How Much Does a Butterball Turkey Weigh? A Complete Guide to Turkey Sizes

Cooking a delicious turkey is a highlight of many holiday celebrations. When planning your next turkey dinner, one of the most important decisions is choosing the right size bird for your gathering. If you opt for a popular Butterball turkey, knowing typical Butterball turkey weights can help ensure you select the perfect size.

Overview of Common Butterball Turkey Sizes

Butterball offers whole turkeys in a wide range of sizes to accommodate gatherings of all sizes Here’s an overview of the most common Butterball turkey sizes available

• Small Butterball Turkeys Approximately 8 to 16 pounds Perfect smaller households of 4-8 people. Varieties include Lil’ Butterball and small frozen young turkeys

• Medium Butterball Turkeys Approximately 16 to 24 pounds Feeds 8-12 people comfortably Medium frozen young turkeys are in this size range.

• Large Butterball Turkeys: Around 24 to 30 pounds. Provides plenty for gatherings of 12-16. Large frozen young turkeys fall in this category.

• X-Large Butterball Turkeys: Roughly 30 pounds and up. Extra-large whole birds can feed crowds of 18+ people. Jumbo frozen young turkeys are over 30 pounds.

• Turkey Breasts: Vary from around 3 to 8 pounds typically. Allow for smaller guest lists or meal leftovers.

Average Weight of Popular Butterball Turkey Options

Here is more detail on the typical weight ranges for some of Butterball’s most popular whole turkey and turkey breast options:

Lil Butterball Turkeys

• Small whole turkeys perfect for gatherings of 4-8 people
• Range from 8 to 16 pounds

Frozen Young Turkeys

• All-natural, minimally processed whole turkeys
• Available in small, medium, and large+ sizes
• Small: 8 to 16 lbs
• Medium: 16 to 24 lbs
• Large: 24 to 30 lbs
• X-Large/Jumbo: Over 30 lbs

Turkey Breasts

• Boneless or bone-in breast of turkey
• No work carving a whole bird
• Range from 3 to 8 pounds
• Provide plenty of white breast meat

Frozen Whole Turkey Breast

• Typically 5 to 7 pounds
• Feeds smaller parties or provides leftovers
• Cooks faster than a whole turkey

So in general, small Butterball turkeys are under 16 pounds, medium turkeys are 16-24 pounds, and large turkeys are over 24 pounds. Popular options like Lil Butterball and turkey breasts range from 8-16 pounds and 3-8 pounds respectively.

How Much Turkey Per Person?

A common rule of thumb is to plan for 1 to 1 1⁄2 pounds of turkey meat per person at your Thanksgiving or holiday meal. This accounts for ample portions and leftovers.

However, you may need slightly more or less depending on your menu and the appetite of your guests. Here are some more specific turkey weight guidelines per person:

• For just turkey meat, allow 3/4 to 1 pound per person
• With bones and stuffing, plan 1 to 1 1/4 pounds per person
• For lots of leftovers, buy 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds per guest
• With other main dishes, you may need just 1/2 to 3/4 pounds per serving

If you expect bigger appetites or love turkey leftovers, err on the higher side. And adding sides like ham or entrees reduces the turkey needed per guest.

A 16-24 pound Butterball turkey can easily feed gatherings of 8-12 with ample extra meat. Opt for a smaller or larger bird based on your headcount and meal plans.

Key Factors That Impact Turkey Weight

Why do turkey sizes vary so much? Here are some of the key factors that determine the final weight of a whole turkey or turkey breast:

• Breed of turkey – Heritage breeds tend to be smaller while commercial broad-breasted turkeys are larger.

• Gender – Toms (males) are typically much larger than hens (females).

• Age – Younger birds are smaller while older turkeys are heavier.

• Fed diet – What the birds eat impacts their rate of growth and total size.

• Free range – Turkeys with more room to roam tend to be heavier.

• Enhanced or not – Sodium and water solutions add weight to “enhanced” turkeys.

• With or without bones – Boneless turkey breasts are lighter than bone-in.

• Time of year – Turkeys are lighter in the summer and heavier in winter.

So breed, age, diet, housing, enhancing, bone-in vs boneless, and season all contribute to the final heft of your turkey. This explains the wide range of turkey sizes available.

Checking Your Turkey’s Weight

When purchasing a frozen turkey, the packaging should clearly state the total weight. However, you can also double check the weight yourself once thawed:

• Weigh on a scale – For the most accurate reading, place your thawed, unstuffed turkey on a kitchen scale.

• Check the specifications – The website or packaging may indicate the typical weight range.

• Estimate weight – Whole turkeys are about 75% meat and 25% bones. So for a 16 lb turkey, about 12 lbs is meat.

• Read the pop-up timer – Some timers are calibrated by weight and provide a target cooking time.

• Measure volume – Bigger birds fill more space in your fridge, oven, and roasting pan.

• Consider leftovers – Guesstimate based on how much meat is left over after serving your meal.

Checking the packaging, weighing, and inspecting the size are the best ways to confirm the exact weight of your turkey. This ensures you select the ideal size bird for your Thanksgiving or holiday dinner.

Typical Weight Ranges of Popular Butterball Products

To recap, here are the typical weight ranges for some of Butterball’s most popular whole turkeys and turkey breast products:

• Lil Butterball – 8 to 16 lbs
• Small Frozen Young Turkey – 8 to 16 lbs
• Medium Frozen Young Turkey – 16 to 24 lbs
• Large Frozen Young Turkey – 24 to 30 lbs
• X-Large/Jumbo Frozen Young Turkey – Over 30 lbs
• Frozen Whole Turkey Breast – 5 to 7 lbs
• Turkey Breast Roast – 3 to 8 lbs

So a small or Lil Butterball may weigh about 12 pounds. A typical medium turkey around 20 pounds. And a turkey breast in the 3-5 pound range. Use these Butterball turkey weights as a guideline when selecting the ideal size bird for your next holiday meal!