Turkey internal temperature: 165, 170 or 180 °F?
Three well-known sources give three different numbers for a whole roast turkey: USDA 165 °F (74 °C), Butterball 170 °F (77 °C) and Health Canada 180 °F (82 °C). This page lists each figure as that source words it, with a link. It does not pick one for you. Follow your country's guidance and the instructions that came with your turkey.
The figures side by side
| Source | Country | Applies to | Temperature |
|---|---|---|---|
| USDA FSIS, Let's Talk Turkey | United States | Whole turkey, minimum internal temperature | 165 °F (74 °C) |
| USDA FSIS, Let's Talk Turkey | United States | Stuffing | 165 °F (74 °C) |
| Butterball, How to Roast a Turkey | United States (brand) | Whole turkey: thigh, and breast or stuffing | 170 °F (77 °C) |
| Butterball, How to Check for Doneness | United States (brand) | Thigh and breast / stuffing | 170 °F (77 °C) / 165 °F (74 °C) |
| Health Canada, safe internal cooking temperatures | Canada | Poultry, whole | 82 °C (180 °F) |
| Health Canada, safe internal cooking temperatures | Canada | Poultry pieces (breasts, legs, thighs, wings) | 74 °C (165 °F) |
| Health Canada, safe internal cooking temperatures | Canada | Stuffing, cooked alone or in poultry | 74 °C (165 °F) |
| Turkey Farmers of Canada, roasting a whole turkey | Canada (industry) | Unstuffed thigh / stuffed turkey | 77 °C (170 °F) / 82 °C (180 °F) |
Health Canada says 82 °C (180 °F) for a whole bird. Turkey Farmers of Canada ties 82 °C to a stuffed turkey and gives 77 °C (170 °F) for an unstuffed one. Butterball's roasting guide and its doneness page agree on 170 °F for thigh and breast and differ on stuffing (170 °F against 165 °F). I read these pages on 2026-10-18, except the USDA brochure, which is quoted from a university copy (see below), and Turkey Farmers of Canada, whose figures are the ones cited on the roasting chart page.
Why the numbers differ
None of the pages I read explains why Canada and Butterball give higher figures, and I won't guess at it. The USDA brochure says: "For reasons of personal preference, consumers may choose to cook turkey to higher temperatures." What the pages do say is where to measure, and that differs too, so two people can read different spots on the same bird.
Where to put the thermometer
- USDA, "Let's Talk Turkey" brochure: "Check the internal temperature in the innermost part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast." Its roasting section adds: "Once the thigh has reached 165 °F, check the wing and the thickest part of the breast".
- USDA, same brochure, for stuffing: "Use a food thermometer to make sure the center of the stuffing reaches a safe minimum internal temperature of 165 °F."
- Butterball: "Insert an oven-safe meat thermometer deep into the lower part of the thigh without touching the bone." Its doneness page says "close to, but not touching, the thigh bone".
- Health Canada: "Insert the thermometer through the thickest part of the meat, all the way to the middle, not touching any bone."
The USDA wording comes from the FSIS brochure as hosted by University of Wisconsin Extension. The USDA website answers 403 to my tools, so I could not open the FSIS file itself. If you want the current USDA text, read it there.
When to take it out
Take it out when the spots your chosen source names have reached the temperature that source gives. How long the turkey then stands before carving, and what that frees in the oven, is on how long to rest a turkey. If dinner is later than the turkey, see how to keep a turkey warm before serving. I have not found an opened official source that gives a temperature rise after the turkey comes out, so this page makes no such claim.
Plan the time around it
- Turkey roasting time chart: USDA times by weight at 325 °F, with the clock time to put the bird in.
- The oven schedule planner: your dinner time and dishes in, a checklist with clock times out.