About the Turkey Cooking Time Calculator
This turkey cooking time calculator tells you how long to roast a whole turkey at 325°F (163°C), based on its weight and whether it is stuffed. It also works out how many days the bird needs to thaw in the refrigerator, how long a cold-water thaw takes, how many people it feeds and — if you enter when you want to eat — what time it should go into the oven.
Roasting times follow the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service timetable for a fresh or fully thawed turkey in a conventional oven, interpolated smoothly between the weight brackets so a 15 lb bird gets a 15 lb answer. Thawing uses USDA guidance of about 24 hours in the fridge for every 4–5 pounds (we use the conservative 4 lb) and 30 minutes per pound in cold water, changing the water every 30 minutes.
Times are estimates: oven accuracy, pan, and how cold the bird is all matter. The turkey is safe when a food thermometer reads at least 165°F (74°C) in the thickest part of the thigh, the wing and the breast — and in the center of any stuffing. Let it rest for 20–30 minutes before carving.
With the default inputs, the roasting time at 325°f is 3h 45m. Change any value above to recalculate instantly.
How to use the turkey cooking time calculator
- 1Enter the turkey’s weight from the label and choose lb or kg.
- 2Switch on “Stuffed” if you will cook stuffing inside the bird.
- 3Pick how much turkey to allow per person.
- 4Enter the time you want to eat to get an oven start time.
- 5Start thawing on time, then check the temperature with a thermometer before serving.
Formula and method
The USDA FSIS timetable gives a time range for each weight bracket at 325°F. The calculator treats the bottom of each bracket as the shortest time and the top as the longest, and interpolates in between — so a 16 lb unstuffed turkey sits halfway between 3¾ and 4¼ hours. Below 8 lb it scales proportionally, and above 24 lb it extends the last bracket’s rate.
Refrigerator thawing uses 1 day per 4 lb (the conservative end of USDA’s 4–5 lb per day), and cold-water thawing uses 30 minutes per pound. The oven start time subtracts the roasting time plus a 30-minute rest from your dinner time.
- W
- Turkey weight in pounds (kg × 2.2046)
- t
- Roasting time in hours at 325°F
Worked examples
14 lb unstuffed turkey for a 5 PM dinner
A 14 lb unstuffed turkey takes about 3¾ hours at 325°F. Allowing 30 minutes to rest, it should go in at 12:45 PM. Thawing takes about 3½ days in the fridge or 7 hours in cold water, and it serves around 14 people.
20 lb stuffed turkey with leftovers
A stuffed 20 lb bird needs about 4¾ hours. It needs 5 days in the fridge to thaw. At 1.5 lb per person it feeds 13 hungry guests, and for a 6 PM dinner it goes in at 12:45 PM.
6 kg unstuffed turkey
Six kilograms is about 13.2 lb, which falls in the 12–14 lb bracket. Interpolating gives roughly 3 hours 28 minutes at 325°F (163°C) and about 3⅓ days to thaw in the fridge.
Frequently asked questions
How long do I cook a turkey per pound?+
At 325°F the USDA chart works out to roughly 12–16 minutes per pound for an unstuffed turkey and about 13–18 minutes per pound for a stuffed one. Smaller birds take proportionally longer per pound, which is why the USDA chart uses weight brackets.
What temperature should a cooked turkey be?+
The USDA says a whole turkey is safe at 165°F (74°C), measured in the thickest part of the thigh, the innermost part of the wing and the thickest part of the breast. Stuffing must also reach 165°F.
How long does it take to thaw a turkey?+
In the refrigerator allow about 24 hours for every 4–5 lb, so a 16 lb turkey needs 3–4 days. In cold water allow 30 minutes per pound and change the water every 30 minutes. Cook a cold-water thawed turkey immediately.
How much turkey do I need per person?+
Plan about 1 lb of whole turkey per person, because bones make up much of the weight. Use 1.5 lb per person if you want generous portions or leftovers for sandwiches.
Should I cook a turkey at 325 or 350?+
USDA timings are for 325°F, which cooks the bird evenly without drying the breast. A hotter oven cooks faster but dries the breast more easily, and there is no official USDA timetable for 350°F — if you roast hotter, start checking well before the 325°F time and go by the thermometer rather than the clock.
How long should a turkey rest?+
Rest the turkey for 20–30 minutes, loosely tented with foil, before carving. Juices settle back into the meat and the temperature continues to rise a few degrees.