Whole30 Thanksgiving Turkey with Fruit & Herbs

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Hi, my name is Amanda. I’m 39 years old and I just roasted my first Thanksgiving turkey. Whew, it feels good to say that! Our family usually hosts Thanksgiving dinner every year and my husband’s family visits. Typically my husband is in charge of making the delicious turkey, but this year I stepped in. My sister-in-law and her husband just happen to be on a round of Whole30 (not the most convenient timing with holiday meals, but I support their efforts!), so I decided I would create an amazing Whole30 Thanksgiving menu for us – including a Whole30 Thanksgiving turkey!

My friend Juli over at Tangled With Taste recently shared her aromatic lemon, apple, and herb turkey recipe – and it looks AMAZING. I salivate when I look at her turkey pictures. While I would love love love to make her recipe, but I figured the next best thing would be to use it as a base for my own Whole30 turkey recipe! The perfect start to a Whole30 Thanksgiving menu, along with our beloved fruit turkey, my delicious sweet potato apple cranberry bake, and some yummy sausage stuffed mushrooms. (Full Whole30 Thanksgiving menu at the bottom of this post)

I feel like I need to clarify something: I’m not a food blogger. (But thank goodness I’m friends with one, woohoo!) Yes I blog about food, but I stumble my way around my kitchen. I typically google recipes, although I’m getting better about tweaking things and not following every ingredient and direction to a T. So I’m about to say goodbye to pride and give you the real life low down of how this hot mess mom just barely made a delicious Whole30 Thanksgiving turkey.

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Step-by-Step Whole30 Turkey Recipe

Ok y’all, I’m about to break this down into little bitty steps. So if you’re an experienced turkey cooker, you may want to scroll down and just skim my ingredients list. But in case there’s someone out there who lives the Murphy’s Law kind of life (whatever can go wrong will go wrong seems to be my motto), I’ll just spell it all out. Hopefully it will save someone from the mistakes I made in the past 24 hours.

First of all, you need to buy a turkey. Juli’s recipe called for a 12-18 pound turkey, so I set out to find one that size. You’d think turkeys are easy to find 2 weeks before Thanksgiving. Not so much. My local Kroger didn’t have any set out yet, but the super nice guy at the meat counter found one for me in the back. That meant I couldn’t be picky, so I graciously took my frozen solid 12 pound Butterball turkey and the rest of my ingredients and went home.

But I really wanted to cook that turkey the next day. So I had to thaw the turkey fast.

At 4:00 PM, after googling “how to thaw a frozen turkey fast,” I cut off the mesh cover and put my plastic-wrapped turkey in the kitchen sink. I ran a sink full of cold water (you’re supposed to soak the frozen turkey in cold water, changing the water every 30 minutes until thawed – about 30 minutes per pound – and the turkey should stay sealed in a leak-proof wrapper or bag then cooked promptly after thawing this way.) around my turkey and then realized my sink wasn’t deep enough for the turkey to be covered.

Well shoot.

Then I remembered that we have some 5 gallon orange buckets from Home Depot (they are clean – my son uses them for drum practice), so I ran to the basement and grabbed one. Two minutes later, my turkey was chilling in a bucket in my bathroom tub. Super quick and easy to dump and refill the water that way, and the turkey was safely covered!

Making the Turkey Brine

About an hour before I expected the turkey to be thawed, I began making the brine. It was also at this point that I started really hoping this Whole30 Thanksgiving turkey plan wasn’t going to flop. I was already tired and the cooking part hadn’t even started!

Juli’s brine called for molasses or brown sugar, but that would be noncompliant in a Whole30 turkey recipe so I just omitted any sweetener. I also added an extra bay leaf (because I dropped it accidentally) and an extra clove of garlic (because garlic is life). Butterball turkeys are supposedly slightly brined already, so I reduced the salt from 1.5 cups to just 1 cup. The rest of the instructions I followed as directed. I put everything into a pot and brought it to a boil. Fun fact: if you boil pink Himalayan salt, it turns the water pink! It’s pretty.

Oh, and because I was trying to work quickly before falling asleep at my kitchen table, I also reduced the water amount in the brine. I used about a gallon of water (totally guessing on that amount) and then added in some ice afterwards to help the brine cool off faster.

I also poured the partially cooled brine into a pitcher to help it cool faster. These days, I’d recommend using ice as part of the measured liquid instead and making sure the brine is completely cold before it touches the turkey.

After about six hours in the cold-water bath, my 12-pound turkey was fully thawed, so I dumped the bucket and moved on to brining in the kitchen.

Brining the Turkey

I had one of those flimsy foil roasting pans, and a leftover turkey oven bag from last year. The bag went inside the pan, and the turkey went inside the bag. After pouring the delicious smelling brine over the turkey, I closed the bag up and set the whole pan/bag/brine/turkey combo in the fridge. Juli recommends brining a lightly pre-brined turkey for about an hour per pound – so 12 hours for my bird!

Make sure your brine is fully cooled before pouring it on your turkey. Otherwise it could warm your turkey too much and you risk getting sick!

The brining was the easiest part of this entire Whole30 turkey recipe! I got to sleep while my turkey soaked up citrus herb deliciousness in the fridge overnight.

How to not Ruin Your Whole30 Thanksgiving Turkey

Ok but for real.

Here’s where I help you to NOT mess up the way I did. First of all, make sure you have a good roasting pan. I’ve only ever used those flimsy foil pans, so I had to go buy a pan at Target.

Don’t wait until you’ve preheated your oven to realize you need a roasting pan.

I had to turn off my oven, drive to Target, and RUN to find a pan (and some eggs for my sausage stuffed mushrooms). I grabbed this Farberware nonstick roasting pan, and it’s what I used to cook this turkey. It’s fine, but I didn’t realize until after I got back home that it’s only oven safe to 450 degrees.

My original inspiration started the turkey at 500 degrees, but because my roasting pan was only oven-safe to 450, that’s the temperature I used. And since my turkey turned out beautifully, 450°F is what I use in this recipe.

Wish I had bought this pan instead – but I’ll do that next time.

Food blogger inside tip: Protect your roasting pan.

Also, after you wash and dry your new roasting pan, you’re going to line the bottom of the pan in foil. (Juli gave me that tip AFTER my turkey was in the oven. Terrible timing, Juli! Haha!) Then pour a cup of water in the bottom to help keep the drippings from burning and sticking to the bottom of the pan.

If you’re doing things last minute like me and you need to cook your turkey immediately after brining, read this carefully. Take your turkey out of the bag of brine, let the excess brine drip off, and place it on the roasting rack. Pat the turkey thoroughly dry with paper towels, then discard the brine.

THEN, make your turkey a hat. I’m not going into all the details but trust me. Juli has a video that demonstrates this perfectly and explains why your turkey needs a hat. (Scroll to the bottom of her recipe post to watch.) I’m just saying to make your hat RIGHT NOW, before you have a greasy turkey and BEFORE IT GETS TO 450 DEGREES OR MORE.

Ok, I think that should cover all the bases. Let’s cook our Whole30 Thanksgiving turkey!

Roasting a Whole30 Thanksgiving Turkey

So we’ve thawed, brined, and dried our turkey to this point. We’ve bought our pan and we are ready for the Whole30 turkey recipe – or the roasting portion anyway.

While Juli’s herb butter sounds delicious, we know butter isn’t allowed on Whole30. But ghee is! And so is bacon grease. I used 2 Tbsp of each and combined them with my chopped parsley. (Hint: I found lightly dried parsley in the produce section. One container is about 1/2 cup lightly dried parsley, which is about the same as 1 cup fresh parsley! Yay for less chopping in the kitchen!)

I didn’t add salt to the herb butter mixture since the ghee contained Himalayan salt and the bacon grease is salty as well. I’d rather have an undersalted turkey than an oversalted one, so I was being cautious.

I put the ghee, bacon grease, and parsley into a glass measuring cup. Then I microwaved it for a few seconds until the grease and ghee softened.

More tips to not ruin your Whole30 Thanksgiving turkey here

Right here – get your kitchen towel handy and prepare your hand soap because you will soon need it. A lot. And preheat your oven to 450 degrees.

Before greasing up my turkey, I prepared my aromatics. I chopped the apple and onion and sprinkled cinnamon on top. Instead of using ginger ale (not Whole30 compliant), I used cranberry flavored sparkling water! Lacroix is one of my favorite Whole30 compliant drinks, so I always have some on hand. I put everything together in a small glass baking dish and nuked it for 5 minutes.

While the aromatics steeped in the microwave, I applied the herb butter between the skin and the meat. (Just to clarify, we all know this isn’t herb butter right? Saying herb ghee grease just doesn’t sound appealing though.) This is MESSY. Oh my gosh. My hands were yellow green and it took a few washings to get clean. But if Juli says it’s necessary, I’m doing it!

I hope you bought extra dish soap on your last minute Target run.

After washing my hands forever, I added the aromatics into the turkey’s cavity. The ingredients were hot, so I used tongs to stick everything inside without burning my hands.

Then I tucked the wings under the turkey. Or at least I tried – and yes I had to google how to do that too. Then I coated the skin liberally with avocado oil (better than canola and has a high smoke point). As much as I hate wasting plastic, I didn’t want super greasy hands again. My little Earth-loving heart didn’t hesitate to use a sandwich bag to cover my hand while I smeared oil on that turkey skin.

Before you put the turkey in the oven, salt the skin generously. Otherwise you’ll have to pull the turkey back out to salt it.

Also make sure you put ALL of the aromatics inside before putting the roasting pan in the oven. It’s not easy to use tongs to shove rosemary and sage up a hot turkey’s butt. But I’m here to say it CAN be done when necessary.

Roast that turkey.

Now for the last step in my Whole30 turkey recipe: your turkey is ready to roast! Hopefully you remembered to preheat the oven when you started the herb butter step. Put the turkey in, uncovered, for 30-45 minutes. If you have to take your turkey back out multiple times to salt it, to shove the herbs in the cavity, and to make the hat, you’ll probably need to lean closer to 45 minutes.

Then put the hat on the turkey, turn down to 350 degrees, and finish roasting until it’s done!

Use a good meat thermometer to check for doneness. The turkey should reach at least 165°F in the thickest part of the breast, the innermost part of the thigh, and the innermost part of the wing.

My 12-pound turkey took roughly 3 hours total, but turkey cooking times can vary quite a bit. Start checking the temperature early and let your meat thermometer make the final call.

After cooking my turkey for 2.5 hours, guess what I realized I don’t have? A meat thermometer. I forgot the kids broke it. Sigh… thank goodness there’s Google. To be safe, I cooked this turkey for 3 hours. Luckily it turned out perfectly!

Whole30 Thanksgiving Turkey with Fruit & Herbs

Yield: 10–14 servings

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours 30 minutes

Inactive Time: 12 hours 30 minutes

Total Time: 16 hours 30 minutes

A juicy Whole30 Thanksgiving turkey brined with lemon, garlic, and fresh herbs, then roasted with an herb ghee mixture and apple, onion, rosemary, and sage aromatics.

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Ingredients

Turkey

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• 1 12-18 pounds whole turkey, fresh or fully thawed
• Avocado oil, for coating turkey
• Salt, for seasoning

For the Brine

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• 1-1 1/2 cups salt
• 1 1/2 gallons water
• 8 bay leaves
• 6 lemons, washed and quartered
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme

For the Herb “Butter”

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• 2 tablespoons ghee
• 2 tablespoons bacon grease, from Whole30-compliant bacon
• 1 cup chopped fresh parsley, OR ½ cup lightly dried parsley

For the Aromatics

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• 1 red apple, quartered
• 1 sweet onion, peeled and quartered
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 6 fresh sage leaves
• 1 can cranberry LaCroix or other unsweetened sparkling water

For the Roasting Pan

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• 1 cup water
• Aluminum foil

Instructions

Thaw the Turkey

1. If frozen, thaw the turkey completely in the refrigerator before cooking. Allow approximately 24 hours for every 4–5 pounds.
2. For faster thawing, keep the turkey sealed in a leak-proof package and completely submerged in cold water. Allow approximately 30 minutes per pound, changing the water every 30 minutes. Cook immediately after thawing.

Brine the Turkey

1. Combine the salt, water, bay leaves, lemons, garlic, rosemary, and thyme in a large pot.
2. Bring to a boil and cook for 2–3 minutes, stirring gently until the salt dissolves.
3. Remove from the heat and cool the brine completely.
4. Place the turkey in a food-safe brining bag or large container and pour the completely cooled brine over the turkey.
5. Refrigerate while brining for approximately 1 hour per pound.
6. Remove the turkey from the brine and discard the brine. Pat the turkey thoroughly dry with paper towels.

Prepare the Turkey

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
2. Line the bottom of a roasting pan with aluminum foil and pour 1 cup of water into the bottom of the pan. Place the roasting rack inside.
3. Place the turkey breast-side up on the rack and pat dry again if necessary.
4. Shape a piece of aluminum foil into a loose shield that will fit over the breast. Set it aside for later.

Make the Herb “Butter”

1. Gently separate the turkey skin from the breast meat, beginning near the cavity and working carefully toward the top of the breast.
2. Combine the ghee, bacon grease, and parsley.
3. Spread the herb mixture underneath the loosened skin, coating the breast meat as evenly as possible.

Prepare the Aromatics

1. Place the apple, onion, cinnamon, rosemary, and sage in a microwave-safe dish.
2. Pour the sparkling water over the aromatics.
3. Microwave on high for about 5 minutes to steep the aromatics. Allow them to cool enough to handle safely.
4. Using tongs if needed, place the aromatics loosely inside the turkey cavity.

Roast the Turkey

1. Tuck the wings underneath the turkey.
2. Coat the outside of the turkey lightly with avocado oil and season with salt.
3. Place the turkey on the lowest oven rack and roast uncovered at 450°F for 30–45 minutes, until the skin begins to brown.
4. Carefully place the prepared foil shield over the breast.
5. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and continue roasting until the turkey reaches at least 165°F in the thickest part of the breast, innermost part of the thigh, and innermost part of the wing.
6. Remove the turkey from the oven and let it rest for 20–30 minutes before carving.

Notes

Brining time: Plan on about 1 hour per pound for a lightly pre-brined turkey. If your turkey is heavily pre-brined or injected with a salt solution, reduce the salt in the brine.

Cool the brine completely: Never pour warm brine over raw turkey. If you want to speed things up, use part of the measured water to make the brine, then add enough ice/cold water to bring the total liquid to 1½ gallons.

Do not rinse after brining: Remove the turkey from the brine, let the excess drip off, and pat it thoroughly dry with paper towels.

Turkey size affects cook time: Use roasting times only as a guide. A food thermometer is the best way to determine when the turkey is done.

Safe temperature: Cook until the turkey reaches 165°F in the thickest part of the breast, innermost thigh, and innermost wing, taking care not to touch bone with the thermometer.

Whole30 note: Make sure your bacon/bacon grease and sparkling water contain no non-compliant ingredients if you're following Whole30 strictly.

Turkey hat: The foil “hat” is simply a loose foil shield placed over the breast after the initial high-temperature roast to keep the breast from browning too quickly.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 14 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 77Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 98mgCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 3gSugar: 4gProtein: 4g

Get the WHOLE Thanksgiving Menu

While I don’t have a completely Whole30 menu for Thanksgiving, I do have a whole menu for Thanksgiving that’s pretty darn healthy! Apps, sides, and desserts to add to this yummy turkey for a fantastic holiday meal!

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