Can you cook stuffing and turkey at the same time?
Yes, in two ways. The stuffing can go inside the bird, which adds roasting time. Or it can bake in a dish, either next to the turkey or in the oven while the turkey rests. This page gives the USDA times for both and the clock times for a 5 PM dinner and a 12–14 lb turkey.
What USDA says about stuffing
- The USDA brochure Let's Talk Turkey (I read a university extension copy) says: "For optimum safety, stuffing a turkey is not recommended."
- It adds: "For more even cooking, it is recommended you cook your stuffing outside the bird in a casserole." Either way, the stuffing "must reach a safe minimum internal temperature of 165 °F", checked with a food thermometer.
- If you do stuff the bird, the brochure says to fill the cavities loosely, cook the turkey immediately, and check that the center of the stuffing reaches 165 °F.
- Iowa State Extension's AnswerLine says the same about the thermometer: both the turkey and the stuffing must each reach 165 °F. It also says a turkey on the grill, in a smoker or in a fryer should not be stuffed.
Common cooking advice, which USDA gives no rule for:
- Cover the dish for the first part so the top does not dry out, then uncover it to brown.
- A deep dish takes longer than a shallow one, and the stuffing can lag behind the meat.
- A full oven slows everything down, so leave room around the dish and go by the thermometer.
- A splash of broth or a spoonful of pan juices gives the stuffing more turkey flavor.
Stuffed bird: how much longer
Both tables are USDA's 325 °F timetables, so the difference is the stuffing alone. A stuffed bird takes 0 to 30 minutes longer, depending on weight, and USDA calls all of these times approximate.
| Weight | Unstuffed (hours) | Stuffed (hours) | Extra time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 to 12 lb | 2¾ to 3 | 3 to 3½ | 15 to 30 min |
| 12 to 14 lb | 3 to 3¾ | 3½ to 4 | 15 to 30 min |
| 14 to 18 lb | 3¾ to 4¼ | 4 to 4¼ | 0 to 15 min |
| 18 to 20 lb | 4¼ to 4½ | 4¼ to 4¾ | 0 to 15 min |
| 20 to 24 lb | 4½ to 5 | 4¾ to 5¼ | 15 min |
For a 12–14 lb bird and dinner at 5 PM with the brochure's 20 minute stand, a stuffed turkey goes in at 12:40 PM (planning for the long end, 4 h) and an unstuffed one at 12:55 PM (3 h 45 min). Start checking the stuffed bird at 4:10 PM. The stuffing can lag behind the meat, so check the center of the stuffing as well as the thigh, as the brochure says. The full tables, including breasts, are on the turkey roasting time chart.
Stuffing in a dish, beside the turkey
The oven is already at 325 °F, so a dish of stuffing can go in beside the bird and bake at the same temperature. The brochure gives no bake time for a dish, so this depends on your recipe. As an example, take 60 minutes at 325 °F: with the turkey out at 4:40 PM, the dish goes in at 3:40 PM, an hour before the turkey comes out.
- The dish is in the oven for about a quarter of the turkey's roasting time and does not change when the turkey is done.
- Check the center of the stuffing with a thermometer for 165 °F, as the brochure says.
Stuffing in a dish, while the turkey rests
Many recipes bake stuffing at 350 °F, so the other option is to wait for the turkey to come out. The oven then needs about 15 minutes to heat from 325 to 350 °F, and the dish bakes 45 minutes (an example recipe time). That is 60 minutes in total, so the turkey has to rest 60 minutes for the stuffing to finish at serving time.
| Time | Step |
|---|---|
| 12:00 PM | Preheat the oven to 325 °F |
| 12:15 PM | Put Turkey, 12–14 lb in the oven (325 °F, 3 h 45 min) |
| 4:00 PM | Take Turkey, 12–14 lb out to rest, covered (1 h before serving) |
| 4:00 PM | Set the oven to 350 °F and let it get there |
| 4:15 PM | Put Stuffing (in a dish) in the oven (350 °F, 45 min) |
| 5:00 PM | Take Stuffing (in a dish) out |
| 5:00 PM | Serve |
With the brochure's 20 minute stand the same menu no longer fits. The planner would take the turkey out 1 h before dinner, which is a longer rest than you asked for. The stuffing needs its oven hour either way. Open this menu in the planner to change the dinner time, the rest or the bake time. For more on the rest, see how long to rest a turkey.
Which way to pick
- Stuffing inside the bird: more turkey flavor in the stuffing, longer roast, and a thermometer in the center of the stuffing. USDA does not recommend it.
- A dish beside the turkey: one oven temperature and no change to the turkey's schedule. The stuffing gets less turkey flavor.
- A dish during the rest: a browner top at 350 °F, but it needs a long enough rest. A full menu of sides makes this tight, see Thanksgiving dinner with one oven.
Leftovers follow the brochure too: discard turkey, stuffing and gravy left out at room temperature for more than 2 hours (1 hour above 90 °F).