How Much Salt to Brine a Turkey: Turkey Brine Calculator

By Cedrick Reese, BrineCalculators.com

14 lb turkey, 5% wet brine: 284 g Diamond Crystal (about 2 cups) in 1.5 gal water, 11 to 14 hours in the fridge.

Enter your turkey's weight and get the salt in grams and spoons for your brand, the water, and the hours, wet or dry.

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Spoons for your salt brand

Your turkey

Turkey weight

Weigh it thawed, without the giblets. 4 to 30 lb (1.8 to 13.6 kg).

Brine type

Salt you have

The salt in the brine stays the same whichever you pick. The cups and spoons change with the grain, and Celtic grey weighs out heavier because about a fifth of it is water and minerals.

Brine strength

Water volume (gallons)

Set from the bird's size: 1 gal under 14 lb, 1.5 gal for 14 to 20 lb, 2 gal over 20 lb. Enough to cover the bird in a brining bag. Change it if your container needs more.

Flavor additions (optional)

Sugar

Sugar is by weight of the salt, so it does not change the salt figure. Maple syrup and honey are about 25% water; use a third more by weight for the same sweetness.

Aromatics (peppercorns, bay, garlic, citrus peel) go in at any amount. They do not affect the salt or the time.

14 lb turkey, 5% wet brine

284 g salt

about 2 cups Diamond Crystal

Water: 1.5 gal (5.7 L)
Sugar: 142 g (about 2/3 cup)
Time: 11 to 14 hours
Per pound: 20.3 g salt per lb of turkey in the brine

Dissolve the salt (and sugar) in the water, chill the brine to 40°F or below, then submerge the bird.

Safety: keep the turkey at or below 40°F (4°C) the whole time (USDA FSIS). Never brine more than 24 hours wet. Cook to 165°F (74°C) in the thickest part of the breast and thigh. Skip this brine for turkeys labeled enhanced or self-basting; they already carry a salt solution.

12 lb turkey, wet brine

189 g Diamond Crystal, about 1 1/2 cups
1 gal water at 5%
9 to 12 hours

14 lb turkey, wet brine

284 g Diamond Crystal, about 2 cups
1.5 gal water at 5%
11 to 14 hours

20 lb turkey, wet brine

284 g Diamond Crystal, about 2 cups
1.5 gal water at 5%
15 to 20 hours

14 lb turkey, dry brine

42 g Diamond Crystal, about 5 tbsp
rubbed on, no water
24 to 72 hours

6 lb turkey breast, wet brine

189 g Diamond Crystal, about 1 1/2 cups
1 gal water at 5%
5 to 6 hours

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How this is calculated

This turkey brine calculator answers how much salt to brine a turkey needs: pick one of the common sizes or enter your own. The salt comes back in grams and in cups or spoons for the brand you own, with the water volume and the hours, for a wet brine or a dry brine. Ratios follow the salt makers' published turkey brines and the USDA FSIS handling limits; the method follows and the sources are further down the page.

Everything starts from the weight of the salt, not the cup. A cup of Diamond Crystal, a cup of Morton, and a cup of table salt are three very different amounts of salt, which is why so many turkey brine recipes turn out too salty or too bland when the cook uses a different brand than the writer.

Wet brine

salt (g)   = water (g) x strength        water: 1 gal = 3,785 g
cups       = salt (g) / grams per cup     for the brand you chose
hours      = about 1 h per lb, 0.75 to 1 h range, never more than 24

The three strengths map to the salt makers' own turkey brines. Diamond Crystal's basic turkey brine is 1 cup per gallon, which weighs out at 134 g in 3,785 g of water, or 3.5%. Morton's guide is 1 cup per gallon for a short brine, which is 230 g, or 6%, and half a cup overnight, about 3%. The 5% default sits between them. For comparison, America's Test Kitchen's brining chart puts a whole turkey in 1 cup of table salt per 2 gallons, about 3.8%, for 6 to 12 hours, so 5% at up to 24 hours is the fuller end of what the published sources use. Above 6% the meat picks up salt fast, so the Strong setting is meant for a short brine.

Water defaults to what a brining bag needs to cover the bird: 1 gallon under 14 lb, 1.5 gallons from 14 to 20 lb, 2 gallons above that. The old version of this page used half a gallon per pound, which put a 14 lb bird in 7 gallons of water and 7 cups of salt; that is a stockpot nobody owns and far more salt than needed. If your container takes more water, raise the volume and the salt scales with it, so the strength stays the same.

Dry brine

salt (g)   = turkey weight (g) x 0.0066     about 3 g per lb
spoons     = salt (g) / grams per teaspoon  for the brand you chose
hours      = 24 to 72

That works out to about 1 teaspoon of Diamond Crystal or half a teaspoon of Morton per pound, and 5 tablespoons of Diamond Crystal for a 14 lb bird, which is the amount America's Test Kitchen arrived at for a 12 to 14 lb salted turkey. Rub it over and under the skin, leave the bird uncovered on a rack in the fridge, and do not rinse.

Salt weights used on this page

Salt	Per cup	Per tbsp	Per tsp	Where the figure comes from
Diamond Crystal kosher	134 g	8.4 g	2.8 g	Diamond Crystal nutrition label (1/4 tsp = 0.7 g)
Morton kosher	230 g	14.4 g	4.8 g	Morton nutrition label (1/4 tsp = 1.2 g)
Table or pickling salt	288 g	18 g	6 g	Morton table salt label (1/4 tsp = 1.5 g)
Redmond Real Salt, fine or kosher	269 g	16.8 g	5.6 g	Redmond label (1/4 tsp = 1.4 g, 530 mg sodium, so about 96% salt)
Fine sea salt, any refined brand	288 g	18 g	6 g	Treated as table salt; Morton's substitution chart swaps them 1:1 and a home scale test (DadCooksDinner) put La Baleine fine at 259 g per cup, close enough that the cup figure is marked approximate
Himalayan pink, fine	264 g	16.5 g	5.5 g	Measured (Is Salt density chart); about 97% sodium chloride, the rest trace minerals. Approximate, varies by brand
Himalayan pink, coarse	240 g	15 g	5 g	Measured (Is Salt); America's Test Kitchen found coarse pink needs about 20% more volume than table salt for the same weight. Approximate
Maldon and other flake salts	133 g	8.3 g	2.8 g	Measured on a home scale (DadCooksDinner, 33.2 g per 1/4 cup); America's Test Kitchen got 3 tbsp of Maldon to 1 tbsp of table salt, about 2.1 g per tsp. Flakes pack loosely, so weigh them
Celtic Sea Salt, light grey coarse	288 g	18 g	6 g	Selina Naturally label (1/4 tsp = 1.5 g, 480 mg sodium, so about 81% salt; the rest is moisture and minerals)

Cups and spoons are rounded to the nearest quarter. If you own a kitchen scale, weigh the salt and ignore the cup figure. For the unrefined salts the calculator scales the weight up so the sodium chloride in the brine matches the strength you chose; the sodium figure on the label is what sets that share. The salts marked approximate were weighed by test kitchens rather than read from a label, and flake and pink salts vary by brand and grind, so for those the gram figure is the one to trust and the cup figure is a starting point.

Thaw and timeline planner

Work back from dinner. Thaw times are the foodsafety.gov refrigerator figures (24 hours for every 4 to 5 lb); roasting times are the USDA FSIS chart for an unstuffed bird at 325°F. Brine time comes from the calculator above. For thawing on its own, use the turkey thawing time calculator.

Dinner date

Serving time

Turkey is

Air-dry for crisp skin

How big a turkey for your table

Guests

Pounds per person

8 guests at 1.25 lb each: a 10 lb turkey.

Whole-bird weight includes bone. Above 30 lb, or if it will not fit your oven, roast two smaller birds; they cook faster and brine in less water.

What you'll need

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Kitchen scale that reads in grams. It ends the cup-versus-brand problem for good.
Instant-read thermometer for the 165°F check in the breast and thigh, and for checking a cooler if the bird brines outside the fridge.
Brining bag (2 gallon or larger) set inside a roasting pan. Least water, least fridge space, no leaks on the shelf.

How this page is checked

This calculator was built by Cedrick Reese for BrineCalculators.com. The three brine strengths are read straight from Diamond Crystal's and Morton's published turkey brine ratios and converted to weight with the gram-per-teaspoon and sodium figures on each maker's nutrition label (Diamond Crystal, Morton, Redmond, Selina Naturally), so the numbers can be checked against a box of salt. The dry brine amount is checked against America's Test Kitchen's salted turkey, the 40°F and 165°F limits against USDA FSIS (whose own brining limit is two days, so this page's 24-hour wet-brine ceiling sits inside it), and the thaw times against foodsafety.gov.

The salt densities live in one table shared by every calculator on this site, so a correction made once reaches every page. When a maker changes a label, or a source above updates its guidance, the constant is updated and this page recalculates from it. If a figure here disagrees with a maker's current label, the label wins; use the contact page to report it.

Frequently asked questions

How long should I brine my turkey?

For a wet brine at 5%, plan on about 1 hour per pound with a ceiling of 24 hours, so a 14 lb bird brines for 11 to 14 hours and a 20 lb bird for 15 to 20 hours. Past 24 hours the meat starts to turn soft and salty. A dry brine needs longer because the salt has to draw moisture out and back in: 24 to 72 hours in the refrigerator, uncovered for the last 12 hours if you want crisp skin.

What's the difference between wet brining and dry brining?

A wet brine submerges the turkey in salt water, usually 3.5 to 6% salt by weight of the water, for 12 to 24 hours. It adds moisture and seasons the meat but softens the skin and needs a container that fits in the fridge. A dry brine rubs about 3 g of salt per pound (roughly 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal or half a teaspoon Morton) onto the bird for 24 to 72 hours. It seasons just as deeply, gives crisper skin, and takes no space beyond the bird itself. This calculator handles both.

Should I rinse my turkey after brining?

USDA FSIS advises against rinsing raw poultry because it spreads bacteria to the sink and counters. After a wet brine, lift the bird out, let it drain, and pat it dry with paper towels; the brine strength and time control the saltiness, not a rinse. After a dry brine, do not rinse at all, just pat dry. If you rinse anyway, clean and sanitize the sink and everything around it right after.

Can I brine a frozen turkey?

Thaw first. Salt cannot move into frozen meat, so a dry brine on a frozen bird does nothing, and a wet brine on a partly frozen bird seasons the thawed outside while the inside stays unseasoned. Thaw in the refrigerator at 24 hours for every 4 to 5 pounds (a 14 lb turkey takes 3 to 4 days), or in cold water at 30 minutes per pound with the water changed every 30 minutes, then cook right away. Those are the foodsafety.gov figures.

Why is my brined turkey too salty?

The usual causes are a brine stronger than 6%, more than 24 hours in it, a turkey that was already injected with a salt solution (the label will say enhanced, self-basting, or contains up to X% solution), or measuring one salt with another salt's cup amount. A cup of table salt weighs about 288 g, a cup of Morton kosher about 230 g, and a cup of Diamond Crystal about 134 g, so a recipe written for Diamond Crystal delivers more than double the salt if you fill the cup with table salt. Weigh the salt or pick your brand in the calculator.

Can I reuse turkey brine?

No. The brine has held raw poultry, so it carries whatever bacteria the bird did, and its salt level has dropped as the turkey absorbed it. Pour it out, then wash and sanitize the container and the sink.

Do I need to refrigerate my turkey while brining?

Yes, the whole time. Raw poultry has to stay at 40°F (4°C) or below. If the container will not fit in the refrigerator, use a cooler packed with ice around a sealed brining bag and check the temperature with a thermometer, topping up the ice as it melts. Never brine on the counter.

Can I make gravy from a brined turkey's drippings?

Yes, but taste before you salt anything. Drippings from a brined bird are saltier than usual. Build the gravy on unsalted or low-sodium stock, add the drippings a little at a time, and stop when it tastes right. If it goes too far, more stock or a splash of cream pulls it back.

How do I get crispy skin on a brined turkey?

Dry the skin. After brining, pat the bird dry and leave it uncovered on a rack in the refrigerator for 12 to 24 hours so the surface dries out. Rub the skin with oil or butter before roasting. For the last 30 minutes you can raise the oven to 400 to 425°F, and a dry brine will get you crisper skin than a wet brine to begin with.

What's the best container for brining a turkey?

Anything food safe that holds the bird fully under the brine and fits in your refrigerator: a brining bag set inside a roasting pan to catch leaks, a stockpot, a food-grade bucket, or a clean cooler lined with a brining bag. Skip aluminum and copper, which react with salt water. Bags take the least fridge space and use the least brine, which is why the calculator's default water volumes assume one.

References

Disclaimer

The information provided by this turkey brine calculator is intended for general informational and educational purposes only. Results may vary based on individual circumstances, equipment, and ingredients used.

Food safety: always follow USDA guidelines for safe food handling. Keep turkey refrigerated at 40°F (4°C) or below during brining. Use a food thermometer to ensure your turkey reaches an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C) in the thickest part of the thigh, wing, and breast before serving. When in doubt about food safety, consult official USDA resources or contact the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854).

Salt measurements: different brands of kosher salt have significantly different densities (Morton is nearly twice as dense as Diamond Crystal by volume). Always use the specific salt type indicated, or adjust quantities accordingly. When precision matters, measuring by weight is more accurate than volume.

No warranty: BrineCalculators.com makes no warranties or representations regarding the accuracy, completeness, or suitability of the information provided. We are not responsible for any adverse outcomes resulting from the use of this calculator or the information contained herein. See the full disclaimer.

Consult professionals: if you have specific dietary concerns, allergies, or health conditions, please consult with a qualified healthcare provider or culinary professional before preparing brined foods.