How to Roast a Turkey

Whether you're roasting your first bird for Friendsgiving or hosting Thanksgiving dinner for the 26th time, use this handy guide to roast the perfect holiday turkey. This foolproof method has been tested (and tested and tested) by the Delish kitchen, making it our very best. If you're looking to ace your Thanksgiving this year, follow all our top tips (roasting time, thawing, the secret to perfectly browned skin) on how to present the perfect roast bird. 

The Size of Your Bird

Buy about 1 1/4 lb. turkey per person. To make things a bit easier, we have an easy-to-read chart you can refer to while shopping for your turkey. 

Take the Time to Thaw

If you bought your turkey frozen, be sure to give it at least 1 day in the fridge to defrost fully. Depending on its size, larger birds will likely need 2 days to defrost completely. Consult our handy turkey-thawing chart for the exact time based on the size of your bird. According to the USDA, a frozen turkey requires about 50% more time in the oven than a fully thawed turkey, so we highly recommend starting with a fully defrosted turkey. 

Don't Skimp on Seasoning

After patting your turkey dry, season the inside cavity generously with salt and pepper before stuffing it full of your onion, thyme, rosemary, sage, and garlic. Also, season under the skin—legs and breasts. And don't forget to brush the outside of your bird with melted butter and season the outside with salt and pepper before putting it all on the tray to roast.  

Give It a Hot Start

We like to blast the turkey with extremely hot heat (450°) for the first 30 minutes to get the skin really crispy; we then drop the temp to 350º so that the rest of the bird can cook through without burning. 

The Secret to Perfectly Browned Skin

The short answer? A dry brine, and plenty of butter. If you're looking for perfectly browned skin, a little extra effort goes a long way. Once your turkey is totally thawed, pat it completely dry and season with salt and pepper. Let sit in the refrigerator uncovered for 24 to 48 hours. This will allow the skin to release additional moisture prior to cooking, encouraging crispier skin. Then, you can stuff and brush with butter — LOTS of butter — before cooking. It's key for crispy, flavorful, golden skin.  

Cooking Time

As with cooking anything, the cook time here depends on a number of things, including whether or not the bird is stuffed, how big it is, and if it has been thawed. A 12- to 14-lb. turkey needs anywhere from 3 to 4 hours in the oven, but an 8-pounder will likely only need 2 hours and 45 minutes.  

Cooking time will also depend on the accuracy of your oven temperature (some ovens run hotter than others). Find out exactly how long your bird will likely need in the oven with our turkey cooking time chart. Use an oven thermometer to make sure you get an accurate reading for the oven temperature, and a probe thermometer to make sure your turkey has completely cooked through. The probe thermometer should be inserted into the thickest part of the thigh and read at least 170°. Take the temperature of the breast as well, inserting the thermometer at an angle into the thickest part and look for a reading of at least 165° degrees.

Let it Rest

After your turkey emerges from the oven, let it rest for at least 20 minutes before carving — just like you would with steak. To keep it warm, cover the bird with some foil. To prevent turning the perfectly golden skin soggy, be sure to create a fold in the foil so that you can "tent" it over the bird so that it does not directly touch the turkey and trap in moisture.

Need help with carving? Our turkey carving guide will have you slicing up your bird like a pro in no time.   

If you've made this recipe, drop us a comment down below to let us know how it went! 

Editor's note: This intro and ingredient amounts were updated on November 3, 2022.