The hardest part of buying a Thanksgiving turkey is not the cooking. It is the size. Buy too small and the table runs short. Buy too large and the bird does not fit the pan, the fridge, or the smoker, and leftovers fill the fridge for a week. This guide gives you one planning rule, a table by party size, and the one case where two smaller birds beat one big one.
The short answer
Plan on 1 to 1.5 lb of whole, bone-in turkey per adult. Use 1 lb per person for modest appetites and a table full of sides, and 1.5 lb per person for generous portions and leftovers. For boneless turkey breast, plan on about 3/4 lb per person, because there is no bone or frame to pay for.
Whole turkey: 1 to 1.5 lb per person
A whole turkey is not all meat. Bone, skin, and the frame take up a real share of the weight, which is why the planning rule is higher than the amount of meat each person will eat. At 1 lb per person, a party with modest appetites and plenty of sides will be fed. At 1.5 lb per person, generous eaters get a second helping and there is turkey left for sandwiches the next day.
If your table mixes big eaters and light eaters, use 1.25 lb per person as a middle point, then round up to the nearest size the store carries. Rounding up a pound is cheaper than running short, and the extra becomes leftovers.
Boneless turkey breast: about 3/4 lb per person
Boneless breast is a different purchase, because almost all of it is meat. At about 3/4 lb per person, a boneless breast gives a similar serving with far less weight to buy, thaw, and store. It is a good choice for a small table, or when you want a second, simpler option next to a whole bird.
How much turkey to buy, by party size
| Guests, adults | Whole turkey, modest portions | Whole turkey, generous portions and leftovers | Boneless turkey breast |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 4 lb | 6 lb | 3 lb |
| 6 | 6 lb | 9 lb | 4.5 lb |
| 8 | 8 lb | 12 lb | 6 lb |
| 10 | 10 lb | 15 lb | 7.5 lb |
| 12 | 12 lb | 18 lb | 9 lb |
| 16 | 16 lb | 24 lb | 12 lb |
Grocery turkeys come in set sizes, so buy the next size up when your number falls between two. For 10 guests at the generous end, for example, that means a 15 to 16 lb bird, not a 12 lb bird that leaves the table short.
When two smaller birds beat one big one
Once your table passes 12 guests, or your generous plan passes 20 lb, think about two smaller birds instead of one very large one. Two 10 to 12 lb birds feed 16 people at the generous end, and they do it better than a single 24 lb bird in three ways.
First, they cook more evenly. A smaller bird heats through faster, the breast is less likely to dry out while the thigh catches up, and the 165°F finish in the thigh, wing, and breast is easier to hit at the same time. Second, they fit. Two smaller birds fit a fridge, a roasting pan, and a smoker more easily than one bird over 20 lb. Third, they thaw faster. Two 12 lb birds thaw in 2 to 3 days in the fridge, while a single 24 lb bird needs 5 to 6 days. See the full timetable in our guide to how long to thaw a turkey.
Two birds also give you a second flavor. Smoke one and roast the other, or season them differently, and the table gets a choice without extra work.
Planning leftovers
If you want leftovers, buy at the 1.5 lb end of the rule and plan the storage before you cook. Refrigerate leftover turkey within 2 hours of cooking, use it within 3 to 4 days, and freeze any extra beyond that. Leftovers are the best reason to buy big, but only if the fridge has room for them.
From buying to cooking
Once you have the size, the next two steps are timing and cooking. Work out the thaw and roast schedule with the Turkey Cook Time Calculator, and the thaw dates for your bird in our guide to how long to thaw a turkey. For the cook itself, see our guide on how to smoke a turkey.
Food safety figures in this guide follow USDA/FSIS guidance. The per-person amounts are planning rules for buying, not safety times. For safe times, trust the thermometer and the 165°F finish.
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