Crockpot Turkey with Garlic Butter

Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 7 hours 40 minutes
Servings 8 servings

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Crockpot Turkey with Garlic Butter is my go-to method for cooking a whole turkey! This is the easiest way you’ll ever prepare the whole bird and it always turns out juicy, tender, and flavorful as can be with all of that garlic butter. It’s fail-proof!

black crockpot with cooked turkey and parsley around it.

Check out more of the very best turkey recipes like Air Fryer Turkey Breast, Crockpot Turkey Breast and Instant Pot Turkey Breast.

This easy Crockpot turkey recipe is for those who don’t want to be bothered with roasting! It’s slathered in garlic butter and cooks all day (or night!) in the slow cooker.

It’s so easy to make this whole turkey in the crock pot with no fuss. My slow cooker is where I turn when I need a moist pot roast, or whole chicken, or turkey, and I don’t want to have to babysit it.

It’s perfect for big days like Thanksgiving or Christmas when you have a million side dishes to worry about. Because we want things to be as easy as possible on the big day!

Why we love this Crockpot Turkey with Garlic Butter:

  • Simple ingredients: If you take a quick look at the ingredients listed below, you may notice something amazing – you only need a turkey, butter, and four seasonings to make this recipe!
  • No fuss: This is a true set it and forget it Crockpot recipe that takes just 10 minutes to toss together. But don’t worry, it’s so juicy and flavorful without all of the extra steps. Your guests will still think you fussed over it all day!
  • Tried and true: I’ve been making this slow cooker turkey recipe for years. So far, I’ve never had it fail me even once.
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Garlic Butter Crockpot Turkey Ingredients:

ingredients needed for crockpot turkey in bowls and plate.
  • Whole Turkey: Give your turkey adequate time to thaw. Whole turkeys require one day in the refrigerate for every 4 lbs to thaw completely, which means for this recipe (since you’ll need a small turkey), you’ll likely want to give yourself about 2 days.
  • Butter: I prefer using unsalted butter. That way, I can add more salt if needed and better control the amount of sodium in the recipe.
  • Seasonings: Garlic powder, Italian seasoning, seasoning salt and black pepper is all you need to create the very best flavor palate!

How to make a whole turkey in the slow cooker:

Take a sneak peak at just how simple this process really is! For more detailed ingredient measurements and step by step instructions, keep on scrolling down to the recipe card.

  • Make the garlic butter by combining the butter and seasonings. Reserve a couple of tablespoons of the garlic butter and set aside.
  • Loosen the skin of the turkey.

Recipe Tip

Make your garlic butter and slather it up under the skin and season the skin the day before. This will give your turkey so much flavor!

  • Spread the garlic butter underneath the skin and on top of the bird.
  • Slow cook the turkey for 3-4 hours on high or 7-8 hours on low.

How to store leftover turkey

You can store your leftover turkey in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. I like to remove all of the meat from the bones and store it in a big ziplock bag, that way I can really enjoy all of those Thanksgiving leftovers!

Use your leftover turkey meat in recipes like Leftover Turkey Soup, Creamy Turkey Shepherd’s Pie and One Pot Turkey Tetrazzini.

Can I freeze this Crockpot Turkey?

Yes! I recommend removing the meat from the turkey carcass prior to freezing. Also, make sure it’s totally cooled to room temperature prior to freezing in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Don’t forget to date and label!

white platter filled with sliced turkey and parsley beside.

Tips for the Best Crockpot Turkey

  • Know your Crockpot. All cook differently, and will hold different sizes of turkeys. For this recipe, an oval slow cooker will work best, but all cook at slightly different temperatures. I use a large 6 quart slow cooker for this recipe.
  • Because we want to be super safe when serving poultry, you always want to check the internal temperature of the turkey with a meat thermometer. It should read 180°F in the thigh and 170°F in the breast.
  • When cooking a turkey in the Crockpot, it’s not going to dry out as easily as it would in the oven if you go past the optimal temperature somewhat. If you end up cooking 8 or 10 hours because you’re out of the house, your turkey will still be incredibly moist and juicy.

Serving suggestions:

While everyone calls it “turkey day,” the sides are also worth drooling over! Some of my favorite Thanksgiving side dishes include Homemade Stuffing, Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Homemade Creamed Corn.

Of course, you have to follow it all up with something as fabulous as Turtle Pumpkin Pie or a slice of Pumpkin Cheesecake.

More Crockpot recipes you’ll love!

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Crockpot Turkey with Garlic Butter

4.98 from 93 votes
This easy Crockpot Turkey recipe is for those who don’t want to be bothered with roasting! It’s slathered in garlic butter and cooks all day (or night!) in the slow cooker. 
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 7 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 7 hours 40 minutes
Cuisine American
Course Main Course
Servings 8 servings
Calories 559cal

Ingredients

  • ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
  • 2 teaspoons seasoning salt (I use Lawry’s)
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 8 lb whole turkey (about 3.5-4 kg)
  • ½ cup water (optional)

Gravy

  • ½ cup chicken, turkey or vegetable broth
  • 1 tablespoon corn starch
  • additional seasonings as desired

Instructions

  • To make the garlic butter, stir together the butter, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, seasoning salt and black pepper. In a small bowl, reserve 1-2 tablespoons garlic butter and set aside.
  • Loosen the skin of the turkey and spread garlic butter under the skin and on top. If you can, do this the day before and let the turkey sit with the seasoning overnight.
  • Add the water into the bottom of the crockpot (optional, but helps to keep it moist) and cook turkey for 3-4 hours on high or 7-8 hours on low, until an internal temperature of 170 degrees F is reached in the thickest part of the breast and 180 degrees F in the thigh.
  • Move turkey to a roasting pan if desired. Melt remaining garlic butter and brush over the skin. Broil for 5-8 minutes (keep an eye on it!) for a golden exterior, or simply move to a serving platter and allow to rest.
  • Strain the juices from the slow cooker into a small to medium pot. Whisk together broth and corn starch and whisk into the drippings. Cook, stirring frequently, over medium-high heat until slightly thickened. Taste and season as necessary.
  • Let turkey rest for 10-20 minutes before slicing. Serve gravy with turkey.

Notes

*Please note that the nutritional information accounts for all of the juices and butter. As some of this is left in the pot or made into stock, the actual numbers in the calorie count will be lower.
**Estimating 1 lb of turkey per person will account for the weight of the carcass and still be good sized servings. You may find 8 lbs feeds quite a few more, but if you want to be safe or have leftovers, 1 lb per person is a good estimate.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 559cal | Protein: 69g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 262mg | Sodium: 320mg | Potassium: 736mg | Vitamin A: 545IU | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 3mg
Keywords slow cooker turkey

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Meet Ashley

My name is Ashley Fehr and I love creating easy meals my family loves. I also like to do things my way, which means improvising and breaking the rules when necessary. Here you will find creative twists on old favorites and some of my favorite family recipes, passed down from generations!

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Comments

  1. Marge says

    This was my first crockpot turkey. We always buy a whole turkey and have the butcher cut it inhale for just the three of us, so this year I tried it in the crockpot with the recipe. WOW.. it was moist and golden skin! Thank you for sharing your recipe.

  2. June Bugg says

    We made this recipe today. We made a big mistake though, we did not periodically check the temperature on the meat thermometer. By the time we checked it at 6 hours it was 190 and when we picked it up it fell to pieces. It tastes ok but we won’t be able to roast it under the broiler which makes me sad. So check the meat thermometer at least every 2 hours I would guess. Happy Thanksgiving!

    • Ashley Fehr says

      Hi June! It will definitely depend on the size of the turkey and your crockpot, but most liners are oven-safe so you can always pop it under the broiler right in the crock to brown the top.

  3. Crystal says

    Would you recommend brining a turkey before using this recipe? If so is there a bring that will complement these flavors?

4.98 from 93 votes (79 ratings without comment)

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