39 Showstopping Thanksgiving Turkey Recipes

One turkey, so many possibilities. Whether you want to keep things classic or start a new holiday tradition, we’ve got lots of ideas for making your turkey a centerpiece to remember. From oven-roasted to smoked and air-fried to deep-fried, this collection of Thanksgiving turkey recipes has all the tips and tricks you need to pull off a perfectly cooked bird. And when it comes to flavor, there’s no shortage of options there, either. Stick with tried-and-true profiles like fresh thyme and sage, spice things up with Cajun seasoning, try brining with beer, or add a little bacon to the mix — all routes lead to delicious. Read on to discover how to make this year’s turkey your tastiest one yet.

Brined and Roasted Turkey

Roasted Salt-Brined Turkey — Food & Wine / Photo by Rachel Marek / Food Styling by Holly Dreesman / Prop Styling by Gabriel Greco

Legendary culinary duo Edna Lewis and Scott Peacock’s timeless brined and roasted turkey yields tender, juicy meat with savory, seasoned skin — the perfect main attraction for the traditional Thanksgiving table.

Ballotine-Style Whole Roast Turkey

For this gorgeous roulade, a whole turkey is deboned (except for the legs) and filled with a nutty, hearty filling of garlicky radicchio, salty, umami-packed speck and Parmesan, and toasted walnuts. Yes, it’s a time-intensive endeavor, but it’s Thanksgiving, after all — your efforts will be rewarded after just one bite

Sesame-Ginger Spatchcocked Turkey

A mix of dried ginger, salt, and white pepper seasons and promotes moist, tender meat in this dry-brined turkey. Spatchcocking the bird reduces the oven time compared to a traditional whole roast turkey and allows it to cook more evenly. A blend of butter and toasted sesame oil brings a rich and nutty finish.

Lardo-Crisped Roast Turkey

Lardo-Crisped Roasted Turkey — Greg Dupree / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Christine Keely

Chef and cookbook author Amy Thielen pushes very thin layers of cured lardo beneath the bird’s skin to make it especially crispy and extra feast-worthy. Plus, the softened fat self-bastes the turkey for its whole stint in the oven, keeping the breast meat delightfully moist.

Grilled Whole Turkey

Cooking your Thanksgiving turkey on the grill is a genius way to free up your oven for other tasks, providing a little smoke and char to the flavor while still creating that crispy skin we love so much.

Cajun-Seasoned Turkey

Cajun Turkey — Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Christina Daley

Smoked paprika, cayenne, garlic, herbs, and a touch of brown sugar create a well-balanced rub to infuse the bird with a spicy punch of flavor. The dry brine helps the spices permeate the meat and produces crispy skin, while the fragrant compound butter provides additional moisture.

Dry-Brined Spatchcocked Turkey

A dry brine is not only an easier technique, but it also results in crispier skin and more flavorful meat than a classic wet brine. Those final hours of drying ensure crackling, crispy skin.

Soy-Sauce-and-Honey-Glazed Turkey

Chef Joanne Chang recalls the flavors she grew up with, marinating and basting her turkey with soy, sesame, honey, and ginger to give it superb flavor and a beautiful mahogany color.

Cider-Glazed Turkey with Lager Gravy

Chef Michael Symon forgoes brining, opting instead to salt his bird well and refrigerate it overnight to season it. Before roasting, he covers the breast and legs with cheesecloth that’s been soaked in a cider-infused butter.

Simple Smoked Turkey

For this juicy, tender smoked turkey, the keys to success are seasoning the bird with a dead-simple saltwater brine, then controlling the temperature of the smoker for even cooking.

Spatchcocked Smoked Turkey

Spatchcocked Smoke Turkey — Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer & John Somerall / Prop Styling by Christine Keely

Pitmaster Rodney Scott’s smoky dry rub and spicy mopping sauce make for a sweet, tangy, and succulent bird. While Scott swears by the thermal qualities of a ceramic grill, this turkey also can be cooked in a kettle grill, smoker, or even the oven.

Salt-Crusted Turkey

Salt-Roasted Turkey — Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Thom Driver

Traditional methods for roasting turkey often yield dry white meat, but salt-roasting delivers an incredibly juicy breast that’s perfectly seasoned to the bone, no brining required.

Deep-Fried Turkey Brined in Cayenne and Brown Sugar

Try this deep-fried turkey for Thanksgiving and you may never go back to a roasted bird. Though this method does require caution, it’s not especially difficult to pull off — you’ll be rewarded with exquisitely moist meat and terrifically crispy skin.

Chipotle Mayonnaise-Roasted Turkey

Mayonnaise Roasted Turkey Recipe — Sarah Crowder

Slather your bird with smoky chipotle-spiked mayonnaise before roasting to deliver super-juicy, delicious meat that’s perfect for any holiday meal.

Chipotle-Spiced Smoked Turkey Legs

If you’re tired of battling your tablemates every year for the meaty, juicy turkey legs, this recipe is for you. Here, five whole pounds of drumsticks are seasoned with a chipotle dry brine and smoked, resulting in tender, mahogany-colored turkey legs with a light kick of heat.

Turkey Leg Roulade

These bronze-skinned stuffed turkey legs are a delicious alternative to a traditional roast turkey if you’re looking for a make-ahead holiday entrée. Filled with buttery sautéed leeks, dark leafy greens, celery, lemon, and fresh herbs, the roulades can be made up to two days in advance and crisped in the oven just before serving.

Citrus-Marinated Turkey

Chef Jose Garces prepares this turkey in the same style as a traditional Yucatán dish called cochinita pibil, a slow-roasted pork marinated in citrus and annatto paste. Brining and marinating the bird make it especially succulent.

Air Fryer Turkey Breast

White meat fans, this one’s for you. Here, we skip the oven and use an air fryer instead, freeing up that real estate for other dishes to roast and bake. Not only does this recipe yield super-crispy skin, but it also keeps the turkey moist and tender thanks to a combination of dry brining and an herb-garlic compound butter that’s rubbed under the skin.

Smoked Turkey Breast

Smoked Turkey Bread over Spring Salad — Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Ali Ramee / Prop Styling by Christine Keely

Use your smoker to prepare this delectable turkey breast with deeply golden skin. A piquant lemon-oregano rub is applied under and on top of the skin to ensure the flavors fully permeate the meat. Allow the turkey to rest for a full 20 minutes before carving and serving so the juices have a chance to redistribute.

Salt & Pepper Spatchcocked Turkey

Salt and Pepper Spatchcocked Turkey Recipe — Barrett Washburne

This tender, juicy turkey requires nothing more than a simple seasoning of salt and pepper. Because it’s spatchcocked, the skin is supremely crisp. Plus, the bird roasts in nearly half the time as traditional versions.

Roast Turkey with Shallot Butter and Thyme Gravy

Recipe developer Susan Spungen doubles down on the shallots and thyme, using them in both the compound butter she rubs under the bird’s skin as well as in the accompanying gravy.

Herb-Roasted Turkey with Wild Mushroom Gravy

Chez Panisse alum David Tanis enlivens his turkey with classic Thanksgiving flavors by rubbing the bird with sage, thyme, and garlic-infused butter. Dried porcinis give the wild mushroom gravy a woodsy flavor boost.

Bacon-Roasted Turkey with Sweet Onion Gravy

Chef Robert Stehling believes everything is better with bacon, and there’s no better time than Thanksgiving to heed his advice. Here, he stuffs a bacon-herb paste under the turkey skin to produce an incredibly moist and smoky bird.

Roasted Beer-Brined Turkey with Onion Gravy and Bacon

Imbue your turkey with the toasty flavor of your favorite dark beer for a Thanksgiving meal to remember. You’ll need an entire six-pack for the brine — we’re partial to Guinness.

Bourbon-Glazed Turkey with Pearl Onion Giblet Gravy

Chef Tanya Holland’s picture-perfect turkey is even more delicious than it looks. For the juiciest meat and beautifully lacquered skin, she brines the bird overnight, then bastes it frequently with a bourbon-brown sugar glaze as it roasts.

Vinegar-Brined Roast Turkey

There are thousands of brine recipes out there; this one from Top Chef winner and host Kristen Kish uses cider vinegar to impart the turkey with a little bit of tang.

Roasted Turkey with Italian Sausage Stuffing

You don’t need to pull out a lot of stops to make a holiday-worthy turkey. Simple, satisfying, and completely delicious, this recipe relies on sweet Italian sausage to give the dressing an extra-special touch.Get the Recipe

Clementine-and-Garlic Roast Turkey

Justin Chapple’s tasty turkey owes its incredible flavor to juicy clementines and lots of garlic. First, he rubs the bird with a compound butter made with clementine zest and four cloves of grated garlic. Then, he adds six clementines and six heads of garlic to the pan for the final hour of roasting.

Pancetta-Wrapped Roasted Turkey

Texas chef Tim Love soaks his bird overnight in a fiery brine made with jalapeños and crushed red pepper. Then, he rubs it with a bold blend of herbs and spices and blankets it with slices of salty, fatty pancetta, resulting in a super moist and savory roasted turkey.

Wood-Smoked Turkey

Woodworker Josh Vogel uses scraps of leftover cherrywood to smoke his turkey, giving it a lovely depth of flavor and a light hint of sweetness. But first, he brines the bird with herbs and maple syrup for a full 24 hours to keep the meat extra juicy.

Apple-Brined Turkey

Chef Ken Oringer adds three cups of apple juice and a whole green apple to his warmly-spiced brine. “Brining introduces flavor that penetrates to the bone,” he says. “And, because brining adds moisture, the turkey can handle high heat.”

Apricot-Glazed Turkey with Fresh Herb Gravy

It’s the glaze that literally makes this turkey shine: Lemon-infused apricot jam laced with finely chopped fresh sage gives the roasted bird its gorgeous mahogany color along with lovely pops of bright, tangy flavor.

Ancho-Scallion Roast Turkey Breast

This flavorful turkey breast requires only a handful of ingredients: Toasted ancho chiles, garlic, and scallions flavor the butter that’s rubbed all over the meat, basting it as it roasts.

Citrus-and-Butter Turkey

“I’m gonna let you in on a Thanksgiving secret,” says former F&W culinary director at large Justin Chapple. “The trick to the juiciest bird with the crispiest skin isn’t basting. It’s this: cheesecloth.” Here, he soaks cheesecloth in citrus butter and drapes it over the turkey while roasting, yielding super-juicy, delicious meat and skin.

Paprika-Glazed Turkey with Pumpkin Seed Bread Salad

You’ll need both hot and sweet Hungarian paprika to make this fragrant roast turkey. Be sure the bird is completely dry before rubbing its skin with the paprika butter.

Simplest Roast Turkey

Sometimes, simpler is better. The trick to this minimalist roast turkey is allowing it to air-dry overnight in the refrigerator, resulting in super-crispy skin.

Roast Turkey with Chestnut-Apple Stuffing

For this classic recipe, the turkey is rubbed with an aromatic shallot-sage butter, then stuffed with a nutty chestnut-apple stuffing.

Mustard-and-Rosemary Roast Turkey

If preparing a whole bird intact isn’t your jam, this recipe from cookbook author Melissa Clark offers a delicious solution. She suggests roasting the turkey in parts, separating the dark meat from the white meat to guarantee everything gets perfectly cooked.

Spice-Rubbed Turkey

With crisp, golden skin and incredibly moist, tender breast meat, this simple spice-rubbed turkey is filled with a savory sausage, apple, and bacon-studded rye stuffing to take your meal over the top.