Turkey Cooking Time Calculator
Plan roast day backwards from dinner. Enter turkey weight, stuffed or unstuffed, regular or convection oven, and when you want to serve. A 16 lb unstuffed turkey at 325 °F usually roasts about 3 hours, 45 minutes to 4 hours, 15 minutes — then rests 20–30 minutes before you carve. The schedule below also shows when to start refrigerator thaw and links to our thaw planner.
Use the turkey cooking time calculator controls below to update the roast window, oven-in time, and printable one-page PDF. Weight and dinner time never go in the URL.
Browse themes and presets, then come back here to download.
Planning numbers only. Roast timing follows the USDA 325 °F chart; use a meat thermometer for doneness. Weight and dinner time stay in your browser — never in the URL.
| Turkey weight | 16 lb |
|---|---|
| Oven | Conventional (325 °F) |
| Stuffing | Unstuffed |
| Roast at 325 °F | 3 hours, 45 minutes to 4 hours, 15 minutes |
| Put in oven | 10:15 AM–10:55 AM |
| Dinner served | Thu, Nov 26 at 3:00 PM |
| Rest before carving | 20–30 minutes |
| Start fridge thaw by | Sun, Nov 22 |
Still frozen? Use the turkey thaw calculator for refrigerator and cold-water timing. Not sure you bought enough bird? See turkey size for guests. Coordinating dishes? Try the Thanksgiving potluck sign-up sheet.
Roasting times follow the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service chart for a 325 °F oven. Convection ovens often finish sooner — this tool shortens the range when convection is selected. A food thermometer in the innermost thigh must read 165 °F before serving.
Handy gear for roast day
- Instant-read meat thermometer for checking the thigh reaches 165 °F (opens in new tab)
- Roasting pan with rack sized for a large holiday bird (opens in new tab)
- Carving set with fork and knife for serving at the table (opens in new tab)
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Related calculators & printables
Turkey thaw calculator
USDA refrigerator and cold-water thaw times from frozen weight.
Turkey size for guests
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Thanksgiving potluck sign-up sheet
Printable dish sign-up grouped by course.
Party food planner
Shopping weights and drink counts for a crowd.
Recipe scaler
Resize sides and desserts for a bigger table.
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Printable days-until poster for the holiday.