7 Turkey Injection Marinade Recipes for the Best Bird Ever

By
Derrick Riches
Derrick Riches
Derrick Riches
Derrick Riches is a grilling and barbecue expert. He has written two cookbooks.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 02/9/24
Ingredients for Cajun turkey injection marinade

The Spruce Eats / Maxwell Cozzi

Instead of rubbing your turkey with butter, herbs, and spices, try injecting the flavor right into the meat. With an injector—a large syringe with a thick needle—you inject small doses of the marinade deep into the meat. This method flavors meat from the inside, tenderizing it and making it moist while slowly spreading the flavors through the bird.

Anything can go into your injector marinade, as long as it's small enough to get through the needle. If you really want herbs or another chunky ingredient in your injection, try blending the sauce at high speed to guarantee a smooth liquid.

The injection method can be used for turkeys you plan to roast, grill, smoke, or deep fry. No matter how you cook it, the method brings an immense amount of moisture and flavor, so you don't have to worry about dry or bland turkey. Plus, you can use injections alone, or pair a turkey injection with a traditional turkey marinade, turkey rub, and even turkey brine for even more flavor.

Remember to use injection marinades several hours before you start cooking the turkey. The earlier the meat is injected before roasting, the better the flavor will be in the end.

The collection of turkey injection marinades here will help you to seriously step up your turkey game. Once you try seasoning a turkey this way, you may find it difficult to go back to preparing your turkey any other way.

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Watch Now: Everything You Should Know About Injecting Your Turkey

  • 01 of 07

    Beer and Butter Injection

    Ingredients for a beer and butter turkey injection marinade gathered

    The Spruce Eats / Claire Cohen

    A base of butter and beer in this injection keeps the meat from drying out while also boosting the flavor. Salt, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, soy sauce, garlic powder, and onion powder add plenty more savory flavor to the mix.

    Once you've made the injection fluid, be sure to keep it warm so the butter doesn't solidify. After injecting the turkey, rub it with your favorite dry rub to add even more flavor. Then stick that bird back in the fridge and let it sit until you're ready to cook it—you can inject it up to 36 hours ahead.

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  • 02 of 07

    Butter Based Injection

    Butter-based poultry injection sauce in a bowl, turkey on a baking sheet and an injector

    The Spruce Eats / Eric Kleinberg

    This is a great injection for any kind of poultry, not just turkey. A simple mixture of broth, butter, lemon, garlic, pepper, and salt delivers moisture and flavor to the white meat and enhances the texture and taste of the dark meat.

    If you're choosing to brine this bird and then inject it, do not add salt to the injection mixture because the turkey will end up being too salty.

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  • 03 of 07

    Cajun Turkey Injection

    Ingredients for Cajun turkey injection marinade gathered

    The Spruce Eats / Maxwell Cozzi

    This spicy Cajun-inspired injection contains lemon, onion powder, garlic powder, crab boil, olive oil, butter, Cajun seasoning, Tabasco, and cayenne. It's a great choice if you're choosing to deep-fry your turkey because by injecting the flavors inside the meat, you won't have to worry about the hot oil washing them off.

    Distribute the injection evenly in all parts of the bird so you don't get large pockets of the spicy mixture. Wipe off any drips or excess moisture before deep frying.

    Round out the offerings with cornbread and sausage stuffing and other southern sides.

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  • 04 of 07

    Honey Beer Injection

    Ingredients for a beer and honey turkey injection gathered

    The Spruce Eats / Wanda Abraham

    This easy injection is made with a combination of Cajun seasoning, dark beer, honey, and apple cider. It's a simple mixture but one that will light up your taste buds thanks to the sweet and savory flavors.

    Because this injection marinade contains honey, you need to warm it up to use it. Just be careful that it isn't too hot before putting it in the injector. You don't want hot liquids leaking under pressure when you depress the syringe.

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    Continue to 5 of 7 below
  • 05 of 07

    Italian Herb Injection

    Ingredients for an Italian herb turkey injection marinade gathered

    The Spruce Eats / Eric Kleinberg

    This marinade isn't spicy-hot but it is deeply flavorful thanks to the use of herbs in Italian seasoning, along with red wine, pepper, and balsamic vinegar.

    Make sure that the herbs you use are well ground so that they will fit through your injection needle, and shake the syringe in between injections so the herbs don't settle.

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  • 06 of 07

    Savory Turkey Injection

    A cooked, golden-brown turkey resting on a wooden cutting board

    The Spruce Eats / Victoria Heydt

    This injection is full of traditional Thanksgiving turkey flavors, including finely ground dried herbs like bay leaf, thyme, and sage. Garlic powder, onion powder, and Worcestershire sauce boost the flavor even more, while keeping the flavors classic.

    For a variation, add finely chopped fresh herbs such as parsley, cilantro, and oregano. Once the injection is cool, blend at high speed with the fresh herbs. Strain through a mesh sieve to ensure the fibrous leftovers of the herbs don't pass into the injector.

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  • 07 of 07

    Butter, Wine & Honey Injection for Smoked Turkey

    A dark, herb-covered smoked turkey on a decorated serving platter
    DebbiSmirnoff / Getty Images

    In this recipe, a simple mixture of butter, white wine, and honey seasoned with cinnamon, salt, and white pepper is used both to inject the bird and to baste it. It's a simple mixture but it adds a ton of flavor and moisture to the turkey.

    Get the Recipe

Food Safety for Poultry

To keep your kitchen compliant with the USDA's food-safety best practices when working with turkey or any type of poultry, remember to:

  • Wash your hands with soap and warm water before and after handling poultry. Also, wash in between if you need to reach for other ingredients or open the fridge door.
  • Wash cutting boards, utensils, and knives immediately after they've been in contact with raw or frozen poultry.
  • Thoroughly clean any surface that might have been in contact with raw poultry drippings. You can use antibacterial disposable wipes, a disinfectant spray with paper towels, or hot soapy water.
  • Don't rinse raw or frozen chicken. The splashing water will contaminate other parts of your kitchen and rinsing it doesn't eliminate potential bacteria.
  • Cook your poultry to safe temperatures and for an adequate length of time. Follow these standards for handling and cooking poultry. Always aim for 165 F as the interior temperature of your turkey.
  • Don't save unused injection marinade. The needle has been in contact with raw poultry and those juices easily travel upward to your unused marinade. Discard immediately after using and clean the injector well.
  • Your cooked leftover poultry must be in the refrigerator two hours after cooking. You can store it in an airtight container and eat it within 72 hours or freeze it for later use. If you don't consume it, discard it to avoid food poisoning.
Article Sources
The Spruce Eats uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

  1. Safe Food Handling and Preparation: Poultry, Food Safety and Inspection Service, United States Department of Agriculture.