Mom’s Deep Fried Turkey Rub

Deep Frying A Turkey

by Alli

This post, Mom’s Deep Fried Turkey Rub contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. 

If you’ve never had a deep-fried turkey for Thanksgiving, you just don’t know what you’re missing. Mom and dad have been deep frying their holiday bird for decades. Deep-fried turkey is crispy on the outside and so tender on the inside.

We always use mom’s deep-fried turkey rub when we fry a turkey. We just stir the seasonings together, rub them on the turkey and we’re good to go. 

Actually, the first time I tasted this moist, crispy, well-seasoned turkey was at my parents’ house. And I’ve been on the bandwagon for several years now.

Our Family Is A Big Fan of Deep-Fried Turkey 

The fried turkey not only tastes better than baked (in my humble opinion) but frying it also frees up my ovens and my time since the turkey fries so quickly. Mom’s Deep Fried Turkey Rub seasons the turkey perfectly.

My parents fry their bird outside using their propane-fueled deep fryer. I did that for a few years until I found an indoor electric deep fryer and I love it. It’s just an easier clean up for me.

How to Deep Fry Your Turkey

This is the turkey fryer I use. 

Ingredients You’ll Need For Mom’s Deep Fried Turkey Rub

You can find the simple recipe down below. Here are the ingredients you’ll need:

  • Garlic Powder
  • Seasoned Salt (I use Lawry’s with no MSG)
  • Cayenne Pepper (just a pinch!)
  • Lemon Pepper
  • Creole Seasoning (like Zatarain’s)

Deep Fried Turkey Rub

Fried Turkey Cooking Times

Deep-fried turkey only takes about 3 minutes per pound to fry in my electric turkey fryer. The oil takes about 30 minutes to heat before adding the turkey so make sure you add the preheating time to your Thanksgiving Day timeline. Grab my free Thanksgiving Day planner

Always follow the directions on your deep fryer when you fry a turkey. 

Tips For Deep-Frying a Turkey

  • Make sure the turkey is completely thawed! Rinse to make sure all ice crystals are removed from the turkey and pat dry with paper towels.
  • Remember to remove the neck and giblet pack!
  • Rub the turkey with mom’s turkey rub before frying!
  • Please use extreme caution when deep-frying a turkey!

What Kind Of Oil Do You Use To Fry A Turkey?

I always use peanut oil for deep frying because of its high smoke point. The turkey cooks quickly without absorbing very much of the oil. Plus, peanut oil is stable and doesn’t have an odor and it has a neutral taste. 

I know peanut oil is expensive and it takes a lot to fill the turkey cooker, but it’s worth it to me for this one day out of the entire year.

Mom’s Deep Fried Turkey Rub

Most Viewed Posts - Giblet Gravy, Mom's Chicken and Dumplings

We always use Mom's Deep Fried Turkey rub when we fry our turkey at Thanksgiving. It seasons the turkey to perfection.

Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 Tablespoons Garlic Powder
  • 2 Tablespoons Seasoned Salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
  • 2 Tablespoons Lemon Pepper
  • 2 Tablespoons Creole Seasoning

Instructions

  1. Combine all ingredients and rub on turkey. It's best to rub the turkey the night before and let sit overnight in the fridge. But I've actually done it 30 minutes before frying and it was still good. Deep fry 3 minutes per pound at 325 degrees or according to your deep fryer. Enjoy!

Notes

Use whatever brand you'd like for the seasonings. I do use Lawry's seasoned salt with no MSG.

Nutrition Information

Yield

12

Serving Size

1

Amount Per Serving Calories 11Total Fat 0gSaturated Fat 0gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 0gCholesterol 0mgSodium 1751mgCarbohydrates 2gFiber 1gSugar 0gProtein 0g

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Facebook

How do you cook your Thanksgiving turkey?

Click the link below to see how I deep fry a turkey!

You can see exactly How to Deep Fry a Turkey

How to Deep Fry Your Turkey

If you had rather roast that bird, I’ve got you covered on how to roast a turkey.

How to Roast a Turkey and Leftover Turkey Panini

Mom’s Cornbread Dressing

Mom's Cornbread Dressing

Pecan Pie Cobbler

Dixie's Pecan Pie Cobbler

30 comments

Cindy Eikenberg November 19, 2013 - 6:29 am

Alli, this rub sounds wonderful! Once, we tried to deep fry a turkey at my sister-in-law’s house with an older, deep fryer outside. I’m not quite sure what happened, but a small bush nearby caught fire (so did the turkey!) It was an interesting holiday, lol! I’m going to keep this rub recipe handy in case we brave it again sometime! Thanks so much for sharing and have a wonderful day!

Reply
Alli November 20, 2013 - 5:44 am

I’ve heard horror stories of deep frying gone terribly wrong. That’s one of the reasons I use an electric turkey fried inside. I bet it was an interesting holiday.

Reply
Melinda Snavley November 19, 2013 - 7:48 am

Best turkey ever!!!!

Reply
Alli November 19, 2013 - 8:26 am

Yes it is!

Reply
Shirley @ Intelligent Domestications November 19, 2013 - 11:34 am

What a wonderful story! Thanks for sharing that, it is great to hear about such kindness. We love deep fried turkey at our house too.

Reply
Rebekah November 19, 2013 - 4:04 pm

I may try the turkey this year…you never know! Yes, I still want my ham as a backup. lol

Reply
Kristen from The Road to Domestication November 19, 2013 - 4:11 pm

Oh, that sounds yummy. I wonder if I can get my uncle to use this on our turkey this year…

Reply
Rhonda November 19, 2013 - 8:44 pm

I’ve thought of getting a deep frier a few times over the years, just so we could do turkey that way. I’ve only had it once, but it was the most delicious bird I’ve ever tasted.

Reply
Alli November 20, 2013 - 5:42 am

I had never been a big fan of turkey until I had it deep fried and I rarely deep fry anything. Of course, I bake a ham, too.

Reply
Doreen@househoneys November 19, 2013 - 10:19 pm

I had deep fried turkey once and it was excellent! Your rub sounds wonderful and what a sweet story about the restaurant owner.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Alli!

Reply
Alli November 20, 2013 - 5:41 am

Hope your Thanksgiving Day is wonderful, Doreen!

Reply
Tammy Doiel @creativekkids.com November 20, 2013 - 12:06 am

My mom and mom–in-law cook the turkeys. We do 2 Thanksgivings every year. My mom in the oven; my mom in law in a turkey roaster. I’ve never had deep-fried turkey, but I would love to try one sometime! The rub sounds great!

Reply
Alli November 20, 2013 - 5:41 am

Two Thanksgivings – yum!

Reply
Lorelai @ Life With Lorelai November 20, 2013 - 7:30 pm

This rub sounds great! I bet it’s good on more than just turkey. Pinned! 🙂

~Lorelai
Life With Lorelai

Reply
Sarah Arent November 27, 2013 - 6:37 am

Alli, I have a butterball indoor fryer and let me say, It’s the way to go… Besides, when I’m not frying in it, I can boil in it or steam in it also. Love it!

Reply
Alli November 27, 2013 - 6:41 am

That’s the one I have, too! Love it! Happy Thanksgiving.

Reply
Brandon Youngs November 26, 2015 - 8:23 pm

We just had one amazing turkey due to this rub recipe. Was a big hit at the family dinner. Thank you.

Reply
Alli November 27, 2015 - 5:40 am

I’m so glad! Comments like this one really make my day! Have a great weekend.

Reply
Jackie April 23, 2016 - 2:51 pm

Yum! That sounds (and looks like) a really delicious recipe. I’m going to give it a go next holidays for sure.

Reply
Robin November 23, 2016 - 9:09 am

I’ve never deep fried a turkey before and I’m wondering if you just use the rub or do you inject it with something as well? I just want to make sure I do this right.

Reply
Alli November 23, 2016 - 10:50 am

No need to inject it! The rub gives it plenty of flavor and deep frying it keeps it moist and tender.

Reply
Robin November 24, 2016 - 6:24 pm

Thank you! It was absolutely delicious. My family loved it and we plan on using this recipe for years to come.

Reply
David November 21, 2017 - 12:47 pm

How do u think this rub would work on a smoked turkey??? It sounds amazing

Reply
Alli November 21, 2017 - 12:49 pm

I say yes! I think it would work perfectly.

Reply
April November 5, 2018 - 6:14 pm

Hello! With the Cajun spice does it make it very spicy? We have 4 little ones that will be eating with us and this will be our first fried turkey with an in door fryer

Reply
Alli November 5, 2018 - 9:11 pm

It’s not too spicy for our family. None of the children have ever complained about it being too spicy. You could omit the cayenne pepper if you’d like.

Reply
Kim November 24, 2019 - 6:48 pm

This looks so yummy! Would you please share which seasoning salt you use?

Reply
Alli November 24, 2019 - 6:53 pm

Lawry’s seasoning salt or even the store brand. I always make sure it’s one with no MSG.

Reply
Tami December 15, 2022 - 8:02 pm

This was amazing! Had a 65th wedding anniversary party for my in-laws. It was a huge hit!

Reply
Alli December 16, 2022 - 9:09 am

So glad it was a hit!!

Reply

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Skip to Recipe