Turkey Size Calculator – How Much Turkey do you Need?
Do you find yourself asking around to find out how much turkey to prepare for your guests? We do too! That’s why we talked with food experts and chefs and built a tool to help plan the right amount turkey for Thanksgiving dinner.
Simply enter the number of adults and children in the form below to calculate how much turkey you’ll need.
Turkey Size Estimate:
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Joe is the creator of Inch Calculator and has over 20 years of experience in engineering and construction. He holds several degrees and certifications.
Turkey Size Chart – Turkey Needed per Person
How Much Turkey per Person?
Planning the right amount of food to get is the first step in preparing the perfect Thanksgiving dinner. Thankfully, there’s a simple rule of thumb to estimate how much turkey to get for your guests.
Plan on getting one pound of turkey per adult guest and one-half pound per child. If you want leftovers or a little extra, then plan on one and one-half pounds per adult and three-quarter pounds per child.
Because smaller turkeys tend to have a smaller meat to bone ratio, consider getting a little more per person if you plan on getting turkeys smaller than 12 pounds. You might consider getting closer to two pounds per adult of a smaller turkey.[1]
What Size Turkey Should you Buy?
So, now that you’re armed with some good rules of thumb, how much turkey should you buy for Thanksgiving dinner? The simple formula for the size turkey to buy is to multiply the number of guests by the amount per person from above.
turkey size = people × amount per person
Start by multiplying the number of adults times 1, or 1.5 if you want leftovers. Then multiply the number of children by .5. Finally, add the two numbers together.
If the result is less than 12 pounds, then multiply by 1.5 since there will be a little less meat.
If the result is larger than 15 or 20 pounds then consider getting more than one turkey for the meal.
For example, let’s plan the right amount of turkey for 10 adult guests and 8 children.
adults = 10 × 1 lb
adults = 10 lbs
children = 8 × .5 lb
children = 4 lbs
total = 10 lbs + 4 lbs
total = 14 lbs
| People | Turkey Size |
|---|---|
| 4 | 4-6 lbs |
| 6 | 6-9 lbs |
| 8 | 8-12 lbs |
| 10 | 10-15 lbs |
| 12 | 12-18 lbs |
| 14 | 14-21 lbs |
| 16 | 16-24 lbs |
| 18 | 18-27 lbs |
| 20 | 20-30 lbs |
| 25 | 25-38 lbs |
| 30 | 30-45 lbs |
When you’re ready to start cooking, allow enough time for thawing and try our turkey cooking time calculator to find out how long you’ll need to roast it.
References
- Martha Stewart, Our Step-by-Step Guide to Cooking Turkey for Thanksgiving, https://www.marthastewart.com/274812/turkey-tips