How long to cook a turkey in a roaster oven
An electric roaster is the usual answer to a crowded Thanksgiving oven: the turkey cooks on the counter, and the kitchen oven is free for the stuffing, the casseroles and the pie. The catch is the time. Roaster makers and recipe sites do not agree on it, and I could open only one maker's page, so this page uses that page's numbers and says where they come from. Your roaster's manual comes first if it gives a time.
What NESCO says
The NESCO guide to roasting a Thanksgiving turkey says a traditional roaster oven takes "15 to 20 minutes to cook per pound", and "an additional 30-45 minutes if the turkey is stuffed". Its 18 qt roaster holds "up to a 22 lb. turkey", and with that model "you can use your oven for side dishes". The turkey is done when the meat "reaches 165 degrees at the thickest part", and the bird should "rest for 30 minutes before carving". The page names no preheat temperature, so I give none here.
NESCO's high speed roaster is a different appliance at 6 minutes per pound for birds up to 18 lb. The table below is for a traditional roaster only.
Roaster oven turkey time by weight
Each row multiplies the weight by 15 and by 20 minutes. "In by" plans for the long end and a 30 minute rest, for dinner at 5:00 PM. "Start checking" is the short end: that is when to put a thermometer in, not when to carve. Metric weights are plain conversions at 0.45 kg to the pound.
| Weight | 15 to 20 min per lb | In by | Start checking |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 lb (5.4 kg) | 3 h to 4 h | 12:30 PM | 3:30 PM |
| 14 lb (6.4 kg) | 3 h 30 min to 4 h 40 min | 11:50 AM | 3:20 PM |
| 16 lb (7.3 kg) | 4 h to 5 h 20 min | 11:10 AM | 3:10 PM |
| 18 lb (8.2 kg) | 4 h 30 min to 6 h | 10:30 AM | 3:00 PM |
| 20 lb (9.1 kg) | 5 h to 6 h 40 min | 9:50 AM | 2:50 PM |
| 22 lb (10.0 kg) | 5 h 30 min to 7 h 20 min | 9:10 AM | 2:40 PM |
The spread is wide. A 20 lb bird has about 1 hour 40 minutes between the two ends, so the "in by" time is an early start and the "start checking" time is the one to watch. A stuffed bird adds NESCO's 30 to 45 minutes. USDA suggests baking the stuffing in a dish instead, as on the stuffing and turkey page, which also keeps it out of the roaster time.
A 16 lb turkey, dinner at 5 PM
Menu: a 16 lb turkey in the roaster (5 h 20 min, the long end), then stuffing in a dish, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, dinner rolls and a pumpkin pie in the kitchen oven at 350 °F (177 °C). The turkey goes in at 11:10 AM and rests from 4:30 PM. The oven stays off until 1:50 PM, because the pie is the first thing that needs it, and it never has to change temperature. The planner treats anything outside the oven as a stovetop dish, so if you open this menu there, the roaster step reads "on the stovetop".
| Time | Step |
|---|---|
| 11:10 AM | Turkey into the roaster (5 h 20 min at most) |
| 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) |
| 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) |
| 4:30 PM | Turkey out of the roaster to rest, covered (30 min before serving) |
| 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 |
Compared with a turkey in the kitchen oven, the sides lose their squeeze. The rest window no longer decides when the oven is free, so the casseroles bake in the last 45 minutes without a fight over the rack. The one-oven plan shows what that squeeze looks like. What you give up is counter space for the roaster and a long, early start: this turkey goes in at 11:10 AM.
Before you rely on it
- Thaw first, so the time on the page is the time you get. when to thaw a turkey gives the start date for your weight.
- NESCO says 165 °F (74 °C) at the thickest part. USDA's minimum is also 165 °F (74 °C), checked in the innermost part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast; see the turkey roasting time chart for USDA's wording.
- A roaster's time moves with the model and with how cold the bird is when it goes in, so trust the thermometer over the clock.
- These times are NESCO's for a traditional roaster. Other brands may differ, so use this page to plan the day and your manual to set the roaster.
Open this menu in the planner to change the dinner time, the turkey's weight or the sides.
Related
- Another way to shorten the oven time: a spatchcocked turkey roasts in 1 to 2 hours.
- Fan oven instead? Convection oven turkey cooking time.
- How long it can wait: how long to rest a turkey.