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 need just a few 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 legs: 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.
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 drumsticks 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 drumsticks with foil and keep roasting them until they reach an internal temperature of 160°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
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.
The method of roasting for a short time at a high temperature is perfect for medium legs weighing about 10 ounces each. If yours are much bigger - around a pound each - bake them for longer at a lower temperature.
Turkey legs weighing 1 pound should be baked in a 350°F oven for at least 90 minutes and up to two hours. Cover them loosely with foil once the tops are deeply browned, which should happen after 60-75 minutes.
Always check with an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the leg and not touching the bone to ensure it has reached 160°F. After a 10-minute rest, it should climb to 165°F.
Here is the result of using this method on a one-pound turkey leg - dark crispy skin and perfectly cooked juicy meat:
Recipe FAQs
It depends on their size. As long as they're not too large, baking them relatively quickly at a high temperature yields the best results: crispy, well-browned skin and juicy, succulent meat.
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 temperature to climb a bit more and the juices to settle.
Resting it accomplishes two goals. The first is that it allows the temperature to climb and reach 165°F. The second is that it enables the juices to settle, ensuring juicy meat.
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 throughout 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 medium 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 turkey with foil to avoid scorching the top, and continue roasting until the juices run clear when pierced with a fork and an instant-read thermometer not touching the bone registers 160°F, about 30 more minutes.
- Remove the turkey drumsticks 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 and the juices to redistribute and settle.
Video
Notes
Nutrition per Serving
Disclaimers
Cup measurements refer to the standard American cup, which is 240 milliliters. Most of my recipes are low-carb (or keto) and gluten-free, but some are not. Please verify that a recipe fits your needs before using it. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate, and the carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Nutrition info may contain errors, so please verify it independently. Recipes may contain errors, so please use your common sense when following them. Please read these Terms of Use carefully before using any of my recipes.
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. 
R carter
I just made this with 3 legs (2.4 pounds). It came out beautifully!
Vered DeLeeuw
Yay! I'm so glad this was a success! Thanks for leaving a comment. I appreciate it.
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!
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!
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!
Chris
We are from South Africa and just returned to after being in the US for 6 months. Never once had Turkey roast while there, but had turkey bacon. When I saw Turkey drumsticks in the shop here, I had to buy it, but had no idea how to cook it. I followed this recipe as closely as I could. It was delicious, will definitely make it again.
Worked with a gas oven and struggled to get the skin grilled, but the inside was juicy juicy juicy. Thank you for all the effort into this.
Vered DeLeeuw
I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Chris! Thank you for taking the time to write a comment.
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.
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.