How Long To Cook a Stuffed Turkey at 350 | Timing By Weight

A stuffed turkey usually needs about 15 to 17 minutes per pound in a 350°F oven, and the center of the stuffing must hit 165°F.

Roasting a stuffed turkey can feel like a balancing act. The skin may look done before the center is ready, and a pop-up timer can’t tell you what’s happening inside the stuffing. The good news is that a clear time range, plus a thermometer, takes most of the guesswork out of it.

At 350°F, a stuffed turkey usually lands in the 15 to 17 minutes per pound range. That gives you a solid planning window. Still, stuffing changes the pace of the cook, so treat the clock as a map, not the finish line. The bird is ready only when the breast, thigh, and stuffing all reach the right temperature.

What Changes When The Turkey Is Stuffed

A stuffed turkey cooks slower than an unstuffed one because the heat has to work through two things at once: the meat and the filling packed inside the cavity. That slows the center of the bird, which is why stuffed birds need more oven time.

The stuffing itself can also change the timing. A loose bread stuffing cooks faster than one packed with sausage, apples, or lots of broth. A tightly packed cavity slows things down even more, and it can leave the center underdone while the breast edges closer to dry.

• Stuff loosely, not tightly.
• Put the stuffing in right before the bird goes into the oven.
• Skip half-frozen turkeys; they throw off the whole timing window.
• Plan to check temperature earlier than you think you need to.

If you want the simplest path, bake the stuffing in a dish. The turkey cooks faster, the skin browns more evenly, and it’s easier to hit the right finish on both parts. If you still want that classic stuffed-turkey look, you can get there just fine with a little more care.

Stuffed Turkey At 350 Cooking Time By Bird Size

A good rule at 350°F is 15 to 17 minutes per pound. Smaller birds cook on the lower end of the range, while larger ones, dense stuffing, and cooler starting temperatures push you toward the high end. Start checking early so you don’t miss the sweet spot.

Use the chart below as your planning tool. It’s built for a fully thawed turkey roasted at 350°F in a standard oven, breast side up, with a loosely filled cavity.

Estimated Roasting Chart

Turkey Weight	Estimated Time At 350°F	Start Checking Temp
8 to 10 pounds	2 hours 15 minutes to 2 hours 50 minutes	At 2 hours
10 to 12 pounds	2 hours 30 minutes to 3 hours 20 minutes	At 2 hours 20 minutes
12 to 14 pounds	3 hours to 3 hours 50 minutes	At 2 hours 45 minutes
14 to 16 pounds	3 hours 30 minutes to 4 hours 20 minutes	At 3 hours 15 minutes
16 to 18 pounds	4 hours to 4 hours 50 minutes	At 3 hours 45 minutes
18 to 20 pounds	4 hours 20 minutes to 5 hours 10 minutes	At 4 hours 5 minutes
20 to 22 pounds	4 hours 40 minutes to 5 hours 30 minutes	At 4 hours 25 minutes
22 to 24 pounds	5 hours to 5 hours 50 minutes	At 4 hours 45 minutes

These ranges are there to help you plan the meal, not to replace a thermometer. USDA food safety advice for stuffed birds puts the same message front and center: the stuffing must reach 165°F, and the turkey should be checked in more than one spot. The FSIS stuffing page and the FSIS safe temperature chart both spell that out clearly.

Temperature Beats The Clock

If you only watch the timer, you’re flying half blind. A stuffed turkey is done when three spots tell you the same story: the thickest part of the breast is at least 165°F, the innermost thigh is at least 165°F, and the center of the stuffing is also 165°F.

Where To Place The Thermometer

• Breast: Push the probe into the thickest part without touching bone.
• Thigh: Aim for the inner thigh where it meets the body.
• Stuffing: Probe the center of the cavity, right into the middle of the stuffing.

If the breast is done but the stuffing is still under 165°F, don’t carve yet. Tent the breast loosely with foil if it’s getting dark, then keep roasting until the stuffing catches up. USDA’s turkey stuffing advice also says to let the cooked bird rest before removing the stuffing, which gives the heat a little more time to settle through the center.

The Steps That Keep The Turkey Juicy

A stuffed turkey has less room for error, so the setup matters. Small choices before the bird hits the oven can shave off stress later.

1. Start with a fully thawed turkey. Ice in the cavity drags out the cook and throws off timing.
2. Pat the skin dry. Dry skin browns better and helps the bird roast instead of steam.
3. Stuff loosely. You want airflow and heat movement inside the cavity.
4. Use a shallow roasting pan. Deep pans slow browning and trap too much steam.
5. Don’t keep opening the oven. Every peek dumps heat and stretches the cook.

Dense Stuffing Needs More Time

If your stuffing has sausage, oysters, lots of diced vegetables, or extra broth, add a little patience to the plan. Wet, heavy stuffing takes longer than a light bread-based mix. A turkey stuffed right to the edge can also cook unevenly, which is another reason loose packing works better.

Mistakes That Stretch The Cook

When a stuffed turkey misses the expected window, one of a few usual suspects is often behind it. Spotting them early can save dinner.

• The bird went in too cold: If the cavity is icy or the turkey is still partly frozen near the backbone, timing can drift by a lot.
• The stuffing was packed tight: Dense filling slows the heat right where you need it most.
• The oven runs cool: Many home ovens are off by 10 to 25 degrees. An oven thermometer helps.
• The pan is crowded: If vegetables, broth, and foil trap too much moisture, the bird roasts slower.
• You trusted color alone: Brown skin does not mean done stuffing.

What You See	What It Means	Next Move
Skin is dark early	Surface is browning faster than the center is cooking	Tent loosely with foil and keep roasting
Breast is 165°F, stuffing is 155°F	The cavity still needs more heat	Keep cooking and recheck in 10 to 15 minutes
Thigh lags behind breast	The legs need more oven time	Rotate the pan and keep checking the thigh
Stuffing feels wet in the middle	Heat has not moved through the center yet	Roast longer until the middle reaches 165°F
Turkey is done too early	Your oven may run hot	Rest the bird, then cover lightly to hold warmth
Cook time is dragging way past the chart	Oven may run cool or the bird was not fully thawed	Check oven temp and keep going by thermometer

Resting, Carving, And Leftover Stuffing

Once the turkey and stuffing both hit 165°F, let the bird rest for about 20 minutes. That pause helps the juices settle and makes carving cleaner. It also gives the stuffing a little carryover heat, which is handy when the center just crossed the line.

After the rest, scoop the stuffing out right away. Don’t leave it packed inside a cooling bird on the counter. If you have leftovers, move both turkey and stuffing into shallow containers and chill them within two hours.

When Stuffing Outside The Bird Makes More Sense

There’s no shame in baking the stuffing in a dish. In a lot of kitchens, it’s the smoother move.

• You’re cooking a large turkey and want a wider margin for error.
• You want crisper skin and a shorter roasting window.
• Your stuffing is loaded with mix-ins that make it dense and heavy.
• You want the turkey done on time without hovering over the oven.

If you still love the flavor of stuffing cooked inside the bird, keep the cavity loosely filled and save any extra stuffing for a baking dish. That gives you the classic taste without overloading the turkey.

A Steady Plan For A Better Roast

For most stuffed turkeys at 350°F, plan on 15 to 17 minutes per pound, start checking early, and let the thermometer make the last call. That one habit does more for your turkey than chasing a perfect minute count. When the breast, thigh, and stuffing all hit 165°F, you’re ready to rest, carve, and get dinner on the table with no second-guessing.