Thanksgiving timeline with a fried turkey
A turkey in a fryer is done in about an hour, and it takes nothing from the oven. That changes the day: the sides get the oven to themselves at one temperature, and the whole schedule starts later. This page has the fry times by weight, clock times for a 5 PM dinner, and the same menu with a roasted turkey to compare. The frying safety rules come from the USDA, and I list the ones that matter for planning.
What the USDA says about frying
The USDA's turkey frying advice, as reprinted by University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension, says:
- "Allow approximately 3 to 5 minutes of cook time per pound", with the oil heated to 350 °F (177 °C).
- The turkey should be "fresh, completely thawed, and not stuffed", and "no larger than 12 pounds".
- Fry it in "a safe location outdoors".
- It is done at a minimum internal temperature of 165 °F (74 °C) in the innermost part of the thigh and wing; check the thickest part of the breast too.
- "Let it rest about 20 minutes before carving."
The page gives no time for heating the oil, so the tables below leave it out. Heat the oil early and check your fryer's manual for how long that takes. The weight limit matters for the schedule as well: a bird over 12 lb is too big for this method (the USDA says to fry parts instead), so roast it, see the turkey roasting time chart.
Fry time by weight
Each row multiplies the weight by 3 and by 5 minutes. "In the oil by" plans for the long end and a 20 minute rest, for dinner at 5:00 PM. "Start checking" is the short end: the time to lift the bird and take its temperature, which is not the time to carve. The USDA says to test it out of the oil.
| Weight | 3 to 5 min per lb | In the oil by | Start checking | Out to rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 lb (3.6 kg) | 24 min to 40 min | 4:00 PM | 4:24 PM | 4:40 PM |
| 10 lb (4.5 kg) | 30 min to 50 min | 3:50 PM | 4:20 PM | 4:40 PM |
| 12 lb (5.4 kg) | 36 min to 1 h | 3:40 PM | 4:16 PM | 4:40 PM |
Metric weights are plain conversions at 0.45 kg to the pound. A 12 lb turkey has a 24 minute gap between the two ends, which is why the check time matters more than the clock.
A 12 lb fried turkey, dinner at 5 PM
Menu: a 12 lb turkey in the fryer (1 h, the long end), then stuffing in a dish, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, dinner rolls and a pumpkin pie in the oven at 350 °F (177 °C). The turkey needs its oil at 350 °F by 3:40 PM. The oven goes on at 1:50 PM for the pie and stays at 350 °F for every side, so it never changes temperature. The planner treats anything outside the oven as a stovetop dish, so if you open this menu there, the fryer step reads "on the stovetop".
| Time | Step |
|---|---|
| 1:50 PM | Preheat the oven to 350 °F |
| 2:05 PM | Put Pumpkin pie in the oven (350 °F, 55 min) |
| 3:00 PM | Take Pumpkin pie out (2 h before serving) |
| 3:40 PM | Turkey into the oil, outdoors (1 h at most) |
| 4:15 PM | Put Stuffing (in a dish) in the oven (350 °F, 45 min) |
| 4:15 PM | Put Sweet potato casserole in the oven (350 °F, 30 min) |
| 4:25 PM | Put Green bean casserole in the oven (350 °F, 35 min) |
| 4:40 PM | Turkey out of the oil to rest (20 min before serving); take its temperature now |
| 4:45 PM | Take Sweet potato casserole out and keep it covered (15 min before serving) |
| 4:45 PM | Put Dinner rolls in the oven (350 °F, 15 min) |
| 5:00 PM | Take Stuffing (in a dish) out |
| 5:00 PM | Take Green bean casserole out |
| 5:00 PM | Take Dinner rolls out |
| 5:00 PM | Serve |
The same menu with a roast turkey
For comparison, the same sides with a 12–14 lb turkey roasting in the oven at 325 °F for up to 3 h 45 min (the long end of the USDA's range) and resting 30 minutes. Both plans serve at 5:00 PM.
| Fried turkey | Roast turkey | |
|---|---|---|
| First step | 1:50 PM | 10:50 AM |
| Turkey in | 3:40 PM | 12:15 PM |
| Turkey out | 4:40 PM | 4:00 PM |
| Oven change | none | 12:00 PM |
| Pumpkin pie out | 3:00 PM | 12:00 PM |
The fried plan starts 3 h later and has no 325 to 350 °F change to wait for. The oven also has only one job: the pie and the casseroles all bake at 350 °F. What you need in return is a fryer outdoors and a turkey of 12 lb or less. For the oven-roast version of this squeeze, see the one-oven plan.
Open this menu in the planner to change the dinner time, the weight or the sides.
Before you rely on it
- A frozen bird is not ready for the oil. When to thaw a turkey for Thanksgiving gives the start date for your weight.
- Stuffing goes in a dish, as the USDA says not to stuff a fried bird. Stuffing and turkey at the same time covers the dish version.
- Side bake times are examples, and the side dish temperature chart has more. Sides made ahead are on the make-ahead timeline.
- This page plans the time. It does not teach frying, and the USDA article has the safety steps for oil and equipment.
- No fryer? Another way to free the oven is a roaster oven, and a spatchcocked turkey roasts in 1 to 2 hours.