From picking out the right bird that will feed everyone at your gathering without leaving loads of leftovers to getting the perfect carve, cooking a turkey is a labor intensive process. Anything to make the job a little bit easier is a win in my book — and a mail-order turkey is one way to take the cooking stress out of the holidays.
The best mail-order turkeys are sustainably and responsibly sourced, and come fresh or entirely prepared for a delicious and memorable meal. The best Narragansett or Bourbon Red turkey is the D'Artagnan Heritage Turkey, perfect for any holiday gathering. For larger groups, the certified free-range Willie Bird Pre-Brined Organic Turkey, available up to 22 pounds.
For more holiday meal prep, be sure to check out our guides to the best places to order Thanksgiving dinner and the best mail-order hams.
Our picks for the best turkeys you can buy online
Best heritage: D'Artagnan Heritage Turkey - See at D'Artagnan
Best organic: D'Artagnan Organic Turkey - See at D'Artagnan
Best fried: Cajun Mild Deep Fried Turkey - See at Goldbelly
Best large: Willie Bird Fresh Free-Range Pre-Brined Organic Turkey - See at Williams Sonoma
Best smoked: Diestel Naturally Smoked Turkey - See at Harry & David
Best turducken: Hebert's Specialty Meats Small Turducken - See at Goldbelly
Best heritage: D'Artagnan Heritage Turkey
Any antibiotic-free, heritage turkey from D'Artagnan will be either a Narragansett or Bourbon Red breed, both slower-growing turkeys with rich, memorable flavor. They are raised free-range, with the ability to forage and fly, and without the use of antibiotics. Reviewers love that very little needs to be done to this bird as far as seasoning in order to make it taste great. The fresh turkeys are available at 8, 12, and 16 pounds.
The birds are shipped anywhere in the 50 US states and will be sent overnight for delivery from Friday, November 21, to Tuesday, November 25. Shipping costs may vary. Check the holiday delivery calendar for order deadlines because, among the best mail-order turkeys, these birds often sell out.
Best organic: D'Artagnan Organic Turkey
Even those of us who prefer to shop organic sometimes forget during Thanksgiving prep that organic turkey is an option. The rich flavor of these sustainably raised birds speaks for the benefits of organic meat. The turkeys are raised on small-scale Midwestern farms without chemicals, hormones, or antibiotics, even drinking pure spring water without chlorine or fluoride. There's also a farm-to-table audit trail for full transparency. You can order one of these turkeys between 8 and 26 pounds.
Like the heritage turkey, these are shipped anywhere in the 50 US states via overnight shipping, though costs may vary. Keep an eye on the holiday delivery calendar for order deadlines.
Best fried: Cajun Mild Deep Fried Turkey
We've all seen YouTube videos where brave gastronomes try to fry a turkey, ending up with a scorched backyard and no main course. Avoid this fate and, instead, order it from Uncle Ray's Fried Turkeys, which has been deep-frying turkeys in Texas for over 30 years. It's not a "raised humanely on pasture" kind of bird, but it's a crispy and Cajun-flavored Thanksgiving treat. Uncle Ray's fries its turkeys in peanut oil, so be aware of anyone with a severe nut allergy at your gathering.
This turkey feeds 10-12 people and is shipped frozen after being fully cooked. You can choose from a spicy or mild seasoning. The listed price includes shipping to the lower 48 states and generally will be delivered to your door within a week.
Best large: Willie Bird Fresh Free-Range Pre-Brined Organic Turkey
If you're cooking for a crowd this year, check out this certified organic, pre-brined turkey that clocks in at 20-22 pounds. Farmed in Northern California by famed poultry purveyor Willie Bird, the best mail-order turkeys are raised humanely without hormones or antibiotics. The turkey is then seasoned with apple, lemon, garlic, and rosemary.
Shipping takes anywhere from 2-7 business days and is limited to the lower 48 states, so make sure to plan ahead. There's a $15 delivery surcharge, and it's shipped fresh with ice packs. It lasts for up to 3 months in the freezer and 7 days in the fridge. Keep this bird in the refrigerator, or one of their smaller options, if you don't want to factor a long thaw into your prep time.
Best smoked: Diestel Naturally Smoked Turkey
Smoking is one of my favorite ways to add deep flavor to an otherwise mild meat like turkey. Harry & David sources its smoked turkeys from the Diestel Family Ranch in California, where the birds are raised without antibiotics, growth stimulants, or hormones. The fully-cooked turkeys have been slow-smoked in small batches, using natural hickory hardwood.
The only prep you'll need to do is warming the bird in the oven. Express two-day shipping is included with the price of the turkey. It arrives ready to heat, with no thawing required.
Best turducken: Hebert's Specialty Meats Small Turducken
You may have discovered the Frankenstein's monster category of turducken (turkey stuffed with chicken and duck) on social media, but this creation predates the internet by a few decades. Louisiana-based Hebert's has been making these since 1984, with a layer of cornbread stuffing between each bird and topped with its special Cajun seasoning. This is not pasture-raised, antibiotic-free turkey, but it is a darn good time if you feel like going outside the box for your best mail-order turkey.
The small Turducken is 10 pounds and the large is 16 pounds. The listed price of the small is $179.95 and includes free 2-day shipping ( if you're in the geographic US). The "bird" is shipped uncooked and frozen with dry ice.
How we chose the best turkeys
From how you prefer to cook a turkey or the size of your gathering, everyone is looking for something different in a turkey. Based on our research and experience with specialty food, we developed more universal criteria below to evaluate the turkeys in this guide.
Responsible farming: Eating meat can be iffy from an ethical and a climate change perspective. You can mitigate the negative effects by buying turkeys raised humanely, preferably on pasture. It's unquestionably more money, but it's better for the environment and tastes better.
Better flavor: Most livestock is bred to bulk up quickly, but we prioritized turkeys bred for better flavor. This included purveyors that start with heritage breeds or raise the turkeys on pasture. Pre-brined options were favored to make the cooking process as foolproof as possible. For the cooked options, there needed to be information on how it was cooked.
Reviews: Turkey is generally the centerpiece of high-stakes celebratory meals, whether that's Christmas, Thanksgiving, or otherwise. It should be a crowd-pleaser! So, we checked the reviews to make sure that the turkeys included did, in fact, please the crowd.
Best turkey FAQs
What size turkey do I need?
The size of your Thanksgiving turkey depends on how many people you have to feed. Generally, the rule of thumb is to allot around a pound to a pound and a half of turkey for each person. We've broken it down below:
- 4-6 people: 4-9 pounds
- 6-8 people: 6-12 pounds
- 8-10 people: 8-15 pounds
- 10-12 people: 10-18 pounds
- 13+ people: 13+ pounds
If you're not sure how much turkey you need, try to overestimate rather than underestimate. After all, you don't want anyone leaving the table hungry — and leftovers are always a plus.
Where can I order Thanksgiving sides?
If you're looking to order your entire Thanksgiving meal online, we recommend checking out Harry and David or Williams Sonoma for sides, appetizers, and desserts. For more, read our best places to order Thanksgiving dinner story.
Should I buy a seasoned or unseasoned turkey?
If you're looking for ultimate convenience, buying a seasoned turkey ensure that all you'll have to do is pop the bird in the oven. But, if you like to stick to a special seasoning recipe or host picky family members, buying an unseasoned turkey is the way to go.
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