Wondering what to stuff a turkey with this Thanksgiving? Here are our top picks for ingredients that add flavor and moisture for your best bird yet, sans stuffing.
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Onions or Shallots
Alliums like onions and shallots add flavor and a bit of moisture to poultry. Their flavors have long been associated with Thanksgiving, so you can’t go wrong with this turkey stuffing idea. The onion and shallot flavors also pair well with other onion-infused sides like old-fashioned dressing and green bean casserole.
An easy turkey tip: Peel and quarter an onion or two and nestle it into the cavity of your turkey. Red onions are too pungent for this, so stick with yellow or white onions or go for shallots, which are a little sweeter and less sharp than onions.
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Herbs
The secret to adding extra flavor to your roast turkey is to season it liberally. This means adding salt and pepper to the outside and the inside of the bird. Herbs of all kinds are also necessary for adding flavor.
Stuff a bundle of fresh herbs right into the cavity. The flavor and aroma of these greens will permeate the poultry as it cooks. Try using any combination of the following for delicious results: thyme, rosemary, sage, tarragon, marjoram, parsley and oregano.
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Garlic
Garlic makes every savory dish taste better. Fill your Thanksgiving turkey with plenty of this aromatic. You can add smashed cloves into the cavity with other ingredients like herbs and onions. You can also slice off the top of a bulb of garlic and nestle the whole thing right inside—no peeling necessary!
There’s probably already a lot of garlic in your other Thanksgiving side dishes, so rest assured that this garlicky bird will pair with everything else on the plate. Just make sure you discard the garlic before enjoying the turkey, and don’t save it to use in any other recipes!
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Apples
Consider quartering an apple or two for stuffing your turkey. The flavor will remind you of fall, but apples will also provide the turkey with a little extra moisture during the cooking process (you can still brine the turkey, of course).
Since we’re roasting the bird, it’s best to use tart, firm apples that hold up well during baking. Stay away from mealy, bland apples like McIntosh or Red Delicious that will turn to mush inside the bird. The best apples for apple pie are the best baking apples in general, so buy a few Granny Smiths or Honeycrisps.
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Spices
Properly seasoning a turkey doesn’t stop with applying your favorite spice blend to the outside of the bird. Be sure to liberally season the cavity of the turkey with salt, pepper and spices as well. You can try a homemade turkey seasoning to complement your menu or choose one of our editor’s favorite premade spice blends. Even adding a cinnamon stick is a great way to infuse the whole turkey with an incredible aroma.
The best way to add the spice mix is to clean out the inside of the bird. Then, hold it upright with one hand so the cavity is facing upward, and use your clean hand to sprinkle in the seasoning and brush it around the inside if necessary.
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Fennel
This lesser-used aromatic is a great option if you’re wondering what to stuff a turkey with this year. Fennel plays well with other autumnal flavors like apples and nuts, as in this apple fennel salad. It does have a slight anise flavor, though, so stay away if you’re not a black licorice fan!
To add it to your bird, make sure the fennel is cut in some way so it can release its aromatics and moisture better. Quarter or slice the fennel first, then stuff it in the bird.
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Beer
You’ve probably heard of beer can chicken before. Well, the same principle can be applied to turkey! This method is best for smaller turkeys made on the grill, but it’s a great way to add moisture and a little extra flavor to your nontraditional Thanksgiving turkey.
What beer should you choose for this method? Anything that you’d enjoy sipping yourself. You could even use NA beer.
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Citrus Fruits
Wedges of lemon, orange, lime and even grapefruit provide your turkey with an extra layer of flavor. Plus, these fruits add moisture to your turkey as it cooks, so you end up with a juicy Thanksgiving centerpiece.
For the best results, cut the citrus of your choosing into quarters and nestle them inside the bird along with plenty of fresh herbs.
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Celery
If you want a classic roast turkey taste, incorporate a few ribs of celery. This ingredient, combined with herbs and onions, is one of the most traditional Thanksgiving flavors.
I would treat this as a mirepoix and also include carrots and onions in the cavity. These three humble, inexpensive ingredients form the aromatic base for all sorts of comforting dishes, such as soups and stews.
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Ginger
A few slices of freshly peeled ginger placed inside the turkey cavity can add a bit of warming spice to your holiday. The flavor pairs nicely with fluffy potato rolls, marshmallow-topped sweet potato casserole or any other favorite Thanksgiving sides.
To prepare the ginger, peel the skin using a spoon, then cut the ginger into hearty chunks. A little goes a long way, so I wouldn’t use more than three thumb-sized pieces in the cavity.
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Leeks
Leeks, like onions, scallions and shallots, are part of the allium family. However, leeks have a slightly more mellow and sweet flavor, which pairs well with turkey and other fall flavors.
To use leeks to season your Thanksgiving turkey, cut away the dark green leaves and the very bottom stems. Be sure to wash away any sand or dirt. Then, you can slice the leeks into chunks and add the chunks to the turkey cavity with other ingredients from this list.
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Other Poultry
This one is not for the faint of heart! If you’re exceptionally daring and love a good challenge, try your hand at making a turducken. A turkey stuffed with duck that’s stuffed with a chicken is definitely a culinary oddity, but it’s a fun one to think about!
Turduckens usually include stuffing between each bird, but it’s safe since we temperature-check the inside of the whole turducken, ensuring all layers are cooked to a very safe 180°F. If the turducken (or England’s gooducken) feels too adventurous for you, perhaps the dessert version, piecaken, is more your speed.
What to Stuff a Turkey With FAQs
What do you put inside a turkey for flavor?
Ingredients to put inside a turkey for flavor are things that are very aromatic but make sense for fall cooking. Vegetables like onions, celery, leeks, fennel and garlic; fruits like apples and citrus; or seasonings like herbs and spices add flavor to the bird but can also be found in the other Thanksgiving dishes, so everything pairs well together.
While pineapple and mangoes are very aromatic, they wouldn’t make sense to cook in a turkey because they would impart their tropical flavors, which wouldn’t pair with dishes like mashed potatoes or green bean casserole!
Should you put stuffing inside a turkey?
No, you should not put stuffing inside a turkey. Since the turkey’s juices drip into the stuffing while roasting, the stuffing absorbs the bacteria, and if the stuffing isn’t cooked all the way through, it can be as unsafe to eat as undercooked poultry. Bake the stuffing separately from the bird and, instead, stuff aromatics into the bird to add flavor. Just don’t eat those ingredients!
What can you put in a turkey cavity to create a juicy bird?
Ingredients to put in a turkey cavity to create a juicy bird are those with a lot of water content that are still very aromatic. The best of these are beer, onions, apples, celery and citrus fruits. Just make sure that if using the vegetables or fruits, they’re cut open so the moisture and flavoring can be imparted into the poultry.
