Deep-fry a 12 lb turkey in 350 °F oil for about 36 to 60 minutes. USDA allows 3 to 5 minutes per pound, for a turkey that is completely thawed, not stuffed and 12 lb or less. With the cooking method on the deep fryer and a 12 lb bird filled in, type your weight or your guest count to get the frying time and a timeline from heating the oil to carving.
More than one turkey
One pot fries one turkey at a time, so a second bird means the first one waits, kept hot, until dinner. USDA’s “Turkey from Farm to Table”, in its section on ready-prepared turkey dinners, says hot food must be kept at 140 °F or above if it is eaten within 2 hours, and that keeping it hot longer than 2 hours isn’t a good idea.
The calculator counts that wait strictly: the first turkey may be done at USDA’s fastest 3 minutes per pound, then the second needs its own fry, the oil time to come back to 350 °F (we allow 15 minutes; USDA gives no figure), and the rest and carving before dinner. Even two 8 lb turkeys go past 2 hours that way, so a fryer plan here is always one turkey. When your guest count needs more, the page offers the oven instead, and you can still fry one and roast the rest.
Safety first
USDA’s own guidance on frying starts with the oil, not the minutes: there are safety concerns with that much hot oil. Choose a safe spot outdoors. Use a pot big enough that the oil covers the turkey by 1 to 2 inches without spilling over; the water test in the FAQ tells you how much oil that takes. Heat the oil to 350 °F, then lower the turkey slowly. Keep a thermometer in the oil the whole time, and never leave it unattended.
Is it done?
After the estimated time, lift the turkey out, drain the oil from the cavity and check with a food thermometer: 165 °F in the innermost thigh, the innermost wing and the thickest part of the breast. If it isn’t there yet, lower it straight back in. A fried turkey’s skin can be golden, dark brown or almost black and still be fine. Set it on a tray lined with paper towels and let it rest about 20 minutes before carving.
When the calculator says no
Pick Roast straight from frozen with the fryer and the plan stops: a frozen turkey can’t be fried. Tick the stuffing box and it reminds you to bake the stuffing in a separate dish. A turkey you already have that weighs more than 12 lb gets no fryer plan either, just a button to roast it in the oven.
Deep-frying time by turkey weight
| Turkey | At 3 min per lb | At 5 min per lb | Plan for about |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 lb (3.6 kg) | 24 min | 40 min | 35 min |
| 9 lb (4.1 kg) | 27 min | 45 min | 40 min |
| 10 lb (4.5 kg) | 30 min | 50 min | 40 min |
| 11 lb (5 kg) | 33 min | 55 min | 45 min |
| 12 lb (5.4 kg) | 36 min | 60 min | 50 min |
USDA FSIS, "Turkey: Alternate Routes to the Table": 3 to 5 minutes per pound for a thawed, unstuffed turkey of 8 to 12 lb, in oil at 350 °F. "Plan for about" is the middle of the range rounded up to 5 minutes, which the timeline uses. Done means 165 °F in the thigh, wing and breast.