Low Sodium Roast Turkey Recipe – Perfect for Thanksgiving!
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Jump to RecipeThis low sodium roasted turkey recipe is perfect to serve at your next holiday dinner – roasted whole turkey is marinated overnight in herbs and spices, and roasted to perfection in the oven!
In this article I share tips for finding the best low sodium turkey and have some great tips! From tasty juicy meat to crispy and delicious skin. This tasty low sodium holiday recipe is a great no-salt-added dinner, and one that everyone will love – great for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hannukah, or any holiday meal.
And don’t forget to serve this turkey up with no-salt-added stuffing, low sodium green bean casserole, and our favorite low sodium sweet potato casserole!
Holiday meals can be hard to navigate when you’re on a low sodium diet – we’ve learned over the years! We’ve cooked about 10 low sodium holiday meals here, and this low sodium roast turkey is the centerpiece of holidays. Start by marinading thawed turkey in a great mix of herbs, garlic, vinegar, and spices, then stuff it with aromatics like citrus, and bake until crisp.
One of my favorite tricks is putting pads of unsalted butter underneath the skin, so it gets nice and crispy while baked in the oven. Whether you’re doing a full holiday spread with low sodium pumpkin pie, or a more casual meal with low sodium mashed potatoes and low sodium honey baked carrots, this turkey is tasty, versatile, and goes with everything.
Why This Recipe Works
- It’s our favorite tried-and-true holiday meal – great for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any holiday!
- The meat is tender and juicy, and the skin is crisp and delicious.
- It has lots of flavor, without added salt – thanks to a few tricks we’ll share below.
- It’s a crowd pleaser, everyone will want seconds.
Let’s Talk Turkey!
Here are a few tips below for finding good, low sodium meat options.
Look Locally
If you can, fresh and local turkey can be a great option, especially if it isn’t loaded with salt solutions or sodium preservatives (which many store-bought turkeys can be injected with). I live in the New England countryside, and we have 2 local turkey farms near me, so I am lucky to be able to get great fresh meat.
Just a caveat though: heritage or local turkey meat can be pricey. We only buy it once or twice a year, so I splurge a bit, but I understand that’s not always an option for everyone.
Talk to a Butcher
I’ve found store butchers (even at large supermarket chains) are great resources! They can help point you in the right direction for a low sodium option. If you let them know in advance, they may be able to bring in some lower sodium meats on request. Don’t be afraid to ask!
Read Your Labels
If you’re going with a store-bought turkey, always check the labels. Some have stuffing, and some turkeys come unstuffed (which can impact the sodium content per serving).
Buy Unstuffed
If possible, try to get an unstuffed turkey so you can brine it and stuff it with aromatics or your own stuffing.
Store bought stuffing can be loaded with added sodium and preservatives, and it’s simple to make your own low sodium stuffing with plain unsalted bread or low sodium cornbread too!
Try Turkey Breast
The DASH diet recommends lean meats (which have lower saturated fats) like turkey breast. Instead of a whole turkey, you can find great bone-in turkey breast options in many stores.
Just be sure to adjust the cooking time if you are cooking just the turkey breasts, as it can vary even more.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Turkey – read our tips above for how to find low sodium turkey options. From the farm to your local grocery store, there are lots of great options out there!
- Unsalted Butter – I add little pads of unsalted butter placed underneath the skin, and between the skin and the meat. It makes the skin super crispy when baked in the oven!
- Aromatics for Stuffing – I like to stuff the turkey with aromatics like lemon, orange, rosemary, garlic, and onion. I find this adds a great flavor to the meat. You can also skip these and stuff the turkey with dressing, or cook the dressing separately.
- The Marinade – I like doing a marinade (like a salt-free ‘brine’) the night before to add more flavor to the meat. My marinade has apple cider vinegar, onion powder, garlic powder, and thyme.
To Stuff Or Not To Stuff?
Whenever we make turkey, you better believe a big tray of low sodium dressing is close by! Instead of putting the dressing inside the turkey, I like cooking it separately – but that is up to you!
Putting the dressing inside the turkey and stuffing it, makes it extra delicious as the flavor of the turkey gets into the stuffing. However, the downside is that it increases the cooking time.
I like to stuff my turkey with aromatics instead, which give the turkey a great extra flavor. If you haven’t tried aromatic stuffing, give it a try! I did it once on a whim, and haven’t gone back.
How To Roast a Low Sodium Turkey
- Marinate the Turkey – If you are marinating the turkey, thaw the turkey, remove the giblets add turkey to a large sealable bag. Add in the marinade ingredients: apple cider vinegar, orange juice, rosemary, sage, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, black pepper, and add enough water to cover the turkey. Remove any air from the bag, seal, and refrigerate overnight.
- When ready to cook the turkey, remove the turkey from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Place the turkey in a large roasting pan, breast-side up. Tuck the wings under the bird and tie the legs together with kitchen twine.
- Preheat your oven to 325° Fahrenheit. Gently loosen the skin over the turkey breast and thighs using your hands. Slice the unsalted butter into 1/4-inch thin pads. Slide the pads of unsalted butter under the skin, adding them evenly over the meat.
- Stuff the turkey cavity with the aromatics: lemon, orange, onion, garlic, rosemary, and thyme.
- Place the turkey in the preheated oven, and roast for about 12-15 minutes per pound of turkey. Baste the turkey hourly with any juices from the bottom of the pan. Turkey will be done when a meat thermometer reads 165° Fahrenheit when inserted into the thickest part of the breast.
- Remove the turkey from the oven, tent it loosely with foil, and let it rest for 20-30 minutes before carving. Enjoy!
Recipe FAQs
This low sodium turkey recipe has XX mg of sodium per serving. Store-bought varieties may vary, so always ensure you check labels before consuming.
Our low sodium turkey uses a great salt-free brine, and we stuff the turkey with aromatics for extra flavor. We add unsalted butter under the skin to make the outside extra crispy in the oven.
Along with this juicy and moist roast turkey, we love serving up no-salt stuffing, low sodium green beans, and our favorite low sodium sweet potato casserole!
Let’s keep in touch – don’t forget to follow over on Instagram, Facebook, & my Youtube channel for more easy low sodium recipes.
If you made this recipe please leave a star rating & comment below. Your feedback helps other people who are making this recipe.
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Low Sodium Roast Turkey
Equipment
- Turkey bag or other large plastic bag
- Roasting pan
- Turkey baster
Ingredients
For the Turkey
- 1 whole turkey 15-20 lbs, thawed if frozen
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 1 lemon halved
- 1 orange halved
- 1 onion quartered
- 6 cloves garlic smashed
- 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
For the Marinade
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup orange juice
- 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1 tablespoon fresh sage
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- Water to cover
Instructions
- Marinate the Turkey – If you are marinating the turkey, thaw the turkey, remove the giblets add turkey to a large turkey bag. Add in the marinade ingredients: apple cider vinegar, orange juice, rosemary, sage, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, black pepper, and add enough water to cover the turkey. Remove any air from the bag, seal, and refrigerate overnight.
- When ready to cook the turkey, remove the turkey from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Place the turkey in a large roasting pan, breast-side up. Tuck the wings under the bird and tie the legs together with kitchen twine.
- Preheat your oven to 325° Fahrenheit. Gently loosen the skin over the turkey breast and thighs using your hands. Slice the unsalted butter into 1/4-inch thin pads. Slide the pads of unsalted butter under the skin, adding them evenly over the meat.
- Stuff the turkey cavity with the aromatics: lemon, orange, onion, garlic, rosemary, and thyme.
- Place the turkey in the preheated oven, and roast for about 12-15 minutes per pound of turkey. Baste the turkey hourly with any juices from the bottom of the pan. Turkey will be done when a meat thermometer reads 165° Fahrenheit when inserted into the thickest part of the breast.
- Remove the turkey from the oven, tent it loosely with foil, and let it rest for 20-30 minutes before carving. Enjoy!
Notes
Tips for Finding Low Sodium Turkey
Here are a few tips below for finding good, low sodium meat options.Look Locally
If you can, fresh and local turkey can be a great option, especially if it isn’t loaded with salt solutions or sodium preservatives (which many store-bought turkeys can be injected with). I live in the New England countryside, and we have 2 local turkey farms near me, so I am lucky to be able to get great fresh meat. Just a caveat though: heritage or local turkey meat can be pricey. We only buy it once or twice a year, so I splurge a bit, but I understand that’s not always an option for everyone.Talk to a Butcher
I’ve found store butchers (even at large supermarket chains) are great resources! They can help point you in the right direction for a low sodium option. If you let them know in advance, they may be able to bring in some lower sodium meats on request. Don’t be afraid to ask!Read Your Labels
If you’re going with a store-bought turkey, always check the labels. Some have stuffing, and some turkeys come unstuffed (which can impact the sodium content per serving).Buy Unstuffed
If possible, try to get an unstuffed turkey so you can brine it and stuff it with aromatics or your own stuffing. Store bought stuffing can be loaded with added sodium and preservatives, and it’s simple to make your own low sodium stuffing with plain unsalted bread or low sodium cornbread too!Try Turkey Breast
The DASH diet recommends lean meats (which have lower saturated fats) like turkey breast. Instead of a whole turkey, you can find great bone-in turkey breast options in many stores. Just be sure to adjust the cooking time if you are cooking just the turkey breasts, as it can vary even more.Nutrition
*Please note, all nutrition content is estimated based on the ingredients we used, it may vary based on your ingredients. Always check your nutrition labels to verify sodium amounts.
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This was a lifesaver for me!!!
You saved me
Super tasty
A life saver. Such wonderful taste
Are the nutrition facts for the whole bird, or per serving? If the latter, what’s the serving size?
Hello Marcella, the nutrition information is for one serving size. I put the servings at 36 servings for the whole turkey
Hello.
What adjustments need to be made when cooking just the bone in turkey breasts?
Thanks
Hello Fernando,
Cooking time will vary since you are just doing the turkey breasts (also depending on the size of turkey breasts you use)- ensure that the turkey is cooked to 165 degrees Fahrenheit in the thickest part of the breast – that will tell you when the turkey is done.
Once you cook it, please let us know how big your turkey was and how long it took to cook.
– Kelly