The Best Thanksgiving Turkey Recipes From Classic to Creative (2024)

Glazed Roast Turkey

After 90 years of experiments in our Test Kitchens, our chefs swear this is the ultimate Thanksgiving turkey recipe. With a simple coating of butter and your choice of glaze, it lets the savory flavors of the bird shine just enough. Choose between tangy and sweet (double mustard-brown sugar) or spicy and zesty (hot-honey sesame) for the glaze. Then roast the turkey to golden brown perfection for a Thanksgiving meal that looks almost as good as it tastes. Almost.

Roast Turkey with Citrus and Sage

A dry brine ensures this Thanksgiving turkey stays moist and juicy. Making a dry brine is as easy as combining salt, spices, and herbs. Here we chose orange zest, fresh sage, and rosemary. After rubbing the bird with the brine, let it sit in the fridge for up to 48 hours. Once you're ready to roast, pat the skin dry and stuff with fresh oranges.

Test Kitchen Tip: Be sure the turkey is completely thawed before applying the brine.

Bacon-Wrapped Turkey

No longer just for BLTs and breakfast, bacon recipes are among our favorites at holiday dinners. With this creative Thanksgiving turkey recipe, we bet you'll be inspired to create a new personal definition for "turkey bacon." Fresh sage and sweet onions scent the bird from the inside out, while each ounce of the skin gets a hearty dose of savory, salty flavor from the strips of bacon that practically melt into the exterior.

Pressure Cooker Turkey Breast

Turn to your Instant Pot for extra space to "roast" your Thanksgiving turkey breast. Not only does this entire recipe take less than an hour to hit your table, but it's also infused with flavor from everything else you add, including carrots, onion, celery, garlic, and poultry seasoning.

Maple Sage Turkey

Many of our readers have called this the best Thanksgiving turkey recipe. As one reviewer raves, "I've made this the past two Thanksgivings and both times it was wonderful. The easiest and best turkey I've made." To make your own, dry brine the turkey and roast until it's golden. While it's roasting, brush the bird with a homemade maple butter glaze.

Buttermilk-Brined Turkey Breast

This year, try making a brined turkey breast for your Thanksgiving gathering. We've flavored the brine with tangy buttermilk, citrus, and fresh herbs. Use your favorite blend of parsley, basil, sage, rosemary, or thyme. If you want to try this recipe on a whole bird, we've included a helpful how-to.

Deep-Fried Cajun Turkey

Deep-frying isn't just for potatoes and chicken. This year, dress your Thanksgiving turkey recipe with a Cajun-inspired rub, then fry it in peanut oil for about 3 minutes per pound—just be sure to follow these turkey-frying safety tips, since this strategy presents more challenges than any other cooking method.

Peach-Glazed Roast Turkey

Invite a taste of summer to the harvest-time feast. Fresh or frozen peach slices and peach preserves lend a lovely sweet element to this crowd-pleasing Thanksgiving turkey recipe. Citrus juices and dry mustard offer acidity and tang to balance out the fruit's natural sugars, while fresh thyme and rosemary keep this entrée feeling decidedly holiday-appropriate.

Classic Roast Turkey

If you're hosting your first Thanksgiving dinner, this is the turkey recipe for you. In just three simple steps you'll have a golden, juicy bird. As one BH&G home cook agrees, "This is the perfect recipe for first time chefs."

Smoked Turkey with Apple Stuffing

Go beyond brisket and ribs when you think of smoking food. We adore smoking our Thanksgiving turkey, which clears up extra oven space and introduces extra flavor from fruit tree wood chips. To round out the fall flavors, spike the compatible stuffing recipe with diced apples and apple juice, then brush the smoked turkey with an apple jelly glaze.

Stuffed Turkey Tenderloins with Cherries and Pancetta

If you're feeding 6 or fewer and aren't a big fan of Thanksgiving turkey leftovers, try this quick-cooking recipe. Since it calls for two 1-pound turkey tenderloins, they cook to perfect doneness in about 40 minutes. This unique recipe actually combines the stuffing and the bird all in one—it's wrapped in slices of savory pancetta and tied in kitchen twine to keep the couscous and cherry blend tucked in atop the tenderloins.

BBQ Spice-Rubbed Turkey Breast

Cut your cooking time in half by roasting a turkey breast or two, rather than a full-size bird. Coated in a sweet and spicy barbecue rub, this is one Thanksgiving turkey recipe that's so delicious you'll want to make it year-round. A seasonal cranberry barbecue sauce is the perfect accompaniment for this casual, yet classy, entrée.

Turkey in a Bag

If you're new to cooking a turkey for Thanksgiving, start here. Cooking turkey in a bag is a nearly foolproof method that results in juicy, tender meat. We'll show you exactly what you need to roast your turkey in a bag.

Air Fryer Turkey Breast with Herb Butter

Hosting a small Thanksgiving gathering? Try making a turkey breast rather than the whole bird. Cooking turkey breast in the air fryer helps keep the meat juicy and the skin crispy. We added an herb butter to ensure each bite is filled with flavor.

Zesty Ranch Turkey

If you love the flavor of ranch dressing, this is the Thanksgiving turkey recipe for you. This roast turkey recipe is slathered in a dill, lime, jalapeno, and ranch dressing powder mixture. Use the dripping to make a ranch-flavored gravy.

Smoked Mole-Inspired Turkey

Smoking a turkey doesn't have to be intimidating. We'll walk you through how to smoke a turkey for Thanksgiving including the recipe for our flavorful mole-inspired rub.

Mediterranean Spatchco*ck Turkey

Spatchco*cking a turkey helps it cook in a fraction of the time. The meat stays juicy and tender while the skin become crispy. Here, our spatchco*cked turkey recipe is flavored with lemon, garlic, and a trio of fresh herbs.