For a perfect Thanksgiving turkey—golden on the outside and tender on the inside—temperature matters! If your turkey is underdone it can be dangerous to consume and lead to food-borne illnesses for you and your Thanksgiving guests, but if it’s overdone, an otherwise scrumptious bird becomes dry and flavorless. However, since there are many different ways to cook a turkey, the temperature you’re aiming for can vary slightly, which only makes things more complicated. Yet, with the right balance of heat, you can have a perfectly cooked bird that’ll earn raves from your Thanksgiving guests. Here’s what temperature to cook a turkey so it stays juicy and delicious.
Oven-Roasted Turkey
For a classic roast turkey, begin by preheating your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit; you want it nice and hot at the beginning. However, if the oven temperature is too high for the entirety of the cooking time, the turkey will dry out. Starting the turkey in a hot oven gets the skin crispy and burnished—just what you want. We recommend starting the turkey in a 425 degree oven for 30-45 minutes before tenting the pan with foil and lowering the temperature to 350 degrees until a meat thermometer reads 165 degrees when inserted into the thickest part of the bird. By covering the pan with foil when you lower the oven temperature, you’ll prevent the skin from burning while you cook the bird the rest of the way through.
A 12- to 14-pound turkey will take roughly two hours at 350 degrees to cook through, but the cook time will vary depending on the size of the bird. For a heavier turkey, you can estimate that each additional pound will take about 15-20 minutes longer.
Smoked Turkey
For a smoked turkey, you want to aim a bit lower than 425 degrees. Instead, set your smoker to 325 to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Within this temperature range, a spatchco*cked turkey will take 10 to 12 minutes a pound to smoke. For most turkeys, that means at least an hour of cooking time, if not much more. You’ll know your turkey is done when the thickest part of its thigh reaches 165 degrees; just make sure your meat thermometer isn’t touching any bone.
And if you’re opting to deep-fry your turkey, you’ll want to preheat the oil to 350 degrees and maintain that temperature while the bird cooks. The turkey is done cooking when an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast registers 155 degrees. The temperature will rise as the bird rests—you're looking for a safe internal temperature of 165 degrees in the breast and 180 degrees in the thickest part of the thigh.
For grilled turkey, follow the same general premise of roasting. This means you'll start at a hot temperature for a good sear, such as 425 degrees Fahrenheit, then move to lower (indirect) heat to cook the bird the rest of the way through.
Instant Pot Turkey
If you’re using a gadget like an air fryer or Instant Pot, just cook the turkey at 350 degrees until cooked through. For a golden top, finish it off by broiling the surface in the oven.
First things first, the USDA advises that you cook a whole turkey to 165 degrees all the way through as measured with a meat thermometer. Every bird is different, so it’s best to keep a thermometer on hand to check the internal temperature for doneness. Make sure to stick the thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh when checking the turkey’s temperature.
If you don’t have a meat thermometer, you can also check the turkey’s doneness by cutting slits in the meat and seeing if the juices run clear. This method is less reliable than the thermometer approach, but it’s still effective.
Begin by roasting your turkey at 425°F for 40 to 45 minutes before lowering the temperature of the oven to 350°F for the rest of the cooking time. Like the other method, it's a good idea to brush the turkey every 15 to 20 minutes with butter or olive oil to help the surface brown and keep the meat moist.
We recommend starting the turkey in a 425 degree oven for 30-45 minutes before tenting the pan with foil and lowering the temperature to 350 degrees until a meat thermometer reads 165 degrees when inserted into the thickest part of the bird.
We recommend roasting turkey at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 13 minutes per pound for an unstuffed turkey. We've done the math for you — check out the chart below to determine both turkey cook times and estimated servings (with leftovers!).
When roasting meat and poultry, set the oven temperature to 325°F (163°C) or higher. Explore the charts below to learn how to get great results every time you cook.
To achieve a perfectly golden, juicy turkey, let the bird spend time both covered and uncovered in the oven. We recommend covering your bird for most of the cooking time to prevent it from drying out; then, during the last 30 minutes or so of cooking, remove the cover so the skin crisps in the hot oven.
When you're starting to think about going to bed, preheat your oven to somewhere between 170-180ºF. If your oven temperature does not go this low, set it to its coolest setting; anything up to 200ºF is fine. Pull the turkey out of the refrigerator, season it with salt and aromatics, and rub the outside with butter.
Meanwhile the white meat in turkey will start to expel its water in the 150's F (60's C) and be bone dry by the time it reaches 165°F (74°C). Do your family a favor this Thanksgiving. Pull your turkey from the oven or smoker at 157°F (69°C).
Slow cookers generally operate between 190°F (on the low setting) and 300°F (on the high setting). In comparison, when using an oven as a slow cooker, you'll typically set the temperature between 325°F (similar to the low setting) and 375°F (resembling the high setting).
Aim to cook a roast at 350 degrees F or lower, aside from any high heat used for reverse searing at the end. Some beef roast methods call for temperatures as low as 250 degrees F and cooking the meat overnight. Avoid the urge to hurry the process and you'll always end up with a tender roast.
"Often, consumers will inquire about adding water to the bottom of their roasting pans. We do not recommend adding water to the bottom of the pan. Cooking a turkey with steam is a moist heat-cook method and is acceptable, sure, but is not the preferred method for cooking your turkey."
Wash your hands, but not the turkey! Many consumers think that washing their turkey will remove bacteria and make it safer. However, it's virtually impossible to wash bacteria off the bird. Instead, juices that splash during washing can transfer bacteria onto the surfaces of your kitchen, other foods and utensils.
The simple secret to a truly juicy roast turkey is to season the turkey with a rub a couple of days before roasting. This is called dry brining and it makes the flesh beautifully moist, and you can even do it while the turkey is still FROZEN!
While you'll kill a bunch of bacteria instantaneously if you cook your turkey to 165 degrees, you can wipe out the equivalent amount of bacteria a little more slowly at 150 degrees — as long as your turkey breast remains at that temperature for at least 3.7 minutes.
Cover and chill the turkey or carve it and chill in an airtight container no more than 2 hrs after eating for safety, and to help keep it at its juiciest.
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