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This roasted turkey is juicy, tender, and full of flavor! With simple ingredients, delicious herb butter, and my easy tips, you’ll have a perfectly golden turkey that’s the star of your Thanksgiving dinner!
Turkey Timeline
- Juicy Every Time: My simple tips help you get tender, juicy turkey without drying it out!
- Flavorful Herb Butter: A blend of butter and savory herbs gives the turkey incredible flavor and beautifully golden skin.
- Easy to Follow: No fancy techniques! Just simple steps for a Thanksgiving turkey you can feel confident making.
Roasted Turkey Ingredients
- Turkey: Use a fully thawed 12–20 pound turkey.
- Onion and Garlic: Add savory flavor.
- Apple and Lemon: Add a touch of sweetness and brightness.
- Fresh Rosemary and Thyme: Infuse the turkey with delicious flavor.
- Butter: Adds rich flavor and helps the skin turn golden and crispy.
- Dried Herbs: Thyme, oregano, rosemary, and sage add the perfect seasoning. Try my homemade Turkey Seasonings!
How to Thaw and Prep a Turkey
A fully thawed turkey is key to even cooking! Allow about 24 hours in the refrigerator for every 4–5 pounds. Short on time? Submerge the wrapped turkey in cold water, changing the water every 30 minutes. Allow about 30 minutes per pound, and cook it immediately after thawing. Never thaw turkey on the counter!
- Remove the Turkey: Take it out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before prepping.
- Remove the Giblets: Take out the neck, giblet bag, and plastic leg holder. Save the giblets for my homemade giblet gravy!
- Pat Dry: Use paper towels to remove excess moisture for crispier skin.
- Tuck the Wings: Fold the wings underneath to keep them from burning.
How to Roast a Turkey
Don’t let roasting a turkey intimidate you! Follow these simple steps for a juicy, delicious Thanksgiving centerpiece. Cooking for a smaller crowd or need to free up some oven space? Try my slow cooker turkey breast instead!
- Prep and Stuff: Preheat the oven to 325°F. Place the onion, garlic, apple, lemon, rosemary, and thyme inside the prepared turkey.
- Make the Herb Butter: Mix the softened butter, dried herbs, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.
- Coat the Turkey: Rub the herb butter all over the turkey, including underneath the loosened skin.
- Tie the Legs: Secure the legs together with kitchen twine.
- Place in Pan: Set the turkey breast-side up in a large roasting pan.
- Roast: Insert an oven-safe thermometer into the thickest part of the breast, avoiding the bone. Roast until the turkey reaches 165°F in the breast, innermost thigh, and wing. Let the turkey rest for 20–30 minutes before carving.
Alyssa’s Pro Tips for a Juicy Roasted Turkey
- Cooking time: The current 15-minutes-per-pound rule is an estimate, not a guarantee. Use the thermometer to know when it’s done.
- Tent with Foil: If the skin browns too quickly, loosely cover the turkey with foil to prevent it from burning.
Must-Have Tools for Roasting a Turkey
- Meat Thermometer: My number one must-have! It takes the guesswork out of cooking and helps keep your turkey juicy.
- Roasting Pan with Rack: Helps the turkey cook evenly while catching all those delicious drippings for gravy!
- Kitchen Twine: Perfect for tying the turkey legs together before roasting.
- Sharp Carving Knife: Makes slicing and serving your beautiful turkey so much easier!
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Juicy Herb Butter Roasted Turkey
Look no further! This roasted turkey recipe is the absolute juiciest, fool-proof turkey recipe you will ever need.
Ingredients
- 1 (12-20 pound) turkey, thawed
Stuffing
- 1 medium onion, quartered
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 large apple, quartered
- 1 medium lemon, sliced
- 2 sprigs rosemary
- 2 sprigs thyme
Herb Butter
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
- 1 tablespoon dried sage
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Thaw 1 (12-20 pound) turkey, 3-7 days in advance in the refrigerator! Follow my thawing tips in the post.
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. To prepare the turkey, remove the neck, giblets, and plastic cage. Pat the turkey dry using paper towels then tuck the wings underneath the turkey.
- Stuff the turkey with 1 medium onion, 3 cloves garlic, 1 large apple, 1 medium lemon, 2 sprigs rosemary, and 2 sprigs thyme.
- In a small bowl combine ½ cup butter,1 tablespoon dried thyme, 1 tablespoon dried oregano , 1 tablespoon dried rosemary , 1 tablespoon dried sage, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper.
- Rub the herb butter evenly all over the turkey.
- Loosen the skin and spread the herb butter underneath the skin.
- Tie the legs together using kitchen twine or string.
- Position the prepared bird in a large roasting pan breast side up.
- Remove the pop-up thermometer and insert an oven-safe thermometer into the thickest part of the breast, about 2 inches deep. Be careful not to hit the bone!
- Cook for 15 minutes for each pound or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit and the juices run clear. Let the turkey rest for 20 minutes before carving.
Notes
Leftover Instructions
- Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container for up to 3–4 days.
- Freezer: Freeze in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months for best quality.
- Reheat: Warm covered in the oven at 350°F with a splash of broth, or microwave in short intervals until heated through to 165°F.
Nutrition
Calories: 68kcalCarbohydrates: 4gProtein: 0.3gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 205mgPotassium: 42mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 234IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 21mgIron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Tried this recipe?Mention @alyssa_therecipecritic or tag #therecipecritic!
Thanksgiving Side Dishes
This roasted turkey recipe makes the BEST leftovers! I love to make Leftover Turkey Casserole or Turkey Noodle Soup to use up the rest of my Thanksgiving dinner.
This is random.. but what’s underneath it like what herbs did you serve it on???
I cooked this turkey last year and I wouldn’t been able to beat my family and extended family off with a stick!!! They sniffed me out! I’ll never cook a turkey any other way! Oh and for anyone that may be questioning the flavor of the gravy due to the seasoning, it was off THE CHAIN!
Can I make this in a roster?
Nice explaining about the non-veg cooking.. i Like the style and tast
Thanksgiving turkey isn’t finished without every one of the side dishes! Attempt this Sweet Potatoes, Green Bean Casserole, Carrots, or Cauliflower Au Gratin. Furthermore you should end the night with some Pumpkin Pie!
Yummy! Yummy ! Tastes good. Try it once
I just have to say I love getting all your recipes. I always cook my turkeys breast down and they are always juicy. Can I do this with the breast down.
If I don’t stuff the turkey will it affect the taste?
It may not have as much flavor but it will still taste delicious!
Second time using this recipe and we love it! What we’ve found, and everyone’s oven is different, is that 325 the whole time is too high. We checked our 20lbs turkey after 3 hours and it was already 155 with 2 hours to go. Also, we had to cover it after about 1.5 hours after it was browned. We just turned the oven down to 200 to “slow roast” for the last 2 hours and will keep checking it. This happened last time too so for anyone whose oven runs hotter this could be your solution. Worked for us last year and we are excited to try it again!
Wondering if I should cover the turkey in tinfoil for the begging of the cook? It is a 22lb turkey so it will be cooking for about 5 hours. Heard this helps the skin to not burn?
Yes, that is great if you are worried about it burning on top. I would keep it off though towards the end so that it crisps up and has that golden brown color over top.
Can’t wait to make this in a couple days!
I was curious whether you’d recommend salted or unsalted butter? I am not brining the Turkey, but I will be adding a cup or two of, low-ish sodium (“33% less sodium”), chicken broth to the pan.
I usually like unsalted butter but either will work.
I’m going to try it this year but I have a questions, do you no place the turkey in a bag?
You are welcome to but that is not necessary for this recipe.
It’s my first time brining do I also stuff the Turkey??
When you are brining, no you do not stuff the turkey. When you are about to bake the turkey it is best to stuff the turkey. This just continues to add more flavor to the turkey. Let me know how it turns out!
I’ve always thought turkey was “OK”. This was a game changer. Absolutely the most delicious, moist turkey I’ve ever had. I had friends over that felt the same and nobody could stop eating it! I’ve tried so many of your recipes and they have all been amazing!
Was a turkey oven bag not required?
I tried the herb butter on my turkey and I just loved it! I made it the day before so the taste would be in the butter better. It was the best and most moist turkey ever! You should try this one you won’t be disappointed. I put some carrots in the bottom of the pan and they had a great flavor also. Also when the turkey was done I flipped it over to rest on the breast which helped with the tenderness. I will be using the left over juices for soup broth.
Well I had a Friendsgiving this evening and I have to say thank you so much for these amazing recipes. I also made your turkey gravy, and sausage stuffing all three were a hit everyone loved them I will definitely be making all three in years to come. Thank you so much. God bless and have a happy holiday.
Love your recipes and clarity in how to fix foods. Even as a Grandma of 80, I’m still researching recipes and cooking!!
Looks Great !! Yummy !!