Easy Roast Turkey Recipe (2024)

This Easy Roast Turkey recipe makes a juicy, delicious, and beautiful roast turkey! With a step-by-step plan for a no-stress, perfect turkey!

If you are looking for a golden roasted and juicy, no-stress Thanksgiving turkey, then this recipe is for you. I’m sharing tips and tricks learned from my Mama for cooking the most perfectly moist, tender, and juicy roasted turkey every year for our Thanksgiving dinner. She always served the most beautiful turkey as the centerpiece of our meal. And it’s super easy to do with these steps and this recipe!

Before we get into the recipe, let’s start with a few tips, must-dos, and things to ignore for an easy, foolproof turkey every time. It all begins with just a little planning.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Easy to prep and cook – Just a few ingredients and a couple of steps. No brining or basting is required for the best turkey!
• Detailed guide and tips – Guide for everything from the size you’ll need to the perfect cooked turkey temperature.
• Delicious and beautiful turkey – The recipe gives you a flavorful, golden, juicy, beautiful turkey with ease!

How to Prep a Turkey for Roasting

My family’s method for roasting turkey is so easy and low-stress! In our recipe, you won’t rinse or brine the turkey. And you don’t even need a special roasting pan!

1. Remove the turkey from any packaging, removing the neck and giblets from the inner cavity. Discard them or save them if you plan to make giblet gravy.
2. Arrange the turkey on a roasting pan fitted with a V-shaped rack. You can also use a disposable roasting pan from the store. Tip: Create a “roasting rack” within the pan with halved garlic bulbs, onions, celery, and other vegetables if you don’t have one or are using a disposable pan.
3. Pat the turkey dry with paper towels, and then carefully insert your finger between the skin and the turkey breast. Take care not to rip the skin off the turkey, as this is where you’ll later rub a butter mixture.
4. Tie the legs of the turkey together to help the turkey cook evenly. Be sure that you are using an oven-safe baker’s twine. Trim away any excess twine once tied.

How to Cook a Thanksgiving Turkey

Ingredients

Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full listing of ingredients, instructions, notes, and estimated nutritional information.

• Turkey – You can use a fresh or frozen whole turkey. If frozen, see instructions in the recipe for How to Thaw.
• Butter – softened
• Salt and Pepper

Step-by-Step Instructions

My secret to a beautifully browned, moist, and juicy turkey is BUTTER.

1. Mix seasoning. Stir together softened butter along with salt and pepper and any preferred herbs and seasonings.
2. Butter under the skin. Then, place about a tablespoon of the seasoned butter underneath the skin of the turkey breast. Carefully massage the butter to ensure it is distributed evenly underneath the skin to cover the breast.
3. Butter the outside. Then, spread the remaining seasoned butter over the exterior of the turkey.
4. Don’t Baste. I’ve tried both ways through the years – basting and not basting. I prefer not to baste but instead use butter in my recipe and find it to result in a much more golden brown and juicy turkey. Basting involves having to open the oven repeatedly, which reduces the oven temperature. This can result in a drier turkey. By leaving the oven closed, your oven holds a steady temperature. And you don’t need to baste with my recipe! The butter is the secret!
5. Bake. Place turkey in the oven and bake until it’s reached 165 degrees F. More information on temperature and cooking time is to follow.
6. Let it Rest. Remove your turkey from the oven once the breast temperature reaches 165º F, transfer it to your carving board, and tent it loosely with foil. Allow the turkey to rest for 20 to 30 minutes.
7. Carve and Serve. You can carve at the table or carve ahead of placing on the table. When you carve at the table, plan for a beautiful presentation on a large platter that has fresh herbs and maybe even lemons or grapes on it for the roasted turkey. If you carve before placing it on the table, remove the twine from the turkey and carve it. I prefer to first remove the legs, then the wings, and then cut the breast of the turkey. I cut the breast into about 1 1/2 inch slices and arrange all of the pieces onto the platter.

Storage Tips

To store. Place the turkey leftovers in airtight containers or plastic storage bags and refrigerate for up to 3 or 4 days. If the breast meat isn’t already sliced, leave the breast as whole as possible to refrigerate to retain the juices in the larger cut of meat.

To freeze. If you will not eat or cook with the leftover turkey within 3 or 4 days, it’s best to freeze it. Cut the meat away from the turkey carcass, leaving sections of meat as whole as possible, and seal in airtight containers or airtight bags and freeze for up to 3 months.

Make Ahead Roast Turkey

Cookand slice the turkey according to the directions. Arrange on an oven-safe serving platter or on a rimmed baking sheet.Cover and leave at room temperature for up to 1 hour before reheating in the oven. Be sure to reheat until the temperature reaches 165º F.

Leftover Turkey Recipes

One of the best things about roasting a big turkey is the leftovers! While I love a turkey sandwich, I also enjoy recipes that use this delicious turkey! My family enjoys Turkey Pot Pie, Turkey Wraps and Turkey Salad, just to name a few more recipes!

What to Serve with Roast Turkey

The sides and desserts served alongside a juicy roast turkey are such a delicious part of completing the special meal. Here are a few of our favorites.

Cornbread Dressing

Turkey Gravy

Cranberry Sauce

Mashed Potatoes

Green Bean Casserole

Sweet Potato Casserole

Pecan Pie

Pumpkin Pie

Sweet Potato Pie

Frequently Asked Questions

Here is my family’s Roast Turkey recipe. I hope your family enjoys it as much as mine always has.

Enjoy!
Robyn xo