Our Best Thanksgiving Turkey Recipes for Your Fall Feast

Tasty and traditional, Alton Brown’s recipe for turkey and stuffing hits all the right holiday high notes.

Don’t feel like cooking a whole bird? A turkey breast is a great option if you’re looking for a less complicated preparation

Stuffing the turkey with a heap of fresh thyme, a halved lemon, Spanish onion and garlic infuses this roast turkey recipe with a jolt of freshness. To finish it off, brush the outside of the turkey with an herb and garlic mixture, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

If you’re hosting a smaller group for the holidays, a turkey roulade is a great alternative to a whole roasted bird. Turkey breast is stuffed with a mixture of pork sausage, herbs and vegetables before roasting, and served sliced with homemade gravy.

A succulent, juicy turkey served with homemade roasted onion turkey gravy that’s sure to make jaws drop and stomachs rumble at your festive feast.

Tucking the lemon and sage butter under the skin infuses the bird with a boost of herb flavour, while helping to keep it moist and juicy in this recipe from Barry C. Parsons of The Rock Recipes.

This year, try skipping bread-based dressing for these turkey meatballs that are cooked stuffing-style inside of the roasting bird.

Spend less time in the kitchen and more time with your loved ones with this turkey hack from Ree Drummond. Have your butcher cut the turkey into six large sections, which speeds up the roasting time. Prepare it the day before your Thanksgiving dinner or any social gathering, and roast for an additional hour before serving.

Whiz a pad of butter with fresh sage, rosemary, thyme and parsley in the food processor, and then rub it all over the bird for a mouth-watering step that will take your turkey to the next level.

This gorgeously-golden bird stays moist with a pre-roast citrus brine and a serious rub-down of rosemary-citrus butter.

Sure, there’s some serious prep time involved, but you won’t believe the mouth-watering results from soaking a turkey in honey-tinged brine for 12 hours before barbecuing the bird with Alton Brown’s hickory “smoke bomb.”

Prepping the right wood chips (such as hickory, apple or pecan wood) as a base for slow smoking a turkey is key in this recipe, and you’ll definitely taste the difference.

Crispy skin is the best, but Giada takes it one step further by covering her bird with a thin layer of salty cured prosciutto. But there’s more delicious flavour once you cut inside. Giada dry-brines her bird with salt, thyme, pepper flakes and lemon zest. The result is mouthwatering bird that has absorbed all that fresh flavour.

This juicy turkey breast is stuffed with a mixture of sweet sausage, prosciutto, chestnuts, olives and sage for a truly Italian spin on a special-occasion classic.

Deep-fried turkey has long been a holiday staple with our neighbours to the south, and Alton Brown walks us through the process step by step with the goal of placing a crispy-skinned, juicy turkey on the table for your holiday feast.

Make your holiday main anything but ordinary with this maple and whiskey glazed turkey recipe.

This Rachael Ray recipe gets a burst of earthy flavour by first basting it with bay-infused butter and then again by roasting it on a bed of more bay leaves.

They key to a good brine is the perfect proportions of sugar and salt. Too little and it won’t tenderize your meat. Too much and your meat will be too salty. Thank goodness for this beautiful rosemary brine recipe, which will help you create a perfectly moist and seasoned bird.

The secret to this turkey is a 48-hour herb and vegetable brine before going in for a perfectly-timed crispy-skinned roast. Serve with a uniquely flavoured apple cider gravy.

If you’d rather spend less time in the kitchen and more time with your loved ones over the holidays, try Valerie’s roulade. Butterflied turkey breasts are wrapped around a sweet and savoury stuffing filled with cranberry, citrus and herbs.

Orange, lemon and Herbes de Provence (a classic French spice blend of savory, marjoram, rosemary, thyme and oregano) transform an ordinary roast turkey into an elegant centrepiece.

There’s no need to be intimidated by cooking a whole turkey for your holiday feast; Guy keeps things simple with this flavour-packed turkey breast recipe.

Fresh thyme and white truffle butter artfully placed beneath the skin of the bird is the secret to Ina Garten’s elegant roast turkey.

The key to a tender, moist and flavourful bird is making time for brining. The night before your feast, make this sweet and salty mixture of apple cider, brown sugar, salt, peppercorns, garlic, bay leaves, oranges, shallots, parsley, sage and thyme. Let your bird bathe in this concoction overnight for maximum flavour infusion. Then roast as normal and get ready for compliments!

Dry mustard, cinnamon, nutmeg and coriander lend this holiday turkey recipe an unexpected punch.

Brining and roasting a turkey is much simpler than you may think, and it makes for a tasty and juicy bird.

Forgo the whole bird this year and opt for a rolled turkey breast you can slice and serve without worrying about bones. This delectable dish is stuffed with fennel, juniper berries and rosemary, reminiscent of porchetta, another classic Italian roast.

You’ll need a countertop indoor turkey fryer for this recipe (a simply skillet won’t do), but trust us: this mouthwateringly juicy turkey is worth the extra effort.

Amped up with the addition of truffle salt and black truffle butter, this crispy-on-the-outside turkey main will standout from the rest and makes an eye-catching centrepiece.

This Southern-style turkey is simply unforgettable. The process starts two days ahead of time with a salty, spiced brine guaranteed to give you a tender, flavourful bird. Break out the barbecue and give your bird even more depth by smoking it on a charcoal grill. Applewood or hickory chips are ideal.

The weather outside is chilly, so bring some heat to your holiday table with a spicy Italian turkey. Each turkey breast is filled with spicy cornbread and sausage stuffing that gets a hint of heat from Calabrian chili paste. Tie it all together with butcher’s twine before roasting. Slice into rounds for a beautiful presentation that delivers a little stuffing and turkey with each serving.

This stuffing combines chopped apricots, rosemary, chopped vegetables and courtons and roasted to perfection.

Any liquid will work in this gravy. Try white wine, grape juice, apple juice, orange juice or chicken stock – they’re all fair game! For even more oomph, spoon in cranberry jelly, mustard, salsa, horseradish or your favourite herb.

Get out of your roasted turkey rut and try this Southwestern smoked turkey recipe for Thanksgiving this year. Serve it with a sweet and spicy peach glaze instead of gravy, and an assortment of sides.

Get a head start on your Thanksgiving meal prep with this simple turkey recipe from Ina Garten. You won’t have to make extra trips to the supermarket since you’ll find most of the ingredients in your pantry, and there will be plenty of leftovers for sandwiches, soups and more.

Expecting a smaller crowd for Thanksgiving this year? Instead of making an entire bird and spending hours in the kitchen, try this make-ahead turkey breast recipe so you can enjoy more time with your loved ones. Brining makes it extra juicy and flavourful, and it goes from oven to table in under an hour.

This traditional turkey recipe is enough to feed a crowd and still have leftovers for another day. It’s stuffed with pork sausage and sourdough bread, and served with a simple homemade gravy.

Give your Thanksgiving meal a hint of Italian flavours with this tantalizing recipe. Butterflied turkey is roasted and served with pepperoni and mozzarella stuffing and a Marsala-spiked gravy.