This is the only guide you’ll ever need to make the best Thanksgiving turkey recipe that will wow friends and family! Cooking turkey doesn’t have to be intimidating… simply follow this easy turkey recipe for tips on how to thaw, brine, rub, roast, and serve your bird. Then, dish up your easy herb butter roasted turkey with all your favorite Thanksgiving recipes!
Ingredients & Substitutions
This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for herb butter turkey, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.
Turkey & Brine:
Whole Turkey – Pastured Thanksgiving turkeys taste great if you can find them, but you can use whatever variety (fresh or frozen) that works best for the number of guests you have. See the charts below for thawing times and how much turkey for Thanksgiving you’ll want to prepare per person. Check the cavity of the turkey for giblets and be sure to remove them.Water – For the turkey brine.Salt -You’ll need a large amount of salt for the turkey brine. I highly recommend kosher salt because it dissolves easily (and is more cost effective), but sea salt can also work if needed.
Herb Butter:
Butter – Any unsalted variety can work to make compound butter for turkey, but I like using a higher quality one to make this dish extra special.Fresh Herbs – This herb butter recipe for turkey uses sage, rosemary, and thyme, but any herbs for turkey would taste delicious! (You can use a variety of herbs, citrus juice, and aromatics. See this compound butter recipe for more ideas.) I highly recommend using fresh herbs here, but if you must, you can substitute 1 teaspoon dried herbs for each tablespoon of fresh. See more seasoning ideas below.Garlic – Turkey butter tastes best with fresh garlic, but jarred minced garlic will work if you need to save time.Lemon Zest – Adds a touch of bright flavor to herbed butter for turkey. Zest it fresh from a lemon.Salt & Pepper
How To Cook Thanksgiving Turkey In The Oven
This section shows how to make roasted turkey for Thanksgiving, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below. The right salt concentration in the water will:
Create an imbalance between the moisture in the turkey and outside of it, causing the turkey to draw in more water through osmosis Dissolve the muscle proteins (so they don’t contract and squeeze out moisture during cooking) Season the turkey all the way through the inside
As for other turkey brine ingredients, salt is actually all you need! Salt particles are much smaller than anything else you can put into a brine, so they will more readily pass into the meat than any herbs, spices, or broth. Save those for the cooking process instead.
How Long To Thaw A Turkey?
Thaw time in the fridge requires about 24 hours for every 5 pounds, or 30 minutes per pound in cold water, refreshed every 30-60 minutes. You can place the turkey on a bed of onions (coarsely chopped into large pieces) instead, which will elevate the bird similar to a rack. This will ensure that the skin stays crisp. However, if foil ends up touching the bird and the skin isn’t as crisp as you like at the end, you can always broil it for a couple of minutes to crisp it up. Here is a general guideline for how long to thaw a turkey based on weight: After your turkey has thawed completely, you can brine it.
What Temp To Cook Turkey?
Some people prefer cooking turkey low and slow, others blast the turkey and then reduce the temperature afterward. When using a garlic butter turkey rub, I recommend roasting turkey at 350 degrees F the entire time, which ensures that the butter won’t burn and that all of the portions of the turkey cook evenly. You’ll need to start with the turkey uncovered to roast the top, and then cover it to prevent burning.
How Long Do You Cook A Turkey?
Thanksgiving turkey cook time depends on size, oven temperature, and whether the bird is stuffed. For an oven temperature of 350 degrees F, calculate 12-16 minutes per pound for an unstuffed turkey and 14-18 minutes per pound for a stuffed turkey. During that time, roast turkey uncovered for 45 minutes first, then cover and roast for the remaining time. The safe internal temperature for turkey is 165-170 degrees F, but you can remove it from the oven when it reaches 155 degrees F, as the temperature will continue to rise to 165-170 degrees F as it rests for 15-20 minutes. Test with a meat thermometer for doneness. Here is a time chart for how long to roast turkey covered at 350 degrees F: Note: These times are for an unstuffed turkey. If your turkey is stuffed, add about 45 to 75 minutes to the covered roasting time (1 hour on average).
How Much Salt In Turkey Brine?
The right concentration of salt in turkey brine is about 6 percent of the water weight. For each gallon of water, that would be 1.25 cups Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt or 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp of Morton Kosher Salt, Real Salt Kosher Salt, or most brands of sea salt. Here is a chart showing how much salt to use:
Leftover Roasted Turkey Ideas & Storage
You’ll probably be making this roasted turkey for Thanksgiving, but if you’re like most people, you’ll probably have leftovers. Make the best Thanksgiving turkey recipe with these tips in mind:
Can you brine frozen turkey? You can, but it’s best to just thaw your turkey and then brine it after. If you must combine them, then only place your thawing turkey into the brine for no more than 48 hours, toward the end of thawing. How long to brine turkey? 8 to 12 hours is the sweet spot for how long to brine a turkey, but up to 48 hours is fine. How much turkey per person? Aim for 1 pound of turkey per person, or 1.5 pounds per person if you want leftovers. This accounts for bone weight too, so each person wouldn’t actually be eating an entire pound of meat. How to know roasted turkey is done? The best way to know that a roasted turkey is done is to use a meat thermometer. A meat temperature probe is the best so that you don’t have to keep checking on it. Cook turkey until it’s 165 to 170 degrees F in the coolest part of the bird, which is usually the thickest part of the thigh. Be careful not to touch the bone when measuring the temperature, because this can skew the reading.
Store: Keep your easy turkey recipe leftovers in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.Freeze: Carve the turkey, let it cool, and freeze for up to 3 months.
How To Use Leftover Turkey:
Here are some ideas for what to do with leftover turkey:
Leftover Turkey Casserole – My favorite way to use leftover Thanksgiving turkey, green beans, and cranberry sauce all in one dish.Soups – Turkey makes a great swap for chicken in soups! Try using it in chicken florentine soup or buffalo chicken soup. Or, use it in my leftover turkey soup recipe. Sandwiches – Use your favorite bread and add mayo, or even cranberry sauce. I make mine with keto bread.Salads – Add roasted turkey to just about any side salad to make it a meal, or just like in soups, swap turkey in place of chicken. Try it in cobb salad, caesar salad, or chicken salad. Or make my turkey salad recipe.
What To Serve With Roasted Turkey
If you plan to cook turkey for Thanksgiving, consider these easy pairings.
Sauces – Oven roasted turkey tastes delicious with sugar-free cranberry sauce and gluten-free gravy (shown in the photo!).Veggies – Serve this easy turkey recipe with lightened-up sides like roasted green beans, carrots, or brussels sprouts.Starches – Mashed potatoes are a classic choice (shown in the photo), but you can also do roasted potatoes, roasted rutabaga, cauliflower stuffing, or mashed cauliflower.Thanksgiving Desserts – Healthy pumpkin bars, sugar-free pecan pie, keto pumpkin pie, and easy almond flour cookies always win over guests!
More Thanksgiving Turkey Recipes
There’s more than one way to cook a turkey for Thanksgiving… try these other easy ways, too. Share your recipe picture by tagging @wholesomeyum and hashtag it #wholesomeyum on Instagram, or in our Facebook support group, too – I’d love to see it!
