Buying turkey for Thanksgiving dinner is a big choice. Do you want a heritage bird or a classic grocery store bird-in-a-bag? Fresh or frozen? Whole or parts? And, arguably the most important consideration of all: Just how much turkey per person do you need?
To calculate how big your Thanksgiving turkey should be, you’ve got to figure out the number of guests you’re serving and how much turkey each might eat. After all, if you’re hosting Thanksgiving, it’s your mission to send everyone home as full of delicious food as possible.
The holidays are a time for gathering with family and friends over delicious food. The centerpiece of many holiday meals is a perfectly roasted turkey. But if you’re tasked with providing the turkey how do you know what size to get? Specifically how many people can a 12 pound turkey feed?
Turkey Math: Figuring Out How Much You Need
The general recommendation is to plan for 1 pound of turkey per person. This allows for approximately 7 ounces of meat per serving. However, if you want ample leftovers, it’s best to get 11⁄2 pounds per person.
So for 8 people, you’d want a 12 pound turkey (8 people x 1.5 pounds per person = 12 pounds). This provides 9 ounces of meat per serving, with the rest saved for sandwiches and casseroles later.
Here’s a simple chart to help determine what size turkey you need:
| Number of Guests | Turkey Weight |
|---|---|
| 4 | 6 lbs |
| 6 | 9 lbs |
| 8 | 12 lbs |
| 10 | 15 lbs |
| 12 | 18 lbs |
As you can see, a 12 pound turkey is perfect for serving 8 people with leftovers. If you have a smaller gathering of just 4-6 people, a 6-9 pound turkey would suffice.
Factors That Affect Needed Turkey Size
There are a few other factors that can influence how big a turkey you need:
-
Kids – Since children tend to eat less than adults, you can reduce the pound per person slightly for more kids.
-
Other main dishes – If you are also serving a ham or other entree, you may need less turkey.
-
All white or dark meat – Turkeys are only about 30% white meat. So if your guests want all white meat plan for extra turkey breasts.
-
Leftover plans – The more leftovers you want, the larger your turkey should be.
-
Vegetarians – Make sure to have a non-turkey main dish for any vegetarian guests.
Selecting and Preparing Your Turkey
Once you’ve determined the appropriate weight, here are some tips for picking out your turkey:
-
Opt for a fresh turkey no more than 2 days before cooking it.
-
Make sure the turkey breast is rounded and plump. Avoid any with flat or uneven breasts.
-
Double check that your roasting pan can accommodate the size bird you need.
-
For turkeys over 16 pounds, consider buying two smaller birds. They will cook more evenly.
Be sure to thaw your frozen turkey in the refrigerator allowing 24 hours for every 4 pounds. Then use a meat thermometer to cook until it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F in the thickest part of the thigh. Letting the turkey rest before carving is crucial for juicy meat.
Enjoying Your Perfectly Sized Turkey
Following the guideline of 1.5 pounds per person, a 12 pound turkey will provide 8 people with generous 9 ounce servings and have ample leftovers. Carefully planning the size of your holiday turkey ensures everyone gets a generous portion on the big day. Then you can look forward to turkey sandwiches, soups, and casseroles for days after!
What if I’m afraid of underserving my guests?
“Most people put out so many sides that running out of turkey really isn’t an issue,” says contributing editor Amiel Stanek. “Turkey is, in my experience, the thing people want least.” As a host, you can even take some of your attention away from a cartoonishly large Rockwellian bird and think deeply about the Thanksgiving side dishes. This is where you can customize your selection based on the size, tastes, and needs of your crowd. Serving a few extra vegetarians this year? Go all-in on mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and roasted veggies (we recommend balsamic-roasted brussels sprouts, which are a test kitchen favorite).
Want to show off your baking skills? Make a big tray of showstopping stuffing biscuits. And, of course, you’ve got to have cranberry sauce—either homemade or canned, that’s your prerogative.
If you’re wondering, How big of a turkey do I need, really?, Amiel points out that the bigger the turkey, the less likely it is to cook evenly. He would much rather serve smallish portions of perfect poultry than massive servings that are half-raw, half-dry. “In terms of ensuring that the breast meat is delicious and moist and the dark meat is cooked through, I think you’re going to get the best results from a 14-to-15-pound turkey, max.”
Turkey size per person
Our advice: Go for a smaller turkey. We promise, there’ll be enough to go around.
If a 15-pound bird sounds teeny compared to your guest list, Amiel and Jessie recommend supplementing with a different meat or protein (no matter your party’s size). “I like to do steak or lamb chops,” says Jessie, “which are very festive and a lot easier to prepare than a whole turkey.” Having a second meat on the table provides a backup if your bird is on the scrawny side, but it also makes your turkey stretch further. Aim for 1–1½ total pounds of protein per person, including your supplementary main, and you’ll have nothing to worry about.
If you’re hosting a smaller gathering, another option is to forgo the roast turkey entirely in favor of a smaller bird—roast chicken or glazed duck make just as nice a centerpiece.
How many pounds of turkey per person do I actually need?
The general rule of thumb is 1–1½ pounds turkey per person. If that seems like a lot, remember that a whole turkey comes with a lot of parts that don’t end up getting eaten. “When you buy a whole turkey, a lot of it is bone,” says recipe developer (and former BA staffer) Jessie YuChen. The smaller the bird, the higher that percentage may be. For smaller gatherings, Jessie recommends scaling up to 2 pounds per person to maximize leftovers (more on that later). “For four to six people, 11 to 13 pounds is a good range,” Jessie says. (Most of our recipes call for a 12-to-14-pound bird.)
Beyond the bones, the total mass of a whole bird accounts for cartilage and less favorable cuts of meat around the shoulders, neck, and back that are better suited for making stock the next day than for presenting on a platter. Just because you’re buying a pound per each guest doesn’t mean it’ll yield an equivalent amount of turkey meat.
How many people will a 12 pound turkey feed?
FAQ
How many people will a 12 pound turkey breast feed?
What size turkey to feed 20 adults?
|
Number of Guests
|
Turkey Weight–
|
|
12
|
15lbs
|
|
15
|
20lbs
|
|
20
|
25lbs
|
|
25
|
32lbs
|
Will a 13 lb turkey feed 9 people?
How big of a turkey for 16 guests?