This turkey brine recipe is flavored with apple, citrus, brown sugar, rosemary and spices. It’s the perfect way to guarantee a moist and flavorful turkey every time!
Every cook’s biggest fear on Thanksgiving day is a dry turkey. A good brine does wonders for the flavor and consistency of the bird and helps to prevent it from drying out during the roasting process. I have the best turkey brine recipe for you. Serve your turkey with sweet potato casserole with marshmallows and Southern cornbread dressing for the ultimate holiday meal.
Every year around the holidays, cooking a turkey was such a source of stress for me. I was worried about the turkey either being bone dry or completely raw in the middle! Now that I’ve discovered the wonders of a good wet brine recipe, I can produce a juicy and delicious turkey every time with no stress.
When you select your Thanksgiving recipes, make sure you have plenty of fantastic side dishes like slow cooker mac and cheese, garlic mashed potatoes, cranberry salad and turkey gravy. If you end up with turkey leftovers check out my favorite leftover turkey recipes.
Turkey Brine Ingredients
To make this turkey brine recipe you will need kosher salt, brown sugar, water, apple cider, garlic, whole peppercorns, lemon slices, orange slices, fresh rosemary and bay leaves. It is very important to use apple cider the drink, not apple cider vinegar.
How Do You Make Turkey Brine?
To make turkey brine first place all the ingredients in a large pot and bring them to a simmer. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until all of the salt and sugar have dissolved. Let the brine cool completely. Place the turkey in the liquid. Add cool water until you cover the turkey. Leave the turkey in the fridge for 18-24 hours. When it is done, remove the bird from the brine. Rince it with cool water and pat it dry. Finally, cook your bird as desired.
Tips For Turkey Brine
- Make sure you use kosher salt and do not substitute any other type of salt. Table salt is denser than kosher salt and doesn’t measure the same way.
- Make sure your stock pot is large enough to hold a turkey. If not, you can buy brining bags. These are giant resealable bags that are made for turkey brining. The bags are easy to fit into a standard sized refrigerator.
- You want to make sure you put your turkey into a cool brine; never put a turkey in a hot or warm brine.
- To cool your brine quickly you can add some cold water or a few ice cubes.
- Need less turkey? Brine a turkey breast with 1/2 of the recipe and 1/2 the amount of time.
- Pat your turkey dry before you roast it to ensure crispy skin.
Quick Tip
Be sure to use apple cider the drink, do NOT use apple cider vinegar! If you can’t find apple cider, apple juice will work fine.
Recipe FAQs
A turkey is a naturally lean type of meat which mean it’s prone to drying out. When you place a turkey in brine, it absorbs some of the liquid which helps to both keep it moist and also to season it all the way through. When you’re working with a brined turkey, even if you overcook it a bit, it should still come out tender and juicy. I always brine my whole chickens for the same reason!
A turkey needs to brine for at least 18 hours, but you can go up to 24 hours if you have a larger bird. Do not go past 24 hours or your turkey could be overly salty. Also, you need to make sure that the turkey you buy from the store is not already pre-brined or treated with salt.
People typically make gravy with turkey drippings, but in the case of a brined turkey, sometimes the drippings can be overly salty. You should taste the drippings before you proceed with your gravy. If you think the drippings are on the saltier side, you can always use unsalted chicken or turkey broth to keep the seasoning of your gravy at the proper level.
A turkey needs to cook in the oven for approximately 15 minutes per pound. Roast your turkey for the appropriate amount of time based on the size of your bird. A turkey is done when a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees F.
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Flavor Variations
This turkey brine will give you a juicy and delicious turkey as written. However, you can change the flavors to suit your taste.
- Veggies: Add to your wet brine chopped up celery, carrots and onion.
- Citrus: Boost the citrus flavor by adding an orange peel or lemon peel.
- Herbs: Add fresh sage leaves, fresh thyme sprigs or allspice berries.
Recommended Turkey Recipes
These recipes pair perfectly with this brine. There are plenty of options including roasted turkey, smoked turkey and turkey breast. If you’re making a smoked turkey, try using my smoked turkey brine recipe.
Use this brine to seal in the moisture for a juicy and delicious bird. If you have extra time and don’t want a wet brine, you can also try my fantastic dry brined turkey. Regardless, of what method you choose, your guests will thank you for serving a succulent turkey.
More Recipes For Your Thanksgivng
Turkey Brine Video
Love This Recipe?
Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments section further down the page.
Turkey Brine Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups apple cider DO NOT use apple cider vinegar
- 2 gallons cold water
- 1 1/2 cups kosher salt
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 5 cloves garlic smashed
- 2 tablespoons peppercorns
- 2 oranges thinly sliced
- 2 lemons thinly sliced
- 5 rosemary sprigs
- 3 bay leaves
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients in a large pot over medium heat. Bring to a simmer.
- Cook for 2-3 minutes or until salt and sugar have dissolved.
- Turn off the heat. Let the brine mixture cool.
- Place a whole turkey in the brine solution to fully submerge it, then refrigerate for 18-24 hours. If your turkey does not fit into the pot, place the turkey and the brine into a brining bag.
- When you’re ready to cook your turkey, remove it from the brine and rinse with cool water; pat dry with paper towels.
- Proceed with your normal turkey roasting method, or I’ve listed my favorite turkey recipes below in the notes section.
Notes
- Make sure you use kosher salt and do not substitute any other type of salt. Table salt is denser than kosher salt and doesn’t measure the same way.
- Be sure to use apple cider the drink, do NOT use apple cider vinegar! If you can’t find apple cider, apple juice will work fine.
Will be brining my Turkey in a cooler..my question is…can you put the turkey in to brine frozen? Or is it necessary to have thawed. If ok for frozen is ok to brine longer until turkey has thawed completely? Love the flavor of your brine..
I would at least partially thaw it before you put it in the brine, it’s ok if it’s a little frozen. But if it’s frozen solid the brine won’t penetrate the meat!
Would this be an option for prepping a turkey for ‘frying’ in an oil-less cooker?
Yes absolutely this would be a good choice!
I made this yesterday then smoked the turkey on the grill. Best turkey ever! Thank you!
So glad to hear you enjoyed it, thanks for reporting back!
This recipe looks and smells amazing. My turkey has been drinking for some hours now. I’ve done other brines and it always stated to rinse the turkey after taking it out of the brine. Does this turkey not requiring rinsing? I don’t notice anythjng in the recipe. I’m worried if I don’t, it will be overly salty? Thanks for your help!
Yes it’s totally fine to rinse the turkey!
What a beautiful turkey! I’m going to try the brine for something different to surprise the family!
Try Goose on the rotisserie (just remember it is fattier. If the fire is under the goose drippings, they may catch if you are not careful. With Goose, it works really well when lightly stuffed with apples and sage, hen slow roasted. NOTE: Make sure that the Stuffing is ALSO at temperature, not just the meat.
Sounds delicious and looks delicious too. Your images are fantastic and such an interesting recipe!
What a pretty nice recipe and a perfect stuff this coming christmas . love the preparation and all in all.
I also have the same level of anxiety when cooking turkey. I can’t seem to make mine as perfect as my sister’s. I will have to give your recipe a try. It does look easy to follow and the ingredients are not hard to find.
Ooooo now this is perfect for thanksgiving dinner!!!! Now all I will be craving is that turkey lol… yum!
This looks delicious. Its a great post for a first timer.
Oh my gosh YUM! This sounds so delish! will have to try it out this season!
That brine sounds so incredible! I love the mix of flavours – perfect for turkey!
Oh, I am badly craving for this! This is so good, this will be a huge hit! This would disappear in no time at our house!
Looks nice! I will try it cooking it this way for my father when they come to visit. He loves turkey even though I am not personally a fan
Wow, I cant believe the whole turkey look so tempting after cooked in the oven. Interesting to learn this American cuisine and I hope to make during our coming gathering for our whole family and relatives.
I hope our Thanksgiving turkey can taste half as good as this looks.
We always brine our turkey but have never made our own. I always buy an expensive one and send it to my mom. No more! I am sharing your recipe with her!
This looks delicious! I can’t wait to try it out for myself! Thanks for sharing.
Another delicious recipe, Sara! Thank you for sharing.
Goodness me you have me craving turkey now 🙂
I love the idea of the brine.
All the best,
Alex
Amzaaaazing….I am literally drooling. The recipe is very easy to follow, can’t wait to give it a try.