Slow cooker whole turkey is a fool-proof recipe for the holidays. Making a whole turkey in the crockpot produces tender, succulent turkey meat with minimal prep work. Free up your oven this holiday season!
Ingredients For Crockpot Whole Turkey
- Whole Turkey
- Butter
- Seasoning: I used my homemade seasoning that includes salt, pepper, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, and oregano.
How To Cook A Whole Turkey In The Slow Cooker
Cooking a whole turkey is pretty fool-proof when you use a slow cooker!
- Spray the slow cooker with cooking spray.
- Remove innards from the turkey. Rinse and pat the turkey dry.
- Loosen the skin of the turkey breast. Place the ghee/butter under the skin of the turkey. Rub the oil all over turkey.
- In a small bowl, mix together the homemade seasoning spices. Rub the oil all over the turkey then season the turkey generously all over on all sides.
- Cook HIGH 3-4 hours or LOW 6-8.
Picking A Turkey
Size
When it comes to picking the size of the turkey for your holiday dinner, the general rule of thumb is that you will need approximately one pound of turkey per adult. Having said that, if you’re using a slow cooker, the rules kind of go out the window. Find a whole turkey that fits in your slow cooker. I used an extra-large 8-quart slow cooker and a 12 pound turkey that I had to shift around to get the lid to fit over properly. I could not have fit a larger turkey in the slow cooker. In general, a standard 6-quart slow cooker should fit a whole turkey up to 8 pounds. But keep in mind that all turkeys are shaped differently. What fits in an oval-shaped slow cooker might not fit in the same quart-size rectangular-shaped slow cooker or vice versa. If you find that your turkey doesn’t quite fit in your appliance, you can always cut it up into pieces. Or, rather than cook a whole turkey, you may need to get a turkey breast instead. Turkey breasts are readily available in smaller sizes.
Fresh vs. Frozen
You cannot cook a whole turkey from frozen in the slow cooker. If you buy a frozen turkey, you will need to completely thaw it before cooking. I don’t know about you but all the turkeys I have ever cooked have had to be thawed in my refrigerator first. To thaw your turkey, place it in a large roasting pan in the refrigerator (in its original packaging) for 24 hours per every five pounds of turkey. My 10 pound turkey took 2 days in the frig to thaw.
Homemade Seasoning
To keep things simple, I modified the homemade rotisserie seasonings from my Slow Cooker Whole Rotisserie Chicken recipe and used it here. Of course you can always use your preferred seasoning for this whole turkey recipe. But if you’re looking for homemade rotisserie seasoning, mine is in the recipe box. This is enough for a 8-10 pound turkey without having to make any adjustments to the measurements. Anything larger you might want to use more seasonings. Again, if you have a go-seasoning and/or butter blend that you like to use on your turkey, by all means use it.
TURKEY RECIPES
Crisp The Skin
To broil or not broil? That is the question. If you want your turkey to have crispy skin, then you will need remove it from the slow cooker and place it in your oven under the broiler for a few minutes. This is an optional step. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t. If you’re not worried about the skin, skip it. But if you are, carefully remove the turkey from the slow cooker when it’s done cooking. Use tongs, it will be very hot and very tender. So tender that you shouldn’t be surprised if the turkey falls apart on you as you lift it up. Place the turkey on a large baking sheet and BROIL it in your oven for 3-5 minutes or until the skin is crisp to your liking.
FAQs & Tips
- If your lid is slightly ajar when it start cooking due to the size of the turkey, this is okay. The turkey will reduce in size slightly as it cooks.
- There is no need to add any liquid to the slow cooker. I understand that makes some people uncomfortable so if you want to add broth you can. It will not ruin the dish but you will have a lot or liquid when it’s done cooking.
- Store leftover turkey in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- I used a large 8-quart slow cooker for this recipe.
Leftover Turkey Soup Recipes
PrintSlow Cooker Whole Turkey
Slow cooker whole turkey is an fool-proof recipe for the holidays. Making a whole turkey in the crockpot produces tender, succulent turkey meat with minimal prep work. Free up your oven this holiday season!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 hours
- Total Time: 4 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: depends on size of turkey
Ingredients
- 8-12 pound whole turkey (depending on the size of the slow cooker)
- 1/4 cup butter, sliced
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 2 tablespoons paprika
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- 1 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon cayenne
Instructions
- Spray the slow cooker with cooking spray.
- Remove innards from the turkey. Rinse and pat the turkey dry.
- Loosen the skin of the turkey breast. Place the ghee/butter under the skin of the turkey. Rub the oil all over turkey.
- In a small bowl, mix together the homemade seasoning spices. Rub the oil all over the turkey then season the turkey generously all over on all sides.
- Cook HIGH 3-4 hours or LOW 6-8.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 110
- Sugar: 1.5 g
- Fat: 2.4 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 4.4 g
- Fiber: 1.4 g
- Protein: 17.1 g
- Cholesterol: 57.2 mg
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16 thoughts on “Slow Cooker Whole Turkey”
I have cooked turkey on high for 8 hours .Now what do ? I take turkey out of crock pot ?
I am making this today for Easter dinner. So far ,so good . I will let you know the end result
So, I did a grocery pick up and they gave me a 19# turkey instead of smaller one. How do I cut this to make it fit my larger crockpot, and how long do I cook it? Thank you!
Can i use this recipe if my turkey is going in the oven instead of a slow cooker? What changes would I have to make?
Yes, absolutely. Preheat the oven to 450°F then lower the temperature to 350°F after you put the turkey in. Cook 13 minutes of cooking time for each pound of turkey.
Thank you for your quick reply! I did your turkey wings last year in the slow cooker (it was a hit!) but this year i have a 20 lb turkey and of course it can’t fit! Do I cover in foil so it won’t dry out?
Yes, I suggest using foil. Cover the turkey with a loose tent of foil & remove it the last hour so the skin on the turkey can brown. I also suggest brushing the turkey with melted butter, oil before seasoning. Enjoy!
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Do you put chicken/some kind of broth in the pot as well? How much? Excited to try!
Nope! Nope liquid needed:-)
We are doing a cut up turkey that comes to approximately 10 pounds. We won’t be doing stuffing. How long would I cook it in the crock pot? Also can we add potatoes or carrots to the crock pot as side vegetables?
For a turkey that size, it will need to cook high 3-4 hours or low 6-8. I used a 10 pound whole turkey last year and it took a 7.5 hours on low. Absolutely if your crock-pot can fit the veggies and potatoes too, add them. If they don’t fit, one thing you can do is add the potatoes and veggies once the turkey is done cooking and you remove it to let rest or broil in the oven. If you do it this way, turn the slow cooker to high and cook until the potatoes are tender which should take about 30 minutes. If you cut the potatoes into smaller chunks, they will cook faster. Hope this helps!
Realize my turkey is too big for my Electric pressure cooker you had mentioned I could cut it up I appreciate your words because that is what I’m going to do !it’s 15 pounds turkey how long should I cook this ?
Hello! You will need to cook the turkey approximately 6 minutes per pound of turkey so 15 pound turkey will need to cook for at least 90 minutes.
We have just purchased our first ever slow cooker and this recipe looks like the perfect one to give a test with, thanks.
Can’t WAIT to give this a try! Thx so much for this recipe! HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO YOU!