Ina Garten’s Magical Roast Turkey with Truffle Butter Recipe

Truffle butter adds elegance to a golden, juicy roast turkey.

Earthy notes blend with savory herbs under crisp skin.

Simple seasoning techniques create a show-stopping centerpiece.

Every slice is infused with deep, fragrant flavor.

It’s a meal that makes holiday gatherings feel extra special.

Guests will remember this one long after the plates are cleared.

Why Roast Turkey With Truffle Butter Feels So Luxurious

• Elevate Turkey Tradition: Transform the classic roast turkey into a gourmet experience with luxurious truffle butter, adding an unexpected layer of rich, earthy flavor that will make your holiday meal unforgettable.
• Foolproof Roasting Technique: Discover a stress-free method that ensures perfectly cooked, golden-brown turkey with minimal effort, using simple tricks like loosely covering the breast and avoiding constant basting.
• Flavor-Packed Herb Infusion: Leverage the aromatic power of fresh thyme and whole garlic cloves stuffed inside the cavity, creating a deeply seasoned bird that releases subtle, mouth-watering herbal notes throughout the meat.
• Restaurant-Quality Presentation: Achieve a professional-looking roast with crispy, golden skin and succulent meat that will impress guests and make you feel like a culinary master, all without complicated cooking skills.

What You’ll Need for Roast Turkey With Truffle Butter

Main Ingredients:

• Turkey: Classic roasting bird with rich flavor, best when fresh and plump, choose a high-quality whole turkey for best results.

• Truffle Butter, Thyme: Luxurious flavor enhancers that add depth and aromatic richness to the turkey, fresh thyme provides best herbal notes.

• Salt, Black Pepper: Essential flavor foundations that enhance the turkey's natural taste, use kosher or sea salt for best seasoning.
• Olive Oil: Helps create golden, crispy skin and promotes even browning, choose extra virgin olive oil for superior quality.
• Onion, Garlic: Classic aromatic ingredients that infuse subtle sweetness and depth into the turkey's cavity, use fresh whole ingredients.

• Kitchen String: Crucial for trussing and maintaining turkey's shape during roasting, ensure strong and food-safe twine.
• Aluminum Foil: Protects turkey breast from over-browning and helps retain moisture during cooking, use heavy-duty aluminum foil.

Roast Your Turkey With Truffle Butter Like a Pro

Step 1: Prepare the Oven and Turkey

Crank up your oven to 325°F (160°C fan). Clear out the turkey cavity and place the bird breast-side up on a roasting rack. Use paper towels to give the turkey a thorough pat-down, ensuring it’s completely dry.

Step 2: Truffle Butter Magic

Gently slide your fingers under the turkey skin, starting from the cavity end. Be super careful not to tear the delicate skin. Grab your softened truffle butter and spread it generously underneath, massaging it into every nook and cranny of the breast meat.

Step 3: Create a Flavor Explosion

• Onion wedges
• Garlic halves
• Fresh thyme sprigs

Shower the inside with a generous sprinkle of salt and pepper.

Step 4: Dress and Season the Turkey

• Tie the legs together with kitchen string
• Wrap another string around the wings and body to keep everything compact

• Salt
• Black pepper
• Chopped fresh thyme leaves

Step 5: Roast to Perfection

• Use a meat thermometer to check the breast
• Target internal temperature: 160°F (71°C)

Pro tip: If the breast starts turning golden brown halfway through, loosely tent it with aluminum foil to prevent over-browning.

Step 6: Let It Rest

Once cooked, pull the turkey out of the oven. Cover it tightly with aluminum foil and let it rest for 15–20 minutes. This crucial step allows the juices to redistribute, ensuring each slice is incredibly juicy.

Step 7: Carve and Serve

Slice the turkey with confidence. Spoon those rich pan juices over the meat for an extra flavor punch that’ll have everyone asking for seconds.

Tips for a Juicy Roast Turkey With Truffle Butter

• Gently Massage Truffle Butter: Carefully slide your fingers under the turkey skin, creating a delicate pocket without tearing. This technique helps distribute the rich, aromatic truffle butter evenly, infusing every bite with luxurious flavor.
• Maximize Seasoning Impact: Sprinkle salt, pepper, and thyme generously inside the cavity and over the skin. These simple seasonings transform an ordinary turkey into a restaurant-worthy centerpiece with deep, complex taste.
• Protect Delicate Breast Meat: Watch the turkey closely during roasting and have aluminum foil ready. If the breast starts turning too dark, loosely cover it to prevent burning while allowing the rest of the bird to cook perfectly.
• Guarantee Perfect Doneness: A reliable meat thermometer is your secret weapon for turkey success. Insert it into the thickest part of the breast, ensuring it reaches the safe 71°C / 160°F mark for juicy, tender meat.
• Create Juicy Resting Magic: After roasting, tent the turkey with foil and let it rest for 15–20 minutes. This crucial step allows the juices to redistribute, guaranteeing succulent, flavorful slices that will impress every guest.

Store Your Turkey With Truffle Butter for Maximum Flavor

• Vacuum Sealing: Preserve the turkey's moisture and flavor by using a vacuum sealer. Remove air completely, preventing freezer burn and maintaining the truffle butter's delicate taste. Pack turkey slices in portion-sized bags for easy future meals.
• Broth Preservation: Save leftover turkey drippings and pan juices in freezer-safe containers. These liquid gold additions will enhance future soups, gravies, and reheating techniques. Freeze in small batches for convenient flavor boosting.
• Layering Protection: When refrigerating, create a moisture barrier by placing parchment paper between turkey slices. Stack gently in airtight containers, preventing dry edges and preserving the turkey's succulence. Label containers with dates for optimal tracking.

Flavor Ideas for Roast Turkey With Truffle Butter

• Herb-Infused Turkey: Replace truffle butter with a blend of softened butter, rosemary, sage, and parsley for a classic herbal flavor profile that brings rustic countryside charm to your main course.
• Citrus-Spiced Turkey: Swap truffle butter with a zesty mixture of butter, orange zest, lemon juice, and crushed garlic cloves to introduce bright, tangy notes that complement the rich meat.
• Smoky Paprika Turkey: Create a unique butter mixture using softened butter, smoked paprika, ground cumin, and a touch of cayenne pepper to add warm, deep southwestern-inspired flavors that elevate the traditional roast.
• Mediterranean Herb Turkey: Develop a butter blend with chopped oregano, basil, roasted garlic, and a splash of extra virgin olive oil to infuse the turkey with Mediterranean-inspired aromatics and subtle Mediterranean warmth.

End the Meal With Roast Turkey That Tastes Like Gold

Culinary adventurers seeking ultimate thanksgiving perfection will discover Ina Garten’s truffle butter roast turkey as pure magic.

Classic techniques meet luxurious ingredients in this remarkable recipe.

Fragrant thyme and rich truffle butter create an unforgettable dining experience.

Kitchen heroes can elevate their holiday meal with sophisticated French-inspired techniques.

Mediterranean elegance meets American tradition through careful preparation and premium ingredients.

Serious home chefs: dive deep into this masterpiece, share your delicious results, spark conversation, and inspire fellow culinary enthusiasts with your gastronomic triumph.

Ina Garten Roast Turkey With Truffle Butter Recipe

---

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

4.5 from 22 reviews

• Total Time: 3 hours 10 minutes
• Yield: 10 1x

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

Description

Ina Garten’s roast turkey with truffle butter elevates holiday dining to luxurious heights. Silky truffle-infused butter creates a rich, golden skin that melts with exquisite flavor, promising a memorable centerpiece for sophisticated gatherings.

---

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Main Protein:

• 1 (12- to 14-pound / 5.4- to 6.4-kilogram) fresh kosher turkey, giblets removed

Aromatics and Herbs:

• 1 large yellow onion, unpeeled and cut into 8 wedges
• 1 whole head of garlic, unpeeled and cut in half crosswise
• 1 large bunch of fresh thyme

Fats and Seasonings:

• 3 ounces / 85 grams white truffle butter, at room temperature
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Good olive oil

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

---

Instructions

1. Prepare the oven by heating it to 160°C fan / 325°F. Remove any excess liquid from the turkey cavity and position the bird breast side up on a rack within a spacious, shallow roasting pan. Use paper towels to thoroughly dry the turkey’s exterior.
2. Delicately separate the skin from the breast meat by gently sliding fingers underneath, ensuring minimal damage to the skin. Evenly distribute softened truffle butter beneath the skin, massaging to create a uniform layer across the breast area.
3. Season the internal cavity generously with salt and pepper. Populate the cavity with quartered onions, halved garlic cloves, and half of the available thyme sprigs.
4. Secure the turkey’s anatomy by binding the legs together using kitchen twine. Create a secondary binding around the wings and body to maintain a compact structure. Coat the entire turkey with olive oil, then apply / 10 grams of salt and / 5 grams of pepper. Sprinkle remaining thyme leaves across the surface.
5. Roast the turkey in the preheated oven for 2½–3 hours, monitoring internal temperature with a meat thermometer until it reaches 71°C / 160°F in the breast’s thickest section. Avoid basting during cooking. When the breast achieves a golden hue (approximately midway through roasting), shield it loosely with aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning.
6. After cooking, extract the turkey from the oven and encase it completely with aluminum foil. Allow the meat to rest within the pan for 15–20 minutes, enabling juice redistribution and ensuring optimal tenderness.
7. Methodically carve the turkey into precise slices and present the dish accompanied by pan juices drizzled over the top to enhance flavor complexity.

Notes

• Handle the skin with care when spreading truffle butter, moving slowly to prevent any accidental tears that could compromise moisture and flavor distribution.
• Salt, pepper, and thyme are your flavor heroes, so be bold and generous when seasoning both the cavity and exterior of the turkey for maximum taste impact.
• Monitor the turkey’s browning during roasting, keeping aluminum foil nearby to gently shield the breast if it starts turning too dark too quickly.
• Invest in a reliable meat thermometer to guarantee perfectly cooked poultry, targeting 71°C / 160°F in the breast’s thickest section for optimal tenderness.
• Creating a delicious final result depends on patience during the resting phase, allowing juices to redistribute by covering the turkey with foil for 15–20 minutes post-roasting.

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 3 hours
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Roasting
• Cuisine: American

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 10
• Calories: 948
• Sugar: 2 g
• Sodium: 1,200 mg
• Fat: 49 g
• Saturated Fat: 15 g
• Carbohydrates: 7 g
• Fiber: 1 g
• Protein: 114 g
• Cholesterol: 150 mg