the skin.
Turkey was delicious.
I am the Thanksgiving host in our family every year. I used to roast my turkey with sage butter between the skin, but tried this recipe this year. This will be my go to from now on. It was delicious and moist. I received so many compliments. The only down side, there were no leftover for a turkey sandwich later. There was nothing left but bones!
Turkey soup!
Everyone keeps telling me to “do whatever you did last year.”
Thanks again & happy holidays
I made it for thanksgiving this year and it was absolutely perfect! The best turkey I’ve ever made in 30 years of cooking! Thank you!
We’ve been using this recipe since 2020 (our 4th time using it!) and we will never do it any other way! I tell everyone about it but very few have listened. Shame because I’ve never tasted a better turkey! Thanks for this post!
Me again. I wanted one star again, but it wouldn’t let me. Terrible time typing with one finger. I would love to know what I did wrong to end up with a complete disaster. I used a deep roasting pan. When temperature hit 160, I did what you said. I covered and waited for temperature to hit 165. I guess I didn’t check enough places. How could it be done in one place and yet raw in others?
Great recipe. Easy. Everyone loved the turkey. Mine was 19.60 pounds.
If your oven is a convection oven. Check the turkey about an hour before what a regular oven takes to cook it.
I was so happy to find an easy recipe. I followed your recipe to letter. 325 for about 3 hours. It was nicely browned on top. Took it out of the oven can checked temp. It was 160 in one or two spots. I started my stovetop stuffing and instant mash potatoes. Then my wife started carving. It was raw. In the mean time my stuffing and potatoes are done and no turkey. Long story short. Stuffing and potatoes are dried out. Turkey a total disaster. It seemed to be done in spots and raw in others. Thank goodness for Swansons tv dinner. Never again.
Currently Doing this my Turkey is in the over will give a full update in about 3 hours
Turned out beautiful and very delicious and tasty!
This recipe is simply the best!!!
I’m using this from now on!
Thank you so much!
awesome!!! thank you!!
Easy. Turkey turned out perfect!
I have been using this simply easy way to bake a turkey and it is by far the best turkey we have ever had.
It did NOT brown–it’s pale like boiled chicken.
I use this recipe every year and the whole family just Loves it!!! Thank you for sharing this treasure!!
Best turkey I’ve tasted so far.
dont brine your turkey? this reciepe is automatically wrong
Did you read my explantation for why? Most frozen store-bought turkeys are already injected with a salt/water brine, so brining is not necessary. If smoking a turkey, or using a wild or organic turkey with no brine added, then I do recommend my brine recipe: https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/smoked-turkey-brine/
Thanks 👍🏾
I’m trying to make this recipe, but my turkey is partially frozen! Has anyone had this experience? I’m now using instructions to cook a frozen turkey, but plan on switching to this recipe once I can remove the turkey neck and giblets.
You can soak in cold water to try and thaw it more quickly just make sure to change out the cold water with new water every 30 mins
Yes it will work! You’re just going to have to roast for longer. Hard to say how much longer but I once you get over the 4-5 hour mark start tracking its temperature. And once the skin looks nice and golden brown you probably want to tent with foil so that the outside doesn’t get overcooked.
Hey, same happened to me. I left it out for a day and a half. Was still semi frozen. I just used my muscles and pulled out and cut all of the giblets out. I’m now following this recipe and it defrosted as I went along.
Look up how to do a turkey water bath. You can’t cook a partially frozen turkey, it can grow bacteria. You’ll need to do a water bath to bring it to room temp, then follow these instructions. Good luck and happy Thanksgiving!
Gosh yes! This also happened to me earlier today, and ended up making the whole process a lot longer than planned for! I had my 14 lb bird in the fridge since Sunday, and the cavity was still solid even after sitting out for 1 hour. What I ended up doing was run warm water inside the cavity to loosen up the neck and then plucked out the gizzards one by one with tongs that have gripper teeth on them. I also had to bake it an hour longer since the thicker parts of it wasn’t hitting 160 yet. Fortunately my family was okay with the longer wait, but really… the whole thing was a little fusterating. I wonder if it was that generic brand?
I haven’t cooked a turkey in years, so I found this recipe and I just put a 21 lb bird in the oven. Had to make a couple changes as I didn’t have an orange or apple. But close to the rest! Can’t wait to eat it later. You mentioned 3-3.5 hours but I thought turkey was 15 minutes per pound which would be 5 hours!?! So I’ve planned for 4 and check it then!! Thank you in advance!!
Could I use this recipe and cook it in a Turkey roasting bag?
I tried this recipe last year and it was a hit! This was absolutely the most flavorful and juicy turkey I’ve ever had! I’ll be using this recipe from now on!
Agreed!
Fabulous turkey! Love the herb butter!
This is my third year using this recipe and it’s amazing. 2 years ago I was newly married to the oldest son of a family who had been doing thanksgiving at the boss sisters house forever. She handled all of the main things and desserts as she’s a baker. I decided that I was going to try the turkey and was immediately terrified so I started to RESEARCH. This recipes seemed easy and boy was it a home run! I’m the turkey maker every year lol. I’ve added my own tweaks like the amount of herbs and adding lemon juice to the herb butter but I don’t think I’ll ever not use this recipe as my guide.
This will be my third year using this recipe. As Lauren said, family loves how the Turkey looks and taste!
All I have is a super deep roasting pan. It also has a tall lid. Can I use this pan and lid instead of foil tent!?
Yes of course
I have a roaster pan with a lid. Do I use the lid to cover the turkey only AFTER the bird is browned? Do I NOT use the lid DURING the first stages of cooking? Thank you
I feel silly asking this. Will using an oven bag make any difference? I was planning on using one.
Not sure if it’s too late to answer this or not, but we did some research on this very question last year. Basically the only difference is the turkey won’t brown/crisp up in the bag like it will if left out. We opted to skip the bag and prepared it EXACTLY as this recipe describes and it came out perfectly. Five stars all around and the family raves about it! This year’s turkey is currently in the oven (with no bag again) for round 2. 🙂 good luck!
My go to turkey recipe. So good!
Don’t really like turkey but this is the 7th year I’m cooking it and everyone loves it.
2nd year using this recipe and it’s great!!
My sister in law loved this turkey. Now I’m the designated Turkey host every thanksgiving:).
Going to give this recipe a try! My daughter usually hosts thanksgiving but this year I will . She thinks I can’t cook a turkey , hope this proves her wrong!
No doubt, this is the best turkey recipe ever! I fortunately stumbled upon it last year and it was a downright home run!!! Turkey is so flavorful and juicy, everyone was raving about it! Hosting Thanksgiving can be intimidating but this recipe is a standout and couldn’t be simpler to follow! Thank you so much Lauren! Happy Thanksgiving y’all.
This is the first time I’ve made a turkey & it seems intimidating, but reading this recipe blog post I do feel more confident! I’m excited to see how it turns out! I don’t have any lemons so hopefully that doesn’t make a huge difference 🤞
I host Thanksgiving every year and never veer from my turkey recipe. But when I saw how many great reviews this recipe got, and how easy it seemed, I decided to try it. It came out incredible! Delicious, tender and no work after it’s in the over! Everyone loved it. My new go to recipe for turkey! Thanks!
This is my go to recipe. I can add if I want but I usually stick to the instructions. Often extra butter but that’s me.
My very picky kids LOVE this recipe! All 5 of ‘em!! They tell me it’s so juicy! We had started only doing hams every holiday until we tried this recipe. Welcome back turkey!!
I’ve been making my turkey this way for years. It is always a hit!
Looking forward to this new turkey recipe.
15lbs going in the oven tomorrow.
Happy Thanksgiving!
I’m trying it now and it almost ruined my turkey, eventhough I followed instructions. Hubby had to rescue the poor turkey. I hope yours turns out better!
Can you share more details? How did it almost ruined the turkey and how did your husband rescued it? I’m going to use this recipe in the morning!
If you are referring to some smoke, splatter and burning from the butter hitting the roasting pan as it melts, I too am trying this recipe for the first time and had that problem after about 10 minutes in the oven. Poured a cup or so of chicken stock into the bottom of the roasting pan and problemo solved.
20 pounder in the oven at 10:30 and at 10:50, the house already smells heavenly of roasting garlic and turkey. Can’t wait to dig in this afternoon!
Could you please explain more? What happened? How was it ruined, or almost ruined? What steps did you take prior to something going wrong?
The comment was extremely vague. More details would make it helpful.
I made this Turkey for for Thanksgiving last year and it was hands down the best turkey I’ve ever had! Everyone loved it and have asked me to make it again tomorrow for Thankgiving so praying it will come out as good as it did last year 🙏
Made this last year and it turned out great! Making it again this year, can’t wait to make it again.
Very noob oven user here. I only see: bake or broil option on my oven. The instruction says roast at 325. Which one do I use?
Bake!
Bake is what you use.
Broil is usually just for browning the top with cheese or the skin of the bird. Broil only heats from top. You’ll do great! 😊
Bake!!!! If you broil it you will be calling the fire department.
Bake! Broil is not for cooking it’s for browning quickly
I have a 20lb Foster Farms Turkey. Do I have to brine it? Or will it turn out fine with this recipe? Please someone let me know
I’m not familiar with Foster Farms brand BUT unless it’s a wild turkey or you are smoking it, you most likely do NOT need to brine it. Happy Thanksgiving!
Thank you so much for the help!! One more question, do I need to put any broth in the bottom of the pan?
I use Foster Farms turkey every year and do not brine, just follow this recipe. It always comes juicy and flavorful.
I plan to roast our 18 pound turkey using this recipe on Friday. My wife is giving me the side eye over the addition of 6 to 8 cloves of minced garlic to the mix. “Garlic and turkey?” she says. Does the garlic over power the rest of the herbs? Thanks in advance, and I will report back. 🙂
I make it every year and don’t find it too garlicy!
Nope. Don’t be shy with the garlic – melts right in.
Garlic mellows as it cooks. It’s a sharp flavor raw. Similar to onions. Same family, allums (sp)
Popping in to say the same thing – definitely no overpowering garlic taste at all! For a turkey this size like the recipe calls for, you’d probably need like 20-30 cloves to be “too” garlicky. 🙂
Going on the 3rd year with your recipe. It’s perfect. Thanks so much.
If the Turkey is done too early, how can I reheat the Turkey in the oven?
Never liked turkey. My kids didn’t like turkey. My wife didn’t like turkey. Been grilling steaks for the past 10 years. Moved to France last year, and being Americans in France now, a) we don’t have a Thursday holiday (so did it Wednesday aka today) and b) gotta do a turkey for once to represent… Yankees in baguetteland, duh.
Needless to say, my google search found this recipe and, despite having no clue what to do, I followed the recipe to a tee and we all like turkey now. Clueless tip: I opted for the foil post-browning and it was juicy and delicious. 11 pound turkey for 2h20m with the foil at 1h20. Was great. A+++
Ps no gravy or any of the classics… just scooped the juice from the drip into the carved meat and voila!
*french accent* Les Gobbles gobbles
I absolutely love this recipe! I use it every year and get so many compliments. The combination of seasonings and putting it under the skin results in a juicy and tender turkey.
I’ve used this recipe the past several Thanksgivings, cooking an 18-20lbs bird in an electric counter top roaster. Perfect for easy, all purpose, traditional holiday turkey. Tender and flavorful every time. Thank you!
I plan on using a disposable roasting pan and roasting the turkey over chopped potatoes, carrots, celery, squash and onion. Is there a reason you do not recommend eating the veggies that the turkey roasts on?
Me too! 3rd year. I eat the veggies underneath. Nothing wrong with them. Just not your best show. My parents served them all the time. Great flavor. Sometimes weird texture. Some are worried about raw turkey juices. Add the veggies to the gravy and you cook off any raw. But that’s not really necessary according to my grandma. The heat did its job
Last year, I followed this recipe exactly as it is written and it was wonderful! It was beautiful and delicious and we didn’t even have any leftovers! I’m cooking it again this year! It was so good that I’m hoping it wasn’t beginner’s luck! Lol
I’ve done this recipe for the last three years. Fantastic!
Hello & happy holidays!. I’m trying your Best Sweet Potato Casserole this year, shaking it up a little instead of the usual although much loved candied yams. I’m looking forward to them!
In regard to the turkey, it is just my son and I this year so I went with a bone-in Turkey breast. ( It was delivered a little larger than I need at 8 pounds but I’ll be sending a lot of leftovers home with my 27 year old son who lives in a big house full of 6 bachelors..I’m sure they will all get eaten!) I digress. My turkey breast…do you think I can prepare it the same way as your recipe states and get a similar result? I thought about putting the aromatics in the pan with the other veggies that the turkey breast will be sitting on while roasting. What do you think…will that work?
I would appreciate your thoughts.
Peace, Sara
Yes, you can–I’ve adapted that recipe for using a smaller breast–you find me tips here: https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/roasted-turkey-breast/
Can I prepare the turkey the night before and cook it in the morning?
Yes, you could (store it in the fridge).
Would you suggest to stuff the apples, onions, and lemons in the day of? Or is this something you can also do the day before?
Thank you so much! 🙂
Day before would be fine!
I hosted last year and made my first ever turkey following this recipe. I was told numerous times how it was the best turkey they’ve had. So.. came back to snag the recipe again to make this year as well. I appreciate how simple this is and allows me time to visit with guests instead of slaving in the kitchen all day. Thank you!!
What is the purpose of the fruits and vegetables inside the Turkey? Is there anything else that can be substituted for them?
You can put any aromatics you like inside the turkey. They add a little flavor, but are mostly there to keep the turkey moist, from the steam they create in the cavity.
This is my first year trying this recipe! It seems almost too easy compared to some of the recipes I’ve tried in the past. This is also my first fresh organic fed bird so I’m hoping for a great outcome. Will post results after Thanksgiving dinner.
Hi! Thanks for the recipe! Once the turkey is baked, do we put the stuffing in it once it’s cooled?
Much easier and safer to cook the stuffing outside the bird. With the recipe you have other stuff in the cavity so definitely bake the stuffing in its own container and serve alongside the turkey. Have fun!
I am looking forward to making this. I have all the ingredients. I did buy the brand O Organics Whole Turkey Frozen It does not say salted brined. Do I need to brine it?
Read the ingredient list and all over the packaging to see if any additional salt/water was added. If not, you can brine it if you’d like, or even do a dry brine if you don’t want to submerge it in a wet brine.
Thank you for the reply Lauren! I went ahead and started the dry brine last night.
One more question, can I still use the herb butter recipe even if using a brine? Will that be too much? Some recommend just doing a dry brine with no additional favoring or butter.
I personally don’t think it’s too much to do both.
This is my second year and second time making a Turkey and this recipe really makes it so easy! It’s the best Turkey I’ve had and not dry whatsoever! I would just make extra herb butter, it’s the best part of it. Thank you!
Curious if anyone dried their turkey in the fridge a day or two before cooking? Drying always seems to help crisp up the skin, but I don’t want to mess with this great recipe.
My third year using this recipe. Always a major hit! Leaves it being so flavorful and juicy!
Here is a great tip if your turkey comes out a little dry. Set it on the table on top of something to catch the water. Then take a pitcher of warm water and completely saturate the turkey with the water. This will turn the turkey from being dry to a nice, moist and very wet turkey! If the turkey is still dry, simply submerge the turkey and a bucket water for about 15 minutes. Again, problem solved!
I did not buy a butterball so do you recommend brining? If so what is the procedure to do so?
What kind of turkey did you buy? The label will tell you if it’s been injected with any salt water solution.brine. If not, brining it would be great.
I’m doing the same
Best Thanksgiving Turkey I’ve every made. Everyone commented on how tender and flavorful the turkey was. Thank you for this great recipe
Made this last year — the first time I ever hosted a Thanksgiving meal and cooked a whole turkey. It was the easily best I’ve ever had! Honestly, I never even knew Thanksgiving turkey could come out tasting so moist. I couldn’t even believe that *I* was the one who made this. We’re hosting again this year, and I made a “test turkey” earlier this month on my husband’s request – still excellent. Can’t wait to make again on Thursday. I also make your outstanding stuffing and I just generally really like your recipe-writing style – your instructions are so thorough, well-explained, and easy-to-follow. Cheers, thanks again, and a very happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!
Ours is a wild Turkey bought from a local farm. What brine would you recommend to complement this recipe??
This is the brine I always use: https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/smoked-turkey-brine/
I just wanted to thank you for this recipe. Last year, my husband and I were tasked with hosting Thanksgiving for the first time in our lives – for 16 people. We had never made a turkey ever. I found this recipe, we followed it to a T, and the turkey was both gorgeous and DELICIOUS. We got so many compliments, and my grandma, who had hosted for 40 years, teared up telling me how proud she was of me lol! I bookmarked this and we’re preparing to make it again this year (albeit for a smaller group this time.) THANK YOU so much for the incredible recipe and the best turkey any of us have ever had!
did you end up going with a wet brine or bought the turkey pre-brined? thanks!
Since I’m back here again this year I figured I should leave a comment. This is the ONLY turkey recipe I’ve gone back to two years in a row. It was absolutely delicious.
What kind of onion do you use in your recipe? Looking forward to trying this!
Normally turkey not a favorite meat but this recipe was s game changer- so good!! Turkey had delicious favor and with this recipe we will have turkey often. Thanks, Jean
I made this yesterday for an early Thanksgiving. I usually brine and clean up all of that mess to try to achieve a moist bird. This turkey truly was SO easy. I probably spent 15 minutes putting in the herb butter and stuffing the cavity. I put it in the oven and unlike my normal self, I never opened the door or basted until the timer went off. A friend just asked me where she can get a cooked hot bird on Thanksgiving. I said she could get it at my house. I’m going to make it for her. It was that easy. I literally just have to turn on the oven. It was juicy, tender, delicious, and extremely easy. Highly recommend!
Hi Laura,
I want to make your recipe for Thanksgiving this year. It’s my first time making a turkey from scratch. I did buy a 12 pound butterball. I want to ask if I need to season the outside of the turkey with additional salt/pepper as it is my understanding that butterballs are pre brined. Also, how much salt/pepper should I put inside the turkey?
Hi Stephen, yes you can salt and pepper all over the outside and inside the turkey cavity. I don’t measure it– just sprinkle some on, like seasoning any meat.
Is it okay to use salted butter instead of unsalted for the herb butter? First time cooking the turkey (ah !)
Thanks!!
Yes, that’s fine, just reduce the added salt a little bit.
Do you recommend taking the turkey out of the packaging the night before and letting the skin dry out in the fridge? I heard that this can help with getting crispier skin. I have a pre-brined turkey
That would be fine!
I can’t find fresh herbs. I was told last minute that I will be doing a turkey. Do I get the 75oz dried. Use the teaspoon to tablespoon like the notes say and use the rest of the 75oz in the cavity? Or only some?
For the herb butter you will need 1 tablespoon chopped thyme and rosemary, and 1/2 tablespoons chopped sage. Any remaining herbs you can stuff in the cavity of the bird.
Can anyone answer, exactly where do you check the temperature for the 160 degrees? I have an instant read thermo., but never cooked a turkey before. Thanks!
You can watch the video and see where I test it–you want to check it in the thickest parts of the thigh meat and breast meat (don’t hit bone, or it will measure a hotter temperature than it actually is).
I used this recipe last year! Using it again this year. So good!
I used this last year as well, and using it again!
This will be the third year I’m cooking my Thanksgiving turkey with this recipe. My family and friends said it’s the best turkey they have ever eaten. It comes out so juicy and flavorful. Never dry. When my mother decided to stop cooking for Thanksgiving, this was the recipe I found and decided to give it a try for the first time ever cooking a turkey. I love using the fresh herbs and garlic for the butter and stuffing some inside. They smell wonderful and earthy. Using apples, lemons and onions inside is such a great idea. The aroma when it’s cooking is amazing. This recipe is opposite of how my mother cooked and prepped her turkey. The old school traditional way of washing the turkey, putting stuffing inside, constantly basting it, ect. Now I know why her turkey was dry all those years. My family and friends look forward to my turkey every year now! I want to thank you so much for your Thanksgiving turkey recipe!
Hello, would this recipe work if cooking the turkey in parts? If so, would you have any tips? Thank you.
I’m going to try this recipe! It looks simple enough! I’m not a cook so please excuse the ignorance of this question but I’m wondering if the lemon, apple & onion that goes inside the turkey is just for flavor? Or does that get eaten too?
No you don’t eat them. They add moistness to the turkey, and slightly enhance flavor.
Made this the last 2 years and it was the best turkey we’ve ever had. Making it again this year. Going to try a brine first but if you’ve never made this it’s probably not necessary just something I want to try. Came here for the recipe again and thought I’d add my praise.
How should I adjust the recipe for a 24lb Turkey? I made this last year and it was delicious!
I made this recipe last New Year’s Eve. My Turkey came out delicious moist and tender. I did have to cook my Turkey longer than the recipe calls for but it came out Perfect.
I’m going to use this recipe again this Thanksgiving!! But I have a question can I prep the turkey on Wednesday night so I can have it ready to pop in the oven Early Thanksgiving morning? Thank You!!
Leaving uncovered in the fridge overnight is actually desirable as it lets the skin dry out yielding a crisper skin after roasting. ATK has some videos on this method but it’s really just very straightforward.
We’ve made this for 2 years and it’s been absolutely delicious. This year I’m wondering if I could make it the day before and then just warm it up. Would that dry it out?
If you want to make it ahead, I would prep it with the herb butter and refrigerate overnight, then bake it day of. I don’t recommend reheating the whole turkey the next day or it would be dry. If you want to cook it ahead, then I would carve it and rewarm the meat the next day in a pan with simmering chicken broth, before serving.
In addition to your recipe, I did an overnight wet-brine with the turkey, however I’m giving all props to your recipe. I served 10 women, who have been cooking and eating turkey for years, and they said it was the best turkey they’ve ever had. And I agree!! Amazing flavor. Dare I say, crave worthy turkey!! I mean how many people really love turkey. Most of us only eat it once a year. This recipe has me wanting to put it on the menu monthly! Absolutely delicious! Thank you so much for sharing it with everyone. I’ve passed it along to all the ladies as well.
I’ve read some of the great reviews and decided not to buy a precooked turkey! I am excited to try this recipe as well as the gravy recipe! Question- how do you prepare the turkey as far as cleaning/washing? Is this necessary? Thank you!
Awesome, you’ve got this! You don’t wash it (that will just add bacteria to your sink, and any bacteria on it will be killed in the hot oven while it cooks). Open the bag inside your sink so the juices run out, and then place it on a big baking sheet or cutting board and pat it dry with paper towels, all of the outside and inside the cavity.
If I wanted to add bacon, what modifications would I need to make? Thankyou!
Was so excited to try this recipe after I read the reviews! But I’m sorely disappointed, I followed the cook time rules and I’m way past that and it’s still not even close to being done, followed the recipe exactly as written and now it’s very late and still no turkey.
If that’s the case, your oven temperature could be off (test with a thermometer) or the turkey was still frozen. This is a fool proof recipe and 13-15 minutes per pound is standard across the board in terms of cooking time for a turkey.
Always win with your recipes!
I have made this recipe before with excellent results. I am not a turkey lover but really enjoyed the turkey last year.
This year I messed up and got a 22lb turkey. Can I still use this recipe? How do I adjust?
Yes, you can! With a turkey that big, you may actually want to consider brining it (the longer it takes the turkey to cook, the more likely to get dry). Otherwise I would cover all of the breast meat with foil for most of the baking time, and remove it closer to the end, for the skin to get brown.
Made the juiciest brown skin magazine cover worthy Turkey I’ve ever made. It seems like a lot of butter, but it’s worth it to use every ounce of it.
We added stuffing instead of the listed ingredients, and it all came out great.
good recipe thanks
I think this will be the fourth year I make this recipe. It turns out so perfect every time, I don’t change a thing. The turkey can be such an intimidating thing to make for Thanksgiving dinner, but if you follow these directions exactly, it’s foolproof!
I made my very first turkey for Thanksgiving 2 years ago when I was pregnant. It was also the day I announced my pregnancy to my whole family!! So this turkey recipe is so special to me. Everyone loved the turkey. It was so juicy and flavorful. I was so proud of myself! Now I’m planning to make it this year in our new home with my son. I hope it goes well this year too. Thank you for such a fantastic recipe!
I loved reading this! Congratulations on your son. Good luck with the second annual turkey cook-off!
Used this recipe twice. Did exactly as recommended. It was great success . Doing it again this year. Thank you so much!
I have used this recipe at Thanksgiving for 5 years and it has always been a huge hit. Turkey is always moist, skin perfectly cooked. The herb butter is fantastic tasting! Some years I do the apples, lemons, and onions inside. Other years I just put in herbs. Couple hints, if you stuff the turkey with apples and spices, you can use those apples for a fantastic dressing afterwards! Makes sure to tent foil the wings when they brown, they always brown first and need a tent. The recipe produces some juice for gravy, but I find it does not make enough for a substantial amount because the turkey is so juicy. Better to make a giblets gravy than rely on extra turkey juice, which is not bad… just something to note.
Looks simple and has great reviews so I’m going to try. Only thing is I do not cook with salt in regular dishes. I use Goya Adobo so not sure how much salt to use for a 14 pound. Any suggesting?
Hey Lauren!
I loved the simplicity of this turkey but found the meat a little dry during my trial run. I know my oven isn’t too hot, used a piece of foil to tent, checked the temp with a digital thermometer, etc. Any tips to prevent this result next time?
Anne Marie, add more wet ingredients inside, as much as I can fit. I had an extra orange leftover from the cranberry sauce, and always extra apples, lemons, onion. The herb butter is what will give that beautiful flavor and texture, so you really want to stuff it with things that will release steam. I stuff as much of that inside as I can fit. The fruit doesn’t really add too much flavor, but the extra liquid steams the bird from the inside, so the meat is juicier. If you have ever seen a beer can chicken, it’s the same effect.
I have made this recipe several times and the turkey is delicious. My family loves it and I usually don’t have left overs. Flavor is great and the meat is juicy. This my go to recipe for Thanksgiving.
Amazing! I had never made a Thanksgiving Turkey before but I have used this recipe for the last two years and it has been delicious both times. And so easy to do! Thank you!
Would a 10 lb turkey be okay?
Yes!
I’ve been making turkey basting and stuffing for 5 years until…….THIS ONE!! Dear god this is way better and so much easier!!! So juicy and flavorful. This is the easiest perfectly perfect turkey! Thank you!
If using a boneless breast (nothing to stuff), are there ways I could incorporate the apple and lemon for flavor?
You could add them to the pan you’re roasting the meat in! Here’s my adapted turkey breast recipes if you need it! https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/roasted-turkey-breast/
I made this recipe last year for Thanksgiving and it was 5-star delicious! Highly recommend!
Excited to try out this recipe! Planning to use a fresh turkey instead of frozen. Not planning to brine. Has anyone tried this?
If you’re using a fresh organic turkey that hasn’t already been been pre-brined (like most frozen store-bought turkey’s are), I would recommend brining it. Here is my brine recipe: https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/smoked-turkey-brine/
Does this recipe use a prebrined turkey?
Yes–it’s if you use a frozen store-turkey (like butterball or Jennie-o) you don’t need to brine it. If it’s fresh/organic, then you should brine it.
Hi I am worried this will not be enough salt for a whole turkey. 1 tsp on the outside doesn’t seem like a lot? Please advise thanks!
The 1 teaspoon of salt is for the herb butter. You should salt and pepper the turkey all over the outside, and inside the center cavity.
Is it possible to use chicken instead of turkey?
Yes, you would want to cut the herb butter in half, or here’s my recipe for roast chicken: https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/roast-chicken/
how can I slow cook this all night from about 8pm till about 1,2 in the afternoon the next day
Last year was my first year making a turkey for thanksgiving and this recipe saved me! I’ll 100% be using again this year.
I am not the best cook. I made this for Thanksgiving 2022. I have never heard as much praise about turkey as I heard about this one. It was wonderful. I highly recommend following this recipe exactly.
Do you think it would be better to do convection or non-convection? I don’t care how long it takes to cook. Thank you!
Convection works really well and creates a very consistent cook on all parts. Just watch the wings and remember it will take less time.
Can you use this recipe and put the turkey in a cooking bag?
Last year, I used this recipe exactly as you have it and it was delicious wonderful! Everyone loved it and there were no leftovers! It was so beautiful. I just looked back to make sure I had this recipe saved. The herb butter was the delicious. Thanks, Lauren!
I make this turkey every year and it’s delicious! My family is obsessed!!!
I need to make a turkey plus additional turkey breasts for many guests. How should I cook the additional turkey breasts?
Here is my Turkey Breast recipe: https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/roasted-turkey-breast/
I made this Turkey last year and it was the BEST! I will be fixing it again this year!
I’ve made this turkey recipe the past two years and it SLAPS so simple always get compliments tysm
Hello!
I was wondering how I would do this recipe with a turkey oven bag?? Please let me know! Thank you!!
Yes you can (although you wont get the same crispy golden skin when using an oven bag).
Lauren, hello. My oven is pretty basic and only has “bake” and “broil” options. Most turkey recipes require to “roast. Can I still prepare the turkey in accordance with your recipe and then bake it at 325 F? Thank you.
You want to turn the oven to “bake” setting and the turkey will roast great!
I would like to know if it’s possible to substitute olive oil for the butter. I have a guest coming that can’t eat any dairy products so I would need to use either olive oil or ghee. Thank you.
Yes, that’s fine!
Hello, I love your recipe and instructional video. I am wondering if I can prep the turkey the night before I cook it or is it better to prep and then put it directly in oven?
Thanks
Sure, that’s fine.
Made this for Thanksgiving and my family went wild! The best turkey they’ve ever had. I cooked it until the internal temperature was 165⁰F and it was incredibly moist. Everyone please try this recipe!!
This is my go to recipe each and every year!
Amazing!! Best Recipe!
I made the no fuss turkey, dressing (vegan style) and giblet gravy. The whole thanksgiving dinner was fantastic! everybody loved it. Thanks
My best friend and I started using this recipe about 4 years ago when we moved out together and made our own thanksgiving dinner for the first time.
This recipe made the best turkey we have both EVER had and every year now we use it. It is forever bookmarked in my phone, Lauren we thank you forever!
excellent easy to follow – also the options of when & how to use foil; dried/fresh herb ratios. thank you!
This is seriously the best turkey recipe! I highly recommend using a fresh turkey, tastes so much better than a frozen one. This is the first time I’ve made a turkey that was actually juicy all the way through! Thank you!
Hello I’m very excited to try this recipe this Thanksgiving. However I’d love to know what needs to be tweaked to do it on the BBQ (gas grill) so I can free up oven space for all the other dishes. Have you tried it on the grill? Do you have suggestions of how that changes your recipe, if at all, and the cooking temperature etc. Would love to hear your thoughts on that!
Hi Alexandra, I give all my tips for cooking a turkey on a gas or charcoal grill (and smokers), in this post: https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/smoked-turkey/
Alexandra, please let us know what you did on the grill and how it turned out!
My own experience with whole birds on the grill is limited to chicken roasters, so much smaller than a turkey, but the beer can style with the same herb butter prep method never fails to impress in taste or appearance.
I hate Thyme. Do you suggest just leaving it out, or substituting with something else? If so, what do I substitute it with?
thanks for the great help!!!
Made this for Easter, and got rave reviews, “best turkey I’ve ever eaten” from the hard-core foodie at the table! Basic ingredients, simple steps, came out super juicy and so delicious. My go-to turkey recipe from now on!
Not enough of a cook time. 165 is not properly cooked. Turkey was raw. And it ruined my Easter dinner.
I’m sorry to hear that the turkey did not turn out well for you. It can be frustrating when a recipe does not yield the desired results.
In regards to your comment about the cook time, I want to make sure I understand your concern correctly. It sounds like you felt that the turkey was not properly cooked at an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit, is that correct?
While the USDA recommends a minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit for poultry, it’s possible that the turkey may have needed additional time in the oven. Factors such as the size and shape of the turkey, the accuracy of your oven temperature, and the type of oven you’re using can all impact cooking time.
If you’d like to provide more information about your experience, I’d be happy to help troubleshoot and offer suggestions for how to ensure your turkey is fully cooked and safe to eat in the future.
This is how my mom has always made her Turkey, since I was a child…except she does put stuffing inside her Turkey and it gets done perfectly. She starts with prep & on the table right on time every year. Early start, as in maybe 3am. 😅
I can appreciate Stacy, on her patience, understanding and politeness, in replying to this specific comment; Although you may have felt that it “ruined” your Easter, it was no fault of hers, but your own. Always give yourself some extra time, just for those type of things- especially if it was your first time trying it out. Also, Easter is only ruined, if you have a negative outlook, as A Turkey isn’t what we’re celebrating to begin with. It’s all about perspective and spending time, coming together with family.
I can’t say enough good things about this recipe. I have used for the last few family dinners and most recently today for our family Easter dinner. I feel so confident about making turkey now. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe and preparation instructions, so easy to follow.
This is simply the best turkey recipe I have ever used. I’ve tried all the tricks, breast down, roasting bags, basting, brining, injecting and frying, smoking and this is hand;s down the BEST!! Always moist and delicious!! Thank you! I’ll never cook a turkey any other other way!
I love this recipe. Simple and the turkey came out just right. I picked up an extra turkey in November because they were so cheap and was kind of dreading doing the whole brining thing now in March. Your recipe made it easy.
Best turkey ever!
Hey I made this for me and my husband Barty and he loved it and so did I and soo gonna make it for Thanksgiving!!!!
This past November I hosted Thanksgiving dinner for the very first time and used this recipe. The amount of positive feedback I got from friends and family was overwhelming! The bird was incredibly juicy and flavorful and earned me multiple nominations to make it again this upcoming Turkey Day lol
This recipe really stole the show and I’m happy to add it to my collection.
I just made this for the second time. This recipe is GENIUS!! Since I made this for the first time last year I sware I’ve had a hard time eating anyone else’s cooked turkey. Both times it came out perfection! I think the apple is what does it for me, and the butter, herbs and garlic. The meat has a subtle apple taste which is what I love! Just the right hint of flavor. For the first time I actually like turkey meat ! I wanna try to get my mom to use this method next Thanksgiving! She makes a good turkey but this is just incredible !! Thank you !
This was the first Turkey I ever made, and I have not stopped making it!!! So juicy and delicious. “My” (your) turkey recipe quickly became the best turkey I’ve ever had. I see other comments stating it’s dry, and I don’t understand it, because mine is always so juicy. Another one states it’s not done because of pinkness, but as long as you checked multiple areas with and accurate thermometer and got 165, pink is safe!
This was my first time EVER trying to cook a turkey and this recipe was amazing!! I loved all the helpful steps and videos. I subbed the butter for olive oil and it still tasted amazing!!
This recipe is exactly as stated. So easy and the results were delicious. My family enjoyed it more than any turkey I’ve ever made and EVEN ate the dark meat.
Thank you for this excellent recipe made easy and simple and destressed my holiday! ❤️
The first time I prepare turkey, easy recipe with a fantastic result! tasty, moist. A recipe to keep.
I usually do the cheesecloth method and tried this recipe out as something new and different. It came out SO Dry!! I felt like Clark in Christmas vacation cutting into the turkey. Horrible recipe!
I have done this for years and never had it turn out dry. Check your thermometer, oven temp, time you roast it. Sounds more like operator error than the recipe.
Easy to prepare. However, for a 14 lb turkey I put it for 3.5 hours as suggested, but it came out pink and even red in some areas. I suggest more time for a thoroughly cooked turkey. The taste was overall good so I liked the seasonings, but I still think brining would have made it tastier. I also do recommend rinsing it. It did brown very nicely so the foil tent idea was great.
Outstanding! Most tender, juiciest turkey we’ve ever had! And sooooo easy! This is only the 2nd turkey I’ve ever roasted, and now I feel utterly confident if I ever cook another. I decided not to put stuffing inside. I used onion and lemon quarters. I didn’t have fresh herbs, so I used a mixture of poultry and Italian seasoning along with the minced garlic in the butter. I added a little onion and chili powder. I didn’t stick the thermometer in till it had been in for 13 minutes per pound, and the breast temperature was at 170 already so I took it out to rest tented, while I finished the gravy. When I carved it up, there was loads of juice inside the breast meat. Thank you so much for taking the stress out of this important meal.
Made it this year, and the result was absolutely delicious and moist. This recipe is definitely a keeper!
I wish I could add more than 5 stars! I was so nervous making the Turkey this Christmas for my in-laws but this recipe was SPOT ON! So juicy and delicious and excellent flavor. The whole house smelled amazing. We had a 20 lb Turkey and followed the directions/timing exactly and the results were absolutely perfect, saving recipe for next year! Thank you!
Ps I added the onions, celery and carrots in the bottom of my roasting pan as the “rack” and it resulted in the best tasting gravy I’ve ever made, I didn’t need any additional broth or seasoning, just some Wondra and it was incredible.
I wish I could add more than 5 stars! I was so nervous making the Turkey this Christmas for my in-laws but this recipe was SPOT ON! So juicy and delicious and excellent flavor. The whole house smelled amazing. We had a 20 lb Turkey and followed the directions/timing exactly and the results were absolutely perfect, saving recipe for next year! Thank you!
My first turkey ever was my family’s BEST turkey ever! Super easy to do! Thank you!
We have been using this recipe now for a few years and my whole extended family raves about it every time. So easy…but SO good! I never really liked Turkey breast meat until trying this recipe. 😅
We have never tried the bed of veggies before but this year we are going to!
Made my first turkey for Thanksgiving and everyone went crazy for it and couldn’t believe it was my first turkey. I’m using this same recipe for Christmas today. Thank you!
Best turkey recipe, we followed the recipe for our 2022 Christmas celebration dinner last night and it came out perfect. Moist and tasty. This recipe is so simple will definitely use this over again, thank you so much!
TASTE GOOD EASY TO PREPARE
Really easy to follow, I made my first turkey last year and it was perfect thanks to this recipe!
This truly is the best turkey I’ve ever had. I’ve made it for our family Christmas gathering for 2 years now and everyone raves about it. It’s so flavorful and juicy. Definitely the only way I’ll be cooking turkey from now on.
This is a great recipe, it’s my second time using it this year.
I got great responses from everyone. I had to do it again.
I have made this turkey recipe several times. Took the worry out for me. Comes out perfectly every time. Thank you. Perfection.
This turned out great. Family was very pleased with the flavor and moisture of the turkey. Turkey wasn’t dry at all. Must be the cup of butter! Rubbing it under skin seems to be the trick. Used dried herbs and was happy with results. Also had to use the foil tent as suggested because bird browned nicely about 2 hours in and probably would have burned on outside if not for adding the foil, but that could be my oven, but recommend following that tip. Thanks for sharing, will come back to this!
Second time making Turkey – this came out great – juicy and flavory -will use this from now on . Easy and quick plenty of drippings for gravy – Made a 20 lb bird and was done perfect in 4 hours. Thank you for sharing you recipe.
made this and it was the best tasting turkey I ever made!!! deff going to be a tradition!
Great recipe! I will be keeping this one for future dinners.
I tried this recipe for Thanksgiving this year, and everyone loved it! My sister typically does all the big stuff to prepare the Thanksgiving turkey (brining, basting, injections), but she kept sneaking bites as it was being carved and she loved it 🙂 Thanks for making this so approachable Lauren! I’m a big fan!
Wow this turned out great! I have never made a large turkey without using an oven bag and then with the bag there is no crispy skin. My turkey came out brown and just like your picture & everyone loved it! Thank you for sharing!! This was an easy but super delicious turkey!
Year 3 of using this recipe for the turkey on Thanksgiving and just as perfect as year’s past. The method is so simple yet so fool-proof. Make sure you have a digital thermometer to check the turkey’s internal temperature as cooking times vary so much by weight and oven type.
I think the key to this recipe’s success is the herb butter coating the turkey’s surface. It really helps to give it a nice color and keeps it moist throughout. In my oven and with a 16-ish pound turkey it will appear golden brown after about 1.5 hours after which I use a foil tent to keep the skin form burning.
I may make some small changes here and there in the future, but I can’t say enough good things about this recipe. What a winner!
This resulted in the most perfectly moist and flavorful turkey! I received so many compliments!
Thank you so much for this step-by-step, easy to follow instruction! My husband gets a free turkey from work every year and I never really knew how to properly cook it (always turned out dry). The turkey came out fantastic this time. Juicy and flavorful. I even made gravy with the drippings for the first time. I can’t wait to use all of the delicious meat for all sorts of different meals!
Best most awesome delicious receipe. It worked to the T. Family loved it. Tasted moist and like chicken. Even the non-turkey eaters loved it. Thank you for sharing
what kind of “herbs” for the herbed butter?
It says on instructions: thyme, sage, minced garlic, rosemary, and some salt and pepper.
This worked wonderfully! Awesome tip about melting the butter enough to brush it on top. So flavorful and I appreciated the options to use dried herbs.
This worked wonderfully! Awesome tip about melting the butter enough to brush it on top. So flavorful and I appreciated the options to use dried herbs.
WOW!!! I posted a question earlier last week before making this, and had to follow up here after thanksgiving… This was my first time ever making a turkey, and we hosted 16 people total (so needless to say, I was a bit worried how the turkey would come out). But this recipe is fool-proof! I had relatives saying this was the best turkey they ever had (including my dad, who has made the turkey the previous 25 yrs!). The turkey was moist, flavorful, and perfectly cooked. Only suggestion/advice- I’d personally use 12-15 mins per lb as a guide, depending on your oven. My 24 lb turkey was done at about 12 mins per lb, which meant it was ready a few hrs before lunch, as we estimated it to cook at least 14-15 mins per lb. So definitely consider whether your oven runs hot before estimating your cook time. Overall though, this wasn’t an issue and we heated the turkey back in the oven once guests arrived 🙂
This was my first recipe off this site, but absolutely will be checking out more after this hit! Will never try another turkey recipe. Thank you sooo much!
We can’t tell you just HOW HAPPY this makes us to hear!! THANK YOU!
I made my very first turkey this year using this recipe and my husband said it was the first turkey he’s ever actually liked because it was juicy and not dry at all. I bombed the gravy, but the turkey was so good on its own that it worked out. 😂
First turkey I’ve ever roasted. It was perfection! Followed your gravy recipe at the bottom of this page and used the meat from the neck only and it was the most rich flavorful gravy ever 🙂
Absolutely amazing recipe. My turkey came out golden brown, juicy and delicious! This is my third year in a row using this recipe, never fails!
It was totally delicious. So moist. Beautiful color. Thank you so much. I’ve never left the lid off my roaster before because I was always afraid it would dry out. Now I’m so excited about having another turkey because it was so good. Thank you! My family loved it !
This is the ULTIMATE turkey recipe! It was so easy and the turkey was the juiciest turkey we have ever made this year…HIGHLY recommend, hands down best turkey recipe especially for Thanksgiving.
Delicious. My first time making a turkey and your recipe was outstanding!
Only the 2nd turkey I have ever made and by far One of the best I’ve ever eaten. That should say a lot for this easy no fuss delight.
I made this for Thanksgiving this year and it was a huge hit. Everyone could not believe how juicy it turned out.
This is now my go-to turkey recipe. Thank you!
Excellent recipe. The turkey came out very juicy and flavorful! It was so easy, and made me look like an expert chef!
Have used this recipe the last 3 years and has come out perfect every time. Very easy to make!😉👍
Made your turkey !! So much flavor !! Thank you for sharing it !
I tried the recipe for the first time. This is my eighth turkey that I have cooked myself. The big chunks of vegetable and fruit are a great idea. This is by far the most moist white meat that I have ever tasted. The spices are a good mix. Not to overwhelming. Skin was golden brown. I tented the turkey half way through the cook time. I believe your 160 degrees is too low. I checked the turkey at 160 degrees and the meat was not cooked all the way. My meat thermometer says cook poultry to 185 degrees. I cooked the turkey to 180 degrees and the meat was done. I will try this recipe again. Thank-you.
This recipe made our whole dinner! THANK YOU!!! Every year we have tried a different way to prepare the turkey because we have yet to find one that everyone likes. We will be doing it this way from now on. EVERYONE loved how this turkey came out!
Wow this was my first time making turkey for thanksgiving and it came out amazing! It was simple and easy to follow but bursting with flavor and tenderness.
I usually go to my family’s for thanksgiving so I was nervous but it came out so great. My family really enjoyed it! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I will be making this again next year!
The best, moistest Turkey ever! No need to look for any other recipe. Thank you!
This was the best turkey I have ever tasted, let alone made. It was moist and flavorful, not dry in the least. I was so happy! This will definitely be my recipe I use for years to come. Thank you!
I have bern making this recipe for three years now. Everyone always compliment me on how hood the turkey is. I do add other seasoning to my liking but everything else I still do. Thank you for this recipe.
This is the second (or maybe third?) year in a row I’ve made this turkey for Thanksgiving and it always gets rave reviews. This year we had some friends over for games night on Friday so I heated up some leftovers for everyone and the turkey was still moist and delicious even reheated!
Wow. This was THE best explanation of how to cook a Thanksgiving turkey ever! I’ve cooked many Thanksgiving turkeys, but whether it’s your first time or your 20th time, this blog post is so helpful, with tips and tricks I’ve never thought of! I’ll be saving this page to refer back to every year for myself, and also for new cooks.
Second time making this turkey recipe. It’s so easy and everyone complimented the turkey. It was perfect!
I made this turkey yesterday using a 15 pound butterball. I never tasted a better turkey and everyone raves about it! We had leftovers today and the meat was still so juicy and tender after microwaving! Thank you so much for sharing your recipe! I’m sure I’ll be asked to prepare it again next year.
This Turkey really was “no fuss” and so moist and juicy. I added a cheese cloth to the top while baking and it browned so beautifully.
I used this recipe for thanksgiving and my turkey was moist and delicious. It’s easy and the flavors are not over powering Everyone loved it.
Loved this recipe! Our Turkey was juicy and delicious with no stress!
This is the first turkey I made ever. Thank sweet Jesus I found and used this recipe.
Most of my family doesn’t care for turkey (including myself) because it is typically so dry. My sister-in-law desperately wanted a turkey because “it’s not Thanksgiving without a turkey”. I was volunteered to make the turkey. We had an 18.5lb turkey. I used the exact recipe. EVERYONE raved how tender, juicy and delicious it was. The best part is it was SO easy and didn’t take that long to make.
I’ve now been assigned to forever make the turkey. Thank you for the recipe!
This was my first time ever making a Thanksgiving turkey, and it came out perfectly! My entire family said it was the best Turkey they’ve ever had. It was so tender and juicy and flavorful. I honestly can’t say enough good things about this recipe, and it required zero basting, and zero brining? Literal Perfection!
Thank you so much for this incredible recipe! I made it for the first time yesterday for Thanksgiving. It honestly was the best turkey I have ever tasted! I got rave reviews from all of my guests. The best ones were from my adult children who usually don’t even like turkey, they just eat the sides. That all changed yesterday with your wonderful recipe. They not only asked for seconds but asked to take home leftovers. I normally make only turkey breast’s as I was intimidated with making a whole turkey. I’ll never go back as this recipe is now a family favorite! Thanks for your easy to follow directions as well as the video on how to carve it. Thanks again!!😊
I used this recipe at Thanksgiving this year and my family said this was my best turkey yet. I loved that I was able to achieve such good results without the hassle of brining.
I added a quarter cup of maple syrup to the herb butter for a hint of sweetness.
Kudos, Lauren! I’ve prepared a lot of turkeys over the years and this recipe produced the most moist and delicious bird ever. Even my father-in-law complimented me multiple times on the flavor and the day-after sandwiches were just as delicious. I can’t wait to make another to see if I get similar results.
Made for a very flavorful turkey! The video was especially helpful so we could know which way to fill in the turkey.
Used this recipe in the electric turkey roaster and it turned out great! Easy and smelled wonderful.
I made this turkey yesterday for Thanksgiving 2022 and it was great. Super easy, no fuss just as promised. People were surprised that the white meat was moist while the dark meat thouroughly cooked. I did use my oven meat thermometer and took it out when it hit 160ish.
Such an easy and yummy turkey recipe! The ease of this recipe allowed be to enjoy more free time and not worry about the turkey. 🤗
I was so nervous first time cooking a 20-lbs turkey but your recipe nailed it! Truly juicy and delicious! Thank you for sharing your cooking expertise! I will continue to use this recipe every year!
I have been trying different turkey recipes for several years, having taken over Thanksgiving hosting. This is by far the best turkey we have had! I had a small, store brand turkey, and followed the instructions. It was so easy, delicious, and made the best gravy, as well!!This is my go to recipe going forward!!!
Best Turkey recipe! I will continue to use this each year, the turkey turned out moist and full of flavor… Family loved it
This is hands down the best turkey I’ve ever made. It was flavorful and moist and will be my go to recipe for cooking our holiday meals. I also used the drippings for our gravy and it was incredible. I’m so sad that there isn’t more leftover, which is a first!
My best turkey yet, by following this recipe!!! I quietly waited as my family started eating & one by one began commenting on how delicious & moist the turkey came out! YAY…success!!! Turkey wiped out this year. Will be using THIS recipe again next year for sure. Cooking at the lower heat, then tenting with foil halfway or when skin golden brown – were very helpful tips.
We made this the first time this Thanksgiving and it turned out perfect. We ended up having to let it rest for almost an hour while waiting on some sides and it was still hot and so juicy. We will use this from now on!
I use this recipe for every turkey I make (since my very first time!)… so thankful to have found it!!!! My family loves my turkey more than anyone else’s – so I’d say that means it’s 5 star!
Hi Lauren,
I cooked a Turkey using your herb butter recipe to coat it prior to putting it in the oven. It was Excellent!
I also followed your instructions on how to carve the Turkey. Also Excellent! Thank you so much!
I make this Turkey recipe every year for Thanksgiving and every year I get rave reviews. It is extremely easy but comes out delicious and not dried out thanks to the garlic butter. I cooked my first Turkey a few years ago using this recipe and couldn’t get over how easy, yet delicious, it was. Thank you for putting this together!
Best Turkey I’ve ever made, juicy and full of flavor
The final product was delicious but, the time to cook a 20lb turkey in a convection oven, with out dressing, takes only 2-2 1/2 hours. When planning ahead you must figure about 8-9 minutes per pound.
Thank you for sharing this! I put it to use yesterday, and had the best Thanksgiving turkey dinner ever!!
I look forward to repeats ✌🏽
It’s my 3rd year in a row using this panic-free recipe. The instructions are so simple to follow and makes a beautiful golden brown, juicy and tasty Turkey every year! Thank you for making this available to us!
I just wanted to tell you this was the most moist turkey I’ve ever made..it was delicious thank you for sharing your recipe.
Super easy to follow and the Turkey came out amazing. Everyone loved it and this will be my go-to recipe from now on.
Thank you for this recipe! This is the first time I was super happy with how my turkey came out. Everyone thought is was delicious! And the gravy came out amazing with the flavorful drippings. Your video is so helpful!
The star of the show! Everyone raved about the turkey. So juicy and flavorful. Hands down the best turkey I’ve had. I didn’t change a thing, made exactly as the recipe is written. Thank you for sharing, I really enjoyed the video instructions as well.
Huge hit. I made this for Thanksgiving and my family loved it!
Very easy recipe to follow and the video is a plus. The turkey was super moist! We have not made a Turkey in over 20 years. This year we hosted and I found this highly rated recipe and I see why it’s rated so high. Everyone loved it!!
I’ve probably made over 25 turkeys in my lifetime…this one was the best. I also appreciate the instructions for different situations – I have a roasting pan without a rack – raising the turkey by adding a layer of veggies underneath was key!
I made the garlic herb butter and thought that it might be more than I would need. So I set some aside before rubbing the rest all over (and under the skin of) the bird. I was right, the recipe is generous…and I wrapped the extra in waxed paper and put it back in the fridge. It was excellent on our rolls later! I might make the butter more often because it was delish!
This was my first time ever making a Turkey. I was so nervous and found this recipe with amazing reviews so I decided to give it a try. My husband was extremely skeptical and kept asking “don’t you think you should brine it?” “Are you sure you don’t want to baste it?” I said “nope, I am trying this recipe and we shall see what happens”.
Anyway, needless to say I was so worried. I had people coming over and I had bought a 22lb turkey. I made it and it came out really good. It was juicy and tender and I could not believe it. I am saving this recipe and will make it again next year!
I will add that I put my turkey in the fridge on Saturday morning, but when I took it out on Thursday morning so let it get to room temperature it was still mildly frozen. I was so upset! I should have listened to the instructions that said to give ut a few extra days in case. By 11am it still had a few frozen bits inside AND it was not room temperature I thought it would for sure flop.
Wow! It was my turn to hose thanksgiving for the first time. The pressure was on to make a great turkey so I opted for this simple-ish but promising recipe. As always, it was a home run. My husband said I must make it like this next year too😂 and he was wanting to smoke it. I also made your pumpkin pie recipe and my grandma and mom raved over it. Said it was all restaurant quality. Thanks for the great recipes and a positive first thanksgiving experience
Easy to follow instructions! Husband said it was the best turkey he’s ever had. I appreciated I didn’t have to do any sort of brining or basting and that you mentioned the tip about covering it with foil halfway once it’s golden. We used a bunch of your other recipes too-mashed potatoes, stuffing and sweet potato casserole-they were all amazing. Thanks for making Thanksgiving dinner easier!
So good. Moist and delicious. My adult son couldn’t stop talking about the great flavor, best turkey he ever tasted and how moist it was.
Amazing! Recipe is simple but turkey is so delicious! Thank you for sharing! Happy Thanksgiving!
Works like a dream, and couldn’t be easier. I will never brine again. Thanks for a great recipe!
Mine is browning too fast? Should I put tin foil over it? Any suggestions? Many thanks🙂
gobble gobble gobble. Our turkey was so amazing it came to life.
This recipe is amazing. I have used it for the past few years, and it turns out great every time!
I used to just be the Thanksgiving SIDES queen. This year, as I now have a family of my own, wanted to start my our own tradition. So instead of opting for a pre-cooked Turkey, I followed this recipe instead. I’m at the half way point and the entire house smells AMAZING. Thank you so much!
This is our go to recipe now. Moist and tasty! Second time this thanksgiving by request.
Perfection. We love this recipe. Easy to follow and turns out perfect. I even learned how to carve the turkey with her video.
It’s the second thanksgiving I use this recipe and it comes out so good and juicy! I’ll keep using it every thanksgiving. That’s the reason I’m on “turkey duty” every year!
Happy Thanksgiving! Our first time cooking a turkey in an electric roaster. We had the lid on for the first 2 hours and the bottom is getting golden but not the top. Do we still tent it? Thanks for the recipe!
Juicy & delicious Turkey recipe. Thank you.
I’ve used this recipe for the last 3 years and it’s a favorite in my home of picky eaters! Thank u and happy thanksgiving
This will be my second time using this recipe for 2022 year. First time was in 2020. Thanks so much Lauren!
I follow your recipe two years ago and was a total success. I hope I have the same luck today.
Thank you for publishing!
I have used this recipe the last two years. I made a few errors and the turkey still turned out moist and flavorful! If you are a newbie to cooking a turkey, this recipe is for you.
Ralph – San Antonio, Texas
I first found this recipe in 2020. I had never made a turkey before, usually that was already prepared by the host at big family dinners. All I knew was that I needed a turkey that tasted … better … than the turkey I’ve tasted in the past.
This year makes the 3rd year I’ve used this recipe, and each year I love it more and more. It has never disappointed!!!
Amazing!
I found this recipe about four years ago and it literally is easy and yields a moist, delicious bird every time. I hardly ever even eat meat but I look forward to this day all year…lol. The main thing that’s different from the way I have made turkey in the past, is the vegetables at the bottom of the pan serving as a rack and buying fresh herbs vs. dried. I do add celery and an additional citrus like an orange or tangerine in the cavity and this year I threw some parsley in there too. Anyway, Thank you!
As I’m writing this the Turkey has 2 hours left and we did have to tint it but it looks amazing can’t wait to eat it
This is my third year using this recipe! My whole family loves it. It’s so easy and is seriously the best Turkey I’ve ever tasted!
Are you supposed to take the onions, apples, lemon out of the cavity before carving?
You can leave them in–they wont effect carving the meat.
Yummy
My third time using this recipe. 🙂 Thank you!
This is hands-down, the easiest and best turkey recipe I have ever came across. This is only my second time making turkey for Thanksgiving but the first time I made it everybody was super impressed and definitely didn’t think it was my first time it is super flavorful and very juicy to the point where I thought it was not completely cooked. But the temperature check we did approved it was cooked. It was just perfect and juicy!
was going to cook turkey in an up right smoker, but got up an its was raining, So I wanted to cook the turkey in the oven. I seen your way to cook the turkey in the oven, and decided to try it. thank you.
7:15 am 11-24-2022
best turkey recipe
I have been using this recipe for a few years now and I will never use another recipe. The turkey comes out AMAZING and flavorful. I’ve never liked turkey until I used this recipe. The only things I do in addition to this recipe is use an injectable butter kit and cook it in an oven bag.
Wow! Thanks so much! 💕🦃💕
I’m so excited for my family to enjoy MY first turkey! I hope you have a magical Thanksgiving!!
I have made your recipe for three years now !! It is so easy and holds so much flavor . Thank you for sharing!! Happy Thanksgiving!!
I used this recipe last year & will be using it again this year.!!! I didn’t stuff it with the lemon,onion,apple & herbs last year but I definitely am this year.!! The herb butter did give it a nice flavor.!! Happy Thanksgiving.!! 🦃
The first time I made this recipe my husband has been asking for it! I’ll never cook a Turkey another way.
Our family dreaded having turkey on Thanksgiving. Everyone fought over the dark meat. The white meat was always so dry. NOW IT’S THEIR FAVORITE! My nephew even switched holidays with his mom to come back this year! I followed your recipe to a T except i brined it for two days in really salty water. This year im soaking the bird in pickle juice with salt and garlic. I can’t wait to try your gravy recipe tomorrow. !!!
This is the second turkey i have ever made, and my dad, who said my last turkey was dry and not very tasty (in a kind way xD), has now said that he is now ruined for other turkeys. I am super happy with the recipe!
Note: smaller turkeys will struggle to get all the “stuffings” inside. I did not add one onion quarter. Also, watch your temperature! I did not have to bake my turkey the full amount. Also, if using a butterball, you might find a lot of extra juice in your turkey- tilt it in your pan after cooking to make sure you’re safe to transfer to your cutting board!
will definitely use your recopies, Happy Thanksgiving!!!
Awesome, easy, so tasty!
I’ve used your directions since Thanksgiving 2018, and my turkey has never failed to impress since then. I thought it was about time to leave a rating. 5 starts every year!
Great step by step video.
My father in law does not eat turkey on Thanksgiving. It’s just not his thing. Well I tried this out and it was awesome. He loved it!! I was asked to bring again this year :). Can’t wait to try it again.
Has anyone tried this recipe and wrapped the turkey in bacon? Would that change cook time or anything?
The best turkey we’ve ever had. The directions are clear. The recipe is not complicated. The bird fantastic.
Question –
If you don’t put the veggies in the tray will it over cook? What else would you suggest?
You can leave them out and it will be fine–they just elevate the bird to help it cook more evenly and they add flavor to the drippings. You could roll up some big lines of aluminum foil and make a “rack” for the bottom if you want.
The best advice from start to finish! Easy and so good. As well as the link to carve. THANK YOU Happy Thanksgiving
Can I prep the bird the night before and just let it come to room temp in the morning before putting it in the oven?
Yes, thats fine.
it’s so easy even I can make it
This looking amazing. Plan on trying it this week. Quick question though. I typically use a roasting rack and place a cup of water at the bottom of the pan. Would I just placed the chopped veggies at the bottom with the water or will it burn? And last question, with a 8 lb turkey would one twig of sage, rosemary, thyme be too over powering? Thank you!
I think this is the recipe I made last year and if so, it was a hit! If it isn’t, it’s what I’ll be trying this year. 🙂
However, I see the calories are listed as 576, but for how many ounces of turkey?
Thank you!
Question about cooking on convection bake vs vs convection roast vs regular bake. Not in a time crunch but only comment I saw about cenvection bake said it dried it out. Would you recommend just using regular bake?
We always use a regular oven and this recipe was tested in a regular oven. That being said, a convection oven should work great just be aware it will cook your turkey much faster so you’ll want to check it earlier and keep an eye on it to avoid overcooking. Hope that helps! Happy thanksgiving!
This is a great recipe I tried it last year. However, I believe last year there was a link to cranberry sauce that doesn’t require cooking and it was so good. Can someone help me find that recipe? Thank you
https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/fresh-cranberry-relish/
This is the most tasty, moist turkey I have ever made. It was a beautiful bird. I have never used garlic, carrot or apple with a turkey before. A family member is allergic to celery so I left that out. Wow! This will be my go to recipe from now on! Thank you for this delicious recipe!
I’ve only made a few turkeys so I’m by no means an expert. However, by following the steps for this recipe I was able to make the moistest and most flavorful turkey I’ve ever tasted. This will always be my go-to from now on.
Thank you for sharing this recipe. The ingredients sound amazing together. But I’m going to roast mine breast side down and tented in foil. The breast turns out more juicy. I don’t care about presentation as much as tender juicy meat plus the skin contains cholesterol that I have to stay away from. Thanks again. Happy holidays.
I found this recipe last year and made it for Thanksgiving last year. It was so good, I’m making it again this Thanksgiving! I followed the recipe exactly how it’s written and it was absolutely perfect! Looking forward to using this recipe again this Thanksgiving!
This looking amazing. Plan on trying it this week. Quick question though. I typically use a roasting rack and place a cup of water at the bottom of the pan. Would I just placed the chopped veggies at the bottom with the water or will it burn? And last question, with a 8 lb turkey would one twig of sage, rosemary, thyme be too over powering? Thank you!
Honestly, I never put comments up on the internet, but I needed to make an exception this time. Every time I use this simple recipe, it garners great results. The only downside is that after your family taste your bird, you’ll be asked to make it every year. Thank you for the great recipe!!!
Wow! My turkey turned out perfect!!! And was the star of dinner. I am throughly impressed at how easy and delicious this was. Saving this recipe.
Since my grandmother has passed Thanksgiving has now passed on to me for the family. I used this recipe last year and again this year. Absolutely wonderful and is my solid forever. Everyone loves it. Also I use your cranberry salad recipe. Excellent. Thank you so much for bringing old recipes to new generations who lost the 100 year old index cards. P.S. And they are easier and still as lovely.
This is my go to Thanksgiving turkey recipe every year. Supper easy and actually fun to do. I have never had a complaint, just rave reviews.
I made this turkey last year. It was the BEST turkey I have ever made. Even the grandkids remember it was delicious so of course, I am making it again this year. Thank you so much!! 🦃
I used the convection setting on my oven to roast the turkey and it came out dry. Could be a couple of reasons: could be the turkey I bought which was not injected with saline as most commercial brands are; or it could be the cooking time which was determined by the electric thermometer which was around 3 hrs. Following the recipe here did produce a flavorful turkey so we’ll see what the guest think.
Made this for my first turkey ever! It was easy, moist, and delicious!
Were there enough drippings for gravy?
Yes, here’s my gravy recipe to use your drippings: https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/turkey-gravy/
I made this turkey last year for Thanksgiving and it was absolutely amazing !!! Everyone complemented, everyone wanted more, it’s crazy how simple the recipe is, but just goes to show how natural ingredients can truly make a difference! Making it this year again !
The best recipe ever!!! This will be my third year using this recipe. My turkey has come out so moist and tasty. The compliments I have received from my family is what sealed the deal! The herb butter on top of the turkey makes it so moist and juicy, never have I achieved that before. The herbs, lemon and apples inside the bird make it very flavorful. Look no further than this recipe.
Excellent recipe.
I just cooked this turkey last night and did it last year as well. Last night’s was so amazing one person even did it was divine. In the cavity I put quartered a lemon and orange and kind of squished them in there and then the herbs as well.
I still struggled to get the butter on top of the skin even after patting it dry but forgot about using the brush and just used my hands. It was a disaster. But I got it work. Next year will be even better. Thank you so much for making me look like an expert.
Tried this recipe last year to make my first ever turkey and it was THE BEST turkey I have ever had! Blew me away with how juicy and flavorful it turned out 🤤 Pulling it out again this year and I’m so excited!
Fabulous recipe! The Turkey was moist and flavorful. The fresh herbs created a wonderful aroma.
I came across this recipe three years ago and have used it ever since! The most juicy, tender turkey you’ll every roast. My sister-in-law, who has always hated turkey because she finds it dry, is the first to reach for seconds every year now!
I have been asked to make the turkey for 3 years running because it’s the best! It’s talked about all year long.
Thanks for sharing
Best recipe EVER!!!! My turkey turns out perfect each time.
I went through my bookmarked recipes to find this one again to prep for this thanksgiving. Everyone RAVED about it last year when I made it, and cooking the turkey has always intimidated me by his turkey recipe gave me confidence. 😂
I made this a couple years back. It was truly the best thanksgiving turkey I’ve ever had.
Easy enough for a newbie to understand and makes it seem less intimidating. Will be my first time making turkey this year! I’m actually getting excited 😁