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.
Determining how much turkey to buy per person for your holiday meal or get-together can be tricky. As a long-time turkey expert and lover of all things poultry, I’m here to provide a helpful guide on how much turkey per person you should plan for, using Butterball recommendations.
Factors That Determine Turkey Portions
Several key factors impact how much turkey you should allot per guest:
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Number of guests: Of course, the number of people you are serving affects overall turkey quantities needed. Plan for each attending adult, child, and their individual appetites.
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Leftovers Do you want leftovers? Many enjoy turkey sandwiches or casseroles with their remains Leftovers require purchasing extra meat
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Turkey offerings Will your meal only include turkey or also stuffing, mashed potatoes, etc? People eat less turkey if they load up sides
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Appetites Are your guests big eaters or light? The amount people will consume varies
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Turkey type: The meal can include whole roasted turkey, just breast meat, smoked parts, ground turkey – different forms provide different serving sizes.
Considering these factors will help determine the right turkey portion per person.
Recommended Amount of Turkey Per Person
Butterball, the top turkey expert, recommends the following turkey portion sizes as a general guideline per person:
- Whole turkey meals: Plan on 1 pound of whole turkey per person
- Boneless turkey breast meals: Plan on 1⁄2 pound per person
- Meals with mostly side dishes: Plan on 1⁄2 to 3⁄4 pound per person
- For small eaters like children: Plan on 1⁄4 to 1⁄2 pound per child
- To have leftovers: Add 1⁄4 to 1⁄2 pound extra per person
For whole turkey dinners, an estimate of 1 pound of turkey meat per person is a standard recommendation to ensure sufficient portions. Removing bones and cartilage reduces edible meat mass, so having a full pound available allows for bone loss during carving.
For meals centered around turkey breast, not a whole bird, reducing the amount to 1⁄2 pound per person suffices. Side dishes also supplement the meal, allowing turkey servings to be smaller.
Factoring children into turkey estimates, smaller appetites require just 1⁄4 to 1⁄2 pound per child guest. They often fill up on sides and desserts!
Finally, leftovers require planning for extra turkey per person. Adding an extra 1⁄4 to 1⁄2 pound per guest gives you remains to enjoy later.
Using Butterball’s Portion Calculator
Butterball provides an easy-to-use calculator on their website to determine exactly how much turkey is needed for your crowd.
You input information like:
- Number of adult guests
- Number of child guests
- If you want leftovers
- Appetite levels (big or light eaters)
The calculator then automatically outputs the:
- Recommended pounds of whole turkey to buy
- Amount of stuffing needed, if applicable
This takes the guesswork out of how much turkey per person you should cook for any get-together!
Sample Turkey Amounts Per Person
Here are some examples of how much turkey per person is needed for common scenarios:
- 10 adult guests, with leftovers: Plan for 15 pounds of whole turkey
- 8 adult guests, no leftovers: Plan for 9 pounds of turkey breast
- 12 adult guests + 5 kids, with leftovers: Plan for 17 – 20 pounds whole turkey
- 20 adult light eaters, no leftovers: Plan for 10 pounds turkey breast
The turkey portion per person ranges from 3⁄4 pound up to 1 1⁄4 pounds in these situations. Using Butterball’s calculator gives you the exact amount for your specific turkey dinner needs.
Buying the Right Turkey Size
Turkeys are sized by the total weight, including bones and fat. Common turkey sizes include:
- 12-16 pounds: Good for 8-12 people
- 16-20 pounds: Feeds 12-15 hungry guests
- 20-24 pounds: For groups of 15-20
- 24 pounds and up: For large parties of 20+
Target having roughly 1-11⁄4 pounds per eater when choosing an adequately sized turkey. Erring on the large side ensures you have extra for leftovers.
Frozen turkeys only require 1 day thawing for every 4 pounds. So a 20 pound bird only needs 5 days thawing time. This makes it easy to buy your ideal turkey size, even frozen.
Opting for fresh turkeys lets you buy even closer to the meal date. Fresh turkeys just need 24 hours refrigerator time before cooking.
Get the Right Bird for Your Group
Determining the proper amount of turkey per person ensures you buy the perfect turkey size for your gathering. Whether fresh or frozen, sticking to Butterball’s recommended 1 pound per person for whole birds allows you to serve all guests sufficiently, with the addition of sides.
Leftovers let you continue enjoying your turkey meals later. Using Butterball’s handy calculator removes the guesswork and provides a tailored estimate for your specific guest numbers and appetites.
With the right turkey portions, you can relax and enjoy the meal with your loved ones, confident that you’ve purchased just the right bird for your group. Gobble up!
Frequency of Entities:
Butterball: 13
turkey: 28
per person: 7
pound: 10
guest: 7
leftover: 6
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.
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 To Choose a Turkey – Butterball Canada
FAQ
How many people will a 16 lb Butterball turkey feed?
What size turkey for 12 adults with leftovers Butterball?
How many pounds of turkey for 20 guests in Butterball?
How much turkey do I need for 10 adults?
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Number of Guests
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Turkey Weight–
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10
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13lbs
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12
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15lbs
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15
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20lbs
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20
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25lbs
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