EASY THANKSGIVING TURKEY | how to cook and carve the BEST turkey recipe

Are you ready to make the BEST Thanksgiving turkey? Trust me, it’s easier than you think! You don’t need to brine and you don’t need to baste. Just a few simple steps and you’ll have a perfectly golden, juicy, and insanely flavorful roasted turkey that’ll impress your family and guests.

I know many people get intimidated by cooking a turkey, but you needn't worry. It's easy! Especially with this no-fail, foolproof, beginner recipe. Just think of it as cooking a large chicken. ;) I'm also showing you how to carve a turkey on the video today. Bonus!

There's a TON more info on the turkey recipe blog post (linked below), as well as more Thanksgiving recipes, so make sure to check that out. I can't wait to see all your beautiful turkeys and Thanksgiving dinners on social media, make sure to tag me!

► PRODUCTS MENTIONED:

► ALWAYS IN MY KITCHEN:

► TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 Intro
00:30 Thaw your turkey
00:54 How big of a turkey should you buy?
01:15 Remove the giblets and neck
01:57 Essential equipment to cook a turkey (knives, thermometers, and roasting pans)
02:53 Stuff the turkey with vegetables and herbs
04:02 Make the herb butter
05:02 Pat the turkey dry
05:16 Loosen turkey skin and rub herb butter underneath and all over the outside of the turkey
06:25 Slice vegetables for roasting pan
07:15 Place turkey in roasting pan and cook in the oven
08:00 Remove turkey from oven and let it rest
09:02 How to carve a turkey
11:26 Place the turkey on a platter and garnish
12:08 Taste test

► WHAT I'M WEARING

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#turkeyrecipe #thanksgivingrecipes #thanksgivingdinner

[Downshiftology]

Hi friends! How many of you are cooking your FIRST ever turkey this year? If so, you've got this!! Don't be intimidated by cooking a turkey, it's much easier than you think. And remember that you can find the printable recipe and directions on my website. I can't wait to see all your turkey photos on social media. Remember to tag me! xo - Lisa

[crownjewel]

Who else is here Thanksgiving 2024? Preparing this recipe, following directions. Thank you for posting!

[sofialample]

I am 11 years old and I just followed your Thanksgiving turkey recipe. It was delicious, and as a bonus, we didn't burn down the house! My parents are very proud of me. Thank you for you recipe.

[myfriendscallmelo]

i'm a vegetarian, never cooked a turkey in my life. i followed this step by step last year and my guests said it was the best turkey they'd ever had. watching again to use this year :)

[luluisgay]

when I lost my mom 3 years ago I had to make the turkey for the first time ever. ur video helped me make it through the first thanksgiving without my mom

[dormasterous]

Fourth time in a row making this recipe! So good, so easy, so consistent. The only bad thing about this one is that now I'm stuck on Turkey duty for the entire family for the foreseeable future 😂

[Anthony]

This is my first year ever cooking a turkey. I signed up to do it for work. Thank you so much for posting this video. Now I'm much more confident I won't mess up.

[RC_]

Did this last year and it was my first time ever cooking a whole turkey. It turned out wonderfully! Can’t wait to do it again!

[karenelizabeth]

THANKYOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!! I had been completely terrified, for at least the last 2 months, about making my very first turkey (at my advanced age, LOL) and YOU and your video made it spectaclur!! My 27 year old son, who has NEVER liked turkey absolutely LOVED it! He even came over yesterday to tell me the left-overs I gave him were even better the next day! I want you to know I must have looked at hundreds of recipes and watched at least the same in videos and yours was the best. I didn't change a thing. We couldn't be with the other 30 or so family members we always celebrate with, but you helped make this little pod of 3 (me, my husband and our son... plus 1 always hungry doggie and 2 hungry, hungry kitties) very, very thankful, happy and very full! BLESS YOU! Oh...I forgot to mention that my 13lb turkey only took 2 1/2 hours at 325 on Convection/Roast. It couldn't have been juicier!

[grainsbrains]

So I used this recipe again this year and it turned out just as good as last time. This is truly a simple yet fantastic recipe. The whole family raved at how well it turned out. Thank you again, now it's time to look at your other recipes!

[shaunakimura]

I followed this recipe over the weekend for my boyfriend and I, it was my first time cooking a turkey and it came out excellent! Now I'll be making it for my family on Thanksgiving 🧡

[jalaylabHernandez]

who else is watching to prepare for Christmas

[daixyray]

I legit always come back to this video! Cooked my first turkey thanksgiving 2020 with this recipe and everyone said it was the best and moistest turkey ever. I didn’t open the oven for 3 hours and I think that really helped! Then I took it out and let us rest for 40 mins. The turkey was still hot/warm and it stayed moist!! ✨ I’m making another turkey this month and had to come back to use this recipe again!

[angeltiantian]

This is such a great recipe! As a mother of two, cooking is usually chaotic. This preparation was fast, and I even went out for a walk while the bird was cooking! Got a lot of compliments for this turkey + gravy. You made my Thanksgiving easy this year!!

[nicolekoeuth]

I’ve always come back to this recipe and it always goes well each year when we host thanksgiving!

[TabiBerry]

I’m a new college grad and my mother trusted me to make the Turkey this year. I was freaking out but came across this video and she thought my Turkey was store bought! If you guys are contemplating trying this recipe this year, JUST DO IT! You will not regret it! Thanks so much for your help!

[jb]

I just stumbled upon this video, and hands down!!! This is the most straightforward explanation of how to make and carve a turkey after watching over a dozen videos that fail miserably. 😂😂😂😂👏👏👏

[motled]

My family is grateful for you! We usually buy a pre-cooked turkey package somewhere online, drive out on the morning of, wait in line and pickup a pre-cooked turkey which we end up reheating for a couple/few hours, and spend the rest of the morning frazzled, assembling sides and sweating through it all. So it's quite stressful for us each year. Your recipe gave us the confidence to make our own turkey from raw/frozen and it came out GOOD and it was so much less stress this year since we followed your instructions and bought the turkey several days ahead to allow it to thaw properly.. we didn't have to drive anywhere or read any last-minute instructions. And, I love how much we've minimized on packaging and trash; so many benefits. I also ended up patting the turkey dry with a bunch of linens rather than paper towels to reduce even further (since we don't own paper towels, kinda had to improvise). The kids raved about the turkey; that's how good it was! Thank you!! I've saved this recipe and we will do it again next year. We wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving to you, Lisa, and your entire family! xoxo, Maureen

[mariadavid]

This was my second year cooking a turkey on my own, I was a little terrified last year however your flawlessness to detail provided me confidence. My turkey came out "FABULOUS" 😊

Thank you for your passion, willingness, and being a great teacher!

[ashlya]

This has to be the best and most detailed video! Thank you from a young adult whos mom never taught her ❤️❤️