Easy Party Calc

How long to cook a 20 lb turkey?

Short answer

A 20 lb turkey takes 4¼ to 4½ hours to roast unstuffed at 325 °F (163 °C), by USDA’s chart. For a 4:00 PM dinner, put it in the oven by 11:00 AM and start checking the temperature at 3:15 PM.

How to work it out

  1. 20 lb → USDA row 18 to 20 lb (unstuffed): 4¼ to 4½ hours
  2. Dinner 4:00 PM − 4½ hours (longest time) − 20 minutes rest = in by 11:00 AM

A 20 lb turkey sits at the top of USDA’s 18-to-20 lb row, so it takes most of the day: 4¼ to 4½ hours unstuffed, then 20 minutes resting. Count back from when you want to carve, and keep the morning free for the oven.

Adjust for your project

lb
Weight on the label, thawed
USDA recommends cooking stuffing in a dish, not the bird
When you want to carve
More options: Still frozen?
Roasting time at 325 °F4¼ to 4½ hours
Put it in the oven by
11:00 AM
Start checking the temperature at
3:15 PM
USDA chart row used
18 to 20 lb, unstuffed
  • Done means 165 °F (74 °C) in the innermost part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast. Then rest it 20 minutes before carving.

For this job · affiliate link
Leave-in probe thermometer with alarmA leave-in probe set to 165 °F (74 °C) tells you when the thigh is done without opening the oven every half hour — then check the wing and breast with an instant-read.
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Roasting time at 325 °F (163 °C) by weight (stuffing as above)

Roasting time at 325 °F (163 °C) by weight (stuffing as above)
Turkey weightRoasting time at 325 °FPut it in the oven by
10 lb2¾ to 3 hours12:30 PM
12 lb2¾ to 3 hours12:30 PM
14 lb3 to 3¾ hours11:45 AM
16 lb3¾ to 4¼ hours11:15 AM
18 lb3¾ to 4¼ hours11:15 AM
20 lb4¼ to 4½ hours11:00 AM
22 lb4½ to 5 hours10:30 AM
24 lb4½ to 5 hours10:30 AM

A cooking schedule for a 20 lb turkey

Built on USDA’s unstuffed time for an 18–20 lb turkey at 325 °F (4¼ to 4½ hours) plus a 20-minute rest.
TimeStep
10:15 AMTurkey out of the fridge; oven on to 325 °F (163 °C). Remove giblets, pat dry, tuck the wings.
11:00 AMInto the oven on a rack in a shallow pan, breast up, loosely tented with foil.
about 12:30 PMTake the foil off so the skin browns.
3:15 PMStart checking: thigh, wing and thickest part of the breast.
by 3:40 PMAll three read 165 °F (74 °C). Out, tent with foil, rest 20 minutes.
4:00 PMCarve.

Stuffed, the same bird takes 4¼ to 4¾ hours, so move everything a quarter of an hour earlier and check that the center of the stuffing reaches 165 °F (74 °C). USDA’s advice is to cook the stuffing in a casserole dish instead; it is safer, it frees up the cavity so the bird cooks a little more evenly, and you get more crisp edges.

Things that make a big bird run late

  • A partly frozen center. If the cavity still had ice, add time — from fully frozen USDA allows at least 50% longer.
  • A crowded oven. Side dishes on the rack below block airflow. Bake sides while the turkey rests.
  • Opening the door. Each look lets out heat. A leave-in probe lets you watch the thigh from outside.
  • A cold start. A bird straight from a very cold fridge may need the full 4½ hours or a little more.

If it is still in the freezer, how long to thaw a 20 lb turkey has the 4-to-5-day fridge plan. For a smaller bird, see how long to cook a 15 lb turkey; deciding between one bird and two is covered in how big a turkey for 20 people.

Different size? Use the full Turkey Cooking Time Calculator.

What you’ll need

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Frequently asked questions

How long to cook a 20 lb turkey stuffed?

4¼ to 4¾ hours at 325 °F (163 °C), by USDA’s chart; in by 10:45 AM for a 4:00 PM dinner.

How long to cook a 22 lb turkey?

4½ to 5 hours unstuffed at 325 °F (USDA’s 20–24 lb row).

How long to cook a frozen 20 lb turkey?

at least 6½ to 6¾ hours — at least 50% longer than thawed, by USDA’s guidance.

Other common sizes

Sources