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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. If you have a smaller group, try my Roasted Turkey Breast recipe!
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
- Green Bean Casserole
- Perfect Mashed Potatoes
- The BEST Stuffing
- Sweet Potato Casserole
- Cranberry Fluff Salad
- Triple Berry Pie
- Other pie recipes
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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 tent it with foil and let it rest on the counter then move it to a large cutting board inside a sheet pan to catch any extra turkey juices while carving.
- ***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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Have you tried this recipe?!
RATE and COMMENT below–I would love to hear your experience.
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My family is very particular about their turkey…they said this was THE BEST TURKEY! They said it was so juicy and extremely easy to make! Thanks for sharing! This will be my go-to turkey recipe from here on out!
I’ve been making this every year for 6 years now. Literally the best turkey ever 😋
This will be my third year using this recipe, and my family raves about it. The non turkey lovers have been converted because this turkey is so flavorful and moist!
This is my go to recipe since I started making my own turkey 5yrs ago! It comes out beautifully and full of flavor every time
This recipe is 🔥. I found this about 3 years ago and it never disappoints and my family are always pleased with how tender and juicy the WHOLE bird comes out! You don’t need to substitute or change anything! And the gravy that comes out of it is soooo good!
This will be my 3rd time making turkey for Thanksgiving!! This is my go-to recipe. I follow the exact recipe. No changes needed. Turkey is always juicy, tender, and flavorful!!
SO good – the BEST Thanksgiving turkey. Guests were raving about the smell as it cooked (and the taste when it was time to eat!).
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!
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!!😃