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 turkey and helps to prevent it from drying out during the roasting process. Serve your brined turkey with sweet potato casserole and 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 turkey brine recipe, I can produce a juicy and delicious turkey every time with no stress.
Turkey brine ingredients
The ingredients in this recipe include kosher salt, brown sugar, water, apple cider, garlic, whole peppercorns, sliced lemons and oranges, 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?
Place all the ingredients in a pot and bring it 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 brine. Refrigerate the turkey in the liquid for 18-24 hours, then 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.
- 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.
- Many pots are not large enough to hold a whole turkey. I typically buy brining bags, which 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.
- Pat your turkey dry before you roast it to ensure crispy skin.
Recipe FAQs
A turkey is a naturally lean type of meat which mean it’s prone to drying out. When a turkey is placed into brine, it absorbs some of the brine 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.
Typically gravy is made 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. After your turkey comes out of the brining liquid, dry it with paper towels, then roast it 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.
Recommended turkey recipes
These recipes pair perfectly with this brine, there are plenty of options including roasted turkey, smoked turkey and turkey breast.
More recipes for your Thanksgiving table
- Cranberry Jello Salad
- Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole
- Corn Pudding
- Bacon Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows
Turkey Brine Video
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.
Barbara says
Does if matter if the kosher salt is course? Will the amount used change?
Thank you!
Sara says
Coarse salt is fine!
Trish says
My son is allergic to apples. What could be a substitute for the cider? Chicken broth or maybe white grape juice?
Sara says
Pear juice or white grape juice would both be fine!
June H says
I highly recommend this! Made it last year and it was a hit. Mine is cooling right now as I type! Thank you!
Nancy says
I forgot to rinse before adding the rub for frying. Will that be a problem??? I’m cooking it tonight 🙁
Sara says
It should be fine without the rinse!
Patty says
How much water do I need to use to brine the turkey?
Do I need to use 2 gallons of water?
Sara says
Yes it’s the 2 gallons in the recipe.
Grace Grenwelge says
Do you bring the 2 falcons of water to a boil as well?
Grace Grenwelge says
Gotta love auto correct *gallons
Sara says
Yes everything comes to a boil.
ChiWhiz says
Hi! Do you use Morton’s kosher salt? I’ve read that it’s saltier than diamond crystals. I’m just wondering if I need to adjust it or keep it the same. Very excited to try this! Thank you so much!
Sara says
I typically use diamond crystal but I have made this recipe before with Morton’s and it works fine!
Jamie says
I made this last year and it was a HIT!!! I’m making it again this year. Thanks so much for the recipe and for those of you on the fence, do it! This is the brine recipe you never knew you needed.
Tony says
Would you recommend using this brine on a frozen turkey breast? I believe the breast already has some sort of salt solution.
Sara says
If your turkey breast has added salt, you could make it overly salty by brining it. I’d skip the brine and use a turkey rub instead: https://www.dinneratthezoo.com/turkey-rub-recipe/
Anne says
I’m not under standing the amount of brine to make for a 22 pnd turkey? Should I double? Thankyou.
Sara says
Yes I’d double this recipe, as it’s designed for a 12-14 pound bird.
Travis says
Is the recipe the same for a 20lb turkey?
Sara says
I’d do 1.5 times the recipe, you can change the number of servings in the recipe card and the amounts will automatically recalculate.