Holiday Roast & Turkey Cooking Time Calculator
Pounds + method → hours in the oven, resting time, and the exact time to put it in for a target dinner time.
Oven temperature fixed at 325°F, the safe, forgiving standard for large roasts. Doneness is final internal temp: 165°F turkey, 145°F fresh ham/beef/lamb (rest carries it up).
—min per lb + base
—in the oven
—resting under foil
—put it in at
—fridge-thaw deadline
—cold-water thaw (last resort)
How the math works
Minutes-per-pound bands are the USDA / standard-poultry-guide ranges, expressed as cook = perLb × lb + base:
- Turkey unstuffed:
13 × lb + 15(small birds cook faster per pound; 8–12 lb land near 15 min/lb overall). - Turkey stuffed:
15 × lb + 15, the stuffing must also reach 165°F, which is why stuffing a big bird is a timing trap. - Bone-in breast:
17 × lb + 10, less mass to conduct heat through, more surface per pound. - Fully cooked ham (reheat only):
15 × lbto 140°F internal. Raw ham:27 × lbto 145°F. Spiral:12 × lb, slices heat fast, dry out faster, so wrap tightly. - Beef roast (medium, 145°F after rest):
20 × lb. Lamb leg:22 × lb. - Resting: turkey
0.15 × cookmin 20; roasts 15–20 flat. Carryover adds ~5–10°F while resting, pull at target minus 5. - Start time = serving − carving buffer − rest − cook. Fridge thaw: 24 h per 5 lb (a 16-lb frozen bird = 3.2 days); cold water: 30 min per lb, water changed every 30 min.
Times are oven-standard estimates; your oven, rack position, and bird shape move them by ±15%. An instant-read thermometer is the only real doneness test (165°F breast, 175°F thigh for turkey). Not food-safety advice for immunocompromised households, cook conservatively.
Frequently asked
How long does a 14 pound turkey take to cook?
Unstuffed at 325°F: about 3 h 35 m, plus 20–30 minutes resting. Start roughly 6 hours before you want to carve.
How long to thaw a 16 pound turkey in the fridge?
4 days (24 hours per 5 lb). The cold-water method takes about 8 hours with 30-minute water changes.
How long to cook a fully cooked ham?
To reheat to 140°F: about 15 minutes per pound at 325°F, a 10 lb ham is 2 h 30 m. Glaze in the last 30 minutes.