The recommended amount of turkey per person varies depending on if you want leftovers and the cut of turkey:
- Plan for about 1 pound of whole turkey per person if you do not want leftovers.
- If you want leftovers, plan for about 1.25 to 1.5 pounds of whole turkey per person.
- For boneless turkey breast, plan about 0.5 pounds per person.
- For bone-in turkey breast, plan about 0.75 pounds per person.
- Larger turkeys tend to have a higher meat-to-bone ratio, so you might plan slightly less per person for a big bird.
This means if you have 8 guests, you would buy an 8-pound whole turkey for no leftovers, or a 10 to 12-pound turkey if you want leftovers. The meat portion after cooking averages around 9 ounces of cooked turkey per person. If feeding a crowd where some guests eat more or you want plentiful leftovers, aim higher around 1.5 pounds per person.
