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This brightly flavored citrus and herb-infused turkey brine recipe guarantees tender and juicy turkey every single time. It’ll become your holiday go-to! It’s incredibly easy to make and always impresses family and guests. You’ll never prepare your holiday bird without it.
There’s no better way to guarantee yourself a tender and juicy Thanksgiving turkey than to soak it in a good turkey brine. Here’s why: brine breaks down the strands of protein in the meat over time, which makes it incredibly tender. It also increases flavor absorption and moisture retention, so even if you accidentally overcook your bird a little, you’ll still be carving into juicy meat! Lastly, while you baste, you’ll notice your brined turkey creates a wonderfully savory basting liquid which can be used to make a great turkey gravy. Roast turkey finally becomes the star of the show, even next to all of those sought-after sides!
Looking for turkey recipes to try this turkey brine with? You’ll love my oven-roasted turkey breast or my quick and convenient air fryer turkey breast. If you’re looking to brine something smaller, like chicken breasts, check out my post on how to brine chicken breasts.
Why You’ll Love This Turkey Brine
- It impresses everyone—This has been a big mention in a lot of the reviews on Pinterest for this recipe. People tell me their families are in awe with the results and demand that turkey to be the only turkey they ever make moving forward!
- It’s easy—There’s really nothing to brining. You mix a bunch of ingredients in a large pot, dunk a turkey into it, and let it sit for the right amount of time! (Which is 1 hour per 1 pound.)
- Leaves you wiggle room when cooking—We’ve all accidentally overcooked a bird, and we all know that dry poultry is the pits. This turkey brine gives you wiggle room meaning that even if you overcook the bird a little, you’ll still end up with super tender juicy meat.
Turkey Brine Ingredients
A full ingredient list with exact measurements can be found in the recipe card below.
- Apple cider—This is my go-to when it comes to turkey brine because it’s SO flavorful. You could also use apple juice instead.
- Citrus fruit—Adding oranges and lemons to the mix brightens up the flavors.
- Fresh herbs—I typically use one or two of those pre-packaged bouquets of poultry herbs, which is a mix of fresh thyme, rosemary, sage, and parsley. You could use any or all of these. I also add bay leaves.
- Salt—Be sure to use coarse kosher salt when making your turkey brine. Morton’s is my go-to and is easily accessible here in the US. You don’t want to use table salt because it’s iodized and will give your turkey an off taste—almost metallic.
Recipe Variations & Modifications
- Liquid—Water is the most common liquid used for a turkey brine, despite the fact that I use apple cider. You could replace the cider with water, or even beer, wine, broth, or orange juice, depending on the flavor profile you’re looking for.
- Seasoning—You can use any herbs (even dry), flavorings, and aromatics you want. I’ve thrown in an onion before. I find apple cider and warmer-toned herbs are well-suited for fall and winter, which is when I make my turkeys. But you have room to be creative!
- Sugar—I like the deeper flavor and aroma of brown sugar, but you can use white sugar.
Useful Equipment for Brining
- A big container—This will depend on the size of the bird. When I make my apple cider brined turkey breast, I simply use a large stock pot. But for a whole turkey, you’re going to want a deep container, like a big brining bag or a brining bucket.
- Liners—If you’re using a brining bucket, you’ll want to get yourself some bucket liners for easy cleanup.
- Gloves—Squeamish over handling raw meat? Consider food-safe gloves.
- Disinfectant—I like to give my sink and the surrounding area a good cleaning afterward, and this safe surface cleaner is great!
- Meat thermometer—This is for the cooking process, but important enough to mention here. You’ll want to roast your turkey until a meat thermometer reads an internal temperature of 160º F when inserted into the thickest part of the breast, the innermost part of the thigh, and the innermost part of the wing.
Important Turkey Brine Tips
- Refrigerate after brining—After patting the turkey dry, pop it in the fridge, uncovered, and let it sit for a few hours or up to 24 hours. This allows the skin to dry out and will yield a nice crispy skin!
- Let the turkey come to room temperature—For an even cook on the turkey, let it sit on the counter to come to room temperature before roasting it.
- Clean out the cavity—Be sure to remove any giblets, the neck, or gravy packets that might have been stuffed into the turkey during the packaging process.
- Salt not dissolving—There have been several reports of salt not dissolving during the simmer process (step 1). I’ve adjusted the recipe to bring 8 cups of liquid to a simmer rather than 4 cups as I’ve since learned that the liquid can only hold so much of any dissolved material. It has a certain capacity before it can’t absorb any more salt. Science!
- Add ice to cool—Adding ice after the boiling process will help cool the brine so you can get on with it more quickly. You don’t have to add more salt to make up for the extra water the ice gives as it’s not significant.
- Brining a turkey breast—If you’re brining a boneless turkey breast which is much smaller, check out my apple cider brined turkey breast recipe for adjusted ratios.
How to Brine a Turkey
Step 1. Transfer about 8 cups of cider or water to a saucepan. Add the salt and sugar. Bring it to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Let it go, stirring occasionally, until the salt and sugar have dissolved. When done, set it aside and let the liquid cool completely. (You can speed this up by adding ice.)
Step 2. Pour the cooled brine to your brining container. Add the rest of the cider along with the garlic cloves, herbs, and peppercorns. Squeeze the juice from the oranges and lemons into the pot (don’t worry about the pits), and place the squeezed orange and lemon into the pot as well. Slowly and carefully submerge the turkey into the brine (careful, the liquid level will rise). Cover and refrigerate for an hour per pound.
Step 3. When brining time is up, carefully transfer the turkey to the sink. (I line mine with plastic grocery bags to try and keep things more sanitary. You could also use plastic wrap.) Carefully but thoroughly rinse the turkey with low water pressure to avoid splashback. This will rinse of excess salt. If you skip rinsing, you will end up with too salty of a turkey.
Step 4. After the rinse, pat the turkey dry with paper towels and transfer it to a cooking vessel, like a roasting pan or casserole dish. You can now prepare it and season it with a rub or that liscious under-the-skin compound butter as you normally would. This brining process works great if you’re planning on a smoked turkey, too!
How to Serve a Brined Turkey
A turkey brined in this particular blend goes great with any and all traditional holiday sides! I usually make a breast or two instead of a whole turkey since we’re a small family, so I cook up this delicious oven-roasted turkey breast or this easy air fryer turkey breast. I like to serve it with potatoes—whether they be creamy mashed potatoes or oven-roasted mini potatoes. These hot honey roasted carrots are also a treat. For greens, air fryer green beans with parmesan or oven-roasted broccoli do the trick.
Storing Turkey Brine
If you’re making the brine in advance, unused brine made with salt and water can be stored indefinitely in the refrigerator. With apple cider, herbs or aromatics like garlic and citrus, it will still last up to two weeks. Discard used turkey brine as it cannot be reused.
Frequently Asked Questions
The general rule of thumb is one hour per pound.
If you’re brining a breast for just a few hours, say 4 to 5 hours, use a brine proportion of 1 cup Morton Coarse Kosher Salt to 1 gallon of water. If brining overnight or up to 14 hours, use a proportion of ½ cup Morton Coarse Kosher Salt to 1 gallon water. (I’ve used Morton as my example as this is the most common and accessible brand in the US.)
Yes! I’m not a person that rinses poultry before cooking on the regular, but when it’s brined, it’s a must in order to get rid of excess salt.
You can, but you will want to omit any salt as the juices dripping into the cavity are going to be salty. Once the turkey and stuffing are ready, you can taste the stuffing and adjust the salt if necessary.
Absolutely! I’ve had great reviews on Pinterest mention how delicious the pan-gravy from this turkey brine is. Of course you want to keep in mind that the dripping are going to be salty, so adjust your gravy accordingly.
Some are. The best way to tell is by looking at the ingredient list if it isn’t already clear on the packaging. If there are other ingredients listed other than turkey, like spices and such, chances are the turkey is pre-brined. I wouldn’t suggest brining it again as you could create a much too salty turkey.
You can! You’ll want to ensure your brine is cold, so refrigerate it before adding the turkey. But this is a great way to get your turkey thawed and brined in one shot to save time.
More Brine Recipes to Try…
If you try this turkey brine recipe, please pop back in and leave a 🌟 star rating and let us know how it went in the 📝 comments below!
Best Turkey Brine Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 14 lb turkey, giblets and neck removed
- 2 gallons liquid (apple cider is my preferred choice; water also works)
- 1 cup coarse kosher salt or good quality coarse sea salt, See tips below on measuring this
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 8 cloves of garlic, smashed
- 2 oranges, juiced and halved
- 2 lemons, juiced and halved
- 4 TBSP peppercorns
- 4 bay leaves
- Handful of fresh herbs like rosemary, thyme, sage, and parsley.
Instructions
- Transfer about 8 cups of cider or water to a saucepan. Add the salt and sugar. Bring it to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Let it go, stirring occasionally, until the salt and sugar have dissolved. When done, set it aside and let the liquid cool completely. (You can speed this up by adding ice.)
- Pour the cooled brine to your brining container. Add the rest of the cider along with the garlic cloves, herbs, and peppercorns. Squeeze the juice from the oranges and lemons into the pot (don’t worry about the pits), and place the squeezed orange and lemon into the pot as well. Slowly and carefully submerge the turkey into the brine (careful, the liquid level will rise). Cover and refrigerate for an hour per pound.
- When brining time is up, carefully transfer the turkey to the sink. (I line mine with plastic grocery bags to try and keep things more sanitary. You could also use plastic wrap.) Carefully but thoroughly rinse the turkey with low water pressure to avoid splashback. This will rinse of excess salt. If you skip rinsing, you will end up with too salty of a turkey.
- After the rinse, pat the turkey dry with paper towels and transfer it to a cooking vessel. You can now prepare it and season it as you normally would.
Brine done now I’m lost what to season the bird with when cooking since comments say it’ll be salty enough from brine. Would appreciate any suggestions and should I add butter/oil?
You can still season your bird. Honestly, after the brining process, you can treat the bird as you normally would. It’s fine to oil it or butter it and season it because you rinse the turkey. The brine will leave some saltiness within, but you still have room for a seasoning. Here’s a rub I use for my air fryer turkey breast, which I always brine, and it works nicely. You might want to do a double batch for a large bird. Hope this helps!
1/2 tsp ground dried sage
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
1/4 tsp dried marjoram
1/4 tsp dried rosemary
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
Boiling my salt and sugar in apple cider and it’s taking forever for the salt to dissolve. It’s almost like it’s crystallizing? Is that normal or will it dissolve completely?
Coarse salt takes longer to dissolve. If you find it’s taking too long, honestly, you should still be good. The salt will still be enough to penetrate the meat! Let me know how it goes :)
Same! Been boiling for 20 minutes now and still have gobs and gobs of salt at the bottom of my saucepan. Meanwhile the volume of cider is slowly decreasing.
Just take it off the heat and proceed. You should be fine—you’ll still have all of that salt.
So come to find out my turkey I think is pre-brined aka it has ingredients listed other than just turkey (honeysuckle brand). Can I just omit the salt?
Hi Elizabeth, if your turkey is already brined then there’s no need to do anything else, assuming it’s already seasoned too. If you omit the salt from this brine recipe you’re really just letting your turkey sit in liquid for no reason.
Hmm I was hoping to have more than turkey broth, salt, sugar and whatever they call natural flavoring in the bird :D Well shoot I already mixed up my cider and water. I was going to have to have it sit in water anyway due to for some reason this 14 lb bird I pulled out Sunday is still more frozen then I’d like to start with in the morning. Thanks for your super responses the day before Thanksgiving!
Haha, you never know what that “natural flavoring” is! No problem, Elizabeth. Happy to help. Thanksgiving is a big deal! So I’m trying to keep on top of responses as quickly as I can. I hope your bird is delicious and I hope you have a fantastic Thanksgiving :)
Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving!!!
Hello how long should I brine a 25 lb fresh turkey???
About 24 hours should be good.
Can you fry this turkey in an infrared fryer?
Hi Bob! You sure can. Once you’re done brining just rinse the bird off well, pat it dry, and season it up like you normally would. From there you can you any method of cooking you please. Hope you enjoy!
Hello, what’s the worst that can happen if I brine for more that 18 hours? I have to work and I’ll have to did the brine for about 24 to 30 hours.
Being in it too long can yield in too much saltiness and a spongy texture to your meat. If you’re not ready to roast the bird after 18 hours, you can remove it from the brine and give it a good rinse it, pat it dry, and refrigerate for up to two days! I hope that helps.
Can this brine be used to smoke the turkey as well?
Absolutely! This works wonderfully for a smoked turkey.
What if my salt didn’t fully dissolved when I heat it up? I tried boiling it again, but it is still the same. I don’t know what to do.
Hi Kathy! Larger salt crystals, like with coarse salt, do take longer to dissolve. But you should be fine with the salt stirred in. I say go for it! I imagine the liquid is salty enough and you’ll be good. Let me know how it goes!
Omgoodness I have my turkey in the brine but it’ll be in it 36 hours. I just read that it’s to long. Will it mess my turkey up?
Hi Tara, how many lbs is your turkey?
16lbs
Ok, see my other comment to you. It can be saved, haha.
In any case you can totally remove the turkey from the brine once the recommended time is up, rinse it, pat it dry, and pop it in the fridge for up to two days. It’ll work out :)
Is this apple cider vinegar we are rising or apple cider sweet?
Sweet apple cider, like the juice. Definitely not apple cider vinegar.
Could we substitute apple cider vinegar for apple cider for this recipe and just use less than the recipe calls for and the rest water?
I’d just use a cup or two of apple cider vinegar (1 cup per one gallon of water). I’ve never tried it myself, though. Let me know if you try it!