Dinner can still happen. You have two safe paths: thaw it in cold water, at 30 minutes per pound, or cook it from frozen. Never the counter, and never warm water.
Cold water takes 30 minutes per pound, and the bird must be thawed by oven time. For a 5 PM dinner today, Friday, December 25, 2026, start by:
| Weight | Cold water time | Start by |
|---|---|---|
| 12 lb | 6 hours | Fri, Dec 25, 7:47 AM |
| 16 lb | 8 hours | Fri, Dec 25, 4:40 AM |
| 20 lb | 10 hours | Fri, Dec 25, 2:17 AM |
| 24 lb | 12 hours | Thu, Dec 24, 11:55 PM |
Seal the bird in a leak-proof plastic bag. Submerge it in cold tap water. Change the water every 30 minutes. Cook it right after it thaws. Full steps: thawing a turkey in cold water.
Partly thawed? These hours are for a rock-frozen bird, so yours finishes sooner. At breakfast with a 20 lb bird, cold water cannot finish. Use Path 2.
Roast at 325 F. A frozen bird takes at least half again as long as a thawed one.
| Weight | Time from frozen, at 325 F |
|---|---|
| 12 lb | 4 hours 15 minutes to 4 hours 30 minutes |
| 16 lb | 5 hours 45 minutes to 6 hours 30 minutes |
| 20 lb | 6 hours 30 minutes to 6 hours 45 minutes |
| 24 lb | 6 hours 45 minutes to 7 hours 30 minutes |
No oven bag. Pull the giblet packet out with tongs once the outside softens. The thermometer decides: 165 F. Full steps: cooking a turkey from frozen.
USDA's third safe way is the microwave: follow your microwave manual for size and timing, and cook the turkey right after it thaws. Never thaw a turkey on the counter. The outside warms up hours before the inside thaws. Bacteria grow in that warm layer.
The calculator stamps your oven time for either path. Or ask in your own words: "Frozen 16 lb turkey, dinner at 5 today."