Turkey Cooking Time Calculator: Roast and Thaw

About the Turkey Cooking Time Calculator

The Turkey Cooking Time Calculator tells you how long a whole turkey needs in the oven and how long it takes to thaw. Type the weight from the label in pounds or kilograms, choose whether the bird is stuffed, and the roasting time at 325 °F (163 °C) appears straight away. Switch to Thawing time to see how many days the bird needs in the refrigerator, how many hours in cold water, and the latest day you can put it in the fridge and still have it thawed for the meal. The meal day starts on the next US Thanksgiving, which is Thursday 26 November in 2026, and you can change it to any other day.

All the times come from the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) timetables for a whole turkey. The timetables give a range for each weight band, not a single figure, so the calculator shows the band exactly as it is published and never invents a precise minute. Treat every time as an estimate: ovens run hot or cold, pans and racks differ, and a bird straight from the fridge cooks more slowly than one that has stood for a while. The thermometer, not the clock, tells you when the turkey is done.

How to use it

The USDA timetables

In the refrigerator a turkey thaws at about 4 to 5 lb a day. The bands are 1 to 3 days up to 12 lb, 3 to 4 days for 12 to 16 lb, 4 to 5 days for 16 to 20 lb and 5 to 6 days for 20 to 24 lb. In cold water the bands are 2 to 6, 6 to 8, 8 to 10 and 10 to 12 hours. The USDA also gives a rule of about 30 minutes per pound in cold water, which the calculator rounds up to the next quarter hour:

$$t_{\text{water}} = \left\lceil \frac{30 \times w}{15} \right\rceil \times 15 \text{ minutes}$$

Each band includes its upper weight, so a 16 lb bird uses the 12 to 16 lb band and a 16.5 lb bird the next one. The latest day to start thawing in the fridge is the meal day minus the longest time in the band.

Worked examples

• A 14 lb turkey. It needs 3 to 4 days in the fridge or 6 to 8 hours in cold water, and the 30-minute rule gives $30 \times 14 = 420$ minutes, or 7 h 0 min.
• A 6 kg turkey. That is 13.2 lb, so it also needs 3 to 4 days in the fridge, and the rule gives 396.8 minutes, rounded up to 6 h 45 min.
• Thanksgiving 2026. A 16 lb bird must go in the fridge by Sunday 22 November, a 20 lb bird by Saturday 21 November and a 22 lb bird by Friday 20 November.
• A 16 lb turkey in the oven. It takes 3¾ to 4¼ hours unstuffed and 4 to 4¼ hours stuffed. A 22 lb stuffed bird takes 4¾ to 5¼ hours.

Safe temperature

Cook the turkey until a food thermometer reads 165 °F (74 °C) in the thickest part of the breast, the innermost part of the thigh and the innermost part of the wing. Then let it rest for 20 minutes before carving, so the juices settle. Count down the rest with the Timer, convert oven settings with the Temperature Converter, and see how many days are left before the meal with the Days Until Calculator.

Privacy

Nothing is uploaded; every calculation runs in your browser and never leaves your device. The weight and the date you type stay on this page and are gone when you close or reload it.

Frequently asked questions