Roasting a turkey doesn’t have to be stressful! With the right prep, a flavorful compound butter, and a simple glaze, you can make a show-stopping turkey that’s tender on the inside and beautifully golden on the outside.
What I love most about this recipe is that it’s packed with flavor from start to finish—between the aromatic veggies, the buttery skin, and the molasses-Dijon glaze, every bite tastes like holiday perfection.
After years of making turkeys, we finally have it down to a science, and today we will be sharing all the best tips and tricks so you can have the PERFECT roast turkey recipe.
Learn how to roast a turkey with these simple steps. Serve it with Best Mashed Potatoes, Dinner Rolls Recipe, Green Bean Casserole Recipe, and Homemade Pumpkin Pie, and you’ll have the perfect holiday meal.
Why we think you’ll love it:
- Simple. No complicated steps—just simple, flavorful ingredients.
- No Fail. Foolproof method for juicy, golden turkey every time.
- Holiday perfection. Perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any special occasion.
- Great make-ahead potential. Use the leftovers for sandwiches, soups, or casseroles!
Ingredients
Stuffing
- Turkey (1, thawed): The star of the show (make sure it’s completely thawed for even cooking.) For 10 people, plan to serve a 10-15 pound turkey. If you are hosting a large crowd, consider cooking two smaller turkeys.
- Celery, carrots, onion, garlic: Create a flavorful base and natural roasting rack under the turkey.
- Apples (cut in half): Add subtle sweetness and moisture to the roasting pan.
- Chicken broth (2 cups): Keeps the bird juicy and adds flavor to the drippings. Can also use chicken stock.
- Butter (6 tablespoons, divided): Adds richness and helps crisp up the skin.
- Compound butter (3 tablespoons): Brushed on top for extra flavor (try garlic, herb, or Italian blends.) Note: Compound butter is softened butter that has been mixed with sweet or savory ingredients.
Glaze
- Molasses (1 cup): Adds deep, caramelized sweetness to the turkey skin.
- Dijon mustard (2 tablespoons): Balances the sweetness with a little tang.
- Garlic salt (1 tablespoon): Enhances flavor throughout.
- Black pepper (3 teaspoons) & kosher salt (2 teaspoons): Finish it off with savory seasoning and crisp texture.
Prep the Turkey
PREP. Preheat oven to 425°F.
VEGGIES. Add ⅔ of the chopped celery, chopped carrots, chopped onion, and minced cloves of garlic to the bottom of the roasting pan.
- *Note: Be sure to use a roasting pan with an elevated rack to keep the bird somewhat above the liquid
TURKEY PREP. Prepare 1 turkey by removing the added items (neck, giblets, gravy packet) – no need to rinse the turkey – leave the tie on the legs – this helps keep it together (or use kitchen twine to tie them together if not tied).
- Place a roasting rack above the layer of vegetables, and then place turkey on the rack.
FILL. Stuff the remaining ⅓ carrots, celery, onion, and garlic inside the turkey cavity.
- Add one apple (cut in half) inside the turkey. Place the remaining apples (also cut in half) around the outside of the turkey.
- Cut the 6 tablespoons of butter into 1 tablespoon pats.
- Carefully lift the skin away from the meat & slide each pat of butter in between the skin & breast. Do your best to spread the butter pats out evenly. Add 2 cups of chicken broth to the bottom of the pan.
BRUSH. Melt the compound butter and brush over the entire turkey.
How to Roast the Turkey
COOK. Roast in the preheated oven, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
- Reduce heat to 375°F.
- Remove, baste, and tent aluminum foil over the turkey – return to oven.
- Continue roasting an additional 2-2½ hours, depending on the size of your turkey (check label for exact cooking times per size), basting every 40-45 minutes.
Temp & Glaze
TEMPERATURE. Using a meat thermometer, check the temperature near the end. Once you reach a minimum internal temperature of 165°F in the thickest part of the turkey, it’s time to add your glaze.
GLAZE. In a small bowl, whisk molasses, Dijon mustard, garlic salt, black pepper, and kosher salt.
Brush the glaze over the turkey and return the uncovered turkey to the oven. Cook for an additional 15 minutes to crisp the skin.
- Remove and let rest 10-20 minutes before carving so the juices redistribute and every slice stays tender. NOTE: Before carving, be sure to remove all the fruits and veggies in the turkey and in the roasting pan and discard.
Whether you prefer the turkey breast, thigh, drumsticks, or wings, you’ll enjoy every juicy piece!
Kristyn’s Recipe Tips
- To determine the size of turkey needed, calculate 1-1½ pounds of turkey per person.
- Start with a fully thawed turkey . Give yourself plenty of time! A frozen turkey needs about 24 hours of thawing time per 4–5 pounds in the fridge.
- Only stuff the turkey immediately before it goes into the oven; never prepare it stuffed the night before (bacteria growth can happen). Do not pack the stuffing tightly, as it needs air circulation to cook properly.
- Butter under the skin. Sliding butter pats under the skin keeps the meat moist and flavorful.
- Don’t forget to discard all the veggies and fruits in the turkey and in the pan.
- Rest before carving. Let the turkey rest for at least 15 minutes so the juices redistribute and every slice stays tender.
- To enhance the flavor even more, you can also use a Turkey Brine.
- Use the turkey drippings to make Turkey Gravy, which is perfect to pour on Mashed Potatoes.
How to Roast a Turkey
Equipment
Video
Ingredients
- 1 turkey, thawed
- 5-6 stalks celery, chopped
- ½ onion, chopped
- 4-5 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 cloves minced garlic, peeled
- 2-3 apples
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 6 tablespoons butter, divided
- 3 tablespoons compound butter, (such as Italian Garlic Butter)
Glaze
- 1 cup molasses
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon garlic salt
- 3 teaspoons black pepper
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Cut your celery, carrots, onion, and garlic. Add ⅔ of them to the bottom of your roasting pan.
- *Note: Be sure to use a roasting pan with an elevated rack to keep the bird somewhat above the liquid.
- Prepare the turkey by removing the added items (neck, giblets, gravy packet) – no need to rinse the turkey – leave the tie on the legs – this helps keep it together.
- Place the turkey in the prepared pan and stuff the remaining veggies inside the turkey.
- Add one apple, cut in half, inside the turkey.
- Place remaining apples (also cut in half) around outside of the turkey.
- Cut the butter into 1 tablespoon pats. Carefully lift skin away from meat and slide pats of butter between the skin & breast.
- Add chicken stock to the bottom of the pan.
- Melt the compound butter and brush over the entire turkey.
- Roast in preheated oven, uncovered for 30 minutes.
- Remove, baste, tent with foil – return to oven.
Reduce heat to 375°F
- Continue roasting an additional 2-2½ hours depending on the size of your turkey (check label for exact cooking times per size). Basting every 40-45 minutes.
- Check temperature near the end – once you reach a minimum of 165°F in the thickest part of the turkey, it's time to add your glaze.
- Whisk glaze ingredients in a small bowl to combine.
- Brush glaze over turkey and return turkey to oven, uncovered, and cook an additional 15 minutes to crisp the skin.
- Remove and let rest 10-20 minutes before carving. Be sure to discard all veggies and fruits from inside the turkey and in the roasting pan before discarding.
Notes
- To determine the size of turkey needed, calculate 1-1½ pounds of turkey per person.
- To ensure your turkey thaws properly, move it to the fridge on the Monday before Thanksgiving for 4-11 lbs, Sunday for 12-15 lbs, Saturday for 16-19 lbs, and Friday for 20-24 lbs.
- Only stuff the turkey immediately before it goes into the oven; never prepare it stuffed the night before (bacteria growth can happen). Do not pack the stuffing tightly, as it needs air circulation to cook properly.
- Once the turkey is out of the oven, scoop all the stuffing out of the cavity into a separate serving dish along with the veggies from the roasting pan.
- To enhance the flavor even more, you can also use a Turkey Brine.
- Use the turkey drippings to make Turkey Gravy, which is perfect to pour on Mashed Potatoes.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
Mix ½ cup softened butter with ½- 1 teaspoon minced garlic, 1-2 teaspoons fresh Italian herbs (a mix of flat-leaf parsley, oregano, basil, and thyme), and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
Use 3 tablespoons in the recipe and store the remaining butter in a container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
To help keep the turkey moist, use a turkey baster or ladle to pour the liquid from the pan over the turkey.
Instead of adding veggies to the turkey cavity, stuff it with your favorite stuffing recipe, but don’t overstuff. Use kitchen twine to close the cavity. Roast according to the recipe. Both the turkey and stuffing need to reach 165°F.
Toss 1/3 of the veggies with fresh herbs like thyme, sage, and parsley and place them inside the turkey cavity.
Remove the meat from the bones. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days or freezer for 2-3 months.
Recipe FAQS
Complete the Meal
Side Dishes
Best Mashed Potatoes
35 mins
Dinner Rolls Recipe
2 hrs 40 mins
Homemade Stuffing
1 hr 15 mins
Fresh Cranberry Sauce
17 mins
Desserts
Homemade Pumpkin Pie
1 hr 5 mins
Pecan Pie Cheesecake
2 hrs 25 mins
Apple Pie Recipe
3 hrs 45 mins
Libby’s Pumpkin Roll
2 hrs 35 mins
More Holiday Main Dishes
Roast Chicken Recipe
1 hr 30 mins
Easy Prime Rib Recipe
3 hrs 35 mins
Crockpot Ham
3 hrs 40 mins
Crock Pot Roast with Potatoes and Carrots
8 hrs 15 mins
More Collections
This recipe was originally published October 2015.
Try this on Thanksgiving!
That’s great! I hope it turns out perfectly for your Thanksgiving!
This is so helpful! Can’t wait to use for thanksgiving!
Great article, however, you may wish to fix the cooking times for an unstuffed turkey. It seems there were some editing problems.
Just remember there are 2 cavities to empty…the front and back. I learned that at age16 when I was cooking the 25lb turkey. I emptied the big cavity but didn’t realize there was a “surprise package” of giblets and stuff in the back until we were cutting the turkey at Thanksgiving dinner… and I yelled “I didn’t
know there were 2 compartments ” whoops. Lol that’s what they get for letting the 16 yr old try her hand tackleing the holiday beast. It came out fine other than that. 😊
Thank you so much for sharing this, it was very helpful!! The turkey came out perfectly and was so delicious and juicy!
Absolutely perfect. The whole family loved it and I am definitely using this recipe for Thanksgiving!