Use this foolproof way to take a frozen turkey to the most juicy turkey for the holiday season. Cooking your turkey in a convection oven is easy and will ensure your turkey is juicy, as convection ovens retain a lot of moisture compared to a conventional oven.
What You’ll Love About This Recipe
We have perfected the best way to cook a turkey in a convection oven for the best Thanksgiving turkey. It really is just as easy as using a standard oven to create the perfect turkey for your holiday meal.
We show you how easy it is to cook a turkey in a convection oven instead of using a regular oven or a traditional oven. Cooking a turkey does not need to be intimidating anymore with a convection oven. It takes less time than you might think to cook a whole turkey. This turkey turns out so juicy and tender right in the roasting rack.
“I can’t believe how moist and juicy this turkey turned out. The skin was crispy, but the inside was perfect!” — Lindsay
Simple sides to add to a roasted turkey are our potato casserole, candied slow cooker sweet potatoes, and our simple 30-minute dinner rolls.
Key Ingredients and Flavors
Fresh turkey, pick the number of pounds of turkey you need to feed your family. Just be sure the turkey has thawed before cooking the turkey with this convection bake recipe. We like to use a 9-10 pound turkey for our family. Larger for feeding a crowd. The size of your bird will depend on the number of people you are feeding, then adjust the cooking time accordingly.
Olive oil will make the outside of the turkey perfectly golden brown and crispy!
Any fresh herbs will work great for a seasoned turkey, but we love using rosemary and thyme.
Why Cook a Turkey in a Convection Oven?
When you use a convection oven, you cannot only cut down on the cooking time to get the breast meat up to a food safety temperature, but it will also give you juicier meat and is an easier way to cook the turkey. This is our preferred method for cooking a turkey because it is an easy way to make a delicious turkey with an even faster cooking time.
Essential Tips for a Perfect Turkey
How to Safely Defrost a Turkey:
- Under refrigeration: Use a high-rimmed pan ( 2-3?) is required to catch any pan juices. Thaw breast side up. Defrost times will depend on the size of the bird. On average, it will take one day per 4 pounds for the bird to be completely defrosted. Plan on defrosting and cooking within over a two-day time period.
- Using a Large Sink and Running Water. The turkey may be defrosted by placing it in a sink of running water or in a sink of water that will be changed every half hour. Be sure to use hot water and a bleach-based cleanser to sanitize the sink and utensils used.
Season The Turkey
Using your favorite seasoning and fresh herbs, prepare the whole bird after drying the turkey with paper towels. This will remove excess moisture, allow for the seasonings to penetrate the dark and white meat well, and give you a perfectly crispy skin.
Convection Oven Turkey Cooking Chart
Butterball has a great chart that will give you a breakdown for both a stuffed and unstuffed turkey to make sure that you are using the correct temperature and time based on the size of your turkey:
Time and Temperature chart of convection roast mode
Convection Oven Roasted Turkey: A Foolproof Steps
- Preheat your convection oven to 350℉ on the convection feature.
- Wash the entire turkey inside and out using cold water and pat dry with paper towels.
- Place fresh turkey in a deep roasting pan and brush with olive oil and any other seasonings for extra flavor.
- Cut and loosen the skin from the turkey breast, and rub rosemary and thyme onto the turkey.
- Place the turkey in the lowest rack of the oven and cook for 2-2 ½ hours, or until the internal temperature of the turkey thigh reaches 180℉.
FAQ for Convection Cooking Turkey
Leftover turkey should be cooled down as quickly as possible. The more surface area that is exposed to cold air, the faster your turkey will cool. A whole turkey in a large container will take too long to cool down to a safe temperature, which will give bacteria a chance to multiply.
In the Refrigerator: Place in an airtight container and place in the refrigerator. Leftover turkey can store in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days.
In the Freezer: Once cooled, place your turkey flat in an airtight freezer bag. Label your bag with the date. Turkey stored in the freezer will last up to 3 months. Thaw in a refrigerator, and use within 1 day of thawing.
Reheating: Our favorite way to reheat leftover turkey is to warm it on a nonstick pan to give it some extra crispiness. You can also reheat in the oven at 350℉ for 12 to 15 minutes. When reheating in the microwave, heat for 1 to 2 minutes, checking every 30 seconds. Try not to overheat your turkey; it can become dry and hard.
When cooking in convection, it is best to leave the turkey uncovered so that it benefits from the convection sear. However, if the wings, legs, and top of the turkey begin to brown too much, you certainly can use foil to cover these areas. The entire turkey skin should roast evenly and prove to be a delicious meal.
No, quite the opposite. When you use a convection oven, it will cook for less time, allowing more moisture to stay in the turkey.
Enjoy More Delicious Turkey Main Dishes
Turkey doesn’t have to be only for Thanksgiving; make delicious turkey dinners throughout the year. Explore our comprehensive list of turkey main dishes here.
- 5 Ways to Cook a Thanksgiving Turkey
- Crockpot Turkey Breast
- Easy Marinated Turkey Breast
- How to Cook a Frozen Turkey in the Instant Pot
- Instant Pot Turkey Breast
- Roasted Thanksgiving Turkey
- Slow Cooker Cranberry Turkey Breast
- Slow Cooker Turkey and Stuffing
How to Roast a Turkey in a Convection Oven
Ingredients
- 10 pound turkey
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- fresh rosemary, to taste
- fresh thyme, to taste
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉ on the convection setting.
- Wash the turkey inside and out and pat dry with paper towels.
- Place turkey on roasting pan and brush with olive oil.
- Cut and loosen the skin from the turkey breast and rub rosemary and thyme onto the turkey.
- Place the turkey in the lowest rack of the oven and cook for 2-2 ½ hours, or until the internal temperature of the turkey thigh reaches 180℉.
Notes
- 12-15 pound turkeys take 1.5-2 hours
- 15-20 pound turkeys take 2-2.5 hours
- 20-25 pound turkeys take 2.5-3.5 hours
Nutrition
Video
Did You Make This Recipe?We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave a review or a question in the comment section below the post.
Watched the video of getting a turkey ready for the convection oven and couldn’t believe she never washed her hands before touching pan handles, oven door and counter. Safety first.
Haven’t watch the video. Really??? 4 hours to cook turkey?? thats very long. Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Can I cook a frozen turkey in a convection oven
I would not recommend cooking a turkey to 180 degrees. Take turkey out of oven at 160 and allow for carryover cooking to reach 165
Every source I have read says to cook breast to 180º and thigh to 170º. Be sure you are not undercooking your bird.
How long do I roast 2 11lb turkey breasts in a convection oven.
I found this link that should help you with your cooking time on 2 turkey breasts in a convection oven.
https://www.leaf.tv/articles/convection-oven-cooking-times-for-a-turkey-breast/
I have 2 settings on my oven one convection bake and the other convection roast. I prefer to roast my turkey, so what temp and for how long for a 9-kilo bird?
It should tell you on the back of your bird how long to cook it for the actual weight.
Thanks, but boy that turkey must be tasteless! No mention of any seasoning such as salt and pepper before roasting. If turkey was brined before cooking there would be no need, but there is no mention of this in the video.
I was going to say the same thing! I have looked at several article and they all said 165 degrees.
https://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/charts/mintemp.html
At 180 it will be 190 after carryover it will also be very very tough and dry. You need to pull it out at 160
My oven has regular Bake and a separate Convection Bake setting. When I put in the temp for Convection Bake it automatically sets it to 25* lower than what I setting it at. Sooooo…. Should the Convection setting for this recipe really be 350* ? As in I would need to set my oven to 375* to get it at 350*.
I can’t believe how moist and juicy this turkey turned out. The skin was crispy but the inside was perfect!
I was confused on the cooking times. You roasted a 10 lb. turkey for 3 hours and then in the notes said to roast a 12-15 ob. turkey for 1.5-2 hours. That doesn’t make sense to me. A smaller bird should take less time. Please explain.
Another question that I saw in the questions but not answered. The temperature to cook at. Do you set the convection setting and then punch in 350 resulting in 325 or do you do 375 which would result in 350.
Set the convection oven to 350 degrees F (punch in 350)
The time can range from 1.5 to 3 hours, depending on the oven and the turkey. Check the temperature of the thigh at the 1.5 hour mark and then every 15-30 minutes after that until it reaches 180 degrees F