How long to cook a 15 lb turkey?

Fifteen pounds lands in USDA’s 14-to-18 lb row, which spans a lot of turkey: a 14 lb and an 18 lb bird share the same 3¾ to 4¼ hour range. A 15 lb bird is near the bottom of that row, so it will usually be ready on the early side.

Where a 15 lb turkey falls in the chart

USDA groups birds in weight bands rather than giving a per-pound figure, because bigger turkeys cook in fewer minutes per pound. A 15 lb turkey at 3¾ to 4¼ hours works out to roughly 15 to 17 minutes a pound; a 20 lb bird is closer to 13. Since 15 lb is at the light end of the 14-to-18 lb band, expect it to reach 165 °F (74 °C) nearer 3¾ hours than 4¼ — which is why the calculator tells you when to start checking, not just when to serve.

Plan on the longer time anyway. If it is done early, it can rest under foil a while longer; if it is late, everything else on the table goes cold. Put it in at 12:15 for a 5 o’clock dinner, and check the thigh first around 4:00.

Stuffed or not?

Stuffed, USDA gives 4 to 4¼ hours for the same band — at most 15 minutes more here. The bigger cost is uncertainty: the stuffing in the center has to reach 165 °F (74 °C), and it often lags behind the meat, leaving you with a bird that is done and stuffing that is not. Baking the stuffing in a dish alongside avoids that. If you do stuff it, do it loosely and right before roasting.

• Oven: 325 °F (163 °C), rack in the lower third so the turkey sits in the middle of the oven.
• Pan: shallow, with a rack; ½ cup of water in the bottom.
• Foil: tent for the first hour, or once the skin is brown enough.
• Done: 165 °F (74 °C) in thigh, wing and breast; rest 20 minutes.

Thawing a frozen one first? How long to thaw a 15 lb turkey gives 3 to 4 days in the fridge. Bigger bird: how long to cook a 20 lb turkey. Feeding ten? How big a turkey for 10 people.