Name: Cooking a Turkey in a Roaster
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 180 min
Total time: 190 min
Ingredients: 18 pound whole turkey; 1/2 cup salted butter; 2 tablespoons freshly snipped thyme, rosemary and sage; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon black pepper; 1/4 cup salted butter; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon black pepper

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A foolproof guide on cooking a turkey in a roaster oven. Discover the optimal temperature, cooking time, and preparation steps for a perfectly roasted turkey. Free up your oven for delicious sides this Thanksgiving with our electric turkey roaster tips.

Every Thanksgiving, kitchens bustle with pies baking, sides simmering, and turkeys roasting. But with the oven juggling multiple dishes, the age-old question arises: how can one efficiently cook a turkey without monopolizing the oven space?

An electric turkey roaster is your answer. Not only does it make the roasting process more streamlined, but cooking a turkey in a roaster oven also ensures that it’s evenly cooked, juicy, and delectably golden. It’s a game-changer for those who want to multitask in the kitchen during the holiday season.

For those wondering how to cook a turkey in a roaster, or are curious about how long to cook a turkey in a roaster oven, you’ve come to the right place. This comprehensive guide will walk you through each step.

What readers are saying:

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ Michelle says, “Absolutely love this recipe. The electric method works great, as well as freeing up the oven for everything else. Thank you for sharing!”

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ Amanda says, “Great recipe! I used 1 teaspoon of poultry seasoning in the softened butter instead of fresh herbs (it’s what I had on hand), and a sprinkle of poultry seasoning on the skin. I cooked my 20 lb bird as instructed here and it was done in 3 hours! Rave reviews from the family.”

Why cook turkey in a roaster oven?

There are 3 key reasons:

Roaster ovens are designed to circulate heat efficiently, ensuring your turkey cooks evenly. The roaster oven we have has a self-basting lid, ensuring that the white turkey breast meat stays tender and juicy.
According to Oster.com, roaster ovens are more energy efficient. They take less time to cook the oven and there is less space to heat up.
The most important reason, though, is that a turkey roaster frees up the conventional oven. No longer do you have to juggle between the turkey and sides, or worse, wake up at the crack of dawn to ensure everything gets cooked. After all, it is a holiday.

What is the best electric roaster oven?

In order to make a turkey in a roaster oven, you have to have a roaster oven (obviously!). So which electric roaster oven is the best?

I have a 22 quart Oster roaster oven, but they no longer make it. I recommend the Oster 18-quart roaster oven which can hold a 22 pound turkey. It boasts a “self-basting” lid and has a “warm” setting to keep your turkey perfectly warm.

How do you make herb butter for turkey?

Yes, you can just throw a turkey in the roaster and have it come out fork tender, but for the best flavor, rub it down with herbed butter. Here’s how to do it.

Take a stick of room temperature butter and add in freshly snipped poultry herbs. We buy a package of fresh herbs called “poultry seasoning” in the produce section of our grocery store. It is a mix of sage, rosemary and thyme. You can buy all 3 herbs separately if you need to.

Mix these fresh herbs with butter. Do this the day before serving or at least 2 hours in advance so the flavors have time to develop.

about the butter

Use salted butter. If you don’t have salted butter, add ¼ teaspoon salt to the butter mixture.

How do you prepare a turkey for roasting?

Remove the neck and giblets from the turkey cavity. (Throw them away or set them aside for gravy.)
Use paper towels and dry the turkey.
Take your hand to loosen the skin over the turkey breast. Rub half of the butter underneath the skin of the breast.
Rub the other half of the butter over the outside of the bird.
Sprinkle the outside of the bird with salt and pepper.
Put ¼ cup butter in the cavity of the turkey along with 1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. You can also stuff the cavity with veggies like celery, onion and carrots, or citrus fruits such as lemons and oranges.

Now the turkey is ready to roast.

Collage on cooking a turkey in a roaster oven

What temperature to roast a turkey?

While you are preparing the turkey, set the roaster to the highest setting it will go. Our roaster goes up to 450º F, but you can set yours for higher if it goes higher.

You’ll roast the turkey for 30 minutes at the high temperature, then lower the temperature to 325º F for the remaining time.

How long do you cook a turkey in a roaster?

The exact time it takes to cook a turkey depends on how big the turkey is, and whether the turkey is stuffed or unstuffed. You’ll want to plan about 8-10 minutes per pound for an unstuffed bird at 325º Fahrenheit. You should always read your instruction manual because each roaster oven may be different.

Also, the roaster has a “warm” setting that you can use in case the turkey is done a little sooner than you need. And it is always good to let meat rest for at least 20 minutes before carving to seal in the juices.

How do you get at turkey golden brown in an electric roaster?

One of the questions we get asked most often is how to get that golden brown look in the toaster. The truth is, a roaster turkey will not be as golden brown as an oven roasted turkey.

However, here are a few tricks:

Preheat the roaster oven to the highest temperature it will go (as I mentioned above). Let it cook for 30 minutes at that high temperature. This helps that skin to crisp up.
Rub herb butter or oil on the outside of the bird for a more golden brown skin.
If you want to ensure a golden brown color, you can brush the outside of a turkey with a browning sauce, which is an ingredient that your grandma may have used for roasts and gravies. It adds both flavor and color. If you brush the outside of the turkey with a pastry brush, it will add a nice brown color. Be careful..you’ll only need 1-2 teaspoons to give a pretty color.

Is it necessary to baste a turkey?

We’ve found that it isn’t 100% necessary to baste a turkey. And especially with this roaster. The steam rises from the turkey, hits the lid and falls back on the turkey, soaking the skin with all that turkey steak and juice.

If we’re oven roasting, I often baste the turkey, but I don’t worry about it with this method.

What temperature should my turkey be when done?

Use a meat thermometer to test the internal temperature. The thickest part of the turkey thigh should be 165ºF. Often times people are used to turkey that is cooked just a little more than this. We cook ours to about 170ºF. It’s a matter of preference.

The Best instant read Thermometer

We LOVE our Thermoworks ThermaPen to quickly test meat temperatures. This probe thermometer is AMAZING. Get it here.

Can you use an oven bag in an electric roaster?

No. You should not use oven bags in electric roasters. The bag could easily touch the sides, bottom or top of the roaster which could cause it to melt.

See our recipe on how to cook turkey in a bag.

Turkey Sides

Read our suggestions on how to plan Thanksgiving dinner, and our traditional Thanksgiving dinner menu.

Cooking a Turkey in a Roaster

4.56 from 206 votes

Free up the oven for side dishes and make your roast turkey in a roaster oven! We give tips for the juiciest turkey recipe with fresh herb butter…and how to get that golden brown skin on your turkey.

Servings 20

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 3

Total Time 3 10

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Ingredients

US Customary – Metric

18 pound whole turkey
1/2 cup salted butter
2 tablespoons freshly snipped thyme, rosemary and sage
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

For the cavity:

1/4 cup salted butter
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Make the herb butter:

Mix together ½ cup softened butter (1 stick) with the freshly snipped herbs. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, but remove from the fridge 1 hour before using so that it is soft enough to spread. (Or you can microwave to soften the herb butter).

Prepare the turkey:

Set the roaster oven (with the lid on) to the highest temperature setting it will go.
Remove the neck and giblets from the turkey cavity. (Throw them away or set them aside for gravy.)
Take paper towels and dry off your turkey.
Take your hand and loosen the skin over the turkey breast. Rub half of the butter underneath the skin of the breast. Rub the other half of the butter over the outside of the bird.
Sprinkle the outside of the bird with salt and pepper.
Put ¼ cup butter in the cavity of the turkey along with 1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper.
Place the turkey on the rack in the preheated roaster and cook at the highest temperature for 30 minutes.
Without opening the lid, turn down the temperature to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and roast until the turkey tests done (at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit in the thickest part of the thigh).
The exact timing will depend on whether the turkey is stuffed or unstuffed and how large the turkey is. Plan for about 8-10 minutes per pound for an unstuffed turkey.

Notes

The exact time it takes to cook a turkey depends on how big the turkey is, and whether the turkey is stuffed or unstuffed. We plan about 8-10 minutes per pound for an unstuffed bird at 325º Fahrenheit. You should always read your instruction manual because each roaster may be different.

Also, the roaster has a “warm” setting that you can use in case the turkey is done a little more quickly. And it is always good to let meat rest for at least 20 minutes before carving to seal in the juices.

The calories shown are based on the recipe serving about 20 people. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information.**

Nutrition

Author Julie Clark

Course Main Dish

Cuisine American

Calories 470

Keyword how to cook turkey, thanksgiving dinner, thanksgiving dinner rolls

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