TurkeyCalculator
How big a turkey to buy, how long to thaw it, how long to roast it, and when to put it in the oven for your dinner time. Every number comes from USDA tables.
- Size for your guest count
- Fridge or cold-water thawing
- Start time for your dinner
- USDA sources shown
Your Thanksgiving turkey
Free, instant, nothing is stored
More options
USDA times are approximate. Always check with a food thermometer. Not tested in our kitchen.
Your estimate
Enter your guests, then press Calculate.
About this turkey calculator
This turkey calculator turns the USDA’s turkey tables into a plan. Enter your guests and it gives a turkey size, a thawing time, a roasting time at 325°F, and, if you add your dinner time, when to put the bird in the oven. It follows the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service’s consumer guide Let’s Talk Turkey and its safe thawing page. It does not guess.
The calculator stops at USDA’s limits: turkeys from 4 to 24 pounds, roasted at 325°F, and turkey breasts only up to 8 pounds. Past that, USDA gives no time, and neither do we.
How big a turkey to buy
USDA says to allow 1 pound of turkey per person, for fresh or frozen birds. For a frozen pre-stuffed turkey it says 1¼ pounds per person. That is a buying weight, bones included. One cook on Reddit puts it this way:
“You do have to keep in mind that that purchasing guide is there to acknowledge that much of the turkey weight will be carcass; it doesn’t mean each individual will actually get 1-1.5 lb of meat to eat.”r/Cooking, November 2025 (34 upvotes). A single account, not an official source.
Our take: the calculator uses USDA’s 1 pound per guest and says so, because that is the published rule. If you want leftovers, enter a bigger weight yourself. The tables stop at 24 pounds, so for a crowd that needs more, a bird of 20 to 22 pounds plus a breast stays inside the USDA tables, an idea a poster gave on r/thanksgiving.
How long to thaw a turkey
USDA gives two safe ways to thaw a whole turkey, plus the microwave. Refrigerator thawing takes about 24 hours for every 4 to 5 pounds in a refrigerator at 40°F or below. Cold water takes about 30 minutes per pound, with the water changed every 30 minutes.
| Turkey weight | Refrigerator | Cold water |
|---|---|---|
| 4 to 12 pounds | 1 to 3 days | 2 to 6 hours |
| 12 to 16 pounds | 3 to 4 days | 6 to 8 hours |
| 16 to 20 pounds | 4 to 5 days | 8 to 10 hours |
| 20 to 24 pounds | 5 to 6 days | 10 to 12 hours |
A turkey thawed in the refrigerator can wait 1 to 2 days before cooking. A turkey thawed in cold water must be cooked right after thawing. The refrigerator is the forgiving choice.
“If you start freaking out, cold water method in the sink can finish it off.”r/thanksgiving, November 2025 (20 upvotes). A single account, not an official source.
Our take: this is a real fallback, and USDA backs it. Wrap the bird so the water cannot leak in, use cold tap water, and change it every 30 minutes. A 14 pound turkey is in the 12 to 16 pound row, which is 6 to 8 hours.
How long to roast a turkey at 325°F
USDA says to set the oven no lower than 325°F and gives these timetables. They are approximate, and the thermometer decides.
| Weight | Unstuffed | Stuffed |
|---|---|---|
| 4 to 8 pounds (breast) | 1½ to 3¼ hours | Not usually applicable (4 to 6 lb); 2½ to 3½ hours (6 to 8 lb) |
| 8 to 12 pounds | 2¾ to 3 hours | 3 to 3½ hours |
| 12 to 14 pounds | 3 to 3¾ hours | 3½ to 4 hours |
| 14 to 18 pounds | 3¾ to 4¼ hours | 4 to 4¼ hours |
| 18 to 20 pounds | 4¼ to 4½ hours | 4¼ to 4¾ hours |
| 20 to 24 pounds | 4½ to 5 hours | 4¾ to 5¼ hours |
USDA does not recommend stuffing a turkey. For more even cooking it suggests cooking the stuffing in a casserole, and the stuffing must still reach 165°F.
Where the USDA rows overlap
The USDA rows share their edges. A 12 pound turkey is in both the “8 to 12” row and the “12 to 14” row, and the two give different times. The same happens at 14, 18 and 20 pounds, and in the thawing table at 12, 16 and 20 pounds. The calculator uses the heavier row when your weight sits on an edge, which gives the longer time and the earlier start. That is our choice, not a USDA rule.
Cooking a turkey from frozen
USDA says it is safe to cook a turkey from the frozen state, and that it takes at least 50 percent longer than the time for a fully thawed turkey. The table below is our arithmetic, 1.5 times the USDA unstuffed range.
| Weight | Thawed (USDA) | From frozen, at least |
|---|---|---|
| 12 pounds | 3 h to 3 h 45 min | 4 h 30 min to 5 h 38 min |
| 16 pounds | 3 h 45 min to 4 h 15 min | 5 h 38 min to 6 h 23 min |
| 20 pounds | 4 h 30 min to 5 h | 6 h 45 min to 7 h 30 min |
“At least” matters. USDA gives no upper limit, so the thermometer is the only judge. Take the giblet packages out during cooking with tongs or a fork.
What turkey cooks ask on Reddit
“Never refreeze thawed meat.”r/thanksgiving, November 2025 (50 upvotes). A single account, not an official source.
Our take: this is too absolute for turkey. USDA says a turkey properly thawed in the refrigerator may be refrozen, with some loss of quality. A turkey thawed in cold water or in the microwave must be cooked right away and not refrozen. The method you used decides.
Safe temperature and leftovers
- Done: 165°F, measured in the innermost part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast. If your turkey has a pop-up indicator, USDA still says to check with a thermometer.
- Rest: USDA suggests standing the turkey for 20 minutes before carving, so the juices set.
- Leftovers: throw out turkey, stuffing and gravy left out longer than 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F). Use refrigerated leftovers within 3 to 4 days, and frozen ones within 2 to 6 months for best quality.
Limits of this calculator
- Roasting only. The times are for a turkey roasted at 325°F. We have no USDA times for frying, grilling, spatchcocking or oven bags.
- No brining time. Brining adds days that the USDA pages do not cover, so the calculator does not add them.
- Oven differences. USDA calls its times approximate. Ovens run hot or cool, so start checking early.
- Not tested here. I have not cooked a turkey for each weight in this tool, and the page says so.
Turkey calculator questions
How many pounds of turkey per person?
USDA says to allow 1 pound of turkey per person for fresh or frozen turkeys, and 1¼ pounds per person for a frozen pre-stuffed turkey.
How long does it take to thaw a turkey?
In the refrigerator, about 24 hours for every 4 to 5 pounds. A 12 to 16 pound turkey takes 3 to 4 days. In cold water it takes about 30 minutes per pound.
How long do you cook a turkey at 325°F?
For an unstuffed whole turkey, USDA gives 2¾ to 3 hours for 8 to 12 pounds, 3 to 3¾ hours for 12 to 14 pounds, and 3¾ to 4¼ hours for 14 to 18 pounds.
Can I cook a turkey from frozen?
Yes. USDA says it is safe, and it takes at least 50 percent longer than for a thawed turkey.
What temperature is a turkey done?
165°F, measured in the innermost part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast.
Can I refreeze a thawed turkey?
A turkey thawed in the refrigerator may be refrozen, with some loss of quality. A turkey thawed in cold water or the microwave must be cooked immediately.
Sources
All numbers: USDA FSIS, Let’s Talk Turkey (last updated 17 November 2023) and USDA FSIS, Turkey Basics: Safe Thawing (last updated 24 October 2023). Both were read on 26 October 2026. The frozen-turkey times, the heavier-row rule and the start-time arithmetic are ours. Reddit quotes are single posters and not official sources.