Free calculator
How long to cook a turkey
At 325°F, an unstuffed turkey takes about 13 to 15 minutes a pound, less per pound for big birds: an 18 lb turkey roasts about 4 to 4¼ hours. Then it rests at least 40 minutes before you carve. Enter the weight and when you want to eat, and you'll get the time it goes in.
Turkey in at 10:40 AM
About 4 hr 10 min in a 325°F oven, then a 40 minute rest.
Your turkey's day
| 9:40 AM | Take the turkey out of the fridge. Pat it dry and season it. |
|---|---|
| 10:20 AM | Preheat the oven to 325°F. |
| 10:40 AM | Turkey in. |
| 2:20 PM | Start checking the temperature in the breast and thigh. |
| 2:50 PM | Pull at 160°F in the breast and 175°F in the thigh. Rest it, tented with foil; it rises to 165°F. |
| 3:50 PM | Carve. |
| 4:00 PM | Serve. |
Times are an estimate inside USDA's range. Pull it by temperature, not the clock; if it's done early, the rest just runs longer. A turkey tented with foil holds well for up to 90 minutes.
Turkey cooking time chart
Roasting times at 325°F from the USDA, for a thawed turkey.
| Weight | Unstuffed | Stuffed |
|---|---|---|
| 8 to 12 lb | 2¾ to 3 hours | 3 to 3½ hours |
| 12 to 14 lb | 3 to 3¾ hours | 3½ to 4 hours |
| 14 to 18 lb | 3¾ to 4¼ hours | 4 to 4¼ hours |
| 18 to 20 lb | 4¼ to 4½ hours | 4¼ to 4¾ hours |
| 20 to 24 lb | 4½ to 5 hours | 4¾ to 5¼ hours |
How a catering chef roasts it
Start hot for color, then finish lower, covered with foil, so the breast stays moist.
- Roast at 450°F for the first 45 minutes to brown the skin.
- Turn the oven down to 350°F and cover the turkey with foil.
- Pull it at 160°F in the breast and 175°F in the thigh, then rest it at least 40 minutes.
This runs hotter than the 325°F chart, so it finishes sooner. Start checking the temperature well before the chart's time.
A whole Thanksgiving, timed
An 18 lb turkey for 12, one oven, dinner at 4:00. The sides go in while the turkey rests.
Now fit the sides around it
The turkey is the easy part. Oven Plan schedules the casseroles, stuffing and rolls into the turkey's rest, so one oven carries the whole dinner. The oven schedule is free.
Plan my dinnerQuestions
How do I know the turkey is done?
A thermometer in the thickest part of the breast reads 160°F and the thigh reads 175°F, away from the bone. The breast climbs to 165°F as it rests. Check that it gets there before you carve.
Can I trust the pop-up timer?
Use it as a hint, not the answer. Check the breast and thigh with a food thermometer anyway; USDA recommends that even when the turkey came with a pop-up timer.
How long does a turkey rest?
At least 40 minutes, tented loosely with foil, and up to about 90. That rest is the most useful oven time of the day: it's when the stuffing and casseroles bake.
Stuffed or not?
USDA recommends baking stuffing in its own dish. If you stuff the bird, do it loosely and right before it goes in, and the center of the stuffing must also reach 165°F. That usually takes longer than the meat.
My turkey is bigger than 24 pounds.
USDA's chart stops at 24. For a crowd, two smaller birds cook faster and more evenly. See what size you need.
It's still frozen.
Count a day in the fridge for every 4 pounds. Get your thaw date.
Sources: USDA FSIS, Let's Talk Turkey; USDA roasting timetable. Rest and schedule are Oven Plan's, set by a catering chef.