Whether you have never cooked a turkey before, and want to know the best way to cook a turkey with bacon, or you need an easy-to-follow guide, I will teach you everything you need to know.
There is a quick and easy cooking schedule for you. You will learn the secret to NEVER having dry turkey ever again. Heck, there's even FREE printable Christmas gift tags and a FREE printable sugar-free advent calendar.
Jump to:
- The supreme guide to cooking turkey (for beginners)
- CHEAT SHEET: Turkey portions and cooking times
- The best tips for cooking turkey
- COOKING SCHEDULE: Cooking calculator
- FREE Christmas gift tags
- FREE sugar-free advent calendar
- My actual Christmas day routine
- 📖 Recipe
- Side dishes
- Healthy holiday desserts
- 💬 Comments
The supreme guide to cooking turkey (for beginners)
Why is roast turkey sometimes dry?
Because turkey is low-fat meat and has to be cooked for hours, it can easily dry out. To avoid your turkey from being dry, you need to trap in all the moisture and fat the turkey does have AND add as much moisture and flavour as you can.
There are two ways to do this.
- You can stuff the skin with low-carb stuffing. This TRAPS in any fat and moisture the turkey has. It also adds a burst of flavour.
- You can also cover the turkey with butter then wrap it in bacon. This ADDS more moisture and fat to the turkey.
How much turkey do you need?
I generally buy a turkey weighing 450 - 700g (1 - 1.5 lb) per person.
How long does turkey take to cook?
Time to cook a turkey
20 minutes at 200C/400F then 15 minutes per 500g/1 lb at 180C/350F
Temperature to cook a turkey
Begin to cook the turkey at 200C/400F to ensure the meat and stuffing are hot, then reduce to 180C/350F for the remainder of the cooking time.
What temperature should the turkey meat be?
The minimum internal temperature of the thickest part of the turkey should be 75 C/165 F.
How to carve a turkey?
Always rest the turkey for 15-30 minutes before carving. This allows all the juices to soak back into the turkey meat and makes it easier to carve that straight out the oven.
While it is resting, keep the cooked turkey covered in foil (or roasting lid) and a few kitchen tea towels (or hand towels). This helps to insulate the turkey, keeping it warm, and helps to draw in the juices.
CHEAT SHEET: Turkey portions and cooking times
20 minutes at 200C/400F then 15 minutes per 500g/1 lb at 180C/350F
| Size of turkey | Serves | Cooking time |
|---|---|---|
| 1.8-2.7 kg : 4-6 lb (breast or rolled) | 2-4 people | 1 ½ to 2 ¼ hours |
| 2.7-3.6 kg : 6-8 lb (breast or rolled) | 4-6 people | 3 to 3 ½ hours |
| 3.6- 5.4 kg : 8-12 lb | 8-10 people | 3 to 3 ½ hours |
| 5.4- 6.3 kg : 12-14 lb | 10-12 people | 3 ½ to 4 hours |
| 6.3- 8.2 kg : 14-18lb | 12-15 people | 4 to 4 ¼ hours |
| 8.2- 9 kg : 18-20 lb | 15-18 people | 4 ¼ to 4 ¾ hours |
The best tips for cooking turkey
Should I roast a bacon-wrapped turkey covered or uncovered
To ensure you have the most tasty and moist turkey, you need to bake the turkey covered to trap in all the juices. You can either use foil, or you can use a covered roasting dish.
The best way to cook a turkey is to wrap the prepared bacon-wrapped turkey using large sheets of aluminium foil. In your large roasting dish, place 1 sheet lengthwise and 1 sheet sideways to the turkey. Once the turkey is ready for cooking, loosely wrap the first sheet of foil over and crimp (fold) the edges together to form a seal.
Do the same with the next sheet and crimp (fold) the edges. The turkey should be sealed from any moisture being lost. It will look like one huge silver Christmas present. If there are any gaps, use another sheet of foil.
I always remove the foil (or lid) for the final 20 minutes cooking time, to allow the skin and bacon to go crispy.
How to maintain the best flavour?
Plain turkey can be a bit bland so to give it more flavour, I add herbed low-carb and keto stuffing.
To add the low-carb stuffing, you can add it to 2 areas:
- In the cavity of the turkey - either spoon or place balls of turkey stuffing inside the open cavity of the turkey before cooking. The turkey stuffing adds moisture, fat and flavour.
- In between the skin and the meat of the turkey - you slowly start separating the turkey skin from the turkey breast to create a small cavity. Begin by pressing stuffing inside by hand.
Which stuffing is the best for turkey?
If you love meaty stuffing, then the pork and sage stuffing recipe below is perfect. Especially if you follow the keto carnivore diet. The pork and sage stuffing adds even more moisture, fat and flavour.
If you prefer the traditional bread stuffing, but you want to stay low-carb or keto, then I suggest the low-carb and keto stuffing recipe might be more to your taste
How to prep your turkey?
What to prepare, the night before
Try to get some holiday meal preparation completed the night before.
- Make the pork and sage stuffing. Roll a quarter of the mixture into stuffing balls. Either store in the fridge OR begin to prepare the turkey by stuffing the cavity and the skin.
- Peel and cut the roast vegetables. Leave in a large saucepan or mixing bowl of water to stop them from browning
- Peel and cut any vegetables that need to be cooked on the stovetop
- Make any low-carb and keto desserts you need
- Wrap the sausages in bacon, place in a baking dish and cover with aluminium foil. Keep in the fridge
COOKING SCHEDULE: Cooking calculator
20 minutes at 200C/400F then 15 minutes per 500g/1 lb at 180C/350F
1: Calculate your TOTAL cooking time for the size of turkey you have.
2: Work your turkey cooking schedule backwards from when you want to serve your meal.
3: Always check your turkey using a meat thermometer to ensure it is completely cooked. Your oven may vary in cooking temperature and heat distribution.
Sample cooking schedule for a 4 kg/8 lb turkey
The best cooking schedule for a 4 kg/8 lb turkey from first putting in the oven, to being ready to carve = 20 minutes + 2 hours + 20 minutes +30 minutes = TOTAL TIME 3 hours and 10 minutes.
- 20 minutes at 200C/400F
- THEN 2 hours at 180C/350F
- THEN 20 minutes uncovered at 180C/350F
- PLUS 30 minutes resting time
This is how I cook our easy roast turkey for Christmas every year, and it turns out perfect and moist every time. Roast turkey is the most popular meal for Christmas and for Thanksgiving. With guests and family over, you want to make it a success.
Plan the timing of everything, so once you have a glass of wine, you don't need to think of what to do. You will have a plan.
I've given you my easy-to-follow schedule to show you exactly how to plan and the best way to cook a turkey. This schedule has saved me many times and allowed me to relax and have a glass of wine.
I don't have to think, I just have to look at my timesheet and know exactly what has to be cooked when. Set a timer for each next step and make this easy roast turkey.
FREE Christmas gift tags
You can download the PDF file for your free printable gift tags. They are a fun way to gift a sugar-free holiday treat such as cinnamon roasted almonds.
FREE sugar-free advent calendar
I have a FREE printable sugar-free advent calendar for you. Why not make this year really special. Imagine the surprise on your children's face each morning opening their special little gift and an activity to do together. Make this Christmas one to remember.
I have free printables and activity ideas for you. I will show you how to make the bags, some amazing gift ideas, and activity ideas - whether you celebrate Christmas in a hot or cold climate. It's all here in your FREE sugar-free advent calendar.
For healthy Christmas Low-Carb Sweet Treats, take a look at my new eCookbook. You can enjoy parties AND stay on track this year.
My actual Christmas day routine
The times shown are calculated for a 4 kg/8 lb turkey.
- 9.50am I put the turkey in the hot oven at 200C for 20 minutes
- 10.10am reduce the temperature to 180C and cook for 2 hours
- 12.10pm remove the foil and cook uncovered to crisper the bacon and turkey skin for 20 minutes
- 12.30pm remove the turkey from the oven, cover in the foil again and place a few tea towels on the clean side of the foil to insulate, keep the turkey hot and let the meat rest for 30 minutes
- 1 pm ready to carve
Add these times into the turkey schedule if you are cooking sausages, roast vegetables, and stuffing balls.
10.10 am = I run out of cooking space in my oven so I add the roast vegetables at 10.10 am, cook for an hour
11.10 am = remove roast vegetables then cook the bacon-wrapped chipolatas and stuffing balls for 30 minutes
11.40 am = remove chipolatas and stuffing balls
12.30 am = When I remove the turkey at 12.30 to allow it to rest, I put the roast vegetables, chipolatas, and stuffing back into the empty oven to bring them back up to temperature. I make the gravy and cook the stove-top vegetables already prepared last night.
1 pm = all ready
Line the roasting pan with foil 
Stuff the cavity with pork and sage stuffing Press stuffing under the skin Cover the turkey in butter Wrap the turkey with bacon Cover and crimp the turkey with foil (or use a roasting pan lid)
📖 Recipe
The Best Way to Cook A Turkey
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Recipe Video
Calculate ingredients
Ingredients
Easy Roast Turkey
- 4 kg (8 lb) turkey
- 500 g (1.1 lb) streaky bacon
- 55 g (½ stick) butter
Pork and Sage Stuffing (optional - see notes)
- 1 onion finely diced
- 1 tablespoon dried sage
- 750 g (1.7 lb) pork sausage meat
- 1 eggs - medium
- +/- salt and pepper
Equipment
Instructions
Pork and Sage Stuffing (otptional - see notes)
- Place the onion, sage, pork and egg in a mixing bowl.
- Mix through with your hands, squeezing all the ingredients together.
- Half will be used to stuff the turkey breast, a quarter will be used to stuff the turkey cavity, and the remaining quarter can be rolled into balls and baked for 30 minutes.
Easy Roast Turkey
- Separate the skin from the turkey breast and push half of the stuffing gently as you can into the space.
- Rub the butter over the skin of the turkey breast and legs.
- Cover turkey as shown with slices of streaky bacon.
- Loosely wrap the large aluminium foil around the turkey and turn over the edges to make a wrapped parcel. This will keep the turkey moist.
- Place in a large roasting dish and cook according to the cooking schedule above.
Notes
Side dishes
It's often the side dishes that your family will look forward to. But if you want to stay on track with your low-carb diet or keto diet, then you'll need to avoid the bread stuffing, sweet potatoes and beans.
Instead, these yummy low-carb Thanksgiving side dishes and delicious healthy Christmas side dishes will make this a holiday celebration that everyone will remember.
The most popular side dishes for Thanksgiving or Christmas have to be creamed Brussels sprouts, baked cheesy asparagus, Brussels sprouts with bacon, or simple mashed cauliflower.
Creamed Brussels sprouts Brussels sprouts with bacon 
Mashed cauliflower Baked cheesy asparagus
More low-carb and keto healthy side dish recipes:
- Mashed cauliflower - 4 ways
- Bacon mac and cheese
- Bacon, broccoli and cauliflower salad
- Whole roasted cauliflower
- Spaghetti squash
Healthy holiday desserts
Now you can look forward to the end of your Thanksgiving or Christmas meal with these creamy sugar-free low-carb and keto dessert recipes.
- Instant Pot lime cheesecake
- Tiramisu
- Chocolate mint truffles
- Lemon meringue pies
- Keto chocolate lasagna
- Walnut and brandy truffles
- Mocha ice bombs
- Lemon bars
Instant Pot lime chesecake Boozy brandy tiramisu 
Chocolate mint truffles Lemon Meringue Pies Keto chocolate lasagna Walnut & brandy truffles
Wishing you all a very happy Thanksgiving, Christmas, and healthy new year.
Laura
Thanks for all your dedication & experimentation! I would love to know your recipe for (turkey)gravy, too!
Sonja
Can you please tell me if the temperatures you suggest are in a fan forced oven, or should I reduce the temp a bit so as not to overcook?
Jenny
Hi Libby, the turkey looks fantastic. Where do you get your sausage meat and sausages from? I find most of them have so many additives in them, I would love to find a source in Whangarei.
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
I tend to buy Henderson's bacon, and you can buy that in New World, Countdown etc. I choose sausages that are 85% or above meat. Check the carb content. If it is above 1-2% it indicates there are a lot of fillers in there such as wheat, rice flour etc so avoid those. Turkey is all free range here in NZ so that's an easy one.
Julia
I've just come across this as it's the first year holding Christmas at ours, so I'll be cooking the turkey for a change! This recipe looks fab, however I can't put bacon on the turkey as I have family members who can't have it. Would the recipe work without bacon, and with sage and onion stuffing instead? I want to keep the turkey moist. Thanks, Julia
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
Yes, it would work without the bacon. I simply use bacon to flavour the skin and to keep the turkey moist. Just ensure the turkey is wrapped in the aluminium foil well and the edges are crimped together so the turkey doesn't dry put. Enjoy 🙂
Julia
Super, thank you Libby! 🙂
sjwnana1
thanks libby,,,, for all u do
I agree once you do this for a long time it is just...WHAT U DO.. I have been baking for my cancer group bake sale.. sooo.I will finish up tomorrow and deliver them wed.. collect and they can enjoy all my old favorites...and nope I did not even lick the beaters... thank god,,, it just does not tempt me anymore......I have come down a long,, long,, way on my weight and want to keep it that way also... ..and you have helped me a lot... thanks again
merry christmas dear lady
sheila in ga
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
Wow Sheila, you are incredible and such kind lovely words. It truly does become a part of life doesn't it. Wishing you a very Merry Christmas, Libby (way down in NZ) x
Julie Hawkes
Wow! I've just read through your Christmas recipe ideas and your easy turkey recipe, you make cooking so easy with pictures and detailed instructions. I'm so looking forward to a feast of tasty food without feeling like I've missed out on all the sugary and high carb foods that I normally pig out on! Thank you for making this so simple for us to manage. I live in the UK and I'm sharing your website with anyone who's interested and those who aren't!!! I'm feeling better about Christmas now and know that I can do a LCHF end to the year without feeling bad about myself and going on a stupid diet in the new year.
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
Julie I am so glad my instructions are clear and easy to understand. Once you have been doing something for years, it is hard sometimes to put it in words for others to understand. I like to have a checklist then I can hit the wine and not worry 😉 And yes, isn't it great knowing we won't be starting the new year trying to lose the weight we usually put on over christmas. My weight remains pretty much stable year on year now, and I continue to eat all the recipes you see here, real food, healthy fats and not a low fat item in sight. Have a fantastic Christmas. Libby x