Easy Oven Roasted Turkey

Are you looking for an Easy Oven Roasted Turkey recipe to make this Thanksgiving? If, so this herb butter turkey is the recipe for you. It's great for beginners and can help reduce your stress on Thanksgiving day.

Jump to:

• ❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
• Ingredients
• Equipment
• Instructions
• Storage
• Expert Tips
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Variations
• Serving Suggestions
• Similar recipes
• Easy Roasted Turkey Recipe

❤️ Why you'll love this recipe

• It's easy to make and great for novices.
• It's juicy and flavorful and turns out perfectly every time.
• The perfect dish for Thanksgiving dinner.

Ingredients

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Herbed Butter

• unsalted butter, room temperature
• olive oil
• chopped fresh herbs: thyme, rosemary, sage,
• Kosher salt 
• black pepper
• onion powder
• garlic powder

Turkey Cavity

• 10-12 pound bone-in turkey
• kosher salt
• black pepper
• onion powder
• yellow onions, peeled and sliced in half, divided
• stalks celery, chopped into thirds
• large carrot, peeled and chopped into thirds
• cloves garlic, peeled

Roasting Pan

• water
• yellow onion, peeled and chopped

Equipment

• Cutting Board
• knife
• Measuring Spoons and Cups
• Pastry Brush
• 10" x 7" Roasting Pan with Rack
• Instant Read Thermometer

Instructions

This is an overview of the recipe. The full instructions are below in the recipe card.

With Thanksgiving on the horizon, if you are wondering how to make an oven roast turkey, this is recipe is here to help you. This recipe is great for beginners or for experienced to customize and make their own. No matter if you are a novice or not, this is the best roasted turkey you will ever make.

This is an overview of the recipe. The full instructions are below in the recipe card.

1. Preheat oven to 425°F/218°C. Have a roasting pan with a rack ready for the turkey.

Herb Butter

1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, add the butter, and stir in olive oil, herbs, salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder. Stir and melt the butter, for about 2-3 minutes. ( this can also be done in a microwave-safe bowl). Remove from heat, and set aside.
2. after 15 min down to 325°F/163°CAdd 1 -2 cups water to the bottom. 3 hours of basting every 20 minutes. Remove foil after 2 hours.

Prepare the turkey

1. Prepare the turkey by removing the giblets. Use a paper towel to pat dry the turkey both inside and out and discard the paper towel.
2. Set the turkey on the rack in the roasting pan. Use a pastry brush to brush the exterior of the turkey with herb butter. Be sure to do the entire turkey including the bottom and the legs.

Cavity of the turkey

1. To fill the cavity of the turkey, sprinkle the salt, black pepper, and onion powder into the cavity of the turkey.
2. Add to the cavity of the turkey the sliced onions, celery, carrots, and garlic.

How to roast the turkey

1. Place about 2 cups of water and the peeled chopped onion into the bottom of the roasting pan.
2. Cover the turkey with aluminum foil and place it in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.
3. After 20 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 325°F/163°C. Keep the foil on the turkey but baste the turkey every 20 minutes to ensure a nicely browned turkey.
4. After hour 2 of cooking, remove the aluminum foil and continue cooking the turkey for at least one more hour also baste every 20 minutes until the internal temperature of the turkey reaches 165°F/74°C. Use an instant-read thermometer to get an accurate temperature of the turkey.
5. Once the turkey has reached 165°F, remove the roasting pan from the oven. Let the turkey cool for about 10 minutes before removing it from the roasting pan and let it finish cooling on a cutting board for another 15-20 minutes before slicing.

Storage

The roasted turkey can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Expert Tips

Expert Tip: Adding water to the bottom of the roasting pan will keep the turkey juicy and moist. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Variations

Are you looking for ways to personalize this Oven Roasted Turkey recipe? Here are a few of my favorite ways to change this recipe.

Sage Butter Roasted Turkey: Substitute sage for the thyme in the herb butter.

Rosemary Garlic Roasted Turkey: Substitute rosemary for the thyme in the herb butter and add 4 cloves of minced garlic to the pan.

Lemon Pepper Roasted Turkey: Add the zest of 1 lemon to the herb.

Cajun Seasonings is another great alternative for a spice rub.

Serving Suggestions

• This Southern Cornbread Dressing is a staple side dish for your Thanksgiving meal. Your entire family will devour this flavorful side.
• Is stovetop and oven space an issue? Enjoy one of my favorites, Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes, it's creamy, delicious, and doesn't require stovetop space!
• You can't have thanksgiving without this Cranberry Sauce. If you've never tried making it homemade then this is the recipe for you.
• Homemade Mashed Potatoes is my Granny's recipe and they are one of my most requested recipes.
• Looking for the easiest side dish that tastes absolutely fantastic? Try our oven roasted green bean recipe.

Similar recipes

• Are you looking for something a little different this Thanksgiving? Be sure to try our popular Bourbon Maple Glazed Turkey Breast.
• Our air fryer turkey breast is another easy recipe that doesn't take up oven space.
• Not a fan of turkey for the holidays you can never go wrong with this Easy Maple Glazed Ham recipe.

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Thank you for your continued support. I am forever grateful.

Eileen  xo

If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need.

If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️