How big a turkey do I need?
Tell it how many people are coming and whether you want leftovers. It gives you a turkey weight to buy, and what to do if the bird would be too big for your oven. Everything runs in your browser and nothing is stored.
Where the numbers come from
The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service suggests about 1 pound of whole turkey per person, and about 1.5 pounds per person if you want leftovers. That is for a whole bird with the bones in. This calculator uses 1 lb per person for no leftovers, 1.5 lb for some and 2 lb for plenty. The last figure is a rule of thumb from the author of this page, not a USDA number. Small groups of children eat less and hungry teenagers eat more, so round up if in doubt.
| People | No leftovers | Some leftovers |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | 4 (1.8) | 6 (2.7) |
| 6 | 6 (2.7) | 9 (4.1) |
| 8 | 8 (3.6) | 12 (5.4) |
| 10 | 10 (4.5) | 15 (6.8) |
| 12 | 12 (5.4) | 18 (8.2) |
| 16 | 16 (7.3) | 24 (10.9) |
When the right size does not fit
- Under about 8 lb (3.6 kg): a whole turkey this small is hard to find and can dry out. A turkey breast or a small chicken may suit better.
- Over about 20 lb (9 kg): big birds roast unevenly and take up most of a home oven. Two smaller turkeys, around 12 lb each, cook faster and leave a rack free, though together they need room for two pans.
- Frozen turkeys need days to thaw. The fridge takes about 24 hours for every 4 to 5 pounds, so a 16 lb bird needs 3 to 4 days. Buy early.
Once you know the weight, the free turkey timing calculator works out when to start thawing and when it goes in the oven. For the rest of the menu, read how to fit a holiday dinner into one oven, or see which dishes can be made ahead.
Turkey sorted, now the sides? One Oven Dinner is a $5 offline planner that fits your whole menu around the turkey and prints one page. See an example plan.
Source: USDA FSIS, "Let's Talk Turkey" (fsis.usda.gov). Always cook to 165 °F (74 °C) measured with a food thermometer.