Turkey Rub Recipe

When I want to make a turkey that’s sure to impress, I use my homemade turkey rub as the primary seasoning agent. I serve my turkey with classic side dishes such as sweet potato casserole and cranberry relish for a memorable meal. There are so many different ways to prepare a turkey, from brining to roasting to deep frying and more! This turkey rub turns an ordinary roasted turkey into something extraordinary. Best of all, it takes just 5 minutes to make!

Turkey Rub Ingredients

This recipe is made with a variety of herbs and spices including salt, brown sugar, paprika, pepper, thyme, rosemary, sage, garlic powder and onion powder.

How do you make turkey rub?

Place the salt, sugar, herbs and spices in a bowl, then stir until everything is well mixed. Use the seasoning right away, or store it in an airtight container for future use.

Tips for the perfect seasoning mix

This recipe makes the perfect amount of rub to use on a 10-12 pound turkey. If your turkey is larger, you’ll want to double the recipe. You can use fresh herbs instead of dried if you prefer; you’ll just want to triple the amount of fresh herbs compared to dried. This recipe calls for kosher salt, which is not the same as table salt. For best results, use kosher salt, which should be available in every grocery store.

Flavor variations

I happen to love this spice blend exactly as it’s written, but you can absolutely use other flavorings to customize this recipe to your taste.

Sugar: You can use maple sugar, muscovado sugar or coconut sugar instead of the brown sugar. You can also blend honey, agave syrup or maple syrup with the spices to make a wet rub. Herbs: Feel free to add other herbs to the mix such as dried parsley, basil, marjoram, savory or oregano. Spices: Other great additions to this rub include cayenne pepper, mustard powder, smoked paprika or chili powder. Wet Rub: You can mix your spice blend with 2 tablespoons of olive oil or melted butter to make a wet rub. Smokey Rub: Use my smoked turkey rub if you’re planning to cook your bird in a smoker.

I like to make a double or triple batch of this rub and use it all year long on roasted chicken, pork tenderloin and roast beef. Make your holiday turkey extra special this year with this spice blend, and you’ll be sure to get rave reviews.