Turkey in a roasting pan sitting on an oven rack.

How to Check a Turkey for Doneness

Is the turkey done yet? You may have heard of different ways to check, but there’s only one way to be sure.

Here's exactly how to check for doneness.

What is the final cooking temperature for a whole turkey?

Leg wiggling, juice color, even the aroma – you’ll hear lots of ways to check the doneness of your turkey. But there’s only one way to be sure: the temperature. It just takes a simple reading with a meat thermometer to test if your turkey is ready to eat.

At what temperature is a turkey done? Check these places on your turkey and look for these temperatures:

180°F in thigh
170°F in breast
165°F in stuffing

Remember to insert the meat thermometer close to, but not touching, the thigh bone.

Turkey Tips

A thawed turkey may be kept in the refrigerator (40 degrees F or below) up to 4 days before cooking.

Frozen Whole Turkeys and Frozen Whole Turkey Breasts need to be thawed before cooking.

Thaw Fully Cooked Baked and Smoked Turkeys via the refrigerator method.

Refrigerator thawing is preferred and the least labor-intensive but requires more time.

Cold water thawing takes less time but requires more attention.

Suggested Recipes

Suggested Products

We believe people should feel good about what they eat. That's why all Butterball® products are made with quality turkey for everyone and for any occasion.

View our products

Where to buy