Best Roast Turkey Recipe – No Fail Turkey for Thanksgiving
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This is the Best Roast Turkey recipe I’ve tried. You literally cannot mess it up and the turkey turns out incredibly moist and flavorful thanks to fresh herbs, onion, garlic, and a hint of lemon and loads of rich butter!
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With Thanksgiving quickly approaching I thought it only fit to share my go-to roast turkey recipe. I know that roasting turkey can be intimidating and seem complicated but I promise it’s not. This is a fast, easy recipe that even the most inexperienced cooks can master at home!
A note on thawing…
The first time I cooked a Thanksgiving meal was in college. I didn’t go home for the holidays one year and had a friend who was staying at school too so I cooked for us. I had it all planned out except for one little detail, I didn’t defrost the frozen turkey I had bought far enough in advance!
And since we’re being honest, the first year I cooked for my husband I did the same thing! So first things first-I give my turkey about four days to defrost in the refrigerator. If you are buying a fresh turkey be sure to order ahead of time and pick up the day before if possible. (See this Thanksgiving planner for more tips that help you prepare!)
So now that we’ve covered the essential defrosting step learning how to roast a turkey is easy-peasy! Simply stuff with yummy flavorings, oil up the outside and start the cooking process breast side down to keep the meat incredibly juicy!
Ingredients
- turkey-fresh or frozen and thawed
- parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme lend the perfect seasoning or you can try m y favorite homemade turkey rub
- lemon pairs perfectly with poultry without being overpowering
- apples and onion are placed inside the cavity and steam as the bird cooks, infusing it with delicious flavor and moisture
- unsalted butter adds tons of flavor and helps the skin turn a beautiful golden brown
- salt & pepper to season to taste
Step by step
- Allow the turkey to rest at room temperature 30-60 minutes.
- After allowing it rest, remove neck, giblets, and any gravy packet that might be in the cavity. Pat the inside and outside dry with paper towels.
- Combine salt and pepper and dried herbs in a bowl and rub the herb mixture inside the turkey cavity.
- Add the fresh herbs, lemon, apples, and onion to the inside of the cavity to fill it up with flavor!
- Brush the skin with olive oil or melted butter, then flip so the bird is resting breast side down and continue to coat with oil or butter.
- Cook for one hour at 400 degrees, then another hour at 350 degrees. Remove the turkey and flip it breast side up. Return to the oven for 30 minutes or until temperature reaches 165 degrees.
- After removing from oven, tent with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 45 minutes before serving. (While it rests, make the homemade turkey gravy from the drippings.)
FAQs
Thaw time in the fridge requires about 24 hours for every 5 pounds in a refrigerator set at about 40° F. To thaw in cold water requires about 30 minutes per pound in cold water, refreshed every 30 minutes.
The FDA does not recommend rinsing the turkey: Do not rinse raw meat and poultry before cooking. Washing these foods makes it more likely for bacteria to spread to areas around the sink and countertops.
Trussing (tying the legs together) is strictly for presentation. I do not truss to allow for more air flow around the turkey breast.
This is completely optional and not at all necessary for this recipe. You will need to rinse the turkey if you brine it so if you do so, follow these safety precuations.
The resting time before preparing allows it to warm slightly and the skin to dry out prior to being prepped for roasting.
I prefer to bake my stuffing separately so that I have room for the aromatics inside the turkey cavity and it cooks more evenly when not stuffed. If you do decide to stuff it follow the FDA guidelines to ensure it cooks through and is safe to eat.
Roast an unstuffed turkey at 350 degrees 13 minutes per pound, always checking the temperature at the thickest part of the thigh to ensure it cooks to 165 degrees.
The cook time is faster in a convection oven, so lower the temperature to 300 and check the temperature regularly after 2 hours for a turkey under 18 pounds and 2.5 hours for one larger than 18 pounds. The convection oven may also brown the wings and drumsticks, so tent them in foil.
Plan on at least one pound per person. This accounts for the weight of not just the meat but also the inedible parts such as bones, etc.
Yes! The rule of thumb is to use 3 times as much fresh as dry but the amount of herbs you use if very flexible and you can add more or less to your preference.
Do not skip this step! The 45 minutes of resting time allows the juices to reabsorb into the meat. This makes carving easier and less juice will end up on your cutting board, avoiding dry meat. This also gives you time to make gravy with the drippings!
The best way to learn this is to watch, I suggest this video to get a full tutorial.
Tips for best results
- Roasting initially breast side down helps prevent drying of the meat.
- If the skin is browning too quickly, tent with aluminum foil.
- Monitor the temperature closely, it is done when a thermometer inserted into the breast reads 165 degrees. Be careful not to over-cook, if you cook much past 165 degrees it will start to dry out.
- Stuffed turkeys will need to cook longer, this recipe is for an unstuffed turkey.
Easy-peasy right? I guarantee this will be the most moist roast turkey you’ve ever tried!
Ready to round out your holiday menu?
Thanksgiving Sides
- Cranberry Relish
- Best Turkey Gravy
- Sweet Potato Casserole
- Candied Yams
- Slow Cooker Sweet Potatoes with Bacon
- Cheddar Chive Mashed Potatoes
- Traditional Corn Pudding
Thanksgiving Desserts
If you try this recipe, please comment and rate it below, I love hearing from you!
Print
Best Roast Turkey Recipe
- Total Time: 2 hours 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
Description
Roasting a Thanksgiving Turkey is easier than you think-a few simple steps will have your main dish perfectly cooked and ready for guests!
Ingredients
- turkey (recipe is based on 10-12 pounds, adjust cook time for smaller or larger bird)
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 lemon, quartered
- 2 apples, halved
- 1 yellow onion, peeled and quartered
- 3 tablespoons butter or olive oil
Instructions
- Remove defrosted turkey from refrigerator and allow to warm to room temperature 30-45 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare a roasting pan with a rack and spray with nonstick spray.
- Remove neck and giblets from turkey cavity. Rinse with water and pat dry with paper towels. Move turkey to the rack.
- In a small bowl combine salt, pepper, and dried herbs. Use hands to rub mixture inside the cavity to coat. Add fresh herbs, onion, apple, and lemon to the cavity. Brush outside of turkey with olive oil or melted butter. Flip turkey over so that the breast side is down and brush remaining areas with butter or olive oil.
- Place turkey in the oven uncovered and cook for one hour. Lower heat to 350 degrees and cook another hour. Remove turkey from oven and carefully turn over so breast side is facing up. Return to oven and cook an additional 30 minutes or until a thermometer stuck in the thickest part of the thigh and/or breast reads 165 degrees. If your turkey is getting too brown on top loosely tent with aluminum foil.
- After removing from oven tent with aluminum foil and allow to rest 45 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Roasting the turkey initially breast side down helps prevent drying of the meat.
- If the turkey is browning too quickly, tent with aluminum foil.
- Monitor the turkey temperature closely, it is done when a thermometer inserted into the breast reads 165 degrees.
- Stuffed turkeys will need to cook longer, this recipe is for an unstuffed turkey.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 150 minutes
- Category: main
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 577
- Sugar: 4.6 g
- Sodium: 770.3 mg
- Fat: 13.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 8.8 g
- Protein: 103.2 g
- Cholesterol: 312.9 mg
I first tried this recipe 3 years ago. Every time since, I go searching for it again. With this roasting method, the results are just perfect every time. Highly recommend!
Awesome method of cooking Turkey. It was a hit…….Will definitely use this recipe again and again. Thank you for sharing.
so glad you liked it!
Was so happy with this method! Thank you for sharing. Bird cooked perfectly and very moist throughout without brining. And so easy too! Appreciated not having to baste. Pan drippings made a delicious gravy combined with some homemade stock.
Bookmarking this again for this year, it turned out wonderfully last year!
I was looking through my saved recipes and realized I never reported back after making this last fall…it was perfection! Who would have thought to cook it upside down?!
Hi!
I used your recipe for our Thanksgiving Turkey and we loved it so much we are having turkey for Christmas too! Our bird is 23 pounds this time so I’m wondering how you would adjust the time breast side down, if at all?
I’ll be using this recipe for years! Thank you!!
Angella
Hi Angella, You made my day with your comment! I honestly have never cooked a turkey that big (wow!) but if it was me I would adjust cooking time for the size of the bird and still flip it just the last 30 minutes or so, perhaps up to 45. Hope that helps, would love if you reported back on how it goes!
Melissa
It worked! Best Turkey ever! I just pulled up your recipe to make it again this year with our much smaller bird, 13 pounds. Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving!
That’s awesome! Thanks for reporting back!
I’m making a 16lb turkey. After roasting for one hour at 400, how many minutes per pound at 350? Thanks
Turned out so juicy!!!
Sounds delicious. Would love for you to stop by and link this up to More The Merrier Monday.
Jamie
Thanks Melissa looks really good the turkey recipe.
Thank you so much!
Cathy
You’re welcome Cathy, I hope you enjoy it! ~Melissa
Breast side down for baking???
Yes Jeanie, try it! It keeps the turkey breast moist and prevents it from drying out. (The bird is flipped breast side up for the last bit of cooking.)
Your picture makes me want turkey right now (and it’s breakfast time).
Melissa! This looks delicious! Sending a HUG!
Thanks so much Gwyn!! ~Melissa