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    Home » Main Dishes

    Keto Roast Turkey with Garlic Herb Butter

    Published: Nov 14, 2022 · Updated: Nov 21, 2022 by Angela Coleby · This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads ·

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    Gluten FreeNut FreeEgg FreeLow CarbPaleoKeto

    Our keto roast turkey with garlic herb butter recipe makes an elegant dinner for your holiday meal or any year-round dinner. With this low carb and gluten-free recipe, you can make this dish, better than any store-bought roast.

    This ultimate keto roasted turkey recipe is perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter or buffets. It comes out moist, juicy and tender every time. Make it, serve it, and eat it!

    citrus keto roasted turkey

    Roast turkey can be dry and bland but this recipe gives you a moist and flavorsome bird. The Chief Taster was so delighted with this, it made me want to roast another one! It sliced so well and smooth, I knew it would be a hit before I plated it.

    This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy for more information.

    Jump to:
    • CAN YOU EAT TURKEY ON A KETO DIET?
    • HOW TO DEFROST A TURKEY
    • CAN YOU COOK A FROZEN TURKEY?
    • HOW LONG PER POUND DO YOU ROAST A TURKEY?
    • BRINING A TURKEY
    • INGREDIENTS
    • WHAT HERBS GO WELL WITH KETO ROAST TURKEY?
    • HOW TO MAKE A KETO ROAST TURKEY
    • MAKE AN EASY KETO TURKEY GRAVY
    • STORAGE
    • WHAT TO SERVE WITH KETO ROASTED TURKEY
    • HOW TO USE TURKEY LEFTOVERS
    • Keto Roast Turkey with Garlic Herb Butter

    CAN YOU EAT TURKEY ON A KETO DIET?

    Turkey is a great meal to enjoy on a keto diet. It's low in carbohydrates and high in protein. A 3oz serving of roasted turkey (without the skin) is:

    Calories145
    Protein25 grams
    Fat0 grams
    Fibre0 grams
    Net Carbs0 grams

    Turkey is also a low glycemic index (GI) food and won't give you a blood sugar spike. If you have diabetes, including turkey in your diet can help you to keep your blood sugar under control.

    HOW TO DEFROST A TURKEY

    Preparing a turkey is a quest in terms of time and you need to plan ahead! If you are using a frozen turkey it will need to be defrosted thoroughly before use. The USDA recommendations are to allow one day per 4-5 lbs per of weight. A 15lb turkey can take up to 3 days to safely defrost.

    The best way to defrost a turkey is in the refrigerator as this allows the turkey to thaw and a constant temperature. If you thaw the turkey at room temperature, bacterial growth can occur, so please avoid it!

    Once the turkey has defrosted, it can be stored safely for another one or two days in the refrigerator.

    CAN YOU COOK A FROZEN TURKEY?

    If you are in a panic on the day of roasting the turkey and it's still frozen, don't panic as it can still be cooked, it will just take up to twice as long. Use a food thermometer to check the temperature and when your turkey measures 165˚F in the innermost part of the thigh, the innermost part of the wing and the thickest part of the breast, it is ready.

    HOW LONG PER POUND DO YOU ROAST A TURKEY?

    Roasting times for a turkey will vary between an unstuffed and stuffed turkey. For this recipe, we have not stuffed it. It's recommended that roasting a turkey at 350 degrees F takes 13 minutes per pound for an unstuffed turkey.

    Turkey WeightCooking Time
    10-12 lbs2 ¼ to 2 ¾ hours
    12-14 lbs2 ¾ to 3 hours
    15-18 lbs3 ¼ to 4 hours
    18-20 lbs4 to 4 ¼ hours
    20 - 22 lbs4 ¼ to 4 ¾ hours

    BRINING A TURKEY

    We make this keto roast turkey after brining it in a citrus and herb brine. It's entirely optional but very recommended.

    If you want to brine your turkey before roasting, the key is planning! First, you need to defrost the turkey, that can take a couple of days, then brine it for up to 24 hours. Then, finally you can roast it!

    INGREDIENTS

    We use simple and fresh flavors for this herb and citrus butter roasted turkey. The lemon and herbs give the turkey a light citrus flavor without overpowering the meat.

    keto roast turkey ingredients
    • Lemons - ensure that they are unwaxed and zest them before cutting into quarters.
    • Herbs - we prefer to use fresh herbs but if you can only use dry, increase the amount as fresh can have a stronger flavor.
    • Butter - everything tastes better with butter! We use unsalted.

    WHAT HERBS GO WELL WITH KETO ROAST TURKEY?

    Turkey pairs well with many herbs and the fresher the better. Parsley is a very popular herb but try these others too:

    • Thyme
    • Rosemary
    • Sage
    • Tarragon
    • Oregano
    • Marjoram

    HOW TO MAKE A KETO ROAST TURKEY

    Once your turkey is brined, you are ready to roast (brining optional though).

    The fresh herbs are chopped and mixed with lemon zest and butter, and spread over and under the turkey skin. This makes the skin crispy, and also gives a great flavor to the turkey breast. Pat the turkey skin dry, and carefully separate the skin and the turkey breast. Using your hands, massage the butter mix all over the turkey. (I used gloves as this was not my favorite part!)

    garlic herb butter

    Mix the ingredients into the butter

    butter rubbed into turkey

    Slather the butter inside and outside the turkey skin

    basting turkey

    Baste towards the end of the cooking.

    lemon roasted turkey

    Allow to rest before carving

    MAKE AN EASY KETO TURKEY GRAVY

    Once you have roasted the turkey and it is resting, you can make our keto turkey gravy with the turkey pan drippings. Or use your own recipe!

    serving keto turkey gravy

    STORAGE

    Place the leftover turkey in the fridge and keep it in air tight containers. It will last up to 4 days.

    WHAT TO SERVE WITH KETO ROASTED TURKEY

    The side dishes can be the second best part of the meal (after the turkey of course!). A few you might want to serve with this delicious keto turkey recipe are:

    Cranberry Stuffing Balls

    Stuffed Brussel Sprouts

    Mashed Cauliflower

    Cauliflower Cheese Croquettes

    Pumpkin Feta Salad with Pecans

    Cranberry Walnut Sauce

    HOW TO USE TURKEY LEFTOVERS

    Enjoy your turkey the next day or two with our leftover turkey recipes. For us, Boxing Day is leftover turkey day! You can enjoy it simply with a salad or can create other low carb left over turkey recipes with it.

    15 Leftover Turkey Keto Recipes

    Keto Turkey Brie Chaffle

    Turkey Pot Pie

    Turkey Brie Cranberry Quesadillas

    Coconut Turkey Curry

    Turkey Enchiladas

    keto roasted turkey

    Keto Roast Turkey with Garlic Herb Butter

    Angela Coleby
    This moist turkey is cooked with a citrus garlic herb butter and makes an elegant dinner for your holiday meal or any year-round dinner.
    We roast our turkey after brining it, but this is entirely optional.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 mins
    Cook Time 3 hrs
    Resting time 20 mins
    Total Time 3 hrs 35 mins
    Course holidays, Main Course
    Cuisine American
    Servings 10 servings
    Calories 104 kcal

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 1 whole turkey used a 13 pound (6kg) turkey
    • 4.5 oz butter softened
    • 4 cloves garlic minced
    • 3 tablespoons thyme, fresh chopped
    • 3 tablespoons rosemary, fresh chopped
    • 3 tablespoons parsley, fresh chopped
    • 1 whole lemon
    • 1 medium onion peeled and quartered
    • 1 tablespoon black pepper
    • 1 tablespoon salt
    • 2 tablespoons lemon juice

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Remove the turkey giblets, neck etc from the turkey cavity.
    • Zest the lemon and cut into quarters.
    • In a small bowl, mix butter, garlic and herbs, lemon zest, salt, pepper and lemon juice
    • Season the cavity of the turkey with salt and pepper and place the onion and lemon quarters inside.
    • Carefully separate the turkey skin from the turkey breast. Pat the turkey skin dry. Using your hands, spread the herb butter between the turkey breast and skin, and slather the outside of the turkey.
    • Loosely cover with foil and place turkey in the preheated oven.
    • Cook the turkey for 15 minutes per pound (or 30 minutes per kilogram). Remove the foil when the turkey is ⅔ of the way cooked, and baste with remaining butter while it finishes cooking. Using a meat thermometer, check the internal temperature. The turkey is cooked when it reaches 165°F/75°C in the deepest parts of the turkey.
    • When turkey is cooked, remove from oven, cover with foil and allow to rest for 20 minutes before serving.
    • Carve and enjoy!

    Notes

    A roasting pan with a roasting rack is used so that the turkey is lifted from the bottom of the pan and the skin doesn't stick to it.
    We roast this turkey after brining it. It's optional but does help with a moist bird. https://divaliciousrecipes.com/easy-keto-turkey-brine/
    When the turkey is resting, you can make the gravy from the drippings https://divaliciousrecipes.com/keto-turkey-gravy/
    The net carbs will be the total carb count minus the fibre count. Carb count excludes sugar alcohols.
    Any nutritional analysis on the website is based on an estimate, calculated by Spoonacular from the individual ingredients in each recipe. Variations may occur for various reasons, including product availability and food preparation. We make no representation or warranty of the accuracy of this information

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1servingCalories: 104kcalCarbohydrates: 3gProtein: 1gFat: 11gFiber: 1g
    Have you tried this recipe? Leave a review or take a picture and share it on InstagramMention @Divalicious_Recipes or tag #divaliciousrecipes

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    Hi, I'm Angela ! I'm the creator behind all the tasty low carb & gluten free recipes at Divalicious Recipes. I live in sunny St Lucia with the Chief Taster and my dogs & cats.

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