Today’s easy Turkey Brine recipe is one of our favorite ways to make holiday Turkey extra flavorful, juicy, and tender.
For this recipe, vegetable broth, herbs, bay leaves, brown sugar, sea salt, and cold water create a savory brine that seasons the turkey before roasting. We love using this for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and big family dinners because it’s a simple step that makes such a difference. Just brine the thawed turkey overnight, pat it dry, and it’s ready to roast up beautifully.
After brining your turkey, pair it with Roast Turkey, Homemade Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes, and Homemade Dinner Rolls for a classic holiday meal everyone will love.
Why you’ll love it + Why it works:
- Worth the Extra Step: A little planning ahead results in a noticeably more flavorful turkey.
- Classic Herb Blend: Rosemary, sage, thyme, and poultry seasoning create traditional holiday flavor.
- Overnight Brining: Giving the turkey plenty of time in the brine allows the flavors to fully penetrate the meat.
- Juicy Every Time: Brining helps keep the turkey moist from the first slice to the last.
Turkey Brine Ingredients
- Vegetable broth (1 gallon): Forms the flavorful base of the brine and adds savory depth to the turkey.
- Poultry seasoning (1 tablespoon): Provides a balanced blend of herbs that gives the turkey classic holiday flavor.
- Dried rosemary (1 tablespoon): Adds earthy, woodsy flavor that pairs perfectly with turkey.
- Dried sage (1 tablespoon): Brings the traditional savory flavor found in classic holiday turkey recipes.
- Dried thyme (1 tablespoon): Adds subtle herbal notes and complements the other seasonings.
- Bay leaves (3): Infuses the brine with additional aromatic flavor while it simmers.
- Brown sugar (¼ cup): Balances the saltiness of the brine and adds a hint of sweetness.
- Sea salt (1 cup): Retains moisture and seasons the turkey throughout. Coarse sea salt works best.
- Cold water (1 gallon): Dilutes the concentrated broth mixture and cools the brine to a safe temperature before adding the turkey.
- Turkey (1 (14 to 16-pound), thawed): Ensures it absorbs the brine evenly and safely.
How to Brine a Turkey
BROTH. Add 1 quart of vegetable broth to a medium pot over medium heat. Mix in the poultry seasoning, rosemary, sage, thyme, bay leaves, brown sugar, and salt. Bring the broth to a simmer, and simmer about 5 minutes, stirring to dissolve the salt. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
TURKEY. Prepare the turkey by removing the neck and giblets. Pour the broth with seasonings into a large stock pot or 4-5 gallon bucket, and add the remaining vegetable broth and cold water. Stir to combine.
REFRIGERATE. Place the turkey in the brine, breast side down, making sure that the cavity fills with brine and the brine covers the turkey. Refrigerate the turkey in the bucket overnight (a good rule of thumb is to brine for 1 hour per pound, so a 14 pound turkey should brine for about 14 hours).
PREP FOR COOKING. When ready to cook, remove the turkey from the brine, let the excess brine drain from the cavity, and discard the brine. Pat the turkey dry with paper towels before cooking.
Kristyn’s Recipe Tips
- Make sure the brine is completely cooled before adding the turkey to keep it at a safe temperature.
- Use a food-safe bucket, brining bag, or large container that fits in your refrigerator.
- Pat the turkey very dry after brining to help the skin brown and become crispy during roasting.
- Skip additional salt on the turkey before roasting since the brine has already seasoned the meat.
- If using a frozen turkey, be sure that it is completely thawed before brining.
- Allow 1 hour of soak time per pound of turkey. Flip the turkey over for the last ⅓ of the soak time to help with a more even brine.
- Reduce the salt in the recipe by either choosing a low sodium broth or reducing that added amount of sea salt.
Turkey Brine Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 gallon vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
- 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
- 1 tablespoon dried sage
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
- 3 bay leaves
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 cup sea salt
- 1 gallon cold water
- 1 (14-16-pound) turkey, thawed
Instructions
- Add 1 quart of vegetable broth to a medium pot over medium heat. Mix in the poultry seasoning, rosemary, sage, thyme, bay leaves, brown sugar, and salt. Bring the broth to a simmer, and simmer about 5 minutes, stirring to dissolve the salt. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
- Prepare the turkey by removing the neck and giblets. Pour the broth with seasonings into a large stock pot or 4-5 gallon bucket, and add the remaining vegetable broth and cold water. Stir to combine.
- Place the turkey in the brine, breast side down, making sure that the cavity fills with brine and the brine covers the turkey. Refrigerate the turkey in the bucket overnight (a good rule of thumb is to brine for 1 hour per pound, so a 14 pound turkey should brine for about 14 hours).
- When ready to cook, remove the turkey from the brine, let the excess brine drain from the cavity, and discard the brine. Pat the turkey dry with paper towels before cooking.
Notes
- Make sure the brine is completely cooled before adding the turkey to keep it at a safe temperature.
- Use a food-safe bucket, brining bag, or large container that fits in your refrigerator.
- Pat the turkey very dry after brining to help the skin brown and become crispy during roasting.
- Skip additional salt on the turkey before roasting since the brine has already seasoned the meat.
- If using a frozen turkey, be sure that it is completely thawed before brining.
- Allow 1 hour of soak time per pound of turkey. Flip the turkey over for the last ⅓ of the soak time to help with a more even brine.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
If the turkey is frozen, you’ll need to start with how long it will take to thaw it + brine time + cook time.
Thaw a turkey: When thawing in the fridge, plan on 4-5 hours per pound. If thawing in Cold water, plan 30 minutes per pound. Be sure to change the water every 30 minutes.
Brine a turkey: 1 hour per pound
Cook time: This varies. Be sure to check your cooking recipe and factor in the size of the bird.
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This recipe was first shared October, 2021.
We tried this for Thanksgiving this year. It was the best!
Ive actually never heard of brining a turkey until I came across this recipe. I really appreciate all the extra tips and its just in time for Thanksgiving next week.
Thanks for sharing this recipe! I wanted to try something new and this is just what I was looking for!
This is perfect to use for thanksgiving! My family loves turkey all year round, too. This adds such great flavor!
I’m always looking for a delicious and simple to make turkey recipe for Thanksgiving! I recommend this one for sure!
A great way to prepare your turkey. Easy instructions to serve a delicious turkey that everyone love!