My Maple Butter Turkey recipe is a lovely way to celebrate the Thanksgiving season with a meal that includes those cozy and comforting fall flavors. This is a simple turkey recipe that will create a moist, delicious and flavorful turkey that is savory with a touch of sweetness too. Save this recipe now so you can always find it!

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This season all of Kevin’s family is coming for Thanksgiving and I decided to try out a new idea for a turkey recipe based off my favorite old, favorite turkey recipe. That turkey, my Butter Herb Turkey {HERE} has been one we have used year after year, but this season I decided I wanted to make something that was a little sweeter that is partially based off my Cornish Hens recipe {HERE} that people seem to really enjoy. I combined some of the flavors from both recipes – including those beautiful fall flavors – to create a gorgeous, slightly sweetened, caramelized Maple Butter Turkey recipe that is really just a delicious and lovely recipe for anyone who loves seasonal flavors.

Like my other turkey recipe, I also wanted to make sure this recipe did not have a lot off prep work or a lot of work once the turkey goes into the oven. I really love a hands-off turkey that will cook while I can prep and cook the rest of the meal. This makes me Maple Butter Turkey recipe very easy to make and it still comes out moist, delicious and savory with a touch of sweetness. Here is how to make it.

How big should my turkey be?

First, let’s discuss how large your turkey should be in order to feed everyone. Because you are cooking a whole turkey, the actual weight can be deceiving when it comes to figuring out how much turkey meat there actually is for serving. The general rule is 1 – 1.5 lbs per person. That seems like a lot but the weight includes the bones and calculating it this way ensures you have enough for all your guests and with possibly a little leftover. Butterball actually has a great Turkey calculator {HERE} if you want to get something very accurate for your situation.

Turkey thawing and prep

The main thing you have to do before making my Maple Butter Turkey recipe is to make sure the turkey is thawed. To thaw a turkey all you have to do is give it one day in the refrigerator for every 5 pounds. If you have a 10 lb. turkey, then it only needs two days in the refrigerator. A 20 lb. turkey? Four days in the refrigerator. Add a pan or a cookie sheet under it in case any of the juices drip out. If you need to, you can also place it on the counter for a few hours to help speed the process along and then place it back in the refrigerator. Just make sure it goes back into the refrigerator.

Getting the Maple Butter Turkey ready

Once the turkey has been thawed, prep it by removing the neck and giblets. I also like to personally rinse the turkey off and rinse the inside of the cavity. Then I pat it dry. Now it is time to get the seasonings going.

First, I like to add onions, carrots, celery and apples to my roasting pan for my Maple Butter Turkey. The carrots come out especially delicious so if you are a carrot lover feel free to squeeze a few more of those into the pan. If you aren’t using a roasting pan or you are using a throw away pan, you will need these items to place under the turkey. To cook properly, a little air needs to circulate below the bird. Adding a layer of vegetables on the bottom will work best for this roasting a turkey recipe. While my roasting pan has a rack, I still add the vegetables for flavor. My pan is this one {HERE} from All Clad. I have used it for years now for cooking my turkeys.

No brining, no basting

There are a lot of things that my Maple Butter Turkey recipe does not require. There is not brining, basting or stuffing this recipe with anything you are going to eat. This is similar to the Butter Herb recipe. I really love an easy, flavorful turkey. You can still achieve a moist and delicious turkey without brining, especially if it is a store-bough, high quality turkey like a Butterball. However, if you hunt your own or grow your own, brining is something you want to do.

My Maple Butter Turkey recipe requires no basting, The maple butter mixture will produce a turkey that’s incredibly juicy and delicious for you without all that work. As long as you follow the recipe steps in the recipe card below for the maple butter mixture, you should have no problems.

No bread stuffing

For this recipe, avoid the stuffing inside with a bread stuffing. In fact, I’m not a big fan of stuffing inside for any turkey recipe. You need to overcook the turkey in order to get the stuffing to the correct temperature to consume. And no one wants a dry, over-cooked turkey or stuffing that’s been undercooked in the belly of the bird. Instead, try my Italian Sausage stuffing recipe that you can make in a baking pan. It is really one of the only stuffings I like.

Stuffing the cavity for flavor

Now it is time to stuff the cavity for flavor, not for food. I do not generally make stuffing inside my turkeys so these ingredients are just another way to help flavor the meat. They are discarded after cooking. Anything you add to the inside of the turkey will help to flavor it. For the Maple Butter Turkey recipe, I add in an onion, an apple, a little celery, sea salt and fresh cracked pepper and fresh thyme, sage and oregano. Once this is done, you can tie the turkey legs together for more even cooking and tuck the wings under the legs so the tips do not burn. You can see an example of how it should look in the photos below.

Making and using the Maple Butter Mix

To make the Maple Butter Turkey I use a maple butter mix of butter, pure maple syrup, apple cider, oregano and thyme. I melt the butter in the microwave, let it cool and then add in the other ingredients and let it begin to seize again. This makes it easier to work with for the turkey. Although, I will say it does not look the most beautiful. You can see it below.

One bowl of the butter mix is used under the skin of the turkey. I separate it from the meat and use a spoon to move the butter mix under the skin throughout the turkey. The second bowl of butter is rubbed into the skin on the top of the turkey.

Dried herb mix

Something that is a little different in this Maple Turkey recipe is that I also use some dried spices and ingredients to flavor the outside of the turkey. Once the maple butter is rubbed on, I also add some garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano and dried thyme. This helps to add a little more of the savoriness back into the turkey and you want to lightly sprinkle each ingredient over the whole bird, including the legs and wings. The picture below shows the turkey fully ready.

Roasting the Maple Butter Turkey

To roast the Maple Butter Turkey you want to adjust your oven racks so the turkey can sit on the lower racks but be in the center of the oven. For me this means I have to take one of the racks out of the oven. Preheat the oven to 325 and when it’s ready, add the tented turkey to the oven and cook for about half the time. For me this was about 1 hour and 40 minutes.

Once the turkey is halfway done, remove the foil and continue roasting. You don’t have to baste at all. If you want to check the turkey throughout the last hour or two, use the oven light instead of continuing to open and close the oven.

Caramelization from the sugars

Because this recipe includes the maple syrup and the apple cider it has a higher sugar content in it and that can lead to some blackening caramelization. You can see it in my photos. This is not the same as burning. It is a caramelization. However, if you do not want it to get dark in spot like this, check the turkey every hour or so during the final part of the cooking. If areas look like they are darkening too much you can lightly cover that area with a piece of tinfoil.

The key to making the best turkey

The key to this roasting a turkey recipe is to not overcook the bird. Overcooking it will dry out all the meat and you can get it right with some simple math.

This Maple Butter Turkey recipe will cook at 325 degree and you want to cook it for 15 minutes per pound. So, my turkey was about 14 lbs.

14 x 15 = 210
210 / 60 (minutes in an hour) = 3.5
So for my Butter Herb turkey I roasted it for 3 and a half hours.

When you think the turkey is done, use a meat thermometer to make sure it’s the correct temperature, which is 165 degree F. We use this thermometer {HERE} to check our meats. When time is up I check my turkey and if it is at least 160 degrees, I will take it out and tent it with tin foil for about 20 minutes.

Tenting the turkey

The Maple Butter Turkey will continue to cook inside the tented foil. This will bring the temperature up the last 5 degrees. If you wait until the turkey reaches 165 degrees and then tent it, the turkey will be overcooked and drier. If it’s at 165 when you remove it from the oven, don’t tent it.

Resting the turkey

No matter what, let the turkey rest when it comes out of the oven – tented or not. Give it at least 20 minutes before you start cutting into it. Don’t go longer than 40 minutes. Resting the turkey allows the meat to relax. Gordon Ramsay calls unrested meat “tight” meaning it will be a little tougher and perhaps a bit more dry. Resting the turkey allows the fibers in the meat to relax and the juices to redistribute themselves through the turkey. Resting will also make it easier to carve. This extra time will be helpful for making gravy with the drippings, prepping sides or setting the table.

Making the sweet gravy

The Maple butter Turkey recipe produces enough drippings to make a sweet gravy. I extend the drippings by adding in some chicken stock, apple cider and a little bit of maple again. This all gets added to a sauce pan and then is lightly boiled. You can use a slurry of cornstarch and water to thicken it if you like. You can also strain it if you prefer. I generally do not as you can see from the photos below.

Completing your meal

Since the turkey isn’t the only food you will need on Thanksgiving, check out these side dishes, desserts and cocktails too!

Side Dishes

Italian Sausage Stuffing {HERE}
White Wine French Braised Leeks {HERE}
Creamy Golden Mashed Potatoes {HERE}
No Knead Dutch Oven Bread {HERE}
Wild Rice with Sweet Potatoes and Cranberries {HERE}
Fresh Rosemary and Cranberry Sauce {HERE}
Bacon and Brussel Sprouts {HERE}
Cream Corn Casserole (No Jiffy) {HERE}
Green Beans with Almonds {HERE}
Roasted Maple Butternut Squash {HERE}
Gouda & Gruyère Scalloped Potatoes {HERE}
Homemade Ciabatta Rolls {HERE}

Drinks & Cocktails

Spiced Apple Cherry Cider in a Slow Cooker {HERE}
Holiday Party Punch {HERE}
Apple Cider Mimosa {HERE}
Spiced Pear Cocktail {HERE}
Hot Buttered Apple Cider with Rum {HERE}
Mulled Wine {HERE}

Desserts

Homemade Apple Pie {HERE}
Homemade Pumpkin Pie {HERE}
Blackberry Slab Pie {HERE}
Cranberry Upside Down Cake {HERE}
Homemade French Silk Pie {HERE}
Irish Apple Cake {HERE}
Pumpkin Cupcakes {HERE}
Maple Baked Pears with Candied Pecans {HERE}

Leftovers

Savory Turkey Soup {HERE}
White Bean Turkey Chili {HERE}

Thank you so much for visiting today, friends! I hope you love my Maple Butter Turkey recipe. You can find a full, printable recipe below with all the ingredients and steps. Happy Eating and happy Thanksgiving.