Written by Mustapha B. · Updated August 13, 2026
A 20-pound turkey needs around 4¼ hours unstuffed at 325°F. Fine-tune for stuffing and your serving time below.
Cooked in oven at 325°F (165°C). Times are estimates, always confirm with a meat thermometer.
A 20-pound turkey is a large bird, so give it plenty of time. Roasted unstuffed at 325°F (about 160°C), it needs roughly 4.25 to 5 hours, working from the guideline of about 13 minutes per pound. If you stuff it, add time and plan for closer to 5 to 5.5 hours, since the stuffing in the cavity slows how quickly the centre heats through. Because ovens and birds vary, treat these as planning figures and lean on a thermometer for the final call.
This calculator pins down the timing for a 20-pounder and tells you when to put it in so it's ready at your target serving time, which is exactly the headache a big holiday bird creates. A key tip: this size of turkey often browns before it's cooked through, so tent the breast loosely with foil partway through to stop it over-colouring. It's done when the thigh reaches 165°F (74°C), then rest it 30 minutes or so before carving.
The cooking time for turkey depends mainly on its weight and how you’re cooking it. As a starting point, the table below shows estimates in oven at 325°F (165°C) for the unstuffed method. Add the resting time, and remember a thermometer is the only way to know it’s truly done.
| Weight | Active cook (Unstuffed) | + Rest |
|---|---|---|
| 6 lb | 1 hr 20 min | 1 hr 40 min |
| 10 lb | 2 hr 10 min | 2 hr 30 min |
| 14 lb | 3 hr | 3 hr 20 min |
| 18 lb | 3 hr 55 min | 4 hr 15 min |
| 22 lb | 4 hr 45 min | 5 hr 5 min |
| 26 lb | 5 hr 40 min | 6 hr |
| 30 lb | 6 hr 30 min | 6 hr 50 min |
Cook to: 165°F (74°C) in the thickest part of the thigh.
Unstuffed at 325°F, roughly 4.25 to 5 hours, and a little longer if stuffed. Confirm doneness with a thermometer reading 165°F in the thickest part of the thigh.
It helps to tent the breast loosely with foil once it's nicely browned, as a large bird can over-colour before the centre is done. Remove the foil for the last stretch if you want extra crispness.