We built a tool to help you plan the right amount of turkey for Thanksgiving dinner after talking to food experts and chefs. Do you ask around to find out how much turkey to make for your guests?
To find out how much turkey you’ll need, just fill out the form below with the number of adults and children. Adults: Children: Want Leftovers?: No Yes.
Planning the perfect Thanksgiving dinner often comes down to one major question how much turkey do I need to buy? While there are a few rules of thumb to follow the size of your turkey depends largely on the number of guests you plan to serve.
When hosting Thanksgiving for 7 guests, here are some tips to ensure you buy just the right amount of turkey:
Follow the 1.5 Pound Per Person Rule
The most common guideline is to plan for around 15 pounds of turkey per person This accounts for the fact that a whole turkey contains bones and other inedible parts.
For 7 guests, that means you’ll need about:
- 7 guests x 1.5 pounds per person = 10.5 pounds of whole turkey
Rounding up slightly, a 12-14 pound turkey should be sufficient.
This size turkey will provide ample leftovers for sandwiches or leftovers without being overly wasteful.
Adjust for Appetites
The 1.5 pound rule is a good starting point, but you may need to adjust up or down depending on your guests.
If you have a lot of big eaters at your Thanksgiving table, consider going up to a 16-18 pound bird. Kids and seniors often won’t eat as much turkey, so you could get away with a slightly smaller 10-12 pound turkey.
Take into account that guests will balance turkey with side dishes and dessert. You don’t need to overload on turkey if you’ll also have hearty side dishes like stuffing and mashed potatoes.
Order Turkey Pieces Separately
Another option is to skip the whole turkey and just buy turkey pieces. You can often find high-quality turkey breasts, legs, wings, etc. at the grocery store.
Here’s how much turkey to get if buying pieces:
- Turkey breast: Plan for 1 pound per person
- Turkey legs: Plan for 1 pound per person
- Wings: Figure 4-6 wings per person
With this strategy, you could do a boneless turkey breast alongside some roasted turkey legs and wings.
Cook Two Small Turkeys
Instead of one large bird, consider cooking two smaller 6-8 pound turkeys. Smaller turkeys often cook more evenly, and gives you some flexibility.
For example, you could roast one turkey traditionally, and deep fry or smoke the other for more flavor variety. Having two small birds also gives you a backup in case one turkey doesn’t thaw in time.
Accommodate Vegetarians
If you have vegetarians or turkey avoiders in your group, make sure to have tasty main dish sides they can enjoy. Some good veggie-friendly options are:
- Roasted vegetable medley
- Mushroom or lentil stuffed squash
- Veggie pot pie or shepherd’s pie
- Fall vegetable lasagna or eggplant parmesan
With these meatless dishes, you can likely get away with a slightly smaller turkey.
Store Leftover Turkey Properly
No matter the turkey size, you’ll likely have ample leftovers after Thanksgiving dinner. Be sure to carve all the meat from the bones after dinner and store leftovers safely.
Here are some turkey leftover storage tips:
- Separate white and dark meat, as dark meat lasts longer
- Portion turkey into shallow containers for quick cooling
- Refrigerate within 2 hours; freeze within 1 hour
- Use fridge leftovers within 3-4 days
- Frozen turkey keeps 3-4 months; thaw in fridge before using
With proper storage, you can continue enjoying leftover turkey for sandwiches, casseroles, soups, and more!
The More, the Merrier
When in doubt about how much turkey to buy, it’s often better to have too much than not enough. Your guests will likely enjoy turkey sandwiches or turkey tetrazzini made from the leftovers.
For a small gathering of 7, plan for a 12-14 pound turkey as a baseline. Adjust up or down depending on your crowd’s appetite, adding vegetarian sides as needed. With smart storage, you can continue enjoying the leftovers for days to come.
How Much Turkey Do You Need?
A lot of happy holiday memories are made around the Thanksgiving table, with the turkey being the main attraction. Luckily, this chart will help you figure out what size turkey to buy based on how many people will be coming.
The general rule of thumb is one pound of turkey per adult and a half pound per child. But if late-night turkey sandwiches and turkey tetrazzini are as traditional as the feast itself, you should think about two to three pounds for each person.
Smaller gatherings don’t necessarily mean smaller turkeys because the meat-to-bone ratio is typically less for birds under 12 pounds. If in doubt, always go bigger at two pounds per person.[1]
Cite As: Sexton, J. (n.d.).
How to Figure out What Size Turkey to Buy
FAQ
Is a 14 lb turkey enough for 7 people?
How many people will a 10 lb turkey feed?
How much turkey for 8 adults with leftovers?
How many people will a 7 lb turkey breast serve?
How much Turkey for 7 guests?
The most commonly recommended amount is about 1-1.5 pounds of turkey per person. So for 7 guests, that would mean purchasing a turkey that’s around 7-10.5 pounds. However there are a few factors that can alter this guideline Will there be other main meat dishes served?
How much Turkey should a group of 7 people eat?
Here are some more specific turkey size recommendations for a group of 7 adults: 7-8 pound turkey – This will provide right around 1 pound per person without a ton of leftovers. 10-12 pound turkey – Gives you closer to 1.5 pounds per person and will likely leave you with enough for sandwiches the next day.
How much Turkey do you need for a Thanksgiving party?
To keep you from crunching the numbers, here’s a general guideline of how much turkey to make, depending on your party size (assuming 1½ pounds per person). For six guests, a nine-pound turkey will suffice. For eight guests, buy a turkey that weighs about 12 pounds. For 10 guests, you want a bird that is at least 15 pounds.
How much Turkey do I need per person?
Knowing how much turkey per person I need by planning ahead saves a lot of hassle and wasted food. Our turkey calculator can help you determine what size turkey you need for the number of guests. So here’s the rule of thumb for how much turkey you’ll need: You want around eight ounces of cooked turkey per person.
How much Turkey should I Cook per guest?
Luckily, we have a simple formula to help you figure it out! So, you can get back to deciding which turkey recipe you want to make. The general rule of thumb is to plan for 1 1/4 pounds of turkey per guest, which takes into account the bones and other inedible parts of the turkey.
How many people can a 8 pound turkey serve?
Most turkey portion serving sizing charts are based using a bone-in turkey. A chart might say 1 to 1.5 pounds of purchased turkey per person, so an 8-pound turkey is allegedly perfect for 6-8 people. I say NO! Initially, the bone removes some of that weight. Secondly, the weight becomes further reduced during cooking.