Calculator · unstuffed turkey at 325°F
Turkey cooking time calculator
Enter your turkey's weight and when you want to eat. You'll get the roasting time and exactly when to preheat, put it in, take it out and carve.
At 325°F an unstuffed turkey takes about 3 hr 10 min at 12 lb, 4 hr at 16 lb and 4 hr 30 min at 20 lb, then rests 20–30 minutes. It's done at 165°F in the thickest part of the breast, thigh and wing.
- Oven
- 325°F, preheated for 15 min
- Estimate
- Based on USDA roasting times for an unstuffed turkey at 325°F (165°C).
- Rest
- 30 min, loosely covered
- Prep
- 20 min before it goes in
Roasting time at 325°F
3 hr 10 min
Put it in at 12:20 PM, take it out at 3:30 PM, rest 30 min.
- 12:00 PM−4:00Prep Turkey20 min hands-on
- 12:05 PM−3:55Preheat oven to 325°FAllow about 15 min
- 12:20 PM−3:40Turkey into the oven3 hr 10 min · at 325°F
- 3:30 PM−0:30Turkey out of the ovenRest 30 min, loosely covered
- 4:00 PM0:00Turkey rested — ready to carveServe now
- 4:00 PM0:00Dinner is readyEverything should land together
Opens the planner with this turkey and a full menu. Start checking the temperature before the time is up. Cook turkey to a safe minimum internal temperature of 165°F (74°C), checked with a food thermometer in the thickest part of the breast and thigh.
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A reminder when the turkey comes out.
Turkey out, oven up, sides in, rolls last. The app times each of those steps for you and replans if the turkey needs longer.
- A reminder for every step. Preheat, in, out, rest — each one arrives on time, even with the phone locked.
- Cook Mode. The next step in huge type you can read across the kitchen. The screen stays awake.
- Running late? It replans. Tell it the turkey needs 15 more minutes. Only the steps that depend on it move.
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How long to cook a turkey, by weight
USDA publishes its roasting times as ranges for an oven set to 325°F. The calculator uses the middle of each range for an unstuffed turkey and draws a line between them, so a 15 lb bird gets a time between the 14–18 lb figures instead of jumping at the band edges.
| Turkey | Unstuffed | Stuffed | Calculator |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 to 12 lb | 2¾ to 3 hours | 3 to 3½ hours | 2 hr 50 min at 10 lb |
| 12 to 14 lb | 3 to 3¾ hours | 3½ to 4 hours | 3 hr 20 min at 13 lb |
| 14 to 18 lb | 3¾ to 4¼ hours | 4 to 4¼ hours | 4 hr at 16 lb |
| 18 to 20 lb | 4¼ to 4½ hours | 4¼ to 4¾ hours | 4 hr 20 min at 19 lb |
| 20 to 24 lb | 4½ to 5 hours | 4¾ to 5¼ hours | 4 hr 45 min at 22 lb |
Bigger turkeys take less time per pound: about 16 minutes a pound at 12 lb, about 14 at 20 lb. A stuffed turkey takes longer, and USDA recommends cooking stuffing separately in a casserole. From frozen, allow at least 50 percent longer.
What time to put the turkey in
Work back from dinner: resting time, then roasting time, then 15 minutes to preheat. For a turkey on its own, that gives:
| Dinner at | 12 lb | 16 lb | 20 lb |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1:00 PM | 9:20 AM | 8:30 AM | 8:00 AM |
| 2:00 PM | 10:20 AM | 9:30 AM | 9:00 AM |
| 3:00 PM | 11:20 AM | 10:30 AM | 10:00 AM |
| 4:00 PM | 12:20 PM | 11:30 AM | 11:00 AM |
| 5:00 PM | 1:20 PM | 12:30 PM | 12:00 PM |
| 6:00 PM | 2:20 PM | 1:30 PM | 1:00 PM |
With a full menu and one oven, the turkey usually goes in about half an hour earlier than this, so the oven is free for the sides while it rests. The Thanksgiving timeline works that out for your whole meal.
Resting the turkey
USDA recommends letting a turkey stand 20 minutes before carving, for quality: the juices set and it carves more easily. The calculator allows 30 minutes, loosely covered with foil. In a one-oven kitchen that rest is the most useful half hour of the day — it's when the stuffing and casseroles bake. If you stuffed the bird, wait the 20 minutes before removing the stuffing.
Checking it's done
Times are only a guide; ovens run hot or cool and birds vary. A turkey is safe when a food thermometer reads 165°F (74°C) in the thickest part of the breast, the innermost part of the thigh and the wing, without touching bone. Pop-up timers aren't enough on their own. Keep the oven at 325°F or higher.
Questions people ask
How long does a 12 lb turkey take to cook?
About 3 hr 10 min at 325°F, unstuffed, then 20–30 minutes to rest. Check for 165°F in the breast, thigh and wing.
How long does a 20 lb turkey take to cook?
About 4 hr 30 min at 325°F, unstuffed (USDA gives 4¼ to 5 hours for 18–24 lb), plus the rest.
What time should I put a 16 lb turkey in for a 4 PM dinner?
On its own, at about 11:30 AM: 30 minutes of rest, 4 hr of roasting, and the preheat before that. With a full menu in one oven, start earlier so the sides can bake during the rest.
Should I cook the turkey at a higher temperature to save time?
The times here are for 325°F, the lowest oven temperature USDA recommends for turkey. Recipes that roast hotter use their own times — follow the recipe and check doneness with a thermometer.