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This bright citrus and herb-infused turkey brine recipe guarantees juicy turkey every time. It’ll easily become your holiday go-to!
Table of Contents
- Say Goodbye to Dry Turkey
- How to Brine a Turkey
- How to Brine a Turkey Breast
- Ingredients
- How to Make Turkey Brine for a 12-16 Pound Turkey
- How Long Should You Brine a Turkey
- Useful Kitchen Tools
- Brining Tips + Tricks.
- Have You Made This Recipe?
- Here Are Some of My Recipes I Like to Use a Brine For:
- Turkey Brine Recipe
Say Goodbye to Dry Turkey
There’s no better way to guarantee yourself a tender and juicy turkey than to give it a soak in a salt bath.
Poultry lacks the fat that pork and beef have, and that fat adds a lot of flavor. It also locks in juices during the cooking process. So turkey needs help, and marinating isn’t the answer.
(America’s Test Kitchen confirmed that marinating poultry does nothing.)
But a good turkey brine recipe is our friend! A 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.
There are two ways to brine a turkey: with a wet brine or a dry brine.
In this post, I’m going to tell you how to brine a turkey with a wet brine.
How to Brine a Turkey
Brining a turkey is incredibly easy, it’s just a matter of having all the right things and the right ratios.
Here’s a breakdown on how to brine a turkey.
- Choose a good container. You want a large non-corrosive container that is big enough to fit your turkey, but small enough to fit in your fridge. I like to use a large stainless steel stock pot. You could also use a large plastic container or brining bag.
- Make your brining solution. One cup of coarse salt per one gallon of water (1:1) is the key ratio for your brining solution. Bring the water/cider and salt to a boil and let it simmer until the salt has completely dissolved. Let it cool completely before you transfer the turkey to the brine. You can speed up the cooling process by adding ice to the brine.
- Refrigerate the turkey. Cover your container with a lid and place the container in the refrigerator for the proper amount of time (one hour per pound). I recommend placing the container on the lowest shelf to prevent the brine from spilling on any other food items. Once the raw poultry hits that brine, it’s contaminated.
- Remove the turkey and dry it. About 30 minutes before you plan to cook the turkey, carefully remove it from the brine and rinse it under cold water. Place it onto a roasting pan or plate and gently pat it dry with paper towels. I carefully drain my brine into the sink since this is the easiest way to get rid of it, just be sure to disinfect the sink and surrounding area to avoid any cross-contamination. afterward.
How to Brine a Turkey Breast
If you’re feeding a small crowd, a turkey breast makes the most sense.
When it comes to brining a turkey breast, follow the same process as for a large turkey, but cut the ingredient amounts in half. You’ll also want to brine same-day since most breasts are 3-5 lbs, leaving you with just a few hours of brining time—remember, one hour per pound!
Ingredients
- Apple cider. I use this instead of water, but you could also do half water and half apple cider.
- Fresh herbs. I like to use the prepackaged “poultry blend” when I can, which includes fresh sprigs of rosemary, thyme, and parsley. You can also throw in some sage, oregano, and a few bay leaves!
- Citrus fruit. I’m pretty devoted to oranges and lemons when it comes to brining turkey. Depending on the recipe and how you’ll be seasoning it, limes could also work. Make sure to use the fruits in their entirety! Squeeze the juices from the fruit and then plop the remains into the brine. This really brightens up the flavors.
- Garlic. I use a lot of garlic. I smash a bunch of cloves of garlic before dropping them into the brine because it releases a stronger flavor.
- Spices. Other than salt, I like to add whole peppercorns to the brine. You could also throw in cinnamon sticks, anise, cardamom pods, or cloves, depending on what you’re going for.
- Sugar. Adding sugar is important. Again, it balances out the saltiness. I always go for brown sugar because I think the deeper flavor really jives with the apple cider.
- Other liquids. I love cooking with apple cider throughout the cooler months, and this is the perfect opportunity to do it. Most brine recipes that I’ve stumbled upon that use cider use a pretty minimal amount. I’ve gone as far as to use an entire gallon before, and it was fantastic! So don’t be shy. You can also use a splash of Worcestershire sauce or a bit of wine.
How to Make Turkey Brine for a 12-16 Pound Turkey
- Transfer 2 gallons of apple cider (or water if you go that route) to a large stock pot.
- Add 2 cups of salt and 1 cup of brown sugar to the liquid. Bring it to a rolling boil, then lower it to a simmer until the salt and sugar have dissolved.
- Remove the stock pot from the stove and let it cool completely before you transfer the turkey to the brine. If you want to speed up the cooling process, add some ice!
- Once cooled, transfer the turkey to the brining container, descending it into the liquid slowly to avoid any spilling. Add the herbs, smashed garlic cloves, and spices to the brine; squeeze citrus juice into the brine and then put the citrus halves into the brine as well.
- Cover, and pop the container in the fridge.
How Long Should You Brine a Turkey
This question gets asked so often, I feel like I can’t repeat it enough. After all, it’s crucial to get it right!
The rule is one hour per pound. If you’ve got a big 12-16 lb bird, you can get away with brining overnight, up to 18 hours.
A turkey breast, however, will be a same-day brine. If your turkey breast is 3 lbs, brine it for 3 hours; if it’s 5 lbs, brine it for 5 hours, etc.
Useful Kitchen Tools
- Sharp knife
- Cutting board
- Juice reamer
- Container for brining (large stainless steel stockpot, large plastic container, or brining bag)
- Saucepan
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Liner bags (optional, but handy)
Brining Tips + Tricks.
- Instead of using a container, you can use a brining bag.
- For easier cleanup when using a container, use a liner bag.
- If your turkey is not fully submerged in its container, be sure to rotate it every once in a while so that the entire bird is infused with the brine.
Have You Made This Recipe?
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Here Are Some of My Recipes I Like to Use a Brine For:
Turkey Brine Recipe
Ingredients
For a 12-16 lb turkey (see notes for brining a turkey breast).
- 2 gallons water (or 1 gallon of water and 1 gallon of apple cider)
- 2 cups coarse kosher salt or coarse sea salt
- 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 the cider or water to a small saucepan; add the salt and sugar. Bring it to a boil and 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.)
- Once the brine has cooled, transfer it to your brining container and add the smashed garlic cloves, herbs, and peppercorns. Then 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 (optional), and refrigerate for at least 12 hours, but no longer than 18 hours (this time is based on a 12-16 lb turkey. Use the hour per pound rule.)
- When the bird is finished brining, carefully transfer the turkey from the brine to a large platter or cooking vessel. Rinse it under cold water and pat it dry with paper towels. Season it as you wish, but keep in mind that the turkey is pretty salty now, so go lightly.
Did you season the outer layer? If so, what seasoning did you use?
Hi May, after brining you can use any seasoning you want. Sometimes I use poultry seasoning, sometimes an herb blend. For my air fryer turkey breast I have a blend I whip up myself that includes the following:
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
You may want to double up the measurements for a large bird. I hope this helps! Let me know how it goes :)
Hi! Is there a next recipe, for cooking the turkey? Thanks and I can’t wait to try this!
Hi Paige! I don’t have a recipe for a large turkey but do have two great recipes for turkey breasts, not sure that that helps. Here they are just in case!
Air fryer’s are Turkey Breast
Oven Roasted Turkey Breast
I’ve made this a few years now.
I think it’s delicious.
However I’m curious…
Am I able to cut back on the salt?
Like cup in a half? Or does it have to be 2 cups?
My family said the bird was salty.
I rinsed it and dried it after.
I don’t know why it was so salty.
I’m thinking it’s our taste buds.
As we don’t use salt at all we are a pepper family.. ☺
11pounds I’m making this year.
Hi Leslie! If you found the turkey too salty, even after rinsing it, you could definitely cut back on the salt a bit and see if it’s a better fit for you and the family. I hope it works! Please let me know how it goes!
Somehow, even after 3 days, my 13.15 turkey is semi semi to solidly frozen. Do you think I could extend the brine with ice? Let it go from tonight, Tuesday to Thursday morning? Trying to decide. I do not want to miss out on the flavor. Thank you for your post. Your recipe is almost identical to what I do. I just forgot the salt to water ratio. Happy Thanksgiving !
Hi Katie! What I’d do in this case is pop the turkey into a vat of water and keep it out on the counter for a few hours to speed up the thawing process. Keep an eye on it. Make sure the water is cold to prevent the meat hitting an unsafe tepid temperature. I’ve never brined a turkey from frozen or semi frozen for a longer period of time so I’d hate to say go for it and set you up for a badly textured turkey. I run into slow thawing meat quite often though, so I say let it sit in water at room temp tomorrow for a few hours and see where it goes! Keep me posted :) And happy thanksgiving!
The instructions say to add the cider water to a small saucepan. 2 gallons don’t fit in one. Can you please confirm the amount?
Hi Shellie, adding about 2 cups to a small saucepan with the sugar and salt speeds up the process a bit because you don’t have to wait for the whole two gallons to cool so that’s what I do. Simmer until the salt and sugar have dissolved, add some ice cubes to the pot to speed cooling, then add it to the rest of the cider
I have a 20lbs Turkey, how would I figure the ratios?
Thanks!
Hi Taryn! You’d be fine with the same exact recipe. Just ensure that the entire bird is covered and you can add more cider/water to the vessel in order to cover the bird if need be, but you should be totally fine. Good luck! Please let me know how it goes :)
What if u put apple cider vinegar instead of cider
Cider and vinegar aren’t interchangeable in this recipe, but if you don’t have cider on hand, what you can do is add 12 cups or so of apple cider vinegar to 1 gallon of water. Other options are you could swap apple cider for apple juice completely, or just use water. I hope this helps! Please let me know how it goes!
I love the sound of this and will definitely be trying it out on my immediate family 😁
That said, I’m hosting the extended family for Thanksgiving this year and some of them are VERY traditional and take Thanksgiving dishes extremely seriously. I’ve always brined my turkeys in the past, but with a much simpler, more savory recipe.
My question is — does this brine give off a noticeable difference in flavor, to where those with very basic palates might be put off? Or is it just subtle hints of flavor that kick it up a notch, but those eating it think it’s the best “traditional” Thanksgiving turkey they’ve ever eaten? I just don’t want to make a bunch of people mad because they think I got too “adventurous” with the main dish. This has happened before with side dishes other family members made (God forgive my cousin for his gruyere garlic mashed potatoes) and I don’t want it to happen to me with the main dish 😅
Hello! I completely understand where you’re coming from. I can assure you that there is no noticeable offbeat flavor in a turkey when this brine is used. For the most part, the brine just makes the turkey super duper juicy and tender. You’ll get very subtle hints of citrus and herbs, but the herbs used are traditional poultry herbs, so you’re good to go. I’ve used this for several people who like things to be, let’s say “less adventurous”, and they loved it. Be sure to rinse the turkey prior to seasoning it with a rub to rid of excess salt, and you should be good to go. Good luck! Please let me know how it goes :)
Second year in a row using this brine. Last year I wasn’t able to find apple cider so I used apple juice and it turned out well. So moist and flavorful, everyone was blown away. I used all the spices suggested and fresh herbs as well, you can tell it makes a huge difference. The only thing different I did from the recipe was boil all the ingredients together not just the sugar and salt. This year I added cranberries as well. I add the same fresh herbs in the butter mixture I put on my turkey and it’s phenomenal. Thank you for sharing!
I want to clarify one ingredient please. It it apple cider vinegar or apple cider?
Apple cider! Definitely not vinegar.