Easy methods to Thaw a Turkey: Protected Strategies and How Lengthy It Takes
It’s the Sunday earlier than Thanksgiving, you open the freezer, and the turkey is a 16-pound block of ice. Is that sufficient time? Roughly 4 days is the higher finish of the fridge estimate for that weight, so it’s workable however tight, and also you’ll need a backup plan. Meals security companies publish thawing occasions by weight, so you may plan as a substitute of guess. Right here is how lengthy every protected methodology takes, and what to do if you happen to’re behind.
How do you thaw a turkey safely?
The Brief Reply: Thaw it within the fridge at 40°F or under, permitting about 1 day for each 4 to five kilos. A 16-pound turkey takes about 4 days. For those who’re brief on time, USDA’s chilly water methodology takes about half-hour per pound, with the water modified each half-hour, and also you cook dinner the turkey instantly. Don’t thaw a turkey on the counter, within the storage or on the again porch.
For an entire pantry and fridge reference, see our Food Storage Guide. Selecting the hen first? See how to pick a turkey. Planning the perimeters? See whether or not gravy goes bad and stuffing goes bad.
📋 Thawing a Turkey: At a Look
| Fridge (40°F or under) | About 24 hours per 4 to five kilos. 4 to 12 lb: 1 to three days. 12 to 16 lb: 3 to 4 days. 16 to twenty lb: 4 to five days. 20 to 24 lb: 5 to six days |
| Chilly water | About half-hour per pound. Change the water each half-hour. Prepare dinner proper after thawing |
| Microwave | USDA: about 6 minutes per pound. Observe your microwave’s directions for dimension and energy. Prepare dinner proper after thawing |
| Thawed turkey within the fridge | 1 to 2 days earlier than cooking |
| Refreezing | Fridge-thawed turkey could be refrozen. Chilly water or microwave: cook dinner it first, and don’t refreeze it uncooked |
| Counter, storage or porch | Not a protected solution to thaw |
| Cooking from frozen | Oven-roasting is protected. Add no less than 50 p.c to the time. Don’t smoke, grill, deep fats fry or microwave a frozen turkey |
| Executed temperature | 165°F within the innermost thigh, innermost wing and thickest a part of the breast |
Key Takeaways
- USDA’s Meals Security and Inspection Service lists three protected methods to thaw a turkey: within the fridge, in chilly water, or within the microwave. The fridge is the really helpful methodology, and the opposite two are for when time is brief.
- Fridge thawing takes about at some point for each 4 to five kilos, so a 20 to 24 pound turkey wants 5 to six days. Extension packages at Georgia, Nebraska, Wisconsin and Florida publish the identical desk.
- Chilly water and microwave thawing each require you to cook dinner the turkey instantly afterward. UF/IFAS says to not refreeze a turkey thawed these methods uncooked.
- A turkey thawed within the fridge can keep there 1 to 2 days earlier than cooking, and could be refrozen in case your plans change, with some lack of high quality.
- USDA says it’s protected to roast a solidly frozen turkey. Add 50 p.c to the same old time, and don’t smoke, grill, deep fats fry or microwave it frozen.
- Frozen poultry left thawing on the counter for greater than 2 hours isn’t at a protected temperature, based on USDA and College of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension.
Which Methodology Ought to You Use?
Use the fridge you probably have sufficient time to your turkey’s weight. A big 20 to 24 pound turkey might have 5 to six days. If dinner is tomorrow, use chilly water and plan to cook dinner the identical day. If the turkey is barely partly thawed on cooking day, USDA says chilly water or the microwave can end the job. The microwave works provided that your microwave’s directions enable a turkey that dimension. For the subsequent step, see how long cooked turkey can sit out and how long leftovers last.
Use the fridge you probably have sufficient time to your turkey’s weight. A big 20 to 24 pound turkey might have 5 to six days. If dinner is tomorrow, use chilly water and plan to cook dinner the identical day. If the turkey is barely partly thawed on cooking day, USDA says chilly water or the microwave can end the job. The microwave works provided that your microwave’s directions enable a turkey that dimension. For the subsequent step, see how long cooked turkey can sit out and how long leftovers last.
How Lengthy Does It Take to Thaw a Turkey?
USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service says to permit at some point within the fridge for every 4 to five kilos of weight, and half-hour per pound in chilly water. University of Georgia Extension, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension and University of Wisconsin Extension publish the identical ranges by weight.
| Turkey weight | Fridge (40°F or under) | Chilly water |
|---|---|---|
| 4 to 12 kilos | 1 to three days | 2 to six hours |
| 12 to 16 kilos | 3 to 4 days | 6 to eight hours |
| 16 to twenty kilos | 4 to five days | 8 to 10 hours |
| 20 to 24 kilos | 5 to six days | 10 to 12 hours |
In case your turkey sits proper on a boundary, reminiscent of precisely 16 kilos, use the longer row. Oregon State’s 2009 estimates run shorter than USDA’s, so we adopted USDA.
When Ought to You Begin Thawing Your Turkey?
U.S. Thanksgiving falls on a Thursday. Plan backward out of your turkey’s precise weight. Permit about 24 hours for each 4 to five kilos, or divide the load in kilos by 4 for a cautious day rely, then rely again from Wednesday so the turkey is thawed a day early. These begin days are our personal planning suggestion, not an company schedule. Thawing occasions are estimates, so examine progress slightly than assuming each hen of a given weight finishes on the identical day.
| Turkey weight | Transfer it to the fridge by | Cautious thaw estimate |
|---|---|---|
| About 8 kilos | Monday | About 2 days |
| About 12 kilos | Sunday | About 3 days |
| About 16 kilos | Saturday | About 4 days |
| About 20 kilos | Friday | About 5 days |
| About 24 kilos | Thursday, one week earlier than | About 6 days |
Don’t begin a small turkey too early. As soon as a turkey is absolutely thawed, it could actually keep within the fridge for only one to 2 days earlier than cooking, per Oregon State University Extension, Wisconsin and Nebraska. Whether it is nonetheless icy on Thursday, you may end thawing it in chilly water or enable additional time for oven roasting.
How Do You Thaw a Turkey within the Fridge?
Oregon State says to maintain the hen in its retailer wrap on a tray, and Wisconsin Extension says to make use of a pan with raised sides. Hold the fridge at 40°F or under. University of Maryland Extension additionally reminds cooks to ensure the fridge has room for the hen.
We’d put the pan on the underside shelf to maintain drips away from different meals. That’s our suggestion, not an company rule. We’d additionally examine the temperature with a fridge thermometer.
How Do You Thaw a Turkey in Chilly Water?
Use a leak-proof bag, submerge the turkey in chilly water, and alter the water each half-hour till it’s thawed. UF/IFAS Extension and USDA each give half-hour per pound, so a 16-pound turkey takes about 8 hours. A fast solution to determine it: divide the load in kilos by 2 to get hours. Prepare dinner it instantly after it thaws.
Oregon State says the container generally is a deep pan, an ice chest or a clear sink, so long as the turkey is absolutely coated. If the water warms up, it’s now not the tactic USDA describes.
Can You Thaw a Turkey within the Microwave?
Generally. Observe your microwave producer’s directions for turkey dimension, defrost energy and timing. USDA provides about 6 minutes per pound as a common estimate. Take away the outer wrapping and use a microwave-safe dish to catch juices. Rotate and flip the turkey throughout thawing, and if it begins to cook dinner, USDA says to let it relaxation about 5 minutes. USDA additionally suggests masking the wing suggestions and drumsticks with a small piece of foil, however use foil provided that your microwave’s directions allow it.
College of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension says microwave thawing is protected if the turkey isn’t too massive. Prepare dinner it instantly afterward. Oregon State notes that microwave heating is uneven, and USDA says some areas could start to cook dinner. UF/IFAS provides that you simply shouldn’t refreeze and even refrigerate a turkey thawed this fashion.
Can You Thaw a Turkey on the Counter, within the Storage or Outdoors?
No. USDA’s steerage names thawing a turkey on the counter, within the storage or on the again porch as strategies to keep away from. Wisconsin Extension says to by no means thaw a turkey on the counter, as a result of micro organism multiply rapidly at room temperature. USDA’s Turkey Basics: Safe Thawing page says a package deal of frozen meat or poultry left thawing on the counter greater than 2 hours isn’t at a protected temperature. It defines the outer layer as being within the Hazard Zone between 40 and 140°F. UNL says the identical about 2 hours.
Oregon State notes that micro organism multiply rapidly on the nice and cozy outer floor of a turkey. A frozen middle doesn’t shield the outer layers, which is why we wouldn’t rely on a chilly porch both.
How Lengthy Can a Thawed Turkey Keep within the Fridge?
One to 2 days earlier than cooking, per Oregon State, Wisconsin and Nebraska Extension. USDA says a thawed turkey stays protected within the fridge for 2 extra days. In case your turkey finishes thawing early, that’s your window. Earlier than the turkey goes in, clear and wipe down the shelf. Our Thanksgiving home cleaning checklist has the remainder of the pre-holiday prep.
Can You Refreeze a Thawed Turkey?
It depends upon the way it was thawed. A turkey thawed within the fridge could be refrozen with out cooking, though high quality could decline, per USDA’s thawing web page and UF/IFAS. A turkey thawed in chilly water or the microwave needs to be cooked instantly, and UF/IFAS says to not refreeze it uncooked. USDA says meat from a cold-water-thawed turkey could be refrozen after cooking.
Can You Prepare dinner a Turkey From Frozen?
Sure, within the oven. USDA says it’s protected to roast a turkey from the frozen state. Use the usual oven-roasting timetable for the hen’s dimension and add 50 p.c to the time. USDA additionally says to not smoke, grill, deep fats fry or microwave a frozen turkey, and to not cook dinner it in an oven cooking bag. Nebraska Extension says cooking from frozen is protected, and USDA says a partly frozen turkey takes a bit longer.
Commercially frozen, pre-stuffed turkeys work in a different way. USDA’s Let’s Talk Turkey guide says to not thaw them and to cook dinner them from the frozen state.
Doneness works the identical approach both approach. USDA says to examine the innermost a part of the thigh, the innermost a part of the wing and the thickest a part of the breast. UGA Extension says entire poultry ought to attain a minimal inside temperature of 165°F.
What If Your Turkey Is Nonetheless Frozen on Thanksgiving Morning?
You could have two protected choices. Chilly water at half-hour per pound takes about 8 hours for a 16-pound turkey, and then you definitely cook dinner it instantly. Or oven-roast it from frozen, including 50 p.c to the same old time. If the turkey is barely partly thawed, USDA says chilly water or the microwave can end the job.
Oven-roasting from frozen is often the sooner route. Chilly water provides roughly half an hour per pound earlier than you begin cooking, whereas cooking from frozen provides half once more to the roasting time. That’s our personal math, not an company determine, so evaluate it in opposition to your recipe’s time.
For questions on the day, USDA’s Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-674-6854 lists Thanksgiving Day hours of 8 AM to 2 PM ET. Its common hours are Monday by way of Friday, 10 AM to six PM ET.
How Can You Inform When a Turkey Is Thawed?
These are sensible clues, not an official take a look at. Test whether or not the legs and wings transfer freely and whether or not ice stays contained in the cavity. As soon as it has thawed, Oregon State says to take away the neck and giblets. For those who nonetheless discover ice, or the hen feels frozen in locations, enable extra thawing time. All the time use a meals thermometer to examine doneness.
Indicators One thing Is Fallacious
- Thawed on the counter, within the storage or on the porch. USDA says to not thaw this fashion, and frozen poultry at room temperature for greater than 2 hours isn’t at a protected temperature.
- Thawed within the fridge greater than 2 days in the past. The sources enable 1 to 2 days earlier than cooking.
- Thawed in chilly water or the microwave and never cooked instantly. The sources say to cook dinner it instantly.
- Unsure time at room temperature. If the turkey could have been above 40°F for greater than 2 hours, discard it. Don’t depend on a frozen middle to resolve.
We don’t recommend tasting a turkey to resolve whether or not it’s protected. Use time, temperature and a meals thermometer as a substitute.
Issues That Don’t Mechanically Imply Bother
- A turkey that takes the complete vary of days. A 20 to 24 pound hen wants 5 to six days within the fridge.
- A turkey that’s nonetheless icy after protected fridge thawing. It isn’t routinely spoiled, so end thawing it safely or enable additional roasting time. Ice within the middle doesn’t make a counter-thawed turkey protected.
- Pink meat in a totally cooked turkey. UGA says all turkey meat, together with meat that is still pink, is protected so long as all elements attain 165°F.
Protected dealing with means controlling time and temperature throughout thawing, retaining uncooked juices off different meals, observing the post-thaw storage restrict, and cooking the turkey to 165°F within the really helpful areas.
Fast Storage Reference
- Fridge: 40°F or under, about 1 day per 4 to five kilos.
- Chilly water: About half-hour per pound, water modified each half-hour.
- Microwave: About 6 minutes per pound, in case your microwave’s directions enable a turkey that dimension.
- Thawed within the fridge: 1 to 2 days earlier than cooking.
- Refreezing: Fridge-thawed solely. Chilly water and microwave turkeys get cooked first.
- Executed: 165°F within the innermost thigh, innermost wing and thickest breast.
| State of affairs | What to Do |
|---|---|
| 16-pound turkey, two days earlier than Thanksgiving, nonetheless frozen | Put it within the fridge now. Whether it is nonetheless partly frozen on cooking day, USDA says chilly water or the microwave can end thawing, adopted by quick cooking. A totally frozen 16-pound turkey takes about 8 hours in chilly water, and a partly thawed hen wants much less. |
| Turkey left on the counter in a single day to thaw | Throw it away. USDA says frozen poultry left thawing on the counter greater than 2 hours isn’t at a protected temperature. |
| Turkey thawed within the fridge, plans modified | Tremendous, whether it is nonetheless inside 1 to 2 days of ending. It may be refrozen with out cooking, although high quality could decline. |
| Turkey thawed within the fridge 3 days in the past | Discard it. That’s previous the 1 to 2 days the sources enable. |
| Turkey thawed in chilly water, not cooked till tomorrow | Prepare dinner it as quickly as potential. The sources we learn say to cook dinner instantly after chilly water thawing and provides no holding time, so don’t plan to carry it uncooked. If it already occurred, name the USDA hotline. |
| Turkey thawed in a sink of sizzling water | Sizzling water isn’t a really helpful methodology. If it already occurred, name the USDA hotline with the time and temperature particulars, and don’t assume a frozen middle means it’s protected. |
| Turkey thawed within the microwave, cooked instantly | Tremendous. That’s what the sources say to do. |
| Nonetheless frozen on Thanksgiving morning, 16 kilos | Chilly water takes about 8 hours. Oven-roasting from frozen takes no less than 50 p.c longer than a thawed hen. |
| Cooked turkey with pink meat, thermometer reads 165°F in all elements | Protected, per UGA, if each half reached 165°F. |
How We Checked This
In October 2026 we learn USDA Meals Security and Inspection Service steerage on thawing and cooking a turkey. That included its Turkey Fundamentals, Alternate Routes to the Desk and Let’s Speak Turkey pages, and its 2016 Thanksgiving suggestions launch. We checked the occasions in opposition to six extension sources. They had been College of Georgia Round 1226, College of Nebraska-Lincoln (reviewed 2026), College of Wisconsin (up to date June 2025), UF/IFAS Sarasota County (up to date October 2024), Oregon State (2009) and College of Maryland. The fridge and chilly water tables match throughout USDA and the extension sources besides Oregon State, whose older estimates run shorter. The beginning-day schedule, the bottom-shelf tip, the thawed-turkey clues and the recommendation for a turkey that’s nonetheless frozen on Thanksgiving morning are our personal judgment. Our personal recommendations say we’d or we advise. This text is common info, not medical recommendation.
Easy methods to Thaw a Turkey FAQ
How lengthy does it take to thaw a turkey?
Within the fridge, about 1 day for each 4 to five kilos, so 1 to three days for 4 to 12 kilos and 5 to six days for 20 to 24 kilos. In chilly water, about half-hour per pound.
See additionally
How lengthy does it take to thaw a 20-pound turkey?
A 20-pound turkey sits on the sting of two rows: 4 to five days for 16 to twenty kilos and 5 to six days for 20 to 24 kilos. We’d plan for five to six days within the fridge, or about 10 hours in chilly water.
How do you thaw a turkey quick?
Use chilly water, about half-hour per pound with the water modified each half-hour, or the microwave in case your microwave’s directions enable a turkey that dimension. Prepare dinner it instantly both approach.
Are you able to thaw a turkey in 2 days?
Presumably, for a small turkey. Utilizing USDA’s estimate of about 24 hours per 4 to five kilos, enable roughly two days for an 8 to 10 pound hen. A 12-pound turkey might have about three days. If it isn’t absolutely thawed when it’s essential to cook dinner, end thawing in chilly water and cook dinner instantly.
Are you able to thaw a turkey within the sink?
Sure, in chilly water. Oregon State says a clear sink works if the turkey is absolutely coated. Use a leak-proof bag and alter the water each half-hour.
Are you able to thaw a turkey in a cooler?
Oregon State lists an ice chest as one container for chilly water thawing, with the turkey absolutely coated. Hold the water chilly and alter it each half-hour.
Are you able to thaw a turkey in sizzling water?
No. USDA’s methodology makes use of chilly water modified each half-hour.
Are you able to thaw a turkey on the counter?
No. USDA names the counter, the storage and the again porch as locations to not thaw a turkey.
How lengthy can a thawed turkey keep within the fridge?
One to 2 days earlier than cooking, per Oregon State, Wisconsin and Nebraska Extension.
Are you able to refreeze a thawed turkey?
If it was thawed within the fridge, sure, with out cooking, although high quality could decline. If it was thawed in chilly water or the microwave, cook dinner it first. UF/IFAS says to not refreeze it uncooked.
Are you able to cook dinner a turkey from frozen?
Sure, within the oven. USDA says so as to add 50 p.c to the same old roasting time, and to not smoke, grill, deep fats fry or microwave a frozen turkey. It’s completed at 165°F within the innermost thigh, innermost wing and thickest a part of the breast.
Do you have to thaw a turkey in its wrapper?
Oregon State says to maintain the hen in its retailer wrap on a tray within the fridge. For chilly water thawing, UF/IFAS says to make use of a leak-proof bag.
Are you able to thaw a turkey within the microwave?
Sure, in case your microwave’s directions enable a turkey that dimension. USDA provides about 6 minutes per pound as a common estimate, and says to cook dinner the turkey instantly.
How are you aware a turkey is thawed?
Test whether or not the legs and wings transfer freely and whether or not ice stays within the cavity. These are sensible clues, not an official take a look at, so use a meals thermometer to examine doneness.
Is it protected to thaw a turkey outdoors in winter?
USDA names the again porch as a spot to keep away from, and the storage too. We’d use the fridge or chilly water as a substitute.
Who are you able to name with turkey questions?
The USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-674-6854. Its web page lists Thanksgiving Day hours of 8 AM to 2 PM ET and common hours of 10 AM to six PM ET, Monday by way of Friday.
Additional Studying
How Long Can Cooked Turkey Sit Out?
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