QUICK SUMMARY
Mama Z’s turkey brine recipe combines sea salt, raw honey, onions, carrots, celery, garlic, rosemary, bay leaves, and herbes de Provence to season a whole turkey before roasting. My favorite kind of herbes de Provence contains lavender flowers and rosemary.
Brining helps poultry retain moisture during cooking, which is one reason this has become one of our favorite make-ahead holiday steps. This recipe is also sage-free, which some nursing moms prefer because sage has traditionally been used to reduce milk supply, although direct clinical evidence for that effect is limited. (1, 4)
Plan ahead because Mama Z’s method is designed as a two-day process. Follow the brine amounts and steps as written, then finish the turkey with butter or cooking oil, sea salt, herbs, onion, garlic, rosemary, and parsley for a flavorful holiday centerpiece.
My favorite kind of herbes de Provence contains lavender flowers and rosemary. This simple herb-and-honey turkey brine has become one of our favorite ways to prepare a holiday bird because so much of the flavor is built in before roasting day even begins.
Bonus: This recipe does not contain sage, which some nursing moms prefer to avoid. Sage has a traditional reputation for reducing milk supply, although LactMed notes that direct clinical studies evaluating this effect in nursing mothers are lacking. (4) I know this turkey brine recipe will be a staple at your holiday table as well!
Table of Contents:
Make Mama Z’s Turkey Brine Recipe
Brining a turkey sounds fancy, but it’s not complicated. All you have to do is boil some ingredients together and keep the turkey cool!
You can start brining your turkey two days before eating it, but not later than the morning before cooking. Remember, the longer you let it brine, the better your results.
Herbed Turkey Brine
Servings
Ingredients
- 1 large organic onion, diced
- 2 large organic carrots, diced
- 3 stalks organic celery, diced
- 1 flower of organic garlic, open all the cloves
- ½ bunch organic rosemary
- ¼ cup organic herbes de Provence
- 6 organic bay leaves
- 1 cup pink Himalayan salt OR sea salt, ground
- 1 cup raw organic local honey
- 1 quart purified OR distilled water, boiling
- 7 quarts of purified OR distilled water, room temperature
- Ice
- Additional pink Himalayan salt OR sea salt, ground OR Applewood smoked sea salt, PLUS organic white pepper, ground AND organic fresh herbs of choice (if possible), for cooking the bird
Supplies
Instructions
- Clean your turkey and place it in a brining bag along with the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, rosemary, herbes de Provence, and bay leaves. Place the sea salt, honey, and boiling water in a large pot. Turn the heat to “low” and stir just until the salt and honey dissolve. Let cool. Add ice to the pot to get it to cool a little faster.
- Pour the remaining room-temperature and cooled brining mixture into the brining bag and seal. Add ice or ice packs to the cooler and/or add additional ice to the brining bag. Be sure to monitor the bag throughout the brining process to see if it feels cool or has ice cubes. If not, add more ice.
- On the day you plan to cook the turkey, remove it from the brining bag and rinse it well. I like to stuff the cavity of my turkey with all of the brining ingredients, so I pour the carrots, onions, etc., into a cooler and rinse well. You can also add these ingredients to your bone broth.
- To cook the turkey, remove the giblets and the neck (a great start to your bone broth) and pat the bird dry. Use cooking twine to tuck the wings of the bird and tie the legs. Spray the bird with unrefined (non propellant) coconut oil, avocado oil or olive oil cooking spray or butter. Season inside and out with salt, pepper, and herbs of choice. Let the bird sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 425°F and place the turkey breast-side up in a roasting pan. Roast for 30 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 325°F. Fresh birds cook faster, so check earlier than you think. Baste occasionally, and if the skin browns too quickly, cover it loosely with foil. Cook until the thickest part of the thigh reaches 165°F. Let the turkey rest for 20-30 minutes before carving.
Step One: Create the Brine
Clean your turkey and place it in a brining bag along with the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, rosemary, herbes de Provence, and bay leaves. Place the sea salt, honey, and boiling water in a large pot. Turn the heat to “low” and stir just until the salt and honey dissolve. Let cool. Add ice to the pot to get it to cool a little faster.
Step Two: Pour Brine Over Turkey
Pour the remaining room-temperature and cooled brining mixture into the brining bag and seal. Add ice or ice packs to the cooler and/or add additional ice to the brining bag. Be sure to monitor the bag throughout the brining process to see if it feels cool or has ice cubes. If not, add more ice.
Step Three: Cook the Turkey
On the day you plan to cook the turkey, remove it from the brining bag and rinse it well. I like to stuff the cavity of my turkey with all of the brining ingredients, so I pour the carrots, onions, etc., into a cooler and rinse well. You can also add these ingredients to your bone broth.
To Cook Your Turkey
To cook the turkey, remove the giblets and the neck (a great start to your bone broth) and pat the bird dry. Use cooking twine to tuck the bird’s wings and tie the legs. Spray the bird with unrefined (non propellant) coconut oil, avocado oil or olive oil cooking spray or butter. Season inside and out with salt, pepper, and herbs of choice. Let the bird sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 425°F and place the turkey breast-side up in a roasting pan. Roast for 30 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 325°F. Fresh birds cook faster, so check earlier than you think. Baste occasionally; if the skin browns too quickly, cover it loosely with foil. Cook until the thickest part of the thigh reaches 165°F. Let the turkey rest for 20-30 minutes before carving.
Want more healthy holiday recipes? Check out this list of our favorite Thanksgiving recipes! These dishes are free of sugar and gluten, but not free of flavor! You’ll find side dishes, drinks, appetizers, and desserts.
Make Your Best Turkey Ever!
I often get asked what kind of turkey I use. I prefer to use a fresh, free-range, organic, non-GMO turkey. Frozen may be your only option depending on where you live, and that’s fine! This recipe will still work for you.
Here are some tips to help you make your best turkey ever, no matter what you have in your icebox!
- Brine the turkey when fully thawed so the mixture can seep into the skin. Be sure to clean the bird before brining it, and keep putting ice over it. This ensures that your turkey stays cold!
- Be sure to plan ahead! Brining a turkey takes two days. Anything less will yield less-than-desirable results.
- Rub organic butter over the turkey, adding smoked sea salt and herbes de Provence. If you really want to elevate your cooking game, you can make your own herbed butter blend! I also like to tuck a few pieces of butter under the turkey skin.
- Stick a whole onion and a full garlic flower into the turkey’s cavity. Cut the onion in half and break out all the garlic cloves in the flower. This makes the turkey really tender and is Dr. Z’s favorite spot! Bonus: Onion and garlic add layers of flavor along with the naturally occurring plant compounds found in allium vegetables. Win-win!
- Finish the turkey off with a big bunch of rosemary and parsley. Bend it to fit as much as you can in the bird! A little extra effort goes a long way in creating the most delicious bird.
- Stick to the same flavor palate! Incorporate Thanksgiving spices into other things, including stuffing. This helps the flavors mesh with one another, even though each dish is unique.
- Once the turkey is done, cook the organ meat separately in the same mixture. You can then use this to start bone broth. Bone broth provides protein and collagen-related amino acids, but the amount can vary widely depending on how it is prepared. (2)
Healthy Brine Ingredients 101
This recipe uses everyday ingredients to create one fantastic brine! I’m willing to bet that you have most of these things in your cupboard already. If not, here’s what you need to add to your shopping cart.
Pink Himalayan Salt or Sea Salt: Salt is a common ingredient in brines because sodium chloride interacts with muscle proteins and helps poultry retain more moisture during cooking. (1)
We recommend using Colima sea salt because it’s hand-harvested. I love its flavor, sourcing, and the way it works in our kitchen. Specialty salts can contain trace minerals, but salt’s main functional role in this recipe comes from sodium chloride.
Organic Raw Local Honey: Adding honey to your brine gives your bird a little sweetness and helps it brown beautifully in the oven. We recommend raw honey because we love the flavor and minimal processing. Honey is still a source of free sugar, so I use it here for what it contributes to the recipe rather than treating it as a blood-sugar remedy.
Purified or Distilled Water: Water quality varies by location. U.S. drinking water is regulated, but contaminants can occur from natural sources, treatment byproducts, aging plumbing, or local pollution. (3) We prefer purified or distilled water because it gives us more control over what goes into the brine.
This doesn’t mean you have to use plastic bottles, though! There are plenty of excellent in-home filtration systems that make purifying water a breeze.
Organic Vegetables and Herbs: Adding vegetables gives your brine a little extra flavor. For this recipe, we use onions, celery, and carrots. I also love using garlic and rosemary in my brine. Get creative and come up with your own flavor combos.
The vegetables and herbs release their flavor and aromatic compounds into the brine as it heats, creating layers of flavor around the turkey. I guarantee you’ll never skip this step again!
References:
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service. “Poultry: Basting, Brining, and Marinating.” Source.
- Alcock RD, Shaw GC, Burke LM. “Bone Broth Unlikely to Provide Reliable Concentrations of Collagen Precursors Compared With Supplemental Sources of Collagen Used in Collagen Research.” International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. 2019;29(3):265-272. PubMed.
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. “Drinking Water.” Source.
- National Library of Medicine. “Sage.” Drugs and Lactation Database (LactMed). Revised July 15, 2025. Source.
