3¾ to 4¼ hours at 325 °F, unstuffed.
4 to 4¼ hours stuffed.
That is USDA’s row for 14 to 18 pounds. Start checking the temperature at 3¾ hours. The turkey is done at 165 °F in the innermost part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast (and the center of the stuffing, if stuffed). Let it stand 20 minutes before carving.
For dinner at 3:00 p.m. on Thanksgiving, Thursday, November 26: a thawed, unstuffed 17-pound turkey goes in the oven by 10:15 a.m. If it is frozen, it goes into the fridge by Saturday, November 21 (thawing a 17 lb turkey).
Change the dinner time, turn on stuffing or pick a cold-water thaw; every time follows.
Every step with its time, from the fridge to the leftovers, as a checklist the whole family can see.
The checklist is a free Online List Maker list: share the link with whoever is cooking, tick things off, and it updates on every phone. No sign-up.
Oven at 325 °F, turkey on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Your weight is highlighted.
| Turkey weight | Time at 325 °F |
|---|---|
| 4 to 8 pounds (breast) | 1½ to 3¼ hours |
| 8 to 12 pounds | 2¾ to 3 hours |
| 12 to 14 pounds | 3 to 3¾ hours |
| 14 to 18 pounds | 3¾ to 4¼ hours |
| 18 to 20 pounds | 4¼ to 4½ hours |
| 20 to 24 pounds | 4½ to 5 hours |
| Turkey weight | Time at 325 °F |
|---|---|
| 6 to 8 pounds (breast) | 2½ to 3½ hours |
| 8 to 12 pounds | 3 to 3½ hours |
| 12 to 14 pounds | 3½ to 4 hours |
| 14 to 18 pounds | 4 to 4¼ hours |
| 18 to 20 pounds | 4¼ to 4¾ hours |
| 20 to 24 pounds | 4¾ to 5¼ hours |
USDA’s chart stops at 24 pounds. Cooking from frozen takes at least 50% longer than the times above.
Thawing: how long to thaw a 17 lb turkey · thawing calculator · how much turkey per person
At least 50% longer than thawed, per USDA: about 5¾ hours to 6½ hours or more at 325 °F unstuffed. Pull the giblet packages out with tongs partway through.
About 17 people. USDA says to allow 1 pound of turkey per person. If you want leftovers, plan on fewer people per bird; we use 1½ pounds a person for that.
About 3½ to 4¼ days in the refrigerator (24 hours for every 4 to 5 pounds), or about 8½ hours in cold water with the water changed every 30 minutes.
Check with a food thermometer too, USDA says: 165 °F in the innermost part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast.
No. USDA says to set the oven no lower than 325 °F.
Times and temperatures: USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, Let’s Talk Turkey: A Consumer Guide to Safely Roasting a Turkey. USDA’s times are approximate; the thermometer decides. Questions on the day: USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline, 1-888-674-6854.