📖 Food facts
How Long Does It Take to Thaw a Turkey?
The USDA numbers, by weight, with a worked example for a 16 pound bird and the one method food safety agencies say never to use.
In the refrigerator, USDA guidance allows about 24 hours for every 4 to 5 pounds, so a 16 pound turkey needs about 4 days. In cold water it is about 30 minutes per pound, changing the water every 30 minutes, then cooking right away. Microwave thawing also works for smaller birds. Never thaw a turkey on the counter.
Refrigerator: the slow, safe default
USDA's guidance, as reprinted by University of Georgia Extension and the Minnesota Department of Health, is about 24 hours of thawing for every 4 to 5 pounds, in a refrigerator at 40°F or below. Leave the bird in its wrapper and set it on a tray to catch drips.
The published table: 4 to 12 lb takes 1 to 3 days, 12 to 16 lb takes 3 to 4 days, 16 to 20 lb takes 4 to 5 days, and 20 to 24 lb takes 5 to 6 days. Once thawed, the turkey keeps 1 to 2 more days in the refrigerator.
Worked example: a 16 pound turkey
At 4 pounds a day, 16 pounds is 4 days. For a Thursday Thanksgiving, that means moving the frozen bird to the refrigerator by Sunday. If you plan to salt it ahead, add those days too: our dry-brined Judy Bird is salted three days before roasting, so a frozen 16 pounder for that recipe should start thawing about a week out.
In cold water, the same bird needs about 8 hours (16 pounds times 30 minutes), with the water changed about 16 times along the way.
Cold water and microwave: faster, with rules
For cold water, the agencies say to seal the turkey in a leak-proof bag, submerge it in cold tap water, change the water every 30 minutes and cook it immediately after thawing. Minnesota's table runs 2 to 6 hours for 4 to 12 lb, up to 10 to 12 hours for 20 to 24 lb.
Microwave thawing is safe if the turkey fits, says University of Nebraska Extension: follow the oven maker's instructions for size, minutes per pound and power level, then cook it right away. Minnesota adds not to refreeze a bird thawed in water or the microwave.
Never the counter, and the frozen-bird fallback
Do not thaw a turkey on the counter, in the garage or on the back porch. Nebraska Extension explains that after more than 2 hours at room temperature, the outer layer sits in the Danger Zone of 40°F to 140°F, where bacteria grow quickly, even while the center is still frozen.
Forgot to thaw? USDA says a turkey can be roasted from frozen, but it takes at least 50 percent longer. On USDA's 325°F timetable, an unstuffed 14 to 18 lb turkey takes 3 3/4 to 4 1/4 hours thawed, so by our arithmetic on that 50 percent rule a frozen one needs at least 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 hours. Go by the thermometer, not the clock. Either way it is done at 165°F in the thickest part of the breast and the innermost thigh and wing. Recipes like our classic roast turkey and spatchcocked turkey assume a fully thawed bird. More birds are in our turkey hub.
Questions people ask
Can I refreeze a thawed turkey?
The Minnesota Department of Health says a turkey properly thawed in the refrigerator may be refrozen. One thawed in cold water or the microwave should be cooked, not refrozen.
When do I take out the giblets?
After thawing. Minnesota's fact sheet says to remove the neck and giblets from the cavities once the bird is thawed and cook them separately, for example in a giblet gravy.
Does a fresh turkey need thawing?
No. Minnesota advises buying a fresh turkey only 1 or 2 days before cooking it and keeping it in the refrigerator until then.
Sources
More food facts
Cook it
Classic Roast Thanksgiving Turkey
The plain American centerpiece: a buttered, salted and peppered turkey roasted breast side down first, flipped, and finished breast side up until the thermometer reads 165°F. No basting, no fuss.
Dry-Brined Turkey (the Judy Bird)
The Los Angeles Times' famous no-bucket brine: a few tablespoons of salt rubbed on three days ahead, the bird kept in a bag in the refrigerator, then dried uncovered so the skin roasts crisp.
Spatchcocked Roast Turkey
Cut out the backbone, press the bird flat and roast it hot: a 12 to 14 lb turkey is done in about 80 minutes, with crisp skin all over and breast and legs finishing together.
Turkey Giblet Pan Gravy
Real gravy from the bird: a giblet broth made while the turkey roasts, a nutty brown roux, and the roasting pan deglazed with white wine so every browned bit ends up in the sauce.
Roast Turkey Breast with Lemon and Thyme
For a small table: a bone-in turkey breast with garlic, thyme and lemon butter spread under the skin, roasted hot and then gently, ready in about 1 1/2 hours.