These roasted turkey legs are perfect anytime and work especially well for small Thanksgiving gatherings.
Baking them at a high temperature ensures crispy skin and juicy meat. And with this method, this recipe takes just a little over one hour.
Not everyone wants to roast a whole turkey for Thanksgiving. Perhaps you plan on a small gathering, or maybe your family members strongly prefer white or dark meat.
Either way, roasting just a couple of turkey breasts or a few turkey legs has clear advantages, such as a shorter roasting time and a better-tasting bird. Roasting just parts of the bird means avoiding the common issue of white meat that becomes too dry by the time the dark meat is fully cooked.
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Ingredients
You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this recipe. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:
- Avocado oil spray: I use it to grease the rack and spray the turkey pieces after seasoning them. This oil has a high smoke point, making it ideal for high-heat roasting.
- Medium-sized turkey drumsticks: Bone-in and skin-on, weighing about 10 ounces each.
- Melted butter: I use salted butter in this recipe, but unsalted will work fine, too.
- Seasoning mix: Sea salt, black pepper, garlic powder, dried thyme, and paprika.
Variations
- Use smoked paprika instead of regular paprika for a lovely, smoky flavor.
- Add more spices. I sometimes add ½ teaspoon of onion powder or ground cumin.
- Need this recipe to be dairy-free? Use ghee instead of butter.
Roasted Turkey Legs Instructions
Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions. Here's an overview of the steps for making this recipe:
Pat the turkey pieces dry with paper towels. Brush them all over with melted butter and sprinkle them with the seasoning mix, pressing to help it adhere.
Place the turkey legs on a greased rack fitted into a rimmed baking sheet (it's a good idea to line the baking sheet with foil for easy cleanup). Spray them with avocado oil.
Roast the turkey uncovered for 20 minutes in a preheated 450°F oven. Loosely cover the turkey pieces with foil and keep roasting them until they reach an internal temperature of 165°F. For medium drumsticks, this should take about 30 more minutes. Let them rest, still covered in foil, for 10 minutes, then serve.
Expert Tip
This recipe was written for medium turkey legs weighing about 10 ounces each. If yours are much bigger - some are as big as a pound each - you will need to bake them for longer at a lower temperature.
See the drumsticks pictured above under "Ingredients?" Those come from a big bird and weigh about 1 pound each. I baked them in a 350°F oven for almost two hours, covering them loosely with foil once the tops were deeply browned, which happened after around 75 minutes.
They emerged from the oven beautiful, with dark crispy skin and perfectly cooked juicy meat:
So, you'll need to adjust the oven temperature and the time the bird spends in the oven according to the size of the turkey pieces.
Recipe FAQs
Many recipes say you should bake turkey drumsticks for an hour and a half at 350°F.
While this is a valid method, I find that as long as they're not too large, baking the legs for a relatively short time at a high temperature yields the best results: crispy, well-browned skin and juicy, succulent meat.
As mentioned above, if the legs are huge - around a pound each - you will need to bake them for at least an hour and a half in a 350°F oven.
The oil helps keep the spices and herbs moist and helps prevent them from burning in the hot oven.
The secret is to pick relatively small legs and roast them relatively quickly at a high temperature. Then, let them rest for a few minutes before digging in to allow the juices to settle.
Serving Suggestions
At Thanksgiving, I serve these turkey legs with cranberry sauce, cornbread, and side dishes such as sausage stuffing, cauliflower stuffing, roasted Brussels sprouts, and green bean casserole.
When I make them during the year, I like to serve them with a side dish that I can roast in the same 450°F oven, such as roasted peppers, roasted broccoli, roasted okra, or carrot chips.
Storing Leftovers
You can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for 3-4 days. Reheat them gently in the microwave at 50% power. Much like leftover chicken drumsticks, they are excellent when eaten cold!
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Recipe Card
Roasted Turkey Legs
Ingredients
- Avocado oil spray
- 4 turkey legs (bone-in, skin-on, about 10 ounces each)
- ¼ cup butter melted
Seasoning mix:
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon paprika
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. Fit a rimmed roasting pan with a rack and spray the rack with avocado oil.
- Pat the turkey legs dry with paper towels. Brush them all over with melted butter and rub them with the seasoning mix. Place them on the roasting rack and lightly spray them with avocado oil.
- Place the turkey in the oven. Roast it uncovered for 20 minutes until the skin is browned.
- Loosely cover the legs with foil to avoid scorching their top, and continue roasting them until the juices run clear when pierced with a fork and an instant-read thermometer not touching the bone registers 165°F, about 30 more minutes.
- Remove the turkey legs from the oven and allow them to rest, still covered in foil, for 10 minutes before serving. Do not skip this step - it will enable the internal temperature to climb a bit more and the juices to redistribute and settle.
Video
Notes
- This recipe was written for medium turkey legs weighing about 10 ounces each. If yours are much bigger, you will need to bake them longer at a lower temperature. If they weigh about 1 pound each, bake them in a 350°F oven for about two hours, covering them loosely with foil once the tops are deeply browned, which should happen after around 75 minutes. The best way to ensure the turkey is done is to use an instant-read thermometer.
- You can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for 3-4 days. Reheat them gently in the microwave at 50% power, or enjoy them cold.
Add Your Own Notes
Nutrition per Serving
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Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, and Country Living. 
Terilynn
My turkey legs and one thigh were under 10 oz. So I cut the cook time by 10 minutes.
Vered DeLeeuw
Glad it worked for you, Terilynn!
Gah
Thanks for the recipe. My question is, do the drumsticks need to be at room temperature before putting them in the oven?
Or straight from the fridge?
Vered DeLeeuw
I roast them straight from the fridge.
joe dietz
Thank you very much. Neither my son nor daughter eat turkey. I grew up with turkey on Thanksgiving, but a whole turkey is too much. So I got three turkey drumsticks to cook for me. I was having trouble figuring out how to cook them and came across your recipe. It helped very much.
My daughter is also lactose intolerant and my son diabetic. I know how to do pumpkin pie with splenda vs sugar. I use Lactaid in the mashed potatoes, can't tell the difference. And I have always used vegetable broth in my pan dressing.
So holiday cooking is always an adventure for me, balancing family tradition for me and adapting things for my children. They are both in their 30s but always my children and it is nice to have them around. My son gets filet mignon and my daughter likes ham for their holiday protein course. My pan dressing recipe came from my grandmother and my daughter and I love the dressing.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Vered DeLeeuw
Hi Joe,
I'm so glad you found this recipe helpful! How wonderful that you work so hard to make sure everyone enjoys their holiday meal. My kids are in their early twenties and I wholeheartedly agree that they will always be my children, regardless of their age. My parents feel the same about me. ❤️
Happy Thanksgiving!
Ann
This looks amazing! I’m planning to use your recipe for Thanksgiving this year. I don’t have a roasting rack so wondering if you think they would cook well on a gas grill?
Vered DeLeeuw
Hi Ann,
I have only tested this recipe in the oven. I recommend you find a recipe written specifically for a gas grill.
Ellen
I'm looking forward to making these this week. But I have a question, should I be turning over the Turkey Leg after so many minutes to brown the other side?
Vered DeLeeuw
Hi Ellen, there's no need to turn the legs over.
Sara
I love turkey legs, but could never find a recipe that suited my taste. This recipe was excellent! I had a bigger leg so I increased the time and lowered the temperature as instructed and it was wonderful so delicious!! I’ll be making this recipe many times. Thank you.
Vered DeLeeuw
I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Sara! Thank you for leaving a comment.
Liz
Our family had a great time enjoying these turkey legs for the Canadian Thanksgiving today.
Vered DeLeeuw
I'm so glad you enjoyed them, Liz! Happy Thanksgiving!
Tammy
My husband said these were the best turkey legs he's ever had! Usually they're too dry!
Vered DeLeeuw
Yay! I'm so glad to hear that, Tammy!
John Abraham
Thank you for the tip about roasting bigger turkey legs for longer. Mine needed almost two hours in the oven and I did cover them after about an hour. They turned out perfect!
Vered DeLeeuw
I'm so glad you had good results, John!
Mark
Wow! I had my doubts when I saw the roasting temperature, but this was absolutely perfect. Next, I'll try your recipe for roasted turkey breast!
Vered DeLeeuw
I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Mark!