Best Roasting Pans for Turkey

A turkey roasting pan is a heavy, low-sided pan - usually 16 by 13 inches - with a rack that lifts the bird so heat circulates and the drippings collect for gravy. For a turkey up to about 20 pounds, a sturdy stainless pan with a V-rack is the one to own; anything bigger is only needed for a 24-pound-plus bird.

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My Top Picks

If you are buying one pan and never thinking about it again, get the Cuisinart. It handled a 19 pound bird in testing without buckling, and it goes on the stovetop after, which is where gravy actually gets made.

Triple ply stainless, 16 by 13 inches, with a nonstick V-rack included. It holds a 19 to 20 pound turkey comfortably and the bottom does not warp or scorch when you put it over a burner to make gravy from the drippings. That stovetop step is the whole reason to buy stainless instead of enameled steel.

The most expensive pan on this list and it earned it by producing the crispiest, most evenly browned skin of anything tested. It fits a 20 pound bird and only weighs about five and a quarter pounds empty, which matters a lot when you are pulling a loaded pan out of a hot oven with mitts on.

The classic speckled blue enamel roaster your grandmother probably owned, usually under 25 dollars. It is light, it cleans up easily, and it is the only one here that comes with a lid. It is not stovetop safe, so you will make gravy in a separate saucepan, and the enamel will chip eventually.

No shame in this at all. Double two of them up for rigidity, set the whole thing on a rimmed baking sheet so it cannot flex when you lift it, and add a cheap flat rack. Buy the heavy duty ones, not the flimsy ones, and never lift it without the sheet pan underneath.

What Actually Matters When You Shop

A roasting pan is a simple object and most of the marketing is noise. Five things actually change how the turkey comes out.

• Measure your oven before you measure the bird. A 16 by 13 inch pan fits most home ovens and handles turkeys up to about 20 pounds. Anything larger only makes sense for a 24 pound plus bird, and plenty of people find out on Thanksgiving morning that their pan does not clear the oven walls. Check now, not Thursday.
• You need the rack, not just the pan. A V-rack or flat rack lifts the bird so hot air gets underneath and the bottom browns instead of stewing in liquid. It also gives you something to grip when you move a heavy cooked turkey, which is otherwise genuinely dangerous.
• Low sides, not high ones. This is the mistake people make most. High walls trap steam around the bird and you end up with pale, soft skin. You want sides tall enough to hold drippings and short enough to let the skin dry out and crisp.
• Stainless if you want gravy in the same pan. Stainless goes on the burner, so you can deglaze the fond right where it formed. Enameled steel is cheaper and lighter but cannot take direct heat. Nonstick cleans up easily but the coating will not survive many years of metal utensils and high heat.
• Upright riveted handles. You are lifting twenty-five pounds of hot pan and bird with thick mitts on and no grip strength to spare. Handles that stick up and are riveted rather than spot welded are the difference between a firm hold and a disaster on the oven door.

What to Skip

• Thin aluminum pans with no rack. The turkey sits in its own juices and the bottom never browns.
• Deep-sided roasters. They steam the bird. If it looks like a lasagna pan with delusions, put it back.
• Anything you cannot lift empty with one hand. Add a bird, stuffing and two cups of liquid and you will regret it.

No Pan? Here Is What Works

You can absolutely roast a turkey without buying anything, and I have done all three of these.

• Doubled foil pan on a baking sheet. The sheet pan carries the weight and the foil holds the drippings. The most reliable improvised option.
• A rack set inside a rimmed sheet pan. Works well for birds up to about 14 pounds. Watch for drippings getting close to the rim on a bigger bird.
• A bed of thick-cut onions and carrots. Lay them down in a single layer and sit the turkey right on top. They hold the bird off the bottom, and afterward they go into the gravy. This is my favorite version of the trick because nothing gets wasted.

Roasting Pan FAQs

What size roasting pan do I need for a turkey?

A 16 by 13 inch pan covers birds up to about 20 pounds, which is most Thanksgivings. Measure the inside of your oven first and leave at least an inch of clearance on each side so hot air can move around the pan. If you are cooking a 24 pound bird you need to go larger, and at that point check that it still fits.

Can you cook a turkey without a roasting pan?

Yes, easily. Double up two heavy duty disposable foil pans and set them on a rimmed baking sheet for support, or put a rack inside a rimmed sheet pan, or sit the bird on a bed of thick cut onions and carrots. A Dutch oven works for a small bird. None of these will cost you a crispier skin.

Do you need a rack for roasting a turkey?

It helps a lot. The rack lifts the bird out of the drippings so the bottom roasts instead of simmering, and the skin browns evenly all the way around. It also gives you a handle for lifting a cooked turkey out, which is the part people underestimate. Vegetables work as a substitute rack in a pinch.

Should I cover the turkey with foil?

Tent it loosely with foil for the first couple of hours, then take the foil off for the last stretch so the skin can brown and crisp. If you leave it covered the whole time you get a perfectly cooked bird with disappointing pale skin, which is a sad thing to carry to the table.

Is a disposable foil pan safe for a 20 pound turkey?

Only if you support it. Double two pans together and always set them on a rimmed baking sheet, and never try to lift it by the foil rim alone. A full pan is well over twenty pounds and foil will flex and fold exactly when you do not want it to.

Before You Go

Buy the pan now rather than the week of Thanksgiving, when the good ones sell out and you end up with whatever is left. Once it is sorted, lock in your timing with How Long to Cook a Turkey and fill out the table with what to serve with turkey.