You've properly thawed and seasoned your turkey with a flavor-boosting dry brine — now it’s ready for the oven! But the question of how long to cook a turkey remains. Before we get to that, make sure your kitchen is equipped with the right tools: While a timer is helpful to keep track of the hours, the real hero for roasting is a great meat thermometer, which will register the internal temperature for perfect results every time.
For a ballpark estimate on timing, figure about 13 minutes per pound of turkey when cooking an unstuffed bird.
Why unstuffed? You'd have to overcook your bird to ensure the stuffing inside reaches a safe temperature. And no amount of Thanksgiving gravy can save bone-dry turkey like that. Opt instead to bake your stuffing recipe in a separate pan. If you’re curious how long it will take when cooking your turkey upside down, you might want to reconsider that method altogether. According to our Test Kitchen pros, it doesn’t lead to a juicier bird and all that flipping can actually be dangerous!
Let's talk turkey tips
- Bigger isn’t better when it comes to turkey. Buy two smaller birds (or one whole turkey and one turkey breast) if you’re feeding a crowd. A pair of 10-pound birds will cook more evenly and stay juicier than a 20-pound beast (plus, they'll be easier to carve!).
- For the oven, the Test Kitchen agrees that 375℉ is the Goldilocks of temperatures for turkey roasting — it’s not too hot, not too cold, and cooks quickly enough to ensure that a bird is just right by dinnertime.
- To check if the turkey is done, insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh. The internal temperature should register 165°F and its juices should be clear, not pink.
- Allow your turkey to rest for at least 25 minutes before carving. Cover it loosely with foil to keep it hot.
How long does it take to cook a turkey?
Here’s our handy guide for cooking times by turkey weight:
- Turkey 8–10 lbs, cook for 1 hr 45 mins–2 hrs 15 mins
- Turkey 10–12 lbs, cook for 2 hrs 15 mins–2 hrs 30 mins
- Turkey 12–14 lbs, cook for 2 hrs 30 mins–3 hrs
- Turkey 14–16 lbs, cook for 3 hrs–3 hrs 30 mins
- Turkey 16–18 lbs, cook for 3 hrs 30 mins–4 hrs
- Turkey 18–20 lbs, cook for 4 hrs–4 hrs 15 mins
Bump up the time if your turkey is still a little bit frozen on Thanksgiving morning. It's actually completely safe to roast an icy turkey, but it’ll take about 50% longer to cook than a fully thawed bird. Dinner might have to wait a few hours — hey, more time for Thanksgiving appetizers — but you'll still be rewarded with a delicious turkey.
Samantha (she/her) is an Assistant Editor in the Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen, where she writes about tasty recipes, must-try food products and top-tested secrets for home cooking success. She has taste-tasted hundreds of products and recipes since joining GH in 2020 (tough job!). A graduate of Fordham University, she considers the kitchen to be her happiest place.
Susan (she/her) is the recipe editor at Good Housekeeping, where she pitches ideas, parses words, and produces food content. In the Test Kitchen, she cooks (and samples!) recipes, working with developers to deliver the best written versions possible. A graduate of Brown University and a collaborator on several cookbooks, her previous experience includes stints at Food & Wine, Food Network, three meal kit companies, a wine shop in Brooklyn and Chez Panisse, the pioneering restaurant in Berkeley, California. She enjoys playing tennis, natural wines and reality competition shows.
