This cheesecloth turkey is my favorite way to roast a Thanksgiving turkey. The butter-soaked cloth holds the herb butter against the turkey as it roasts, helping protest the breast meat while the skin turns beautifully golden brown.
I’ve tested this method several times, and have been making this turkey recipe for years, and the biggest thing to know is that it’s much less fussy than it looks. I leave the cheesecloth on for the entire roasting time, and you don’t need to continually open the oven to baste the turkey.
The cloth will get very dark ask it roasts. That’s exactly what you want!
Need a side? Serve it with make-ahead gluten-free gravy and boursin mashed potatoes!
Table of Contents
I originally started testing the cheesecloth method after seeing other cooks use it, then adapted it into the simpler method I use here: herb butter under the skin and butter soaked cheesecloth over the turkey.
After making it several times, there are a few things I know make the biggest difference:
- dry the turkey well
- fully saturate the cheesecloth with butter
- trust your meat thermometer over the clock
- don’t worry when the cheesecloth gets very dark.
I’ve included step-by-step photos and a video so you know exactly what to look for!
Why Use Cheesecloth on Turkey?
Butter-soaked cheesecloth acts like a self-basting layer over the turkey. It keeps the herb butter in contact with the skin as the turkey roasts while allowing the skin to brown underneath.
For me, the biggest advantage is that you don’t have to constantly baste the turkey. I leave it on the entire roasting time and only baste with pan drippings if I happen to have the oven open.
And don’t be alarmed when the cheesecloth gets very dark. That’s normal. I’ve had readers tell me they thought their turkey was burning because of how dark the cloth looked, only to pull it back and find a beautifully golden turkey underneath.
Reader Reviews
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “We tried this recipe for a celebratory Thanksgiving: cooking a first turkey in the first home with their firstborn. BEST TURKEY recipe ever! Deliciously moist and flavorful! No basting! Going to try on a large Chicken Roaster, too!” – Eve
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “I’m newly married and hosted Christmas Eve dinner for both sides of the family this past year – I’ve never cooked a whole bird in my life so I was really nervous. However, I made this to the exact direction and it turned out BEAUTIFUL! Like couldn’t believe I actually made it and everyone raved about it.. Highly recommend, and if I can do it, anyone can!” – Bailey
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Turkey: Choose a turkey that’s the right size for your gathering. Plan on about 1 pound per person, or 1 1/2 pounds per person if you want plenty of leftovers. Check the packaging before brining because many turkeys are already seasoned or brined. If it’s not, you can brine your own turkey. You could also use a dry brine!
- Butter: Use unsalted butter for the herb butter and to soak the cheesecloth.
- Fresh herbs: I use a mix of fresh sage, rosemary, and thyme for that classic Thanksgiving flavor. Save a few whole sprigs for the turkey cavity.
- Onion, garlic, celery and lemon: These go inside the cavity and add flavor as the turkey roasts.
- Salt: I like kosher salt for seasoning the herb butter. If your turkey is already brined or seasoned, keep that in mind before adding additional salt or dry brining.
Equipment You Need
- Roasting pan: a roasting pan with a rack is best. If you don’t have a roasting rack, see the recipe notes for my easy vegetable-rack option
- Cheesecloth: You can get this for $5 from Amazon so don’t worry that it’s anything fancy!
- Baster: using a baster because the cheesecloth continually does this. But I like to add a little extra turkeydrippings on top a few times throughout the cooking process.
Need a Thanksgiving side dish? Try savory sweet potato casserole, gluten-free stuffing, or broccoli casserole next.
How to Make a Cheesecloth Turkey
Prep the turkey
Step 1. Let it rest at room temp: Remove the turkey from the refrigerator 1-2 hours before roasting. Remove the neck and giblets, then pat the turkey very dry with paper towels, including inside the cavity. Drying the surface well helps the skin brown and crisp.
Step 2. Fill the turkey cavity: Place the turkey breast-side up on the roasting rack. Fill the cavity with onion, celery, lemon, garlic, and a few sprigs of fresh herbs. I prefer to bake stuffing separately so the turkey cooks more predictably.
Butter the Turkey
Step 3. Make the herb butter: mix together all of the ingredients in a small bowl.
Step 4. Butter the turkey: Gently slide your fingers beneath the skin over the breasts and thighs, being careful not to tear it. Spread half of the herb butter underneath the skin, then rub the remaining herb butter all over the outside of the turkey.
Step 5. Soak the cheesecloth in butter: Melt the remaining butter, then completely submerge the cheesecloth in it. Turn and press the cloth into the butter until every part is saturated.
Step 6. Cover the turkey in cheesecloth: Fold it in half to create a double layer, then drape it over the turkey so the breast and as much of the bird as possible are covered. Make sure the cheesecloth is thoroughly saturated with butter. This keeps it moist as the turkey roasts and helps prevent it from sticking to the skin.
Roast the Turkey
Step 6. Roast the turkey at 350°F: Roast the turkey at 350°F according to the approximate time for your turkey’s weight below. Leave the cheesecloth on for the entire roasting time. It will become very dark as the turkey cooks, which is normal.
Step 7. Rotate and baste optional: There’s no need to repeatedly open the oven to baste the turkey. If you’re already rotating the pan, you can spoon some of the pan drippings over the cheesecloth, but otherwise let the butter-soaked cloth do the work.
Step 8. Check the turkey temperature and pull it from the oven to account for carryover cooking: Start checking the turkey about 30 minutes before you expect it to be done. Insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the breast and the innermost part of the thigh without touching bone. The breast should read 155-60°F and the thigh should read 175°F when you pull the turkey from the oven. The temperature of the breast will continue to rise as the turkey rests.
Step 9. Rest the turkey: Remove the turkey from the oven and carefully peel away and discard the cheesecloth. If any part sticks to the skin, spoon a little warm pan drippings or melted butter over that spot and gently loosen it rather than pulling.
Transfer the turkey to a cutting board or serving platter and loosely tent it with foil. Rest for 30 minutes before carving. This is the perfect time to use the pan drippings to make gluten-free gravy.
Turkey Cook Times by Weight
Roasting time depends on the size of your turkey, but temperature is the best indicator of doneness. Use these times to plan your Thanksgiving schedule and start checking the internal temperature about 30 minutes before the earliest listed time.
- 10 to 12 pounds: 2 1/2 to 3 hours total
- 12 to 14 pounds: 2 3/4 to 3 1/4 hours total
- 14 to 16 pounds: 3 to 3 3/4 hours total
- 16 to 18 pounds: 3 1/4 to 4 hours total
- 18 to 20 pounds: 3 1/2 to 4 1/4 hours total
- 20+ pounds: 3 3/4 to 4 1/2 hours total
What Size Turkey Do I Need?
Plan on about 1 pound of turkey per person, or 1 1/2 pounds per person if you want generous leftovers. For 10 people, I’d buy about a 15-pound turkey if leftovers are part of the plan.
Cooking for a large crowd? Consider roasting two smaller turkeys instead of one enormous bird. They’re easier to handle and will typically cook faster.
Molly’s Tips for the Best Cheesecloth Turkey
- Give it time out of the fridge. Remove the turkey from the refrigerator 1-2 hours before roasting so it isn’t going into the oven ice cold.
- Dry the turkey thoroughly. Excess moisture on the surface works against browning, so take an extra minute with the paper towels before adding the herb butter.
- Check the package before brining. Some turkeys are already brined or seasoned. If yours isn’t, you can dry brine it the day before. I’ve made this with a dry-brined turkey and still use both the herb butter under the skin and butter-soaked cheesecloth on top.
- Don’t panic when the cheesecloth gets dark. It may look alarmingly brown by the end of roasting. That’s normal and doesn’t mean the turkey underneath is burning.
- Don’t keep opening the oven. The cheesecloth is doing the basting for you. Every time you open the door, heat escapes and the cooking time can increase.
- Trust the thermometer, not the clock. Turkey size, shape, starting temperature, and individual ovens all affect roasting time, so use the cooking chart as a guide and temperature as your final cue.
- Rest before carving. Give the turkey a full 30 minutes before slicing.
Leftover Turkey Recipes
If leftovers are part of your Thanksgiving plan, put them to work in one of these easy meals:
- Leftover turkey sliders
- Turkey casserole
- Turkey soup
- Make a hash in the morning with eggs and sweet potatoes
- Turkey cobb salad
Cheesecloth Turkey with Herb Butter
Save this Recipe!
Ingredients
Turkey
- 18-20 lb turkey or the right size turkey for your family (see recipe notes for cook times)
- 1/2 medium yellow onion cut in half
- 2 stalks celery roughly chopped
- 6 cloves whole garlic
- 1/2 lemon
Herb Butter
- 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage plus more for stuffing the bird
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme plus more for stuffing the bird
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary plus more for stuffing the bird
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 3 teaspoons salt
Instructions
- Before you begin: See the notes below if you plan to dry brine the turkey the day before. Remove the turkey from the refrigerator 1-2 hours before roasting. Remove the neck and giblets, then pat the turkey very dry with paper towels, including inside the cavity.
- Preheat oven to 350°F and adjust the oven rack to the lower third position. Place a roasting rack inside the roasting pan. See notes if you don't have a roasting rack.
- Place the turkey on the roasting rack then fill the cavity with the onion, celery, garlic, lemon and extra sprigs of herbs and set aside.18-20 lb turkey, 1/2 medium yellow onion, 2 stalks celery, 6 cloves whole garlic, 1/2 lemon
- Add the softened butter, herbs, salt and garlic to a medium microwave safe bowl and mash well with a fork to combine.1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme, 1 tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary, 6 cloves garlic, 3 teaspoons salt
- Use your fingers to gently loosen the skin over the breasts and thighs, being careful not to tear it. Spread 1/4 of the compound butter underneath the skin and another 1/4 over the outside of the turkey.
- Melt the remaining butter in the microwave in 30-second increments. Cut a large piece of cheesecloth approximately 3 1/2 feet by 1 1/2 feet. Submerge it completely in the melted butter, turning and pressing it into the butter until every inch is saturated.
- Fold the large piece of cheesecloth in half widthwise to create a double layer of cheesecloth. Drape it over the prepared bird to cover it fully.
- Roast for 3 1/2-4 1/2 hours, adjusting the roasting time based on the size of your turkey (see notes). Leave the cheesecloth on for the entire roasting time. It will become very dark as the turkey roasts. This is normal and exactly what you want. There's no need to baste the turkey. If your oven browns unevenly, rotate the pan about halfway through cooking. If you're already opening the oven to rotate it, you can spoon some pan drippings over the cheesecloth if desired.
- Begin checking for doneness about 30 minutes before the earliest estimated cooking time. Insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the breast and the innermost part of the thigh without touching bone. Pull the turkey from the oven when the breast reaches 155-160°F and the thigh reaches 175°F. The breast temperature will continue to rise to 165°F as the turkey rests.
- Remove the turkey from the oven and carefully peel away and discard the cheesecloth. If it sticks anywhere, spoon a little warm pan drippings or melted butter over that spot and gently loosen it. Transfer the turkey to a large cutting board or serving platter, loosely tent with foil, and rest for 30 minutes before carving. This is the perfect time to make gravy with the pan drippings.
Notes
- 1lb of turkey per person attending. Go for 1 1/2 lbs of turkey per person to ensure you have leftovers. A gathering of 10 people would require a 15 lb turkey.
- 10 to 12 pounds: 2 1/2 to 3 hours total
- 12 to 14 pounds: 2 3/4 to 3 1/4 hours total
- 14 to 16 pounds: 3 to 3 3/4 hours total
- 16 to 18 pounds: 3 1/4 to 4 hours total
- 18 to 20 pounds: 3 1/2 to 4 1/4 hours total
- 20+ pounds: 3 3/4 to 4 1/2 hours total
Video
Equipment
- Roasting pan
- Cheesecloth
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.
We tried this recipe for a celebratory Thanksgiving: cooking a first turkey in the first home with their firstborn. BEST TURKEY recipe ever! Deliciously moist and flavorful! No basting! Going to try on a large Chicken Roaster, too!
Do you remove the cheesecloth after you take the Turkey out of the oven or wait until you’re ready to slice it,
You can take it off when it’s resting!
Hello I want to try doing the butter cheesecloth, my question is if you dry brine and are using the buttered cheesecloth do you also have to put the herb butter under the skin or would that be too much
Hi Kelly! Yes, still put the herb butter under the skin — it’s not too much, and it’s part of what makes this method work so well!
OMG…this cheesecloth method is awesome. The cloth got so dark i was worried, but my turkey was beautiful.
So glad to hear that! It’s my favorite way to do a turkey!
The Instructions state to “see notes for brining the turkey the day before”. Does it makes sense to dry brine the turkey the day before and then also used the soaked cheesecloth just prior to roasting?
Hey Keith! Yes you can dry brine it before and then use the cheesecloth as well. The cheesecloth goes into the oven with the turkey.
Do you also cover the turkey with foil while its cooking?? My roasting pan does not have a lid
I’m newly married and hosted Christmas Eve dinner for both sides of the family this past year – I’ve never cooked a whole bird in my life so I was really nervous. However, I made this to the exact direction and it turned out BEAUTIFUL! Like couldn’t believe I actually made it and everyone raved about it.. Highly recommend, and if I can do it, anyone can!
This is the best compliment!! So glad you enjoyed it!!