If you're wondering if you can cook a frozen turkey on Thanksgiving Day, the answer is a resounding yes! Our tips on how to cook a frozen turkey come straight from a professional chef.
If it’s Thanksgiving morning and you’re reading this with a frozen turkey on the counter, let me put your fears to rest: Yes, you can cook a frozen turkey. And yes, it will taste just as delicious as the thawed turkey you’d use for any traditional Thanksgiving turkey recipe.
You may still have time to defrost the turkey. But by this point, you probably don’t want to deal with the hassle. Cooking the turkey without thawing it doesn’t sacrifice flavor or moisture content. The turkey tastes just as juicy, and the texture of the meat turns out the same. So why not just go for it?
I can teach you how to cook a frozen turkey! I’ve done it—and it’s not as hard as it sounds.
Is it safe to cook a frozen turkey?
It’s safe to roast a frozen turkey in the oven, but it’s not safe to try to fry one. The frozen bird will release liquid as the ice melts, which can lead to a dangerous boil-over situation. We also don’t recommend trying to make a stuffed turkey unless the bird is thawed first. Stuffing slows the cooking process, and a frozen turkey already takes longer to cook than a thawed turkey.
When roasting frozen turkey, you’ll want to make sure the breast meat reaches a safe internal temperature of 165°F, and the legs and thighs reach 170° to 175° (the same temperature as cooked chicken). The other important temperature is inside the cavity. It also needs to reach 165°, or you’ll risk contaminating the rest of the bird when you carve it.
How long does it take to cook a frozen turkey?
How long to cook a turkey really depends on its size, but a frozen turkey generally takes about 50% longer than a thawed turkey. For example, a 12-pound turkey typically takes about 3 hours in a 325° oven, and the frozen version takes about 4 hours and 30 minutes.
Here’s how long it takes to cook a frozen turkey based on USDA guidelines:
- 8- to 12-pound turkey: 4 hours to 4 hours and 30 minutes
- 12- to 14-pound turkey: 4 hours and 30 minutes to 5 hours and 45 minutes
- 14- to 18-pound turkey: 6 hours to 6 hours and 45 minutes
- 18- to 20-pound turkey: 6 hours and 45 minutes to 7 hours and 30 minutes
- 20- to 24-pound turkey: 7 hours and 30 minutes to 7 hours and 45 minutes
How to Cook a Frozen Turkey
Ingredients
- 1 frozen turkey (12 to 14 pounds)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
Directions
Step 1: Partially thaw the turkey in the oven
To start, unwrap the frozen turkey and place it on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Don’t worry about pulling out the bag of giblets; we’ll discuss that later. If you don’t have a roasting pan with a rack, use something like a cooling rack to elevate the bird. That way, hot air can circulate around it as it cooks.
Set the oven to 325° and pop the bird in for two hours. Don’t even think about peeking!
Step 2: Season and continue to cook
After the turkey has cooked for two hours, check the temperature with an instant-read thermometer. To do this, insert the pin of the thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh or drumstick, being careful not to come into contact with the bone. The internal temperature should read around 100°. The breast should be thawed about an inch or so, but will still be frozen past that.
Now that the bird is partially thawed, you can season the turkey. Brush the outside with half the oil and sprinkle it with salt and pepper. Feel free to add dried herbs, if you like. Place the turkey back in the oven and continue roasting for an additional 30 minutes.
Step 3: Remove the giblets
Check to see if you can remove the bag of giblets from the turkey’s cavity. The bird will still be partially frozen, so don’t try to force the bag out. Continue to cook the turkey in 10-minute increments until the bag is easily removed. After removing the giblets, return the turkey to the oven, and let it cook for one more hour.
Editor’s Tip: At this point, you can also remove any liquid or ice in the cavity. Pour it into the bottom of the pan, and it will turn into delicious drippings for making a from-scratch gravy.
Step 4: Brush with oil
By now, the legs and thighs should be around 130° to 150°, and the breast meat will be around 50° to 60°. Brush the turkey with the remaining oil before returning it to the oven for another 60 to 90 minutes.
Step 5: Check the temperature
A frozen 12- to 14-pound turkey should take 4 hours and 30 minutes to 5 hours and 45 minutes from start to finish. Larger birds will take longer to cook, so use a thermometer to measure the turkey’s internal temperature. Remove it from the oven when the cavity reaches 165°, and the legs and thighs reach 170° to 175°.
Step 6: Let it rest
Just like any other roast turkey, your cooked-from-frozen turkey should rest before carving. The slices will be easier to cut and turn out much juicier after the bird has rested. I like to let mine rest for 30 minutes before carving the turkey, but the resting time depends on how large it is—the heavier the turkey, the longer it should sit.
And don’t worry—the turkey will still be hot when it gets to the table! You don’t need to cover it with foil while it rests. That will trap steam inside and make the skin soggy.
Tips for Cooking a Frozen Turkey
How do you know when a frozen turkey is finished cooking?
The only way to truly tell when a frozen turkey is finished cooking is to check the meat’s temperature with an instant-read thermometer. The breast meat and cavity should reach at least 165°, and the legs and thighs should reach at least 170°. Push the thermometer into the deepest part of the meat without touching the bone for the most accurate reading.
How do you prevent a frozen turkey from cooking unevenly?
To prevent a frozen turkey from cooking unevenly, put the bird in the oven (without preheating) and set your oven temperature to 325°. This temperature is low enough to gently thaw the turkey without overly browning the exterior. If the temperature is too hot, the outside may overcook while the deepest parts of the meat are still frozen.
Another way to prevent uneven cooking is to avoid stuffing a turkey. The turkey (and anything cooked inside it) has to reach at least 165° to be safe to eat. When the turkey is frozen, it’s more difficult for the hardest-to-reach places to reach that safe internal temperature. By the time the stuffing cooks through, the rest of the bird may be overcooked or cooked unevenly.
What are the best ways to season a frozen turkey?
It’s challenging to season a frozen turkey because nothing wants to stick to an icy exterior, so we recommend letting it partially thaw in a 325° oven for about two hours. Then, drizzle the outside with olive oil or melted butter and generously season it with salt and dried herbs. Once it’s almost done roasting, baste or glaze the turkey periodically to add more flavor. We don’t recommend brining the frozen turkey, as the bird won’t absorb much of the brine.
Can you make gravy after roasting a frozen turkey?
As long as you cook the entire turkey to the proper temperatures, you can make gravy from the pan drippings of a roasted frozen turkey. Turkey cooked from frozen will release more liquid, so you should have quite a bit to work with. Plus, the long cooking time means the drippings will caramelize more, and caramelization equals flavor. If the pan drippings are evaporating too much, add a splash of water to the bottom of the pan.
Can you deep-fry a frozen turkey?
No, you cannot deep-fry a frozen turkey. Frozen turkeys release water and ice crystals as they thaw, which can cause a dangerous boil-over situation. So be sure to fully thaw your turkey in advance if you want to make a deep-fried turkey. We don’t recommend cooking a frozen turkey in the Instant Pot or slow cooker, either. Stick with our oven method for the safest, yummiest turkey that’s been cooked from frozen.
