Turkey Thaw & Roast Time Calculator
Tell it the weight of the turkey and when you want to carve. It works backwards to show when to start thawing, when to put the turkey in the oven and when to take it out, from the USDA food-safety tables
Your Turkey
Microwave thawing is not timed here: follow the microwave maker’s instructions and cook right after
The USDA tables cover turkeys from 4 to 24 lb (1.8 to 10.9 kg)
The USDA does not recommend stuffing the bird; cooking the stuffing separately gives more even cooking
Local time on this device. The 20-minute rest before carving is taken off for you.
Type plain numbers; a decimal point or comma both work. Your inputs stay in your browser.
15 lb (6.8 kg): roasting takes 3 h 45 min – 4 h 15 min at 325 °F (163 °C). This is the start of the window, so a turkey that finishes early only rests a little longer.
- Refrigerator thaw: start by Sun, Nov 22, 12:25 PM. Allow 3 to 4 days, with the fridge at 40 °F (4 °C) or below.
- A thawed turkey can stay in the refrigerator for 1 or 2 days before cooking, so starting a day or two earlier is fine.
- Put it in the oven (325 °F, 163 °C) between Thu, Nov 26, 12:25 PM and Thu, Nov 26, 12:55 PM; roast time 3 h 45 min – 4 h 15 min.
- Check with a food thermometer: the innermost part of the thigh, the wing and the thickest part of the breast must reach 165 °F (74 °C).
- Take it out by 4:40 PM and let it stand for 20 minutes, then carve at 5:00 PM.
- Microwave thawing is not timed here: follow the microwave maker’s instructions and cook immediately.
- The USDA calls these times approximate. The thermometer, not the clock, tells you the turkey is safe to eat.
How to use it
- Say whether the turkey is frozen (and you will thaw it), already thawed, or going into the oven frozen.
- If you will thaw it, pick the refrigerator or cold water.
- Enter the weight in pounds or kilograms, and whether it is stuffed.
- Pick the date and time you want to carve.
- Read the plan from the top: when to start thawing, when to put it in the oven, when to take it out and the temperature to check. Copy Result keeps the key times.
Worked example
A 15 lb (6.8 kg) turkey, not stuffed, thawed in the refrigerator, to be carved at 5:00 pm on Thursday. The roasting row for 14 to 18 lb is 3 h 45 min to 4 h 15 min at 325 °F (163 °C). Take off the 20-minute rest and the turkey must be out of the oven at 4:40 pm, so it goes in between 12:25 pm and 12:55 pm. The refrigerator row for 12 to 16 lb is 3 to 4 days, so start thawing by 12:25 pm on Sunday. Cooked from frozen instead, the same bird needs at least 50% longer: 5 h 38 min to 6 h 23 min.
Why this tool exists and where its numbers come from
Cooks usually plan a holiday turkey around the carving time, but thawing takes days and roasting hours. The thawing times and the roasting times come from two USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service pages (below), and the 165 °F (74 °C) temperature and the 20-minute rest come from the roasting page. They cover turkeys from 4 to 24 lb. This site is not affiliated with the USDA, and the tool only does the scheduling arithmetic.
Sources
For the full method, see the Methodology section just below.
Methodology
The tables. Roasting times (unstuffed and stuffed, at 325 °F) and the thawing times for the refrigerator (4–12 lb: 1–3 days, 12–16 lb: 3–4, 16–20 lb: 4–5, 20–24 lb: 5–6) and for cold water (2–6, 6–8, 8–10 and 10–12 hours) are taken row by row from the USDA FSIS pages. A weight exactly on a boundary uses the longer row. The arithmetic. The turkey must leave the oven 20 minutes before carving; the oven window runs from that moment minus the longest roast time to minus the shortest. The thawing start is counted back from the early end of that window using the longest thawing time. Cooking from frozen multiplies the roasting time by 1.5, the USDA minimum of “at least 50% longer”. Pounds and kilograms use 1 kg = 2.2046 lb, and Celsius figures are rounded conversions.
Where turkey plans go wrong
Each slip below can be reproduced with the tool. Times come from the USDA FSIS tables.
- Thawing starts too late. A 20 lb turkey needs 5 to 6 days in the refrigerator. Buying it on Monday for Thursday is not enough.
- Cold water is a chore. A 12 lb turkey needs 6 to 8 hours, with the water changed every 30 minutes: about 12 to 16 changes.
- Frozen takes much longer. A 15 lb turkey roasts in 3 h 45 min to 4 h 15 min thawed, and at least 5 h 38 min to 6 h 23 min from frozen.
- Stuffing adds time. A 22 lb turkey takes 4 h 30 min to 5 h unstuffed and 4 h 45 min to 5 h 15 min stuffed, and the stuffing must reach 165 °F (74 °C) too.
- Forgetting the rest. The turkey stands 20 minutes before carving, so dinner at 5:00 pm means out of the oven at 4:40 pm.
Planning aid only; a food thermometer decides when the turkey is done.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a turkey take to thaw in the refrigerator? ▼
About 24 hours for every 4 to 5 lb with the fridge at 40 °F (4 °C) or below. By weight: 4 to 12 lb takes 1 to 3 days, 12 to 16 lb 3 to 4 days, 16 to 20 lb 4 to 5 days and 20 to 24 lb 5 to 6 days.
How long does cold-water thawing take? ▼
About 30 minutes per pound: 2 to 6 hours for 4 to 12 lb, 6 to 8 hours for 12 to 16 lb, 8 to 10 hours for 16 to 20 lb and 10 to 12 hours for 20 to 24 lb. Keep the turkey in a leak-proof bag under cold tap water, change the water every 30 minutes and cook right after.
How long can a thawed turkey wait in the refrigerator? ▼
A turkey thawed in the refrigerator can stay there for 1 or 2 days before you cook it. One thawed in cold water or the microwave must be cooked immediately.
Can I roast a turkey from frozen? ▼
Yes, it is safe, and you skip the thawing. Plan for at least 50% more roasting time than a thawed turkey of the same weight. A frozen pre-stuffed turkey should not be thawed: follow the package directions.
When is the turkey safe to eat? ▼
When a food thermometer reads at least 165 °F (74 °C) in the innermost part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast. Then let it stand for 20 minutes before carving.
Does the tool work for a stuffed turkey? ▼
Yes: choose Stuffed for the longer roasting times, which start at 6 lb. The USDA does not recommend stuffing the bird, and if you do, the stuffing must also reach 165 °F (74 °C) in the center. Cooking it separately is recommended.