Easy Turkey Rub Recipe

This savory turkey rub will add delicious flavor, whether you plan to roast, fry, or smoke your turkey.

You can rub it dry over the skin or mix it with melted butter or oil and rub it between the meat and under the skin. No matter how you rub it, this will add lots of flavor to what is traditionally a bland protein!

The best part is that it only uses 5 simple ingredients and can be made ahead of time and stored in the pantry. Its main use is for turkey, but don’t be shy about using it for chicken, pork, and seafood!

Turkey Rub Seasonings

For this turkey rub recipe, we are keeping it classic with pantry spices like sage, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt.

If you prefer a smoky and sweet rub, add 1 tablespoon of brown sugar to the above seasonings or try my epic dry pork rub recipe. 

How to Make Turkey Rub

Measure the spices inside a bowl and use a whisk or fork to combine them well. Transfer the turkey rub inside a spice jar or zip bag and keep it with the other spices for up to 2 months. 

Looking for more recipes to make your Thanksgiving feast epic? Check out my Giving Thanks menu.

It has 23 mouth-watering recipes to choose from, including the perfect oven-roasted turkey, Cornbread Dressing, roasted veggies, and show-stopping desserts like Frozen Pumpkin Pie! 

And, if gluten is an issue, I’ve recreated the original Thanksgiving menu with gluten-free recipes that are so good even the gluten-lovers will want second helpings. No one needs to skip their favorite holiday foods again!

More Tips for a Gluten-Free Thanksgiving

How to Use Turkey Rub

This rub can be used two ways, as a dry rub over the poultry skin or turned into a wet rub with melted butter or oil and slathered between the skin and the meat; below; I show you how to do both. 

Note: this recipe yields enough for a 15 to 20-lb turkey, and you’ll want to rinse and pat the turkey dry before coating. 

With your hands, lift the skin and separate it from the turkey meat. Using a brush, brush the paste onto the turkey skin. Pour some between the skin and the meat and rub it with your hands.

The fats in the butter help to lock in moisture while adding delicious flavor to both the meat and the drippings!

When to Season a Turkey

Turkey should be seasoned before baking and can be done the night before. Seasoning a turkey helps yield juicy, baked turkey meat with flavorful skin, and isn’t that what we’re all after? 

All you have to do is coat the turkey with the spice mix, rub it onto and under the skin, then place the entire bird in a large plastic bag. Refrigerate overnight and bake the next day, as directed. 

My thanksgiving menu also includes helpful recipe tips like the one above and a daily prep guide leading up to the big day so you can successfully pull off Thanksgiving dinner without the stress. 

There’s nothing like having the entire feast ready and enough time for you to slip into your outfit before the guests arrive.