Here is a quick guide to help make hosting during the holiday season so much easier. Know exactly how much turkey and ham to prepare per person for your next holiday meal.
It can be stressful to plan your family’s holiday lunch or dinner, especially if you don’t know how big of a turkey or ham you need to buy. If you don’t eat enough of the main course, you might have a bad conversation. If you eat too much, you waste money and food. Here is an easy-to-follow guide for holiday cooks on how much turkey and ham each person needs. Perfect for beginners and experienced cooks![feast_advanced_jump_to].
The holidays are coming up, which means it’s time to start planning your festive meals Two of the most popular main dishes for holiday dinners are turkey and ham But how much of each should you plan on getting per person? There are a few factors to consider to make sure everyone gets enough meat without tons of expensive leftovers. In this article, we’ll break down how to determine the right turkey and ham quantities so your holiday meal is a success.
Calculating Turkey Needs
Turkey is a holiday staple, especially for celebrations like Thanksgiving and Christmas. When determining how much turkey you need, there are a couple of options to consider:
Whole Turkey
For a whole turkey with the bones, plan on about 1 pound of turkey per person. A whole 15-pound turkey would feed around 15 people. Here’s a simple guide
- 8 people – 12-pound turkey
- 10 people – 15-pound turkey
- 12-15 people – 18-pound turkey
- 16-20 people – 24-pound turkey
Keep in mind the meat-to-bone ratio is higher in larger birds, so you can get away with slightly less than 1 pound per person.
Boneless Turkey
With a boneless turkey, you’ll need less since there’s no bones. Plan on 1/3 to 1/2 pound of turkey meat per person for a boneless turkey.
A boneless 5-pound turkey would work for 10-15 people. Use this as a guide:
- 4 people – 1 to 2 pounds
- 6 people – 2 to 3 pounds
- 10 people – 3 to 5 pounds
- 12 people – 4 to 6 pounds
- 16 people – 5 to 8 pounds
Turkey Breast
For just a turkey breast, allow around 3/4 pound of meat per person. It’s quick and easy without having to cook a whole bird.
Figuring Out Ham Needs
Ham is another go-to main dish for holidays like Christmas and Easter. Here’s how to determine how much ham you need per person:
Boneless Ham
For boneless ham, plan on serving 1/4 to 1/3 pound per person. A 3-pound boneless ham would serve around 10 people. Use this handy guide:
- 4 people – 1 to 2 pounds
- 6 people – 2 to 3 pounds
- 10 people – 3 to 5 pounds
- 12 people – 4 to 6 pounds
- 16 people – 5 to 8 pounds
- 20 people – 8 to 10 pounds
Bone-In Ham
Since bone-in ham has the weight of the bone factored in, you’ll need around 1/3 to 1/2 pound per serving. Here’s how much bone-in ham to get:
- 4 people – 2 pounds
- 6 people – 3 pounds
- 10 people – 4 to 5 pounds
- 12 people – 4 to 6 pounds
- 16 people – 6 to 8 pounds
- 20 people – 8 to 10 pounds
Spiral-Cut Ham
Spiral-cut hams are easy to serve since the slices are already cut. Allow 1/2 to 3/4 pounds per person for spiral cut since there is some bone weight. They look beautiful on a buffet table too!
Turkey and Ham Feast
Want the best of both worlds? Here are some tips for serving both turkey and ham:
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Split your guest list in half. Plan turkey quantities for half the guests and ham amounts for the other half.
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For 20 people, get a 12 to 15-pound turkey plus a 3 to 5-pound boneless ham.
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Offer dark and white turkey meat so people can choose their preference.
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Add turkey drumsticks or wings to round out the options.
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Set up a carved turkey station along with a spiral-cut ham for self-service.
Handy Per Person Guidelines
Here are some quick references for how much turkey and ham to get per person:
Whole Turkey – 1 to 1 1/2 pounds per person
Boneless Turkey – 1/3 to 1/2 pound per person
Turkey Breast – 3/4 pound per person
Boneless Ham – 1/4 to 1/3 pound per person
Bone-in Ham – 1/3 to 1/2 pound per person
Spiral-Cut Ham – 1/2 to 3/4 pound per person
Other Tips for Perfect Portions
Here are some extra tips to make sure your holiday meats are a success:
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Know your guests’ appetites. Add extra if you have big eaters.
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Pad portions if you want lots of leftovers.
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Consider how many side dishes you’ll have. Offer more meat if fewer sides.
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Let meats rest 20 minutes before carving for maximum juiciness.
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Use an instant read thermometer to ensure meats reach safe temp.
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Slice turkey across the grain for tenderest results.
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Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and use within 4 days.
Plan a Stress-Free Holiday Meal
Figuring out how much turkey and ham to buy for your perfect holiday feast doesn’t have to be complicated. Use the handy guidelines in this article to determine the right quantities of each. Consider your guest list, their appetites, and your desired leftovers. And be sure to use a food thermometer for safely cooked meat.
With the right amounts of turkey, ham, and delicious sides, your holiday meal will be sure to satisfy. Everyone can enjoy their favorites without blowing your budget or being stuck with a huge amount of leftovers. Relax and enjoy the festivities knowing you have the protein situation under control.
When should you thaw the turkey?
Place the turkey on a baking sheet or roasting rack to help collect the juices. After your turkey has been thawed, you can keep it stored in the refrigerator for 1-2 days.
Salt Brine: This doesn’t take into account how long a dry or wet salt brine needs to set, which should be done 24 to 48 hours before cooking.
In the refrigerator thawing time:
- 4-12 pounds: 1-3 days thawing time.
- 12-16 pounds: 3-4 days thawing time.
- 16-20 pounds: 4-5 days thawing time.
- 20-24 pounds: 5-7 days thawing time.
How long to bake your ham or turkey?
- Ham baking time: 10 to 12 minutes per pound. The “baking process” changes the taste of the ham, which is already cooked. You can reglaze the ham every 30 minutes.
- How to know when to take the ham out of the oven: Use a thermometer to make sure the internal temperature of the ham is 130°F.
- Turkey baking time: If your turkey isn’t stuffed, roast it breast side up for 13 to 15 minutes per pound. Even though every oven is different, try to get the turkey cooked and out of the oven 30 to 60 minutes before your guests arrive. This will give you time to rest the turkey and cut it up.
- When to take the turkey out of the oven: the turkey breast should read 165°F. An instant-read thermometer is best for this. To keep the turkey from being overcooked, take it out of the oven when the internal temperature reaches 155°F to 160°F. The internal temperature of the roast turkey will continue to rise as it rests (30 minutes to an hour is best). This way, it will reach the right temperature without going over.
How much Honey Baked Ham is needed per person?
FAQ
How many people does a 20 lb turkey feed?
How many people will a 10 lb ham feed?
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Number of People
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Amount of Boneless Ham
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8 – 10
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4 – 5 lbs
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10 – 12
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5 – 6 lbs
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15 – 20
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8 – 10 lbs
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25 – 30
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13 – 15 lbs
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How many pounds of turkey do I need for 10 people?
How much turkey for 7 adults with leftovers?
How much Turkey should I buy per person?
With our handy guide, you’ll know exactly how much turkey should you be buying per person and whether that 15-pound bird is big enough or a few extra pounds are needed. As a general rule when buying turkey, plan on 1 pound of turkey per person. This allows approximately 7 cooked ounces of meat per serving.
How much Turkey should a person eat per person?
As a general rule when buying turkey, plan on 1 pound of turkey per person. This allows approximately 7 cooked ounces of meat per serving. Though if you’re wanting to enjoy turkey leftovers (obviously!), our Test Kitchen recommends 1 ½ pounds of turkey per person so everyone can literally get stuffed with enough leftover for a few extra meals.
How much meat is in a 12 pound turkey?
So for example, from a 12 pound turkey, you will roughly get 5 pounds cooked meat; 3 1/2 pounds white meat and 1 1/2 pounds dark meat. Obviously, while the range of weights you’ll find on turkey at the store varies, it’s rarer to find birds less than 10 pounds or over 30 lbs.
How much meat does a Thanksgiving turkey eat?
Here’s a breakdown of how much light meat versus dark meat you can expect to get from your Thanksgiving turkey. You usually get 2 to 3 times as much white meat as dark meat from a whole turkey. So for example, from a 12 pound turkey, you will roughly get 5 pounds cooked meat; 3 1/2 pounds white meat and 1 1/2 pounds dark meat.
How long do you cook a 10 pound turkey?
For 10 people, you’ll want a turkey between 10 and 15 pounds. If you want leftovers, go bigger. How long do you cook a turkey per pound? The standard rule of turkey roasting time says 13 minutes per pound for unstuffed birds and 15 minutes per pound for the stuffed ones. At what temperature should I cook turkey?
What size Turkey should I buy?
If you haven’t already bought your turkey, we advise that you buy a turkey that’s between 12 and 15 pounds—anything larger could result in uneven cooking. If you must buy a 24-pound turkey, we’ll still provide a time range, but we recommend buying two smaller birds instead.