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Garlic Herb Maple Roast Turkey

This garlic herb maple roast turkey is packed full of flavor with just a touch of maple syrup sweetness. It’s the perfect addition to any holiday table!

Garlic Herb Maple Roast Turkey on a white serving tray.

Who doesn’t love autumn? 

With brilliant leaves, crisp air, juicy apples, and arguably the best holiday ever: Thanksgiving. 

What if I told you there was a way to add more delicious autumnal flavors to your turkey on Thanksgiving?

This garlic herb maple roast turkey takes the traditional turkey seasonings of butter and herbs that we all love and combines them with sweet, ripe, fall apples, and dark, delicious maple syrup. 

With the perfect balance of savory and sweet, this turkey comes out juicy every single time.

Trust me, this will become your new fall favorite!

An uncooked Garlic Herb Maple Roast Turkey.

Ingredients for garlic herb maple roast turkey

  • Turkey – The star of the show! I’ve used a 14-lb bird here, so you may need to adjust your cooking time depending on your size.
  • Onion and garlic – Classic additions that will add earthiness to the turkey.
  • Herbs – Fresh is best! Rosemary, thyme, and sage are the perfect combo of herbs that will fill the air with the familiar smells of Thanksgiving.
  • Apples – The apples will add a fresh, juicy sweetness to the aromatics in the cavity of the bird.
  • Dark maple syrup – Slightly smoky with a deep sweetness, maple syrup will give the turkey a savory sweetness without being cloying.
  • Unsalted butter – We use unsalted butter here to help crisp up the skin and help the meat stay juicy.
Garlic Herb Maple Roast Turkey on a serving tray.

What kind of maple syrup is best?

I think it’s important to first establish that “pancake syrup,” is not the same as maple syrup, and is not interchangeable here.

Pancake syrup is essentially corn syrup with coloring and artificial maple flavorings. 

Real maple syrup is slightly smoky, and (when compared to pancake syrups) isn’t cloyingly sweet.

There are four grades of maple syrup: golden, amber, dark, and very dark. 

The darker the maple syrup, the more complex and rich the flavors will be. 

I’ve chosen dark maple syrup here because I’m looking for an intense maple flavor.

What kind of apples?

There are so many varieties of apples out there, that it’s hard to know which ones will work with which recipes.

For this garlic herb maple roast turkey, I would stick with an apple that is firm, but juicy and sweet, like a Fuji, Pink Lady, Honeycrisp, or Jazz variety. 

Granny Smith apples would be too tart here, and Red Delicious are too mealy in texture. 

An uncooked turkey in a bag.

Storage and leftovers

Any leftover turkey meat can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. 

Don’t throw away those bones!

You can save the bones and the turkey carcass to make a delicious bone broth for soup.

Garlic Herb Maple Roast Turkey on a plate stuffed with fillings.

More turkey recipes

This garlic herb maple roast turkey is packed full of flavor with just a touch of maple syrup sweetness. It’s the perfect addition to any holiday table!

Garlic Herb Maple Roast Turkey

This garlic herb maple roast turkey is packed full of flavor with just a touch of maple syrup sweetness. It’s the perfect addition to any holiday table!
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Resting Time 30 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 15 minutes
Servings 8 servings

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 14 pound whole turkey thawed
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
  • 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
  • 2 teaspoons minced fresh sage
  • 2 cloves garlic cut in half
  • 2 apples quartered
  • 1 yellow onion quartered
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
  • Remove your turkey from its packaging, rinse and remove the giblets. Add turkey to your roasting pan and using your hands cover the whole outside of the turkey with melted butter.
  • Sprinkle the outside of the turkey with kosher salt, black pepper, rosemary, thyme, and sage.
  • Fill the cavity of the turkey with the heads of garlic, apples, and onion. If you have any leftover fresh herbs feel free to also add them to the cavity of the turkey.
  • Place your turkey into the oven and roast for 30 minutes.
  • After 30 minutes turn down the heat to 350 degrees F and cook for about 2 hours.
  • Remove from the oven, drizzle the outside of the turkey with maple syrup and add back to the oven and continue cooking until the bird reaches an internal temperature (when checked near the thigh) of 160 degrees F. Then let the bird rest for at least 30 minutes before carving.
  • If the bird starts to brown too quickly simply tent it lightly with foil so it does not burn.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 914kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 122g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 421mg | Sodium: 1507mg | Potassium: 1378mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 543IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 94mg | Iron: 5mg
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword garlic herb turkey recipes, maple syrup turkey, roast turkey, roast turkey recipes, savory maple syrup recipes, thanksgiving turkey recipes, whole turkey recipes
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Garlic Herb Maple Roast Turkey pin for Pinterest.
Brandy

About Brandy!

I am a food lover and recipe developer bringing you delicious recipes that taste great and are easy to make! My food is inspired by travels around the world and my love of flavorful food. A list of things that make me happy: cats, Coke Zero, houseplants, and travel. Read more...

Recipe Rating




Krista

Sunday 19th of November 2017

This Turkey looks so good! Great Thanksgiving turkey for sure!

Patricia @ Grab a Plate

Sunday 19th of November 2017

Quality makes such a difference! I'd love to try one of these turkeys, especially this on -- love the maple flavor!

Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet

Sunday 19th of November 2017

That turkey looks absolutely perfect!

jen

Saturday 18th of November 2017

Turkey is meant to be the star of the show and this one definitely is!! Looks amazing!

JulieD

Saturday 18th of November 2017

That is a beautiful turkey!! Happy Thanksgiving, Brandy!!

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