Thaw a 15 lb turkey in the refrigerator for about 3 to 4 days. The USDA rule is 24 hours for every 4 to 5 pounds, at 40 °F (4 °C) or colder, and the calculator above has a 15 lb frozen bird ready. Change the weight to the one on your turkey’s label and the timeline tells you the exact day and time to move it from the freezer to the fridge, counted back from dinner.
Why the calculator plans the longer time
Fridges vary. USDA points out that food thaws more slowly in a fridge set at 35 °F than in one at 40 °F, and some shelves run colder than others. The plan uses the slower rate, 4 pounds a day, and rounds it up to a half day, then rounds the start back to 8 AM or 8 PM so it lands at a time you’re home. Starting early costs nothing: once thawed, the turkey keeps another 1 to 2 days.
How to thaw it
Leave the turkey in its original wrapper and set it on a tray or in a roasting pan on the bottom shelf, so drips can’t reach anything else. Don’t unwrap it, rinse it or leave it on the counter “to get a head start”: the surface warms into the 40 to 140 °F danger zone long before the middle softens.
Out of time?
If the plan warns that the fridge is too slow, tap Use cold water: it takes about 30 minutes per pound instead of a day per 4 to 5 pounds. With less time than that, set the thawing method to Roast straight from frozen, which is safe and takes at least half as long again in the oven.
Fridge thawing time by weight
| Turkey | At 5 lb a day | At 4 lb a day | Start this many days ahead |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 lb (3.6 kg) | 1.6 days | 2 days | 2 days |
| 10 lb (4.5 kg) | 2 days | 2.5 days | 2½ days |
| 12 lb (5.4 kg) | 2.4 days | 3 days | 3 days |
| 14 lb (6.4 kg) | 2.8 days | 3.5 days | 3½ days |
| 15 lb (6.8 kg) | 3 days | 3.8 days | 4 days |
| 16 lb (7.3 kg) | 3.2 days | 4 days | 4 days |
| 18 lb (8.2 kg) | 3.6 days | 4.5 days | 4½ days |
| 20 lb (9.1 kg) | 4 days | 5 days | 5 days |
| 22 lb (10 kg) | 4.4 days | 5.5 days | 5½ days |
| 24 lb (10.9 kg) | 4.8 days | 6 days | 6 days |
USDA FSIS, "Let's Talk Turkey": about 24 hours for every 4 to 5 lb in a refrigerator at 40 °F (4 °C) or colder. The last column rounds the slower rate up to a half day, as the timeline does. A thawed turkey keeps 1 to 2 days more in the fridge, so starting early is safe.