Roast a 5 kg turkey at 163 °C (325 °F) for about 2¾ to 3 hours, once it has spent about 2 to 3 days defrosting in the fridge, and take it out when a thermometer reads 74 °C (165 °F) in the thigh, wing and breast. Units are switched to kilograms with a 5 kg bird filled in. Type the weight from your label, or plan from your guest count: sizes and weights show in kg (with pounds alongside), and every temperature in the steps gives °C next to °F.
Where the numbers come from
The calculator follows the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, whose tables are in pounds: they are converted exactly, not rounded to a per-kilo rule. Roasting times are the timetable row for your turkey’s weight, for a 163 °C oven. Defrosting is 24 hours per 4 to 5 lb in the fridge, which works out at roughly 10½ to 13 hours per kilogram, or about an hour per kilogram in cold water changed every half hour. Sizes to buy are rounded up to the next half kilogram.
Hotter ovens and recipes
A recipe that roasts hotter, say at 180 °C, will quote shorter times than these. The calculator only plans the USDA’s 163 °C timetable, so if you roast hotter, start checking with a thermometer earlier than the timeline says. The finish line doesn’t change: 74 °C in all three places.
Christmas or Thanksgiving
The dinner date starts on the next US Thanksgiving or Christmas, whichever comes first; the quick buttons under the timeline jump to US Thanksgiving, Canadian Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Turkey times in kilograms
| Turkey | Thaw in the fridge | In cold water | Roast at 163 °C | Stuffed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 kg (8.8 lb) | 1.8–2.2 days | 4 h 25 min | 2¾ to 3 hours | 3 to 3½ hours |
| 5 kg (11 lb) | 2.2–2.8 days | 5 h 35 min | 2¾ to 3 hours | 3 to 3½ hours |
| 6 kg (13.2 lb) | 2.6–3.3 days | 6 h 40 min | 3 to 3¾ hours | 3½ to 4 hours |
| 7 kg (15.4 lb) | 3.1–3.9 days | 7 h 45 min | 3¾ to 4¼ hours | 4 to 4¼ hours |
| 8 kg (17.6 lb) | 3.5–4.4 days | 8 h 50 min | 3¾ to 4¼ hours | 4 to 4¼ hours |
| 9 kg (19.8 lb) | 4–5 days | 10 h | 4¼ to 4½ hours | 4¼ to 4¾ hours |
| 10 kg (22 lb) | 4.4–5.5 days | 11 h 5 min | 4½ to 5 hours | 4¾ to 5¼ hours |
Converted from USDA FSIS guidance in pounds: thaw 24 hours per 4 to 5 lb (about 10½ to 13 hours per kg) in a fridge at 4 °C or colder, or 30 minutes per lb (about 1 hour per kg) in cold water; roasting times are the USDA timetable row for that weight, in a 163 °C (325 °F) oven. Done at 74 °C (165 °F).