If your freezer is stocked with ground venison, you're in the right place! Ground venison is so often turned into sausage — and while that's delicious, this versatile meat has so much more to offer! Packed with protein, essential nutrients, and vitamins, venison is an excellent substitute for ground beef or pork. Let’s explore some tasty ideas!
Since venison is much leaner than both beef and pork, it often requires a slightly different cooking approach. But by following the expert tips and venison-specific recipes below, you'll be whipping up delicious ground venison dishes in no time.
What is venison?
Venison refers to the meat from various wild game animals (like elk, antelope, moose, etc.), but most commonly, it's used to describe deer meat.
- Taste & texture: Since deer are free to forage naturally on grasses, leaves, twigs, and berries, these earthy flavors carry over to the meat, giving venison a stronger, richer flavor compared to beef. But when it comes to texture, aside from the fact that ground venison is very lean, it cooks up to having essentially the same texture as ground beef.
- Cuts: While venison can be cut and prepared in various ways, such as steaks, roasts, and ground, this post focuses on ground venison recipes.
Please note that the ground venison recipes shared here are all made using 100% ground venison that has not been cut with other animal fat unless instructed to do so in a specific recipe.
Nutrition
Venison is a very lean and nutritious meat packed with protein, vitamins, and minerals. Let's break down the nutrition facts for 1 pound of ground venison:
- Protein: 104 grams of protein - more protein than any other red meat.
- Calories: With about 540 calories per pound, venison is significantly lower in calories compared to 1,500 calories in the same amount of ground beef.
- Fat: Venison is incredibly lean, containing roughly 10 grams of total fat per pound.
- Vitamins & Minerals: Venison is a great source of B6 and B12 vitamins and is rich in minerals, such as iron, zinc, phosphorus, and selenium.
- Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Venison boasts significantly more omega-3 fatty acids than beef, and has a more favorable ratio of omega-6 to omega-3, supporting heart health and reduced inflammation.
Disclaimer: Nutritional values may vary based on preparation methods, portion sizes, and individual dietary needs. For personalized guidance, consult with a healthcare provider or registered dietitian.
Expert tips
- Add Fat: Venison is a very lean protein, so when making things like venison burgers or venison sausage, adding extra moisture through animal fat like ground pork, bacon, or lard can help prevent the venison from drying out while cooking. And when it comes to dishes like venison meatloaf and venison meatballs, you can add extra moisture through milk-soaked breadcrumbs.
- Don’t Overcook: Since it's lean, venison can dry out quickly. When cooking burgers, keep an eye on the internal temperature to ensure you don't overcook them, and when browning ground venison for recipes like venison tacos, remove the meat from the heat once it's fully cooked. These small things make a big difference.
- Season Well: Venison has a rich, earthy flavor that's often referred to as "gamey." While some people love that strong flavor, others don't. Seasoning ground venison with a variety of bold spices, like garlic, paprika, or thyme, or adding in an acid, such as vinegar or Worcestershire, can help to tame those rich flavors.
FAQ's
Just like ground beef, ground venison is super versatile and can be used in so many delicious dishes. Some of my favorite recipes are venison chili, venison meatloaf, and venison tacos. Keep in mind that venison is very lean, so adding extra fat is important for moisture.
Compared to beef, venison is lower in fat, higher in protein, and has more essential nutrients like iron and B vitamins.
Compared to commercially raised red meat, deer meat can often be referred to as "gamey" because of its strong and rich flavor that a lot of people aren't used to. It does not mean that the meat is bad or spoiled in any way. Deer are wild animals that forage for food, so venison naturally tastes more earthy.
For some, wild game is an acquired taste, and I love sharing recipe tips that tone down those wild game flavors so that even those who are new to eating venison (or those who don't particularly enjoy the strong flavor) can still prepare and enjoy the meat.
Ground Venison Recipes
Best Venison Chili
Easy, hearty, and crazy delicious, this venison beer chili is the perfect cozy dinner! It can be cooked on the stove or in the crockpot.
"Out of this world!!! The most flavoful Venison Chili ever. Would not change a thing!" - Ann ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Easy Venison Meatloaf
My simple tricks to create the best damn venison meatloaf that is tender, juicy and full of flavor using pantry-staple ingredients. Made with aromatic vegetables, Italian seasoning, and an insanely good meatloaf glaze. One of my favorite ways to use ground venison.
Juicy Venison Burger with Smokey Aioli
Mixing in finely chopped bacon adds both richness and a hint of smoky flavor, making every bite irresistible. Serve with my homemade smoky aioli - you won’t want to put this burger down!
"Delicious burgers and love the aioli!" - Alena ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Ground Venison Tacos with Avocado Lime Crema
Flavorful ground venison tacos made in just 20 minutes with a homemade seasoning blend and fresh lime juice! Serve with a simple avocado lime crema and your favorite toppings.
"Just made these (only modification was no pickled jalapeños) and oh man, some of the best tacos we’ve made!!!! Thank you SO much—this is definitely going in our regular rotation! YUM!" - KT ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Tender Venison Meatballs
These venison meatballs are incredibly tender, flavorful, and easy to make! Baked in the oven for less mess, they combine ground venison with a touch of ground pork and simple seasonings. The secret to their perfection? Using bread instead of breadcrumbs for the best texture!
Maple Sage Venison Breakfast Sausage
Making homemade venison breakfast sausage is super simple, using just pantry staple ingredients! Maple syrup and a few spices create the perfect savory breakfast sausage with just a hint of sweetness. Great alongside eggs, on a breakfast sandwich, enjoyed with pancakes, or freezer-friendly for meal prep!
Pumpkin Venison Chili
Warm and cozy bowl of fall flavors! This pumpkin venison chili is rich and hearty with subtle earthy, sweet notes from delicious pumpkin puree! Made with ground venison, your favorite beer, and a touch of cinnamon, this chili is full of flavor.
Juicy White Cheddar Elk Burger
Juicy and flavorful elk (or deer) burger only takes 20 minutes to prepare! Whether cooking on the grill or stovetop, this recipe includes simple tips and tricks for making the perfect elk burger. Serve with homemade mustard aioli and your favorite burger toppings.
More venison recipes
Venison recipes don't stop at ground meat! Get all my venison recipes from perfectly marinated venison backstrap and venison steak with mushroom cream sauce to my very popular crockpot venison roast!
And for even more tips and tricks for cooking venison, check out my How to Cook Venison guide.
Drop any comments or questions below!
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