Entertaining
How much turkey per person and roasting guide
Image: Joe Kim
Entertaining
How much turkey per person and roasting guide
Tips for deciding what size turkey to buy for your holiday gathering, and about how much turkey each guest will eat.
Believe it or not, each of your adult guests will consume between one half and one full pound of turkey meat each. And if you're like most home cooks who slaved over a full turkey dinner, you'll want to enjoy the fruits of your labour with enough leftover turkey for sandwiches, soups, pot pies and stews.
Here are some figures to keep in mind when you're thinking of how large a turkey to buy for your guests:
Uncooked whole unstuffed turkey
Think of about two pounds of the entire turkey per person for a small gathering (4 to 8 people), and about 1.5 pounds of the entire, larger turkey per person for a larger group (10 to 16).
Remember: The larger the bird, the higher the meat-to-bone ratio.
Uncooked turkey breast (bone-in)
Think of about 1.25 (one and 1/4 pounds) per person.
Uncooked turkey breast (boneless)
Think of about 0.75 pounds (3/4 of a pound) per person.
Turkey roasting chart
Note - these are guidelines only. Always use a meat thermometer to ensure your turkey is cooked through.
Servings |
Weight |
Stuffed |
Unstuffed |
| 4 to 6 | 10 - 12 lb (4.5 - 5.5 kg) |
3-1/2 to 3-3/4 hours | 3 to 3-1/4 hours |
| 8 to 10 | 12 - 16 lb (5.5 - 7 kg) |
3-3/4 to 4 hours | 3-1/4 to 3-1/2 hours |
| 12 to 16 | 16 - 22 lb (7 - 10 kg) |
4 to 4-1/2 | 3-1/2 to 4 hours |
Want more roasting guides? Print our handy chart for roasting ham, beef and goose.
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