A step-by-step tutorial on How to Thaw a Turkey no matter how you plan to cook it! You have a few different options, depending on the amount of time you have. All the information you need in one place to get your frozen turkey ready to cook for a small group or a crowd!
How to Thaw a Turkey
You will want to save this one! It never fails, every year I have to dust off the cobwebs in my brain to remember all the details of properly thawing a turkey before Thanksgiving Day. The tricky part is that every turkey is a different size, depending on how many people you are hosting, sometimes we buy the turkey early and have lots of time, sometimes we wait until the last minute and have very little time, and sometimes we just need a small turkey breast. It’s hard to remember what to do in all of those different situations! So…. we have just what you need! All the information in one place for thawing a turkey in any situation!
How Much Turkey Per Person
A good rule of thumb is to buy about one pound of turkey for every person that you will be serving. So if you have 15 people coming to dinner, you would want to buy a 15 pound turkey from the grocery store. If you want to have a lot of leftovers (yes, please!) then you will want to add in about another 1/2 pound per person. You might only need a small turkey breast if you are cooking for only a few people.
If you need any help with the calculations you can checkout this handy turkey calculator.
How to Thaw A Turkey in the Refrigerator
This will be the slowest way to thaw a turkey, make sure you have enough time. You will want to allow about 24 hours for every 5 pounds of turkey. So if your turkey is 15 pounds that will take about 3 days.
- Keep the frozen bird in the original packaging.
- Place the turkey, with the breast side up, in a roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet to prevent any turkey juices from getting all over the fridge.
- Once the turkey is thawed in the fridge it can continue to stay there for up to 2 days before cooking – this is one perk to using this thawing method!
How to Thaw a Turkey: Cold-Water Method (Water Bath)
This might be the best way, it is definitely a quicker thawing method and probably the one that we use most often. You will want to allow for about 30 minutes for every pound of turkey. So if the turkey is 15 pounds that will take 7.5 hours to thaw in a cold water bath.
- Keep the turkey in the original packaging.
- Place the wrapped turkey, breast side down, in a kitchen sink, bucket, or large cooler to hold enough cold water to completely submerge the bird.
- Fill the sink, bucket, or cooler with COLD tap water (40 degrees F. or colder!) and make sure you change the water every 30 minutes (or half hour).
- Once the turkey thaws you will want to immediately prep the turkey to be cooked – remember as soon as the thawing process begins bacteria that was present before freezing will begin to grow again, so cooking the thawed turkey very quickly is very important.
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO THAW A TURKEY – QUICK GUIDE ON THAW TIMES
|
Turkey Weight | Thawing Time (Refrigerator) | Thawing Time (Cold Water) |
|
Up to 12 lbs | 1-3 days | 2-6 hours |
|
12-16 lbs | 3-4 days |
6-8 hours |
|
16-20 lbs | 4-5 days |
8-10 hours |
|
20-24 lbs | 5-6 days |
10-12 hours |
How To Know If A Turkey Is Thawed
Put your hand inside the bird to see if there are any ice crystals on the inside. You can also poke around the large meat portions with a fork to make sure that there aren’t any frozen parts. If it is too hard to poke, then it is still partially frozen.
How To Thaw A Turkey Breast
Follow the same thawing instructions above and calculate thaw times based on the size of the turkey breast. The thaw times should be pretty short overall, since a turkey breast is typically a smaller size than a full turkey.
Recipe FAQs
- Can I thaw a turkey at room temperature? No! Do not leave a turkey out at room temperature. It should always be in a fridge or in cold water until you are ready to prep it for cooking.
- Can I still cook the turkey if it is partially frozen? Yes, but it will affect the total cook time and will take longer. The exception here is deep frying – NEVER cook a deep fried turkey or deep fried turkey breast, unless it is 100% thawed.
- How long can a turkey be kept in the freezer before thawing and cooking? If a fully frozen turkey is kept frozen and unopened (in the original wrapping) you could keep it for up to 2-3 years. For best quality it is recommended to thaw and eat within 1 year.
- How do I know if my turkey has gone bad? Usually the skin starts to look a little slimy and it will have a “rotten egg” smell.
- Can I cook a frozen turkey? If the turkey is still a little frozen on Thanksgiving morning you CAN still cook it (unless you are deep frying it – then it HAS to be fully thawed) it will just take longer to cook so plan accordingly. If the turkey is fully frozen, it will take a VERY long time to cook.
Best Ways To Cook A Fully Thawed Turkey
Now that you have a fully thawed turkey or turkey breast, it is time to cook it! But what is the best way? Good news! We have plenty of options that you can choose from for your Thanksgiving Dinner or Christmas Dinner.
- Whole Turkey Options:
- Butter & Sage Roasted Turkey,
- Deep-Fried Turkey
- Grilled Turkey
- Smoked Turkey
- Or learn how to spatchcock a turkey before cooking!
- Turkey Breast Options:
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How to Thaw a Turkey
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Thaw Time: 60 hours
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 60 hours 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 thawed turkey 1x
- Category: How-To
- Method: Refrigerator
- Cuisine: American
Description
This is your go-to guide on How to Thaw a Turkey, whether it is whole or a turkey breast. All your questions answered!
Ingredients
- 1 (any size) whole turkey or turkey breast
Instructions
- Keep the turkey in the original wrapper.
- Place the turkey, breast side up, in a pan to prevent any drippings from leaking in the fridge. Ensure the temperature of the fridge is 40 degrees F. or colder.
- Allow 24 hours for every 4-5 pounds of turkey (for example – a 15 pound turkey would take 3 days).
- Once the turkey is thawed in the fridge it can continue to stay in there for up to 2 days before cooking – this is one perk to thawing in the fridge!
Notes
- Never: never thaw a turkey using hot/warm water, in a microwave, oven or at room temperature.
- Refrigerator vs. Cold Water: the safest way to thaw a turkey is in the refrigerator, as described above. The Cold Water method works well in a pinch, but you really have to be careful, watch the water temperature and cook the turkey once it is thawed.
- USDA: for more information about food safety, cross contamination and/or answers to other food borne illness questions please check out the U.S. Department of Agriculture website.
Christine says
Thank you! Just starting to round up some things for Thanksgiving, and this is exactly where I needed to start.
Erin says
of course!! Glad it is helpful!