How Long to Cook a Turkey (Time Chart by Weight)

“How long do I cook the turkey?” is the question I hear most every November, and the honest answer is: it depends on your bird’s size, the oven temperature, and whether it’s stuffed. A clock gets you close, but a thermometer tells you when it’s done.

At 325ºF (163ºC), a 12- to 14-pound unstuffed turkey takes about 3 to 3¾ hours. My roast turkey recipe roasts at a hotter 425ºF (218ºC), so the same size bird is ready in about 1 hour 35 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes. Use the charts below to find your turkey’s size and method, then pull it from the oven when the thickest part of the breast reaches about 160ºF (71ºC).

Turkey Cooking Time Chart (325ºF)

These are the USDA’s approximate roasting times for a fully thawed turkey at 325ºF (163ºC), the lowest oven temperature it recommends for turkey. Start checking the temperature before the shortest time.

Turkey weight	Unstuffed	Stuffed
8 to 12 pounds	2¾ to 3 hours	3 to 3½ hours
12 to 14 pounds	3 to 3¾ hours	3½ to 4 hours
14 to 18 pounds	3¾ to 4¼ hours	4 to 4¼ hours
18 to 20 pounds	4¼ to 4½ hours	4¼ to 4¾ hours
20 to 24 pounds	4½ to 5 hours	4¾ to 5¼ hours

Source: USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. Times are approximate; always confirm doneness with a thermometer.

I bake my stuffing in a separate dish. The stuffing in the center of the bird has to reach 165ºF (74ºC) to be safe, and by the time it does, the turkey meat can overcook. If you do stuff it, fill the cavity loosely right before roasting. My easy stuffing and Crock Pot stuffing both bake outside the bird.

Cooking Times for My Turkey Recipes

I’ve tested each of these methods with a 12- to 14-pound turkey. A hotter oven or a flatter bird gets dinner on the table much faster than the classic 325ºF roast.

Method	Oven temperature	Time for a 12- to 14-pound turkey	Rest
Roast turkey	425ºF (218ºC)	About 1 hour 35 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes	About 45 minutes
Spatchcocked turkey	450ºF (232ºC)	About 70 to 80 minutes	20 minutes
Herb roasted turkey	375ºF (191ºC) for 30 minutes, then 325ºF (163ºC)	About 11 to 12 minutes per pound, or 2 hours 20 to 50 minutes total	About 30 minutes
Cajun turkey	375ºF (191ºC)	1 hour breast side down, then 1 to 2 hours breast side up	About 45 minutes

Roasting a Bigger Turkey

For a crowd, I’d rather roast two smaller turkeys than one very large one. A big bird takes longer for heat to reach the center, so the breast is more likely to dry out before the thighs are done. If you’re roasting a turkey larger than 14 pounds, loosely tent the breast with foil after the first hour. The foil slows heat transfer to the breast while the thighs catch up. Add time as needed, and go by temperature.

Turkey Breast Cooking Times

A turkey breast is the easy answer for a small group. This chart is for boneless, skin-on breasts roasted with my roast turkey breast method. Thickness matters more than weight, so start checking about 15 minutes early.

Boneless turkey breast	Roast at 450ºF (232ºC)	Then roast at 325ºF (163ºC)	Total time (about)
2 pounds	20 minutes	15 to 25 minutes	35 to 45 minutes
3 pounds	25 minutes	25 to 35 minutes	50 minutes to 1 hour
4 pounds	30 minutes	30 to 45 minutes	1 to 1¼ hours
5 pounds	30 minutes	45 minutes to 1 hour	1¼ to 1½ hours
6 pounds	30 minutes	1 to 1¼ hours	1½ to 1¾ hours

A bone-in breast takes longer than a boneless one of the same weight, so rely on the thermometer rather than the clock.

Slow Cooker Turkey Breast

For a hands-off breast that frees up the oven, my Crock Pot turkey breast cooks on Low. Check at the shortest time and cook until it reaches 160ºF (71ºC).

Boneless turkey breast	Cook on Low
Under 2 pounds	1½ to 2½ hours
2 to 3 pounds	2½ to 3½ hours
3 to 4 pounds	3½ to 4½ hours
4 to 5 pounds	4½ to 5½ hours

When Is Turkey Done?

The USDA considers turkey safe at 165ºF (74ºC), measured in the thickest part of the breast and the innermost part of the thigh and wing. Here’s what I aim for:

• Breast: pull the turkey when the thickest part reads 160 to 165ºF (71 to 74ºC). It keeps cooking as it rests.
• Thigh: 170 to 175ºF (76 to 79ºC) in the thickest part.
• Stuffing (if it’s in the bird): 165ºF (74ºC) in the center.

Insert the probe into the thickest part of the meat without touching bone, which reads hotter and gives a false high. An instant-read thermometer is the one tool I’d never roast a turkey without; here are the meat thermometers I recommend. For safer temperatures, see my holiday food safety tips.

Why it works: Breast and thigh meat finish at different temperatures because they’re built differently. Dark meat from the legs and thighs has more fat and connective tissue and stays juicy at a higher temperature, while lean breast meat dries out easily. Here’s more on white meat vs. dark meat.

Why Turkey Cooking Times Vary

Two turkeys of the same weight can finish 30 minutes apart. These are the usual reasons:

• Oven temperature drops. The oven can drop 25 to 50 degrees when the turkey goes in and each time you open the door to baste or check. Every drop adds time, so let the oven recover between steps.
• Shape and thickness. Heat travels from the surface to the center, so a thick, round bird takes longer than a flat one. That’s why a spatchcocked turkey, with more surface exposed to the heat, roasts so much faster.
• Stuffing. A stuffed cavity has to heat all the way through, so a stuffed turkey takes longer. Compare the two columns in the chart above.
• A partly frozen turkey. A turkey that isn’t fully thawed takes at least 50 percent longer, and it cooks unevenly. Allow 1 day in the fridge for every 4 pounds. See my guide on how to thaw a turkey.
• Foil. Tenting the breast slows heat transfer to that area, which is helpful on a big bird but adds a little time.
• The pan and rack. A rack lifts the turkey so hot air circulates underneath, helping it cook more evenly than a bird sitting flat in its drippings.

Why I Pull the Turkey at 160ºF

The turkey doesn’t stop cooking the moment it leaves the oven. Heat stored near the surface keeps moving toward the center as it rests. This carryover cooking brings the breast from about 160ºF up to 165ºF, the safe serving temperature. If you wait until the thermometer reads 165ºF in the oven, the breast will climb past it and dry out.

Resting also gives the juices time to redistribute, so they stay in the meat instead of running onto the cutting board when you carve. Rest a whole roast turkey for about 45 minutes, uncovered so the skin stays crisp. That window is perfect for baking the sides. Here’s how to carve a turkey when it’s ready.

Plan Your Thanksgiving Timing

Work backward from dinner: take the turkey out about 1 hour 45 minutes before you eat, which gives it 45 minutes to rest and time to carve while the sides finish. Then subtract the roasting time to find when to put it in. My Thanksgiving game plan has an hour-by-hour Thanksgiving Day schedule built around one oven, a turkey thawing calendar, and a free printable planner.

Frequently Asked Questions

Whichever method you choose, a good thermometer and a little planning make all the difference. For the full lineup, visit my Thanksgiving turkey recipes. What size turkey are you roasting this year? Let me know in the 📝 comments below!