Following in the footsteps of our other much-loved garlic herb butter chicken, pork roast and beef tenderloin roasts, our Herb Butter Turkey recipe is succulent and tender on the inside with a golden, buttery skin and so much flavour! We have put together a mouth-watering, Herb Butter Turkey for you to bang out this holiday season.
Why You’ll Love This Herb Butter Turkey
After the success of our Garlic Herb Butter Roast Chicken, it was high time to share with you all our perfect Herb Butter Turkey.
This Herb Butter Turkey offers the ideal solution for a succulent roast without the complications of traditional methods. Forget about dried-out turkey; our cooking technique, combined with a savory garlic herb butter, ensures moist meat every time. This festive favorite is a must-try for your holiday menu!
What Makes This Recipe Special?
- No Brining Needed: Our method eliminates the need for tedious brining, simplifying your holiday prep.
- Flavor Infusion: The combination of garlic, fresh herbs, and lemon in the cavity imparts rich flavors to the turkey. Which is the same as my Garlic Herb Butter Roast Chicken
- Crispy Skin: The Garlic Herb Butter creates a luscious, golden-brown skin that’s irresistibly crispy just like my Maple Glazed Ham
Herb Butter Turkey Ingredients
- Whole Turkey When cooked correctly, the turkey will have flavorful dark and white meat, creating a delightful contrast.
- Garlic a crucial flavor enhancer that adds depth and aroma.
- Lemon the steam from the lemon slices helps to tenderize the meat and infuse it with a bright, zesty flavor, balancing the richness of the turkey.
- Olive Oil drizzling olive oil over the turkey ensures even cooking while promoting a golden, crispy skin.
*Note – See recipe card at the bottom for full list of ingredients and measurements
Cooking Herb Butter Turkey
- Defrost The Turkey: If you have a frozen turkey, allow enough time for it to fully thaw in the Refrigerator. The general rule is 24 hours for every 3-4 pounds (1.5-2 kg) of turkey. Keep the turkey in its original packaging, place it in a large, deep roasting pan to catch drippings, remove the neck and giblets from the cavity. Rinse the turkey inside and out and pat dry
- Herb Butter: in a mixing bowl, combine the softened unsalted butter, minced garlic, chopped fresh thyme, salt, and pepper. Mix until well combined. The butter should be smooth and infused with garlic and herb flavors.Reserve: Set aside half of the herb butter for later use.
Tip* If you’re short on time, you can use the cold water method: Leave the turkey is in a sealed, leak-proof bag. Submerge the turkey in cold water, allowing 30 minutes per pound (approximately 500g). Change the water every 30 minutes to keep it cold. let the turkey sit at room temperature for about 30-60 minutes before cooking
- Preparing to Roast: Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C). Create a Rack: In your roasting pan, create a makeshift roasting rack using the halved garlic heads and herbs, placing them cut-side down. This setup lifts the turkey and allows the heat to circulate evenly. Place the turkey breast-side down on top of the garlic and herbs in the roasting pan. This helps keep the breast moist while roasting.
- Roasting the Turkey: First Cooking Phase: Roast Turkey uncovered for: 30 minutes for under 13 lbs (6 kg) 45 minutes for over 14 lbs (7 kg). Then, carefully flip the turkey breast-side up using tongs and a clean tea towel, baste the turkey with pan juices and spread half of the reserved herb butter over the top. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F (165°C). Continue roasting for approx 1 hour, basting occasionally with pan juices. After an hour, slather the turkey with the remaining herb butter. Continue roasting and baste again after 30 minutes.
- Allow to Rest: Once your turkey is cooked through, transfer it to a marble cutting board or serving plate. Tent with foil to keep it warm, and allow it to rest for 15-30 minutes, depending on the size of the turkey (the bigger it is, the longer it will need to rest).
- The Turkey Gravy! For our Turkey Gravy Recipe Strain pan drippings. Use a metal spatula to scrape any bits of meat stuck to the bottom of the roasting pan. Melt butter in a small pot and add in flour to make a roux, Slowly pour in pan drippings. you can top it up with chicken stock if needed. Season with salt and pepper, add in Worcestershire sauce, herbs or other seasonings to suit your taste!
Sides For Herb Butter Turkey
There are so many options when it comes to sides for this classic, Try our rich and flavorful Sausage Meat Stuffing or the sweet and savory Honey Garlic Roasted Carrots. For classic comfort, go with Mashed Potatoes or the indulgent Sweet Potato Casserole. Some Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Creamed Spinach, Roasted Brussel Sprouts With Bacon or a buttery Corn On The Cob With Garlic Butter are all perfect compliments. Cranberry Sauce is my personal go-to! and for desert Chocolate Pecan Pie
Recipe FAQ’s
To prevent drying, start by roasting the turkey breast-side down for the first part of cooking. This allows the juices to flow into the breast meat. Additionally, use herb butter under the skin for moisture and flavor, and baste the turkey regularly with pan juices. If you need
Yes, you can cook the turkey a day ahead! After cooking, let it rest and then refrigerate. To reheat, cover it with foil and gently warm it in the oven at a low temperature (around 325°F or 165°C) to avoid drying it out.
Leftover turkey is versatile! You can use it in soups, sandwiches, or salads. Shred it for tacos or casseroles, or simply enjoy it cold or reheated with gravy. Be creative and use it in various dishes to minimize waste! You could also use the leftover Turkey in our Turkey Meatballs or White Turkey Chilli
Herb Butter Turkey Recipe
Ingredients
Roast Turkey:
- 12 pound whole turkey skin on, fully defrosted, washed, giblets and neck removed
- 3 heads garlic divided and cut in half horizontally
- 3 slices lemon divided
- 6 thyme sprigs divided
- 6 rosemary sprigs divided
- ½ cup olive oil divided
Herb Butter:
- 4 ounces unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme chopped or ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 4 teaspoons garlic minced
- 1 pinch salt a pinch
- 1 pinch cracked pepper a pinch
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F | 220°C for standard ovens, or 390°F | 200°C for fan forced. Lower oven shelf to the lowest part of your oven.
- Combine the Herb Butter ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Reserve half of the herb butter in the refrigerator for later.
- Line a large roasting pan with foil or parchment paper. Arrange the 4 halves of garlic cut-side down on the bottom of the pan with 4 sprigs each of thyme and rosemary, half of the olive oil and 1 slice of lemon.
- Thoroughly pat turkey dry with paper towels. Stuff with the remaining heads garlic halves, lemon slice, a squeeze of lemon from remaining slice, herbs and a drizzle of olive oil.
- Melt the butter and rub all over the turkey, including under the skin. Season generously all over with salt and pepper. Place turkey on top of the garlic and herbs in the pan BREAST-SIDE DOWN. Drizzle with the remaining oil.
- Roast uncovered for 30 minutes for a small turkey under 13 pounds (6 ½ kg), or 45 minutes for a larger turkey over 14 pounds (7 kg plus).
- Turn turkey over (breast-side up) with a pair of tongs, a clean tea towel or oven mits (heat-proof gloves) and baste with pan juices.
- Spread half of the reserved herb butter over the top of your turkey with a spoon or brush (be careful, the turkey will be hot and the butter will melt nicely over the skin). Pour any remaining juices over your turkey.
- Reduce heat to 325°F |165°C (for standard ovens), or 300°F | 150°C (fan-forced). Roast, uncovered, for an hour.
- Slather turkey generously with remaining butter and roast for 30 minutes. Baste again, then continue roasting for a further 30 minutes or so, depending on the size of your bird. *Tent loosely with foil if starting to brown too fast.*(For an extra large turkey, you may need an additional half hour to an hour.)
- For extra crispy skin, broil (or grill) in the last 5-10 minutes, keeping your eye on it so it doesn't burn, until the skin is crispy and golden browned all over.
- Tent turkey with foil and allow it to rest for 20-30 minutes before carving and serving.
- Remove 2 ½ cups of the liquid from the pan juices (top up with stock if you need too), strain and reserve for your gravy.
- Here's the link for the perfect Turkey Gravy recipe.
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Twila says
Oh my goodness!! White turkey meat has never tasted SO good and moist!
This will definitely be my go-to turkey recipe from now on!
Kai says
Wow, this was the best turkey I’ve ever eaten, and it was so easy to make as well! This will be my go-to turkey recipe forever, haha.
Funnily, this year my mother was raving about the turkey (which I made), and I was raving about the cheesy bacon brussel sprouts (which she made), and it turned out that both recipes were from cafedelights!
Tyler says
Was awesome
Issany Anaya says
JUST WOW! I made my first turkey ever! 13.5 lbs Turkey! I was so proud of how it turned out!! So juicy! so perfect! I spent two weeks reading this recipe making sure it would come out just as good as everyone’s comments lol! IT WAS A SUCCESS. THANK GOD I stumbled upon this recipe!
Brandy Taylor says
Wonderful! I added more lemon and a quartered onion to the cavity. Will skip lining the pan next time, as I could have many the gravy straight in my roasting pan. skin didn’t touch as I used your garlic trick, so happy to learn that one as the rack is always tricky to clean! Great recipe.. .thank you for sharing with us! Beautiful blog!
Karen G. says
This was my first Thanksgiving cooking and my very first turkey and it turned out just PERFECT! I was really nervous that I would mess it up, but this recipe was so easy. I even managed the flip without any disasters. Anytime, I need to roast a turkey this will be my go-to recipe hands down! Thank you so much for sharing.
Jean M Hanner says
Delicious! I added a few sage leaves on the baking dish, the flavor was wonderful, the turkey very juicy! Thanks!
Brittany says
I made this for Thanksgiving today and it turned out great! This is the first time I didn’t use a turkey bag, but totally worth it! YUM!!!! The only thing different I did was use stuffing instead of the filling you had here. But I’m sure that would have been good too.
Melissa Koger says
This was my first year making the turkey and I was nervous!! I followed this recipe almost exactly, except added a ton of halved lemins and limes in the roasting pan. It made the best turkey I’ve ever had! I continued to baste the meat as it was being carved and by the time we served it, the meat was laying in a layer of the juices and it was SO moist and juicy. This will be my go to and I will pass it along to my friends. Thank you!!