Change up your annual roast with some new flavor.

Published on November 19, 2025

Credit:

Kelsey Hansen / Food Styling: Annie Probst

Total Time:

3 hrs 15 mins

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If you have a favorite roast turkey recipe, you can swap out the butter or oil slather pre-roast and use our herb-mayo mixture instead. That's right, the creamy mayonnaise makes a perfect vessel to moistening the turkey while adding big flavors. Don't forget to let the turkey rest for optimal juiciness.

What to Stuff Inside the Turkey

An old-fashioned stuffing is always a classic option, but it can lengthen cooking time. We love using aromatics to incorporate extra flavor and moisture to the bird. Choose fruits and veggies such as orange and/or lemon wedges, halved garlic bulb(s), shallot wedges, and/or fresh herbs (optional)

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Ingredients

  • 1 (12- to 14-lb). fresh or frozen (thawed) turkey, neck and giblets removed

  • 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise

  • 3 Tbsp. cornichon or dill pickle brine

  • 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

  • 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh sage

  • 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil

  • 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh thyme

  • 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill

  • 2 tsp. minced garlic (4 cloves)

  • 1 tsp. lemon zest

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Pat turkey skin dry with paper towels. If stuffing turkey with aromatics or stuffing, wipe out body cavity. Sprinkle cavity with salt and ground black pepper. If you like, tuck aromatics or spoon desired stuffing loosely into cavity.

  2. In a medium bowl stir together mayonnaise, pickle brine, parsley, sage, basil, thyme, dill, garlic, and lemon zest. Loosen skin over legs and breast of turkey. Spread 1 cup of the mayonnaise mixture under skin over leg and breast meat.

  3. Skewer neck skin to back. Tuck drumstick ends under band of skin across tail (if present) or tie drumsticks securely to the tail using 100%-cotton kitchen string. Spread remaining mayonnaise mixture all over turkey skin. Insert an oven-going meat thermometer into the center of an inside thigh muscle (thermometer shouldn’t touch bone). Cover turkey loosely with foil.

  4. Set a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Place turkey, breast side up, on rack. Sprinkle with additional salt and pepper.

  5. Roast 2 1/4 hours. Remove foil; cut string between drumsticks. Roast until thermometer registers at least 175°F, 30 to 45 minutes more. (If stuffed, roast 1 to 1 1/4 hours more. The center of stuffing should register 165°F.) Juices should run clear, and drumsticks should move easily in their sockets. Remove turkey from oven. Cover with foil; let stand 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer turkey to a cutting board and carve.

Credits

Recipe developed by Colleen Weeden.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

196 Calories
21g Fat
1g Carbs
1g Protein
Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 12
Calories 195.8
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 20.8g 27%
Saturated Fat 3.3g 16%
Cholesterol 14.1mg 5%
Sodium 287mg 12%
Total Carbohydrate 1.2g 0%
Dietary Fiber 0.1g 0%
Total Sugars 0.9g
Protein 1g 2%
Vitamin D 0.1mcg 0%
Vitamin C 1.3mg 1%
Calcium 6mg 0%
Iron 0.2mg 1%
Potassium 18.6mg 0%
Fatty acids, total trans 0.1g
Vitamin D 2.3IU
Alanine 0.1g
Arginine 0.1g
Ash 0.9g
Aspartic acid 0.1g
Caffeine 0mg
Carotene, alpha 0mcg
Choline, total 11.7mg
Copper, Cu 0mg
Cystine 0g
Energy 818.8kJ
Fluoride, F 0.2mcg
Folate, total 2.6mcg
Glutamic acid 0.1g
Glycine 0g
Histidine 0g
Isoleucine 0g
Leucine 0.1g
Lysine 0.1g
Methionine 0g
Magnesium, Mg 2.1mg
Manganese, Mn 0mg
Niacin 0.2mg
Phosphorus, P 12.7mg
Pantothenic acid 0.1mg
Phenylalanine 0g
Phytosterols 0.1mg
Proline 0.1g
Retinol 4.4mcg
Selenium, Se 1.5mcg
Serine 0.1g
Theobromine 0mg
Threonine 0g
Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) 0.9mg
Tryptophan 0g
Tyrosine 0g
Valine 0g
Vitamin A, IU 82.7IU
Vitamin A, RAE 7.9mcg
Vitamin B-12 0.1mcg
Vitamin B-6 0mg
Vitamin K (phylloquinone) 51.9mcg
Water 11.5g
Zinc, Zn 0.1mg

*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.