Easy Ground Venison Recipes (2024)

From traditional ground venison recipes like chili and pasta sauce to elevated and innovative ground venison recipes like loaded venison queso dip, and ground venison sliders – you’ll find something for everyone in this collection of easy ground venison recipes.

Easy Ground Venison Recipes (1)

Healthy Ground Venison Recipes

  • Ground Venison Big Mac Salad – Dive into this freshGround Venison Big Mac Saladthis season! Venison meat recipes don’t have to be boring and heavy.
Easy Ground Venison Recipes (2)

Ground Venison Appetizers

  • Venison Sausage Dip – This easyvenison sausage dipis a great party appetizer usingground venison.
  • Crockpot Venison MeatballsCrockpot Venison Meatballsare perfect for an easy appetizer.
  • Loaded Venison Queso Dip – Rich and creamyloaded venison queso dipthat’s full of your favorite Southwest flavors. It’s an easy ground venison recipe that’s great as an appetizer or dinner!
  • BBQ Bourbon Venison Meatballs – With a smoky bourbon BBQ sauce, these BBQ Bourbon Venison Meatballs are perfect for your next party, picnic, or game day!
  • Venison Stuffed Jalapeño Peppers – These venison stuffed jalapeño peppers are a killer appetizer to serve at your next party or tailgate! Made with ground venison, pimento cheese, and spices, the flavors are ridiculously delicious!
  • Ground Venison Lasagna Dip – Thisground venison lasagna dipis a crowd-pleasing appetizer. Full of your favorite lasagna flavors.
Easy Ground Venison Recipes (3)

Ground Venison Sandwiches

  • Venison Patty Melt – This venison patty melt is hands-down one of THE BEST venison sandwiches we have ever enjoyed! Juicy ground venison, topped with melty cheese and sweet Vidalia onions. **READER FAVORITE
  • Venison Philly Cheesesteak Sliders – These Venison Philly Cheesesteak sliders are THE. BOMB. A flavor bomb that is! Savory ground venison with peppers, onions, and smothered in provolone cheese – all melted onto a butter slider bun.
  • Venison Meatball Subs – These venison meatball subs are perfect for game day, tailgating, or just an easy weeknight dinner. Brioche buns loaded with savory venison meatballs and topped with melted mozzarella cheese.
Easy Ground Venison Recipes (4)

Ground Venison Casseroles

  • Venison Alfredo Casserole – This richvenison alfredo casseroleis aneasy ground venison recipe that’s great for a quick weeknight dinner.
  • Ground Venison Blend Enchilada Casserole – Thisground venison blend enchilada casseroleis bursting with flavor! The rich ground venison blend takes this enchilada casserole and bumps it up into a hearty, flavorful casserole, another easy wild game dinner recipe!
  • Venison Green Chile Enchilada Casserole – A little heat and a lot of savor in thisground venison green chile enchilada casserole. Layers of ground venison, green chile enchilada sauce, and melty quesadilla cheese!
Easy Ground Venison Recipes (5)

Ground Venison Pasta Recipes

  • Venison Lasagna Stuffed Shells – All the delicious flavors of million-dollar lasagna transformed intovenison lasagna stuff shells! Rich and creamy cheese filling combined with ground venison, stuffed into shells,and topped with a tasty combination of alfredo and marinara sauce.
  • Spaghetti Sauce made with Ground Venison – This savoryhomemade spaghetti sauce made with ground venisonis a great all-purpose sauce to have on hand all year round. One batch makes over 2 quarts!
  • Venison Goulash Recipe – This ground venison goulash recipe is full of flavor and super simple – perfect for a weeknight dinner! Ground deer meat, savory sauce, spices, and cheese, combined with elbow macaroni.
Easy Ground Venison Recipes (6)

Ground Venison Dinner Recipes

  • Ground Venison TacosGround Venison Tacoswill take your Taco Tuesday to a new level.
  • Venison Stuffed Crescent Rolls – TheseVenison Stuffed Crescent Rollsare a fast andeasy ground venison recipethat makes for the perfect main entree or even a hearty side dish.
  • Venison Vegetable Soup – ThisVenison Vegetable Soup is a warm and hearty traditional vegetable soup recipe make withground venison.
  • Venison Taco Ring – Thisvenison taco ringis made with flavorful ground venison taco meat, covered in cheese, stuffed inside a flaky crescent roll ring, then baked to golden perfection!
  • Smoked Ground Venison – Thissmoked ground venisonis slow-smoked with a deep smoky flavor. It’s perfect for chili, pasta, or other easy ground venison recipes.
  • Ground Venison Seasonings – A collection of homemade seasoning blends to elevate the taste of your ground venison recipes!
  • Ground Venison Kabobs – grilled ground venison meatballs with your favorite BBQ flavors
  • Venison Pizza Recipe – a supereasy ground deer meat recipe using naan bread for the crust, and covered in your favorite pizza sauce, savory ground venison, and a delicious cheese blend!
  • Ground Venison Meatballs – theseground venison meatballsare a classic Italian meatball recipe. They’re the perfect meatballs for spaghetti or meatball subs.
  • Ground Venison Meatloaf Recipe – Thisgroundvenison meatloaf recipeis juicy and full of flavor that’s also an easy comfort food recipe for the cold weather months.
Easy Ground Venison Recipes (7)

Ground Venison Breakfast Recipes

  • Country-Style Venison Sausage Gravy – Just like grandma fixed it, thiscountry-style venison sausage gravyis rich and delicious. Made with venison breakfast sausage and perfect for a morning plate of biscuits and gravy.
  • Ground Venison Breakfast Sausage – Ground venison isn’t just for hearty dinners; try thisground venison breakfast sausage that’s full of savory flavors and seasonings.
Easy Ground Venison Recipes (8)

Ground Venison FAQs

Is ground venison healthy?

Ground venison comes from deer, which are by nature much leaner animals than cattle. They contain less fat than beef, therefore containing lower calorie and fat content.

How to get the game taste out of ground venison?

I’m sure you’re familiar with people saying venison and other wild game meat tasting “gamey.” The “gamey” flavor actually comes from a variety of factors, including the diet of the deer, the processing of the meat, the season in which the animal was harvested (i.e., if the male deer was in rut), the age of the animal, and more. Outside these factors, venison will not taste exactly like beef, so if you’re expecting that, you’ll be in for a surprise. However, I’ve also found how the meat is cooked can also greatly reduce any strong gamey flavor.

If you’ve had a bad experience with venison tasting “gamey”, there are a few things you can try.

  1. If it’s your kill/harvest, do your research on proper field dressing, bleeding, and processing to know what elements can affect the flavor of the meat during these.
  2. Purchase ground venison from a company likeThe Honest Bison. By doing this, you’ll ensure the meat was properly processed and see if you experience a noticeable difference in the taste and texture.

How many calories in 4 oz. of ground venison?

Actual calorie content would depend on how you prepare your ground venison, and you can easily plug your recipe into a calorie calculator. However, on average, 4 oz. of ground venison should equate to around 135 calories.

How to brown ground venison?

Ground venison does not contain a lot of fat, so that browning ground venison can be tricky. I like to add 1-2 Tbsp. of olive oil to the pan before browning, to give it a little fat content to cook with. From there, I let the meat brown until there is just a bit of pink remaining. Because there is little fat content, the meat can overcook easily, which is why I like to bring it to just before a well-done finish.

Even with the addition of the olive oil, you should not need to drain any excess fat before using your ground venison in any recipe. However, if there is visible excess liquid, you can drain that off before using the ground venison.

Easy Ground Venison Recipes (9)

Recommended kitchen resources for cooking with ground venison

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We prefer cooking ground venison in cast iron skillets. However, any skillet will work.

If prepping your own deer meat for ground venison recipes

When canning or freezing sauces with ground venison

What to serve with ground venison?

This depends on what ground venison recipe you’re preparing, but these are some great side dishes for ground venison!

  • Cheesy Smoked Potatoes
  • Smoked Baked Beans

Looking for a particular ground venison recipe??

Send us an email at mike@primalpioneer.com and let us know!

Easy Ground Venison Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is the best to mix with ground venison? ›

Beef fat works well with ground venison, and makes the flavor closer to ground beef. Pork fat is lower in saturated fat, has less flavor and will allow the venison flavor to shine.

How should ground venison be cooked? ›

Cook to a minimum of 160 degrees F. When you grind meat, you spread any bacteria present throughout the entire batch.

How do you cook ground venison so it doesn't taste gamey? ›

You can also marinate game to give it a savory flavor or to tenderize it. Always marinate it in the refrigerator (1 to 2 days for birds; 3 to 5 days for game animals). Boil used marinade before basting meat as it cooks or using as a sauce on the cooked meat. Discard any uncooked leftover marinade.

What seasoning for venison? ›

Ideal flavours for venison
  • Fruits: quince, cherries, prunes, blackberries, apples.
  • Herbs: thyme, rosemary, bay, sage.
  • Spices: star anise, allspice, black pepper, cloves, juniper.
  • Alcohol: red wine (e.g. Grenache, Zinfandel), cider, ale. Other: chestnuts, celeriac, red cabbage, chocolate, mushroom.
Mar 7, 2016

Do you have to add anything to ground venison? ›

Depending on what you're planning to cook, you may want to add fat to your ground venison. This added fat can be bacon, pork shoulder, pork belly, beef tallow, etc. It's purely personal preference. I always add about 15-20 percent fat if I'm making hamburger or kebabs, which makes the meat juicier and more flavorful.

What to mix with venison for hamburger? ›

I've seasoned my venison with salt, pepper and a little ground cumin. And, I've used a handful of fresh parsley, some finely chopped onion and a couple of cloves of garlic too in this venison burger recipe. Wild venison has plenty of flavour and doesn't really need much added.

What flavors go with venison? ›

Step into any restaurant featuring a la chasse-themed menu, and you can expect to find classic pairings such as venison with cranberries, apples, celeriac, butternut squash, brussels sprouts or Belgium endive.

Is ground venison better for you than ground beef? ›

Given that deer are leaner than cows, venison is generally healthier to eat than beef. An average cut of venison, in fact, has around half the calories and a sixth the saturated fats of a similarly sized cut of beef. It also has more proteins, vitamins and minerals than beef.

How do you know when ground venison is done? ›

Particularly for medium-rare doneness, venison needs to achieve an internal temperature of 145°F before removing from the heat, whereas ground venison must be cooked at 160°F. Additionally, a casserole dish made from venison including leftover meats must be reheated to 165°F .

How to make ground deer taste good? ›

If you're using a great processor and the deer was killed quickly then you shouldn't have to worry with too many seasonings. I just usually season the deer meat the same way I would season regular beef. For example, for tacos, I just throw in a little chili powder and ground cumin and cook like normal.

Why does my ground venison taste gamey? ›

Venison silver skin, fat, ligaments, and other undesirable parts of a deer that aren't muscle don't taste very good. Deer fat is generally bitter, unlike beef fat. This is probably the number one reason why folks think venison, particularly ground venison, tastes gamey.

Why is my ground venison tough? ›

"Freshly butchered venison — especially when it is in rigor mortis — will be super tough," Cihelka said. When rigor mortis sets in, the animal stiffens. Hanging the animal prevents the muscles along the spine from shortening. This is why backstraps and tenderloin are tender.

What are three methods of cooking venison? ›

Because venison is a dry meat, only certain cuts of the meat should be cooked using dry heat methods like broiling, frying, roasting and grilling.

What can you put in deer meat to make it taste better? ›

I know of no way to get rid of the taste other than to disguise it with spices or prepare it in a way (like spagetti sauce) where it's overpowered by other flavors. I know a lot of people mix ground venison with ground pork or pork sausage to add moisture. I like to just lay a strip of bacon on top of each patty.

What spices are good in game meat? ›

However, everyone should have a basic set that includes thyme, rosemary, oregano, cumin, and crushed red pepper. If you already have these spices and want to try something new, Spanish smoked paprika is an absolute winner. Like salt, acids can have a strong effect on meat.

What is the best fat to mix with deer meat? ›

But if you want to grill venison burgers, you're going to need to add some fat. Beef fat is the preferred source when making deer burgers. It adds some great flavor (especially if you add some trimmed ribeye fat), but it also helps bind the meat together better and helps it hold in the patty shape.

What pairs well with venison? ›

Step into any restaurant featuring a la chasse-themed menu, and you can expect to find classic pairings such as venison with cranberries, apples, celeriac, butternut squash, brussels sprouts or Belgium endive.

Is ground venison healthier than beef? ›

Given that deer are leaner than cows, venison is generally healthier to eat than beef. An average cut of venison, in fact, has around half the calories and a sixth the saturated fats of a similarly sized cut of beef. It also has more proteins, vitamins and minerals than beef.

Is it better to mix venison with beef or pork? ›

Wondering what to mix with ground venison? Beef and pork are your best bets. Ground venison, or deer meat, is gamey-tasting and has very little fat. Because venison is so lean, you can improve its taste and texture by mixing it with pork sausage or beef for some added fat.

References

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