How Long Does a Frozen Turkey Take to Thaw in the Fridge?
Photo: USDAgov via Flickr (Public Domain) · license
Allow one full day in the refrigerator for every 4 pounds of turkey. A 16-pound bird needs about 4 days and a 20-pounder about 5, so for a Thursday dinner they go in the fridge Sunday and Saturday.
That rate is Butterball’s. Montana State University Extension gives a slightly faster general rule for frozen food, at least 24 hours per 5 pounds. Both are minimums. Schedule with the slower 4-pound rule, because a turkey that thaws a little early has some room to wait. A turkey still frozen on Thursday morning does not.
The schedule: what day it goes in the fridge
For a Thursday cook, with the bird going into the fridge in the morning:
| Turkey weight | Fridge days (1 day per 4 lb, rounded up) | Into the fridge by | Cold-water backup (30 min per lb) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 lb | 3 | Monday | 6 hours |
| 14 lb | 4 (3.5 rounded up) | Sunday | 7 hours |
| 16 lb | 4 | Sunday | 8 hours |
| 18 lb | 5 (4.5 rounded up) | Saturday | 9 hours |
| 20 lb | 5 | Saturday | 10 hours |
| 22 lb | 6 (5.5 rounded up) | Friday | 11 hours |
| 24 lb | 6 | Friday | 12 hours |
To work out your own date, divide the weight by 4, round up, and count back that many days from the day you’ll cook. If you plan to brine or season the day before, count back from that day instead.
Why not start even earlier, to be safe?
Because thawing starts a clock. Montana State Extension says thawed poultry stays safe in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days before cooking. That matches FoodSafety.gov’s cold-storage chart, which gives raw poultry 1 to 2 days in the fridge. Freezing paused the clock; it didn’t give you a fresh bird.
Butterball’s page says to use a thawed turkey within four days. When an official food-safety source and a manufacturer disagree, go with the shorter window: 1 to 2 days.
The gap between the two thaw rates helps here. Take a 20-pound turkey that goes in on Saturday:
- At Butterball’s 1 day per 4 pounds: 20 ÷ 4 = 5 days, so thawed Thursday morning.
- At Montana State’s 24 hours per 5 pounds: 20 ÷ 5 = 4 days, so thawed by Wednesday morning, one day before cooking.
Either way, it’s cooked inside the 1-to-2-day window. Starting on Tuesday of the week before would not be.
Check the fridge before you trust any of this
Both thaw rates assume a properly cold refrigerator. Butterball says to keep it at 40°F or below, the same limit the FDA gives. Many home fridges miss it.
Ohio State University food safety researchers report that 43% of observed homes had a refrigerator warmer than 41°F. Only 4% to 9% of home fridges had a thermometer. The FDA notes that few refrigerator controls show the actual temperature, so the dial setting tells you little.
A few days before the turkey goes in, put an appliance thermometer in the fridge and check it the next morning. If it reads above 40°F, turn the control colder and check again. A crowded holiday fridge with the door opening constantly is when this matters most.
How to set it up in the fridge
Butterball’s method:
- Leave it in the unopened wrapper.
- Set it breast side up on a tray or rimmed sheet pan to catch drips.
- Keep the fridge at 40°F or below for the whole thaw.
If you’re behind: the cold-water method
When the calendar has run out, cold water is the backup both sources describe. Both Butterball and Montana State Extension put it at about 30 minutes per pound.
- Keep the turkey in its unopened wrapper. Montana State says the packaging must be leak-proof. If the wrapper is torn, seal the bird in a leak-proof bag first.
- Submerge it breast side down in cold tap water (Butterball).
- Change the water every 30 minutes. A 16-pound turkey takes about 8 hours, which is 16 water changes. If the bird won’t fit fully underwater, Butterball says to rotate it every 30 minutes.
- Cook it as soon as it’s thawed. Montana State and the FDA both say food thawed in cold water must be cooked right away. USDA says food thawed in cold water must be cooked before it’s refrozen.
A full 20-pound bird takes about 10 hours this way. Because it has to be cooked as soon as it’s thawed, time the start so it finishes when the oven is ready. Don’t thaw it in water the day before and hold it overnight.
If it’s still icy on Thanksgiving morning
Two options the sources support:
- Finish it in cold water. If you find ice in the cavity, use the cold-water method above until it’s thawed, then cook it right away.
- Cook it as it is. Montana State Extension says cooking frozen food takes about 50% longer than fully thawed food. A partly thawed bird needs less extra time than that, so start early and go by the thermometer.
Either way, the finish line is a thermometer reading, not the clock. The FDA’s safe minimum for whole and stuffed poultry is 165°F. Measure it with a food thermometer, and that includes any stuffing cooked inside the bird.
What not to do: put it on the counter, in the sink without water, or in the garage. The FDA says don’t thaw food on the counter, and USDA says perishable food left at room temperature more than 2 hours should be thrown out. A garage isn’t a refrigerator either, since its temperature rises and falls with the weather.
After dinner
The same time-and-temperature rules carry on. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours, divide the carcass meat and big pots of stuffing or gravy into shallow containers so they cool fast, and reheat to 165°F. Our guide to how long leftovers really last has the storage windows, and the fridge storage and thawing rules in one place covers the rest of the holiday food.
FAQ
Can I refreeze a turkey that thawed in the fridge if plans change?
Yes, if it thawed in a fridge at 40°F or below and is still within the 1-to-2-day window for thawed poultry. Montana State Extension says fridge-thawed food may be refrozen without cooking, though USDA notes some quality loss. Past that window, throw it out rather than refreezing it. A turkey thawed in cold water or the microwave has to be cooked first. The details are in is it safe to refreeze meat that thawed in the fridge?
Can I speed up a fridge thaw by unwrapping the turkey?
Butterball’s method keeps the wrapper on, both in the fridge and in cold water. If time is short, switch to cold water rather than changing the fridge method.
How do I know it’s fully thawed?
None of these sources gives a doneness test for thawing. If you find ice in the cavity or aren’t sure, finish it in cold water or cook it as partly frozen, and rely on the thermometer reaching 165°F.
Sources
- How to Thaw a Turkey | Butterball — 1 day per 4 lb in the fridge, 40°F or below, breast-side-up on a tray, cold water at 30 min per lb with water changes
- Safe Thawing Practices | Montana State University Extension — 24 hours per 5 lb, thawed poultry 1–2 days, cold-water rules, cooking from frozen about 50% longer, refreezing fridge-thawed food
- Safe Food Handling | FDA — 165°F for whole and stuffed poultry; no counter thawing; cook cold-water-thawed food right away
- Refrigerator Thermometers | FDA and Nobody likes cold, including bacteria | Ohio State University — 40°F limit, few controls show the actual temperature, 43% of observed homes had a fridge above 41°F
- Freezing and Food Safety | USDA FSIS — refreezing depends on thaw method and the fridge window
- The Danger Zone (40°F–140°F) | USDA FSIS — the 2-hour limit at room temperature
- Cold Food Storage Charts | FoodSafety.gov — raw poultry keeps 1–2 days in the fridge
Written and reviewed by peter.bae for Hearth & Habit · Last reviewed October 11, 2026
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