Thanksgiving Timeline for 20 People

For 20 guests, 25 lb of turkey is over the 24 lb top of the USDA roasting chart, so buy two 13 lb turkeys and move them from the freezer to the refrigerator by Saturday, November 21. For dinner at 3 pm both go into a 325°F oven at 10:45 am, come out to rest at 2:30 pm, and the pies and cranberry sauce are made on Wednesday, November 25.

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Turkey to buy

25 pounds

Buy two birds of about 13 lb each (25 lb in all)

Buy two birds of aboutTwo birds of 13 lb add up to 26 lb. The thaw and roast times below are for each bird: 13 pounds each
Servings: 20 people

Thawing (each bird)

Thaw in the refrigerator (each bird)24 hours for every 4 to 5 lb (we use 4 lb, rounded up), at 40°F or below. The safest way. Both birds thaw side by side: 4 days
Thaw in cold water (each bird) (faster than the refrigerator)30 minutes a lb in a sealed bag, changing the water every 30 minutes. Cook it right away. Each bird needs its own bag and sink of water: 6.5 hours

Roasting (each bird)

Roast at 325°F, unstuffed (each bird)Check with a thermometer, not the clock: 3 h to 3 h 45 min
Safe internal temperatureIn the thickest part of the breast and thigh, and the stuffing: 165°F
Rest before carvingCover loosely with foil: 20 to 30 min

Over 24 lb: buy two turkeys of about 13 lb each, which cook faster and more evenly. Roast them at the same time, in one oven if they fit or in two. Source: USDA FSIS, Let’s Talk Turkey (roasting and thawing guidance). Roasting times are its 325°F timetable (unstuffed, or its stuffed column when ticked) and change with the oven, the pan and the bird, so cook to temperature. Never thaw a turkey on the counter. A frozen turkey can be cooked from frozen, but takes about 50% longer.

Blueprint

25 lb · 2 birds

Countdown for 20 guests, dinner at 3 pm

A frozen turkey at 1.25 lb a person (the dinner calculator's standard appetite) and Thanksgiving on Thursday, November 26, 2026. Times in bold are on the day; amounts come from the Thanksgiving dinner calculator.

When	What	Notes
Saturday, November 21	Two frozen turkeys into the refrigerator	4 days for each 13 lb bird at about 24 hours per 4 to 5 lb, plus a spare day.
Wednesday, November 25	Pies, cranberry sauce, chopping	4 pies, 5 cups of cranberry sauce, the onions and celery for 15 cups of stuffing.
10:25 am	Oven on to 325°F	20 minutes before the turkey goes in, a margin over the 12 to 15 minutes KitchenAid gives for a normal preheat. Giblets out of both; pat the birds dry.
10:45 am	Both turkeys in, unstuffed	Allows the full 3 h to 3 h 45 min for each, if both fit with room around them.
1:45 pm	First temperature check	165°F in the thickest part of the thigh and breast.
2:15 pm	Potatoes on to boil	10 lb for mashing.
2:30 pm	Turkeys out to rest	30 minutes under foil; stuffing and casseroles into the oven.
2:40 pm	Gravy and rolls	8 cups of gravy, 30 rolls.
3:00 pm	Carve and serve

Two 13 lb turkeys at other dinner times

Each time uses the long end of the USDA range at 325°F and a 30 minute rest, so a fast bird just rests longer.

Dinner at	Oven on	Turkey in	First check	Out to rest
1:00 pm	8:25 am	8:45 am	11:45 am	12:30 pm
2:00 pm	9:25 am	9:45 am	12:45 pm	1:30 pm
3:00 pm	10:25 am	10:45 am	1:45 pm	2:30 pm
4:00 pm	11:25 am	11:45 am	2:45 pm	3:30 pm
5:00 pm	12:25 pm	12:45 pm	3:45 pm	4:30 pm

Twenty guests: two birds, one oven plan

At 1.25 lb a person, twenty guests need 25 lb of turkey, more than the 24 lb top of the USDA roasting chart, so the turkey calculator splits the order into two birds of half the total, rounded up: 13 lb each, 26 lb in all, and each thaws in 4 days.

Each bird roasts 3 h to 3 h 45 min at 325°F. If both fit on one rack with space around them, they go in together at 10:45 am for a 3 pm dinner, but a crowded oven roasts more slowly, so check each with a thermometer. Otherwise roast the second on a grill or in a second oven at the same time. Two birds also mean two carvers and a faster serve.

Also cooking a ham for 20?

As a second meat beside the turkey, the ham size calculator at the low USDA serving, 1/3 lb of bone-in ham a person, gives 7 lb for 20 guests.

If the two turkeys leave room on a lower rack, a fully cooked half ham reheats at 325°F, the same oven temperature as the turkey, at 18 to 24 minutes a pound: 2 h 6 min to 2 h 48 min for 7 lb. Put it in at 11:42 am so it reaches 140°F as the turkeys come out at 2:30 pm, then rest them all under foil while the stuffing bakes. No room? USDA says a cooked ham from an inspected plant is safe to serve cold. More in how much ham per person and how much ham for 20 people.

How much turkey a person? The USDA's consumer guide allows about 1 lb of whole turkey a person for a fresh or frozen bird and 1¼ lb for a pre-stuffed one; this page uses 1.25 lb. See how big a turkey for 20 people, how much food for 20 and the one-oven Thanksgiving cooking schedule.

Want to change anything else? The calculator above is the full Turkey Size Calculator: How Big a Turkey for Thanksgiving?: edit any number and the results update instantly.

Tools & materials for this project

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Gravy separator

Frequently asked questions

What is the Thanksgiving timeline for 20 people?

Move two frozen 13 lb turkeys to the refrigerator by Saturday, November 21, make the pies and cranberry sauce on Wednesday, November 25, and for a 3 pm dinner put both turkeys in at 10:45 am with the oven on at 10:25 am.

Can I cook one turkey for 20 people?

At 1.25 lb a person, 20 guests need 25 lb, above the 24 lb top of the USDA roasting chart. Two birds of 13 lb roast in 3 h to 3 h 45 min each and thaw in 4 days.

What time do two turkeys for 20 go in for a 3 pm dinner?

At 10:45 am, with the oven on at 10:25 am, if both fit with room around them. Start checking each at 1:45 pm; take each out when it reads 165°F.

Can I cook a ham and a turkey for 20 in the same oven?

Yes, both cook at 325°F. A cooked half ham of 7 lb reheats in 2 h 6 min to 2 h 48 min, so for a 3 pm dinner it goes in at 11:42 am and reaches 140°F as the turkeys come out at 2:30 pm.

Related sizes and guides

Estimates only. Results assume standard materials and simple shapes. Supplier products vary, and the final call on quantity, structure and safety is yours. Check your local code and your supplier's guidance before ordering.

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