How Long to Cook a Turkey (2024)

FAQs

How Long to Cook a Turkey? ›

We recommend roasting turkey at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 13 minutes per pound for an unstuffed turkey. We've done the math for you — check out the chart below to determine both turkey cook times and estimated servings (with leftovers!).

We recommend roasting turkey at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 13 minutes per pound for an unstuffed turkey. We've done the math for you — check out the chart below to determine both turkey cook times and estimated servings (with leftovers!).

The simplest way to figure out turkey roasting times is to calculate 13 minutes per pound at 350°F for an unstuffed turkey (that's about 3 hours for a 12- to 14-lb. turkey), or 15 minutes per pound for a stuffed turkey.

The most straightforward approach is to roast an unstuffed turkey, breast-side up, for 13 minutes per pound of turkey at 350°. That works out to approximately 3 hours for a 12- to 14-pound bird (a 12-pound turkey is pretty standard).

To achieve a perfectly golden, juicy turkey, let the bird spend time both covered and uncovered in the oven. We recommend covering your bird for most of the cooking time to prevent it from drying out; then, during the last 30 minutes or so of cooking, remove the cover so the skin crisps in the hot oven.

Preheat oven to 325° F. Drain juices and pat dry with clean paper towels. Place turkey breast-side-up on a flat rack in a shallow roasting pan 2 to 2½ inches deep. Turn the wings back to hold the neck skin in place.

8-12 lb turkey: 1 1/2 to 2 hours; 12 to 16 lb turkey: 2 to 2 1/2 hours; 16-20 lb turkey: 2 1/2 to 3 hours; 20-24 lb turkey: 3 to 3 1/2 hours.

Your turkey will cook more evenly and faster if you start it out at room temperature so remove the turkey from the refrigerator 1 hour before roasting. If you plan to stuff your turkey, wait until you're ready to put it in the oven before putting the stuffing in the turkey.

What is the best temperature to roast a turkey? ›

What Temperature to Cook the Turkey? Cook your turkey at 325 degrees F for most of the cook time; in the final 45 minutes, remove the cover or foil tent from the turkey, increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees F and baste the bird with butter. The initial lower oven temperature cooks the turkey through evenly.

If you're aiming for an easy method to cook an extra juicy, tasty turkey with plenty of flavorful juices for gravy, oven bags are the best method. However, if you prefer crispy, roasted brown skin, you'll want to skip the oven bag and try using one of our other methods on how to cook a Thanksgiving turkey.

How to Defrost a Turkey In the Refrigerator. To defrost a turkey in the refrigerator, plan on 24 hours of fridge time for every 5 pounds of turkey. For instance, if you have a 20-pound turkey, make sure you have enough time for 4 full days of thawing in the fridge.

Roasting times for the turkey will vary based on the size of the bird as well as whether it's stuffed or unstuffed. As a general rule of thumb, plan on roasting your turkey for 15 to 20 minutes per pound—though to prevent undercooking or overcooking the bird, a thermometer reading will be your best bet.

At what temperature is a turkey done? Check these places on your turkey and look for these temperatures: 180°F in thigh. 170°F in breast.

In an ideal world, the turkey would be out of the oven exactly 30 minutes before serving, so that you can remove it from the roasting pan and let it rest for about 20 minutes before carving and serving warm.

Oven-Roasted Turkey

We recommend starting the turkey in a 425 degree oven for 30-45 minutes before tenting the pan with foil and lowering the temperature to 350 degrees until a meat thermometer reads 165 degrees when inserted into the thickest part of the bird.

"A low temperature will cook the meat very nicely inside and keep it juicy without drying it but you want to high temperature at some point whether it's at the beginning of the end to crisp up the skin and the melted butter to get an extra crispy skin," Guillard says.

Begin by roasting your turkey at 425°F for 40 to 45 minutes before lowering the temperature of the oven to 350°F for the rest of the cooking time. Like the other method, it's a good idea to brush the turkey every 15 to 20 minutes with butter or olive oil to help the surface brown and keep the meat moist.