A small breast
- Input
- 6.6 lb / 3 kg
- Expected output
- 1h30-3h15
Breast row, 4 to 8 lb.
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turkey cooking time per pound
The USDA does not fix a minutes-per-pound rule. It publishes hours by weight bracket for a 325 °F oven, from 1½ hours for a small breast to 5 hours for a 24 lb unstuffed turkey. Divide the longest time of each bracket by its top weight and the math lands between 12½ and 16 minutes per pound, but the chart and a thermometer are what count.
Breast row, 4 to 8 lb.
8 to 12 lb bracket.
12 to 14 lb bracket.
14 to 18 lb bracket.
20 to 24 lb bracket.
Plan on 1 pound of whole turkey per person, which is the USDA figure, and up to 1½ pounds per person if you want leftovers. For 10 adults that is a 10 lb bird, or 15 lb with leftovers. This calculator counts a child as half a portion, a planning choice rather than a USDA number, so 8 adults and 2 children need 9 lb.
Between 2 h 45 min and 3 h unstuffed at 325 °F, from the 8 to 12 lb bracket. Stuffed, the range rises to 3 h to 3 h 30 min.
It is not required. The USDA lists a foil tent for the first 1 to 1½ hours as an optional hint, which keeps the bird moist, and says foil can go on later if the skin browns too early. The tool marks that step as optional.
No. The USDA asks for an oven of 325 °F or hotter. The tool only offers 325, 350 and 375 °F to respect that floor.
It was written for 325 °F. At 350 °F the bird can finish sooner, and the USDA publishes no times for it. Use the chart as the ceiling and check the thermometer early.
A 9 lb bird feeds about 9 adults or 18 children.
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Tables: USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, Let's Talk Turkey (roasting and thawing). Preheat and carving times are planning assumptions.
Tables checked on 2026-11-10 against a government-archived copy of the USDA guide and two state reprints. Birds outside 4 to 24 lb are not covered.