Keto Roasted Turkey (Thanksgiving Turkey)

This keto roasted turkey recipe brings juicy, tender meat with perfectly crispy skin to your table, whether it’s the holidays or just a regular night. This recipe will be a game-changer for all your Thankgiving holiday table!

❤️ Why you’ll love it

You will love this simple, yet effective keto roast turkey recipe, and your family and guests will thank you! This roast turkey is perfect for a Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.

🦃 Is turkey keto-friendly?

This is one of my favorite keto Thanksgiving recipes. Turkey is delightfully keto-friendly because it has very few carbs and a good number of nutrients and proteins. Cooked turkey in a 3-ounce serving, whether roasted or fried, has roughly 2 net grams of carbs, so it’s great for a low-carb diet.

Turkey also does not have as much fat as chicken and some other meats. So, while on a keto diet, you should eat other sources of healthy fats to make up for it.

🥘 Equipment Used

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To make this keto roasted turkey recipe, you’ll also need a roasting pan, brining supplies, paper towels, a turkey baster, instant read thermometer, and a carving knife.

🧾 Ingredients Used

Turkey: I use a 10lb turkey for this recipe. This is enough to feed 10 people. You can use any size of turkey you want of either frozen or fresh turkey. Get your frozen turkey from the meat section of your favorite grocery store.
Vegetables: Celery, baby carrots, and green onions.
Aromatics: Garlic cloves, red onions, bay leaf. These add flavor to the turkey.
Spices: Garlic powder, black pepper, and salt. You only need a few spices for this recipe.
Butter: Smear some melted and unsalted butter all over the turkey so that the seasoning sticks to it. It also helps to crisp up the turkey nicely. You can use olive oil instead.
Lemon: Lemon adds a citrusy flavor to the roast turkey.
Chicken broth: For taste and to prevent drying.

🔪 How To Make Keto Thanksgiving Turkey

First thing, brine the turkey following these instructions for 12hrs or overnight in the fridge. Apart from adding flavor and juiciness to the turkey, brining reduces the overall cook time of the turkey.
Bring it out of the fridge after you have brined it, then rinse it thoroughly under running water to remove excess salt from the skin. Next, pat the turkey dry with paper towels to get rid of excess liquid. The best way to get crispy skin is if you roast a dry turkey.
Preheat your oven to 450F. Place the turkey on a roasting pan. You can also use a large baking pan with handles.
Chop the veggies into large chunks and cut the lemon into wedges. Divide the celery, carrots, lemon, garlic cloves, green onions, and red onions into two parts. Loosely stuff one half inside the turkey. Do not overstuff it.
Add the other half of the veggies and bay leaf to the roasting pan and pour in half a cup of broth. Add the bay leaf to the pan. If your turkey came with the giblets stuffed inside (neck, gizzards, and liver), take them out and place them in the roasting pan.
Melt butter and add garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Mix together and rub all over the turkey. Don’t forget to rub some spice under the skin of the turkey and inside the cavity of the turkey as well. Tuck the turkey wings behind the turkey, so that they don’t burn. Place turkey in the lower rack of the oven.
Change the oven temperature to 350F and bake for three hours. Using a turkey baster, take some broth from the pan and pour it over the turkey every 45 minutes.
Check for doneness with a meat thermometer. It should read at least 165F to show it’s thoroughly cooked and safe enough to eat. When the turkey is done, take it out and let it rest for at least 20 minutes before carving.

🥫 Storing and Reheating

To store your leftover turkey, cut the turkey into smaller pieces so it doesn’t take up a lot of space in the refrigerator. Then put them in an airtight container and store them in the fridge for about a week.

To store for longer, you can freeze the turkey meat for a few months. First, place the pieces in a tray or sheet and freeze for a few hours. Next, remove them and place them in an airtight container or freezer-safe sealable bag.

To defrost, leave it in the fridge overnight. Then reheat in an air fryer or in the oven.

💭 Tips and Variations

🍽️ What can I eat this recipe with?

Enjoy the super delicious keto roast turkey with any number of side dishes. Turkey, like chicken, is versatile, so it goes well with whatever you pair it with.

Try pairing this keto turkey dinner with sauteed green beans, keto coleslaw, brussels sprouts, or even some mashed cauliflower for a truly unforgettable experience. This holiday, pair this turkey recipe with any holiday side dish.

You can also use the turkey drippings to make some keto gravy.

Use your leftover turkey to make this keto turkey soup and use the bones to make this turkey bone broth. Nothing is wasted!

👩‍🍳 Frequently asked questions

How do you add flavor to roast turkey?

There are various ways of adding flavor to a turkey. One way to do it is to brine the turkey before roasting it. This allows the turkey to soak up the flavors you add to the brine. You can also marinate the turkey beforehand. Do this either by letting the turkey sit in the marinade for some hours or by injecting the turkey with the marinade. Of course, you can also season the turkey properly to add flavor to it.

Do you cook turkey on bake or roast?

You roast turkey in an oven. Technically, to roast means to cook meats, vegetables, potatoes, and the likes in an uncovered pan in an oven. You roast things that already have structure. To bake is to cook something that doesn’t already have a structure before cooking, like cookies and cakes.

Should I roast my turkey at 325 or 350?

Generally, you should roast your turkey at 350F. Although higher temperatures might cause the turkey to dry out while roasting, it is better to go a bit higher than lower. A lower temperature than that might not allow the inside of the turkey to roast to doneness. It’s always better to err on the side of caution.

How do you roast a turkey and keep it moist?

To roast a juicy, moist, and tender flavorful turkey, you should brine it beforehand. Brining the turkey will allow it to soak up the juices and prevent it from drying out. This is one of the best ways to cook a moist and juicy perfect turkey. The salt in the brine will also break down the proteins which will, in turn, cause tender and moist turkey.

📖 Recipe