Dry Brine Turkey Recipe
Here's a bold statement for you: switching to this dry brine turkey recipe is the single best thing you can do to improve your holiday meal. The good news? It's easy to do, mess-free, and requires no special ingredients or equipment.
🔍 Recipe At-A-Glance: Dry Brine Turkey Recipe
- 🕰️ Prep Time: 3 days (but even overnight will work in a pinch!)
- 🦃 Flavor Profile: Savory, herby, and the best turkey you've ever eaten.
- 👩🏻🔬 The Why: Brining is treating poultry with salt before cooking. The brine absorbs into the meat, and the moisture is retained when cooking, making the bird more tender and moist.
- 🧡 Difficulty: So much easier (and way less messy) than a wet turkey brine!
"My family and I decided this was the best turkey I ever roasted. Thank you so much! I will always dry brine my turkeys before roasting from now on!"
- MARIA -
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🧡 Why You'll Love This Recipe
Hiya friend: Ready for the easiest, juiciest turkey ever? Dry brining will change your holiday cooking life.
I have roasted no less than a hundred turkeys in my life, and I gotta tell you that this dry brined turkey is the easiest and juiciest of all the recipes I've tried. Every time I serve it I hear choruses of "this is the best turkey ever!" and what cook doesn't want that?
Here's why you'll love this recipe:
- It's easy and mess-free. Dry brining is basically just mixing up some herbs, salt, and baking powder and sprinkling it on your bird. That's it!
- Dry brining is proven to make tastier turkey. Yup! The Serious Eats Food Lab did a great deep dive and the gist is this: dry brining is the key to a flavorful turkey.
- It's kitchen-tested and family-approved. I've personally made this exact roasted turkey recipe for decades-and so has every member of my family plus hundred of readers!
- Thanksgiving classic: This turkey recipes pairs perfectly with all the classic Thanksgiving favorites like slow-cooker mashed potatoes, cornbread dressing with sausage, cranberry orange sauce, homemade green bean casserole, and pumpkin pie. Oh, and don't forget the homemade turkey gravy!
🦃 The Ingredients You Need
- Turkey: You'll get the best results with a fresh or thawed turkey. But if you are working last-minute, this method will still work on a frozen or partially-defrosted turkey!
- Fresh or dried herbs: Fresh herbs give the best flavor in this dry brine, but they can be hard to source during the holiday season. Dry herbs also do the trick! Sage, rosemary, parsley, or thyme all work well here.
- Kosher salt: It must be kosher salt. Any other kind of salt will make your end turkey too salty.
- Baking powder: Not strictly necessary, but baking powder works to break down the proteins in the skin, helping it get golden brown and crispy. It is what makes your turkey look magazine-worthy!
Make sure to check the recipe card below for the full ingredients list, along with quantities and my expert tips and tricks.
🔁 Variations & Substitutions
- Single day brine: Any brine time is better than no brine time! So if it's Wednesday before Thanksgiving, go ahead and get a dry brine on your bird...and then try to remember to start a little earlier next year.
- Smaller Thanksgivings: Don't need a full turkey? Try my Instant Pot turkey breast or this Thanksgiving dinner for two!
🥣 Dry Brine Turkey Recipe How-To
Step 1: Take either your defrosted frozen turkey or your fresh turkey and remove the giblets (set those aside to make stock-no waste!), and then pat the turkey dry inside and out with paper towels.
Step 2: Mix together the brine recipe below in a small bowl.
Step 3: Sprinkle the mixture all over the turkey-inside the bird, on the breasts, on the legs and wings-everywhere! No need to rub or pat it in.
Step 4: Slide that turkey onto a baking sheet and put it in the fridge uncovered. Twenty four hours will give you good results for smaller birds, but for the best flavor, you want the brine to work its magic for three days.
Step 5: You're ready to roast, fry, or smoke. Proceed with your usual recipe (we've included one below). Just skip any more added salt your recipe may call for. No need to wipe the brine off before roasting.
🙋🏻♀️ Dry Brine Turkey Recipe FAQs
The rule of thumb with any turkey brine is the bigger the bird, the longer the dry brine needs to sit on it. A dry brine of 24-48 hours will do wonders on a turkey breast or smaller turkey (less than 10 pounds). Medium to large turkeys (above 10 pounds) need at least three days of brine time to see good results.
You don't need to rinse the brine off of your turkey before cooking. And in fact, if you have brined long enough, you should notice the majority of the brine has been absorbed into the bird.
I personally prefer putting my turkey brine on a thawed bird, but it works perfectly fine to dry brine a fully frozen or partially frozen turkey, and then let the brining and thawing process happen at the same time.
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👩🏻🍳 My Expert Tips & Tricks
- Set a reminder: To help you remember to dry brine your turkey each year, set a reoccurring annual reminder on your phone for the weekend before Thanksgiving.
- No more salt: Dry brining alone won't make your turkey overly salty, because the salt is absorbed nicely into the meat and distributed throughout the bird. Just make sure not to use any added salt if your turkey recipe calls for it.
- When your turkey is done: I like to make sure the turkey is done with three different methods-time (13-15 minutes per pound in a 325°F oven), temperature (internal temperature of the meat is 165°F with an instant-read thermometer) and the leg wiggle. The leg wiggle is the final test to make sure the dark meat is cooked. Take one of the legs solidly in your hand and wiggle-the joint should feel very loose (almost like you could break it off easily). Your turkey will be perfect if it passes all three tests!
- Turkey for a crowd: If cooking for a large crowd, it's better to dry brine and roast two smaller turkeys than one huge turkey. You'll get better flavor distribution and more juicy meat.
- Use leftovers wisely: My absolute favorite sandwich of all time is this leftover turkey and cranberry orange sauce on an easy yeast roll. It's the best of Thanksgiving leftovers! But when you get bored of that, try using this turkey in turkey and wild rice soup, leftover turkey pot pie, or this copycat Olive Garden gnocchi soup.
🍁 More Great Thanksgiving Recipes:
If you tried this dry brine turkey recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments!
📖 Recipe
Dry Brine Turkey
Ingredients
For the Dry Brine:
- 15 pound defrosted or fresh turkey see notes for adjustments for different sizes
- 3 tablespoons coarse kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoons dried herbs OR ¼ cup fresh minced herbs see notes for suggestions
For Roasting the Turkey
- 3 large carrots roughly chopped, divided
- 3 large stalks celery roughly chopped, divided
- 1 onion roughly chopped
- 8 cloves garlic peeled, divided
- 3 large sprigs each fresh sage, rosemary, and thyme
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 large apple sliced into wedges
- 1 large orange sliced into wedges
- ½ cup unsalted butter cut into pats (1 stick)
- 5 cups chicken stock or bone broth divided
For Simple Turkey Gravy
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
To Dry Brine the Turkey (2-3 Days in Advance of Cooking)
- Remove the giblets from the turkey and set aside for stock or gravy. Pat turkey dry with paper towels, inside and out. Place turkey on a rimmed baking sheet.
- Mix together the salt, baking powder, and herbs to make the brine.
- Sprinkle the brine all over the inside and outside of the turkey.
- Refrigerate for 24-72 hours, uncovered.
To Roast the Turkey
- Preheat oven to 325°F. In the bottom of a large roasting pan, place ⅔ of the carrots, ⅔ of the celery, all of the onion, 6 of the garlic cloves, a sprig each of sage, rosemary, and thyme, and the bay leaves. Place the roasting rack on top.
- Place the turkey on the roasting rack, breast side up. In the cavity of the turkey, place the remaining carrots, celery, garlic, sage, rosemary, and thyme. Add in the apple and orange slices. You'll really have to stuff it all in there with some force. You can choose to bind the legs closed with kitchen twine if that'll keep it all in.
- Place the butter pats either between the skin and breast of the turkey (this might be difficult with a dry brined turkey) or on top of the turkey.
- Place the turkey in the oven and roast for 45 minutes. Pour half the chicken broth over the turkey, and then roast for an additional 45 minutes. Pour the remaining chicken broth over the turkey, and roast an additional 45 minutes.
- Continue roasting, basting with juices regularly, and tenting with foil if the turkey begins to brown. Roast until the turkey reaches ~160°F on an instant-read thermometer in the fleshy part of the thighs.
- Remove from oven, tent with foil, and let rest for at least 20 minutes before carving.
To Make Easy Turkey Gravy
- While the turkey rests, strain the drippings from the roasting pan into either a large glass measuring cup or a fat separator. Let sit for a few minutes for the fat to separate from the broth. Measure out 3 cups of the broth from the drippings.
- In a medium-size saucepan, heat the butter over medium heat until melted. Whisk in the flour, and cook, stirring constantly, until just slightly browned-about 3 minutes.
- Whisk in the broth, and cook until smooth and thickened, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- If the gravy doesn't thicken properly, whisk together 2 teaspoons arrowroot or cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water, and then add the slurry to the mixture. Heat until it reaches the desired thickness.
- If gravy gets too thick before serving, whisk in additional broth from the turkey drippings until you get the desired thickness.
Video
Notes
- Fresh herbs will get you the best flavor, but dried or a combination of the two work well. I like to use equal parts sage, thyme, and rosemary.
- This recipe works as-is for various size turkeys, except the brine recipe. If using a smaller or larger turkey, use this ratio per 5 pounds of turkey: 1 tablespoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and 2 teaspoons dried herbs OR 2 tablespoons fresh minced herbs.
- Dry brining works best on a thawed or fresh turkey, but you can also do it on a frozen or partially-defrosted turkey with good results.
I've been in charge of the turkey for Thanksgiving since 2010, and dry brining is truly the only way to go! I've never once had a dry turkey because of it.
So I just followed this recipe above which says that there are equal parts salt and baking powder (3 tablespoons of each), but every other recipe that I've seen has a 3 to 1 ratio. And then I noticed that the comments here mention that ratio as well...is it possible that there's a misprint and it meant 3 tablespoons of salt and 3 teaspoons of Baking powder? And if so, now that I've added the equal parts, is there a consequence? Should I add some more salt on top to balance it out? Or rinse the whole thing and begin again?
Hi Adrienne! I'm so sorry about the mix-up! Yes, that's a typo—it should be 3 tablespoons of salt and 1 tablespoon (or 3 teaspoons) of baking powder. I corrected the recipe card to reflect that. Thanks so much for pointing it out! Adding too much baking powder for too long can affect the meat's texture, but since the overall quantity is relatively low and it's been less than 24 hours, I think it should be okay. If you're up for it, you can remove as much as you can and then finish your dry brine with only salt to balance it back out!
Thanks so much for this recipe! Do you have any tips on smoking the turkey using this recipe? Trying to smoke a turkey this year and dry drinking is the best option is seems. Would love to use this recipe and smoke the turkey but I’m nervous since I’ve never cooked a turkey before haha
Hi Hailey! Most folks say that dry brining a turkey before smoking is a must-do to help keep the turkey from drying out. So you can definitely use this dry-brine, and then follow your favorite recipe for smoking the turkey. Please let us know how it turns out for you!
Can I brine a butterball turkey already injected with a salt solution?
Hi Sharon! You can! You want to avoid a wet brine if it's already been injected with a salt solution, but a dry brine is fine.
Do you recommend spatchcocking the turkey?
Hi Jane! We don't find it necessary to spatchcock the turkey when we've dry brined it. It always cooks evenly, and we're always happy with the results! But you can dry brine and spatchcock—you'll just need to look up the cooking time for that because a spatchcocked bird cooks in a different amount of time than an intact bird. Our recipe instructions are for a non-butterflied turkey!
I have a 10 lb Lil Buttrrball frozen turkey which has a saline solution. Can I still use this brine recipe?
Yes, you can! This recipe works great with a frozen turkey. We recommend defrosting it first, then check the recipe notes for adjusting the brine recipe for your size turkey.
Hi. Your introductory blog states that the ratio is 1 Tbls of Kosher Salt and 1 tsp of Baking Powder per 5 pounds . But the recipe that is posted for a 15 pound bird states 3 Tbls Salt (good) and 1 Tbls of Baking Powder (inconsistent). Can you please clarify?
Hi Tricia! Three teaspoons are equal to one tablespoon. So rather than ask folks to measure out three separate teaspoons, we recommend just scooping out one tablespoon instead. The quantity is the same either way!
Cassie,
I'm in the wet brine camp. I find it penetrates the meat more fully. The way I add additional flavors to meat is to boil a small amount of the water and actually steep herbs in it, essentially making a tea. Afterwards I dissolve the salt into the tea and add cold water to the cool the brine. The added flavors of the herbs penetrates the meat and is delicious. I find my stock pot, or stainless steel canning kettle sufficient to soak a small or medium turkey. I where the temp are cool enough to use my garage as a refrigerator to brine a turkey for Thanksgiving without needing to use my fridge for the turkey.
Thanks for sharing your wet brine tips, Heather!
Why do you pour broth over the turkey while roasting?
Hi Audrey! Pouring the broth over the turkey just jumpstarts the basting process. It helps keep the turkey moist and stops the veggies from burning in the bottom of the roasting pan. We also still recommend basting the turkey periodically with the accumulated juices in the pan!
I’m 57 years old and have never cooked a turkey. This recipe was my first attempt, and it turned out perfectly! I wish I could attach a photo because it is BEAUTIFUL! I followed your recipe for the dry brine, and it was super easy.
Thanks so much for taking the time to tell us about your turkey day success, Ann! We're honored to have had a place on your holiday table and so happy to have helped make your very first attempt a great one!
Hi - I got a small, fresh, organic turkey on Friday. I was planning to start the dry brine process today (Monday). Someone just told me that you can only leave the fresh turkey un the fridge for 3 days before cooking it. Mine will be in there a total of 6 days. There is a sell-by date on the turkey of 11/29/20. What are your thoughts? I’m worried about a spoiled turkey. It is in a cold basement fridge that is not opened very frequently. Thanks!
Hi, Ann! Generally the dates on the packaging should be used as guidelines for how long a fresh turkey will be good in the refrigerator. If no dates are on the package then the recommendation is usually to use within 2 to 3 days. If the sell-by date on your turkey is 11/29 then it should be okay, but you could always cook it early if you're worried!
Never tried this dry method of cooking a turkey before and never have I made the dressing separate from the bird.
I'll give it a try this Christmas.
Thanks Cassie
Thanks for the great idea Cassie! One question: Can I dry brine a bone-in full turkey breast?
Yes! This dry brine technique works on everything from full birds to just wings—and everything in between! Your bone-in turkey breast will be extra juicy and delicious if you dry brine it first.
I know this sounds un- American, but with only three people to cook for on Thanksgiving, cooking a small turkey (12lb is smallest we can find) we have leftovers of leftovers, even giving bits to the cat! None of us is that fond of turkey, and freezing the leftovers usually just sit there until the next cleanout day and tossed. Can we use this brine for a large chicken instead?
Yes! You absolutely can use this dry brine technique on a chicken, as well. For every five pounds of turkey we recommend 1 tablespoon of kosher salt, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, along with either 2 teaspoons of dried herbs or 2 tablespoons of fresh minced herbs. If you follow that ratio as a guide for however many pounds your chicken is, you should be all set!
Hi Cassie, I’m the queen of dry turkey and I’ve been cooking one every year for 30 years! I’ve been searching Pinterest for a week now and I’m so excited that I found your recipe. I was a bit worried because we ended up buying a 20 pound Butterball turkey before I read that you shouldn’t use a Butterball. I was relieved just now when I saw a previous reply that you said it would be okay. My worry now is that my turkey has been brined and has been sitting in the fridge for a few hours now. I just realized that I didn’t put any of the salt/rosemary mixture in the cavity of the turkey. Now I wonder if I should go add it or just leave it. I’ll let you know the results after Thursday! My grown children even suggested to me a few weeks ago that I should stop looking on Pinterest for new turkey recipes. I’m really hoping this Thanksgiving will make them eat their words, literally! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Our offices were closed for the holiday, so we didn't see your comment until now. We hope your turkey came out delicious!
Giving this a try for the first time this year! Also wanted to let you know that I really enjoy & appreciate your writing style - it has such great flow. Happy Thanksgiving
Have always wet brined my turkeys and had never seen a dry brine process was very worried after seeing it setting in the fridge for three days with no backup in place took it out deep fried an hour and was one of the juiciest turkeys we have ever had and the spices we used just enough without any over powering flavors Thanks
Can or should you dry-brine a Butterball turkey.? Will it be too salty?
I've done it with a Butterball, and didn't have any issues with it being too salty.
Going to (spatchcock) butterfly my turkey this year, will this dry brine method will be fine for this? Or should i leave turkey whole while brining then butterfly when ready to cook? Thanks
I've never tried it with a spatchcocked turkey, but I don't see why it wouldn't work just the same brining after spatchcocked. 🙂