This Slow Cooker Venison Stew is rich, hearty and full of comforting flavor. Tender chunks of venison are slow cooked with red wine, balsamic vinegar, potatoes and carrots until melt-in-your-mouth delicious. The stew thickens as it cooks into a velvety gravy that's perfect for soaking up with crusty bread. It's the ultimate cozy dinner for cold nights - easy to prepare and guaranteed to impress!
My slow cooker venison stew recipe focuses on building deep, rich flavor using simple ingredients. The combination of red wine, balsamic vinegar, slow-cooked aromatic vegetables give the stew a beautiful balance of savory and slightly sweet notes, while the slow cook time ensures every piece of venison is beautifully tender.
It's a hearty, comforting meal that tastes gourmet, but comes together effortlessly in your crockpot! If you're looking for a stovetop version, here's a link to my hearty dutch oven venison stew!
And while we're on the topic of crockpot meals, I would be doing you a disservice if I didn't tell you to make my crockpot venison roast next! It's a reader favorite with many 5 star reviews!
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Why you'll love my slow cooker venison stew
- Full of rich, comforting flavor. Layered with depth and warmth thanks to plenty of red wine, splash of balsamic vinegar, and aromatic vegetables like onion, garlic and carrots.
- Melt-in-your-mouth tender venison. The venison slow cooks for hours, making incredibly tender, fall-apart pieces of meat that soak up all the delicious flavors of the stew.
- Thick, hearty and satisfying. Flour helps to thicken the stew as it cooks, creating a velvety rich sauce that coasts the meat and vegetables beautifully.
Ingredients
See recipe card for full ingredient list and measurements.
Ingredient notes
- Venison. I like to use a boneless venison roast for stew, but you can use a bone-in roast and shred the meat after it's finished cooking, or save your bone-in roast for my very popular Crockpot Venison Roast, Beer Braised Venison Roast or Venison Ragu.
- Red wine. You'll want to use a dry red wine with bold flavor that you'd actually enjoy drinking! If it tastes good in your glass, it'll taste good in your stew. Great options are Cabernet Sauvignon, merlot, Syrah or Malbec. For a lighter flavor, try using pinot noir. Red blends work great, too! Many are made with a mix of the wines listed above, giving you beautifully balance flavor. Just stick with a dry red blend and avoid anything labeled "sweet" or "dessert."
- Balsamic vinegar. A splash of balsamic vinegar adds just the right touch of acidity and sweetness to balance the earthy taste of the venison, while also helping to tenderize the meat as it slow cooks.
- Worcestershire sauce. Adds extra depth of and Unami flavor that rounds out the richness of the stew. If you're out, don't stress - it's just a small amount and the stew will still taste great without it.
Substitutions and variations
- Venison. While this recipe was developed using venison, it can also be made using a boneless beef chuck roast.
- Red wine. To make the stew without red wine, you have a couple options. Replace the wine with more beef broth and an extra 1-2 teaspoons of balsamic vinegar or try 1 cup of beef broth + 1 cup of cranberry or pomegranate juice.
- Flour. I like to use flour to thicken the stew while it slow cooks, but if you're gluten-free you can omit the flour and thicken the stew with arrowroot powder or cornstarch when it's finished cooking. I shared instructions in the recipe notes.
- Potatoes. Yukon Gold potatoes have a creamy texture and delicate skin that makes them perfect for stew, but you can substitute with russet potatoes, or even sweet potatoes, if that's what you have on hand!
This recipe hasn't been tested with substitutions or variations. If you make any changes or additions, I'd love to hear how it turned out-drop a comment below!
How to make slow cooker venison stew
See recipe card for full instructions.
- Step 1: Sear the venison.
In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the venison and season with salt and pepper. Sear until nicely browned, then flip and sear the other side. Set aside.
- Step 2: Add onion, garlic, tomato paste and flour to venison. To the same skillet, cook diced onion until soft. Mix in the garlic and tomato paste, then cook for another minute. Add back in the venison with its juices, then sprinkle with flour and mix together. Let cook for a minute.
- Step 3: Deglaze with red wine.
Slowly pour in the red wine while scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pot - this is where the flavor is at!
- Step 4: Transfer to slow cooker. Transfer the stew from the skillet to the slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients except for the peas. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or until the meat and vegetables are tender.
- Step 5: Add final ingredient. Mix in the peas and remove the bay leaves.
- Step 6: Serve. Enjoy with my Easy No-Knead Crusty Bread!
Expert tips
- Brown the meat first. Searing the venison in a hot skillet before adding to the slow cooker locks in flavor and adds a richer, deeper color to the stew. You'll also want to sear the meat in batches to avoid overcrowding the skillet, which will cause the meat to steam instead of getting a nice, brown crust.
- Layer the flavors. Start by searing the meat, followed by sautéing onion, garlic and tomato paste for maximum depth of flavor.
- Deglaze the skillet. You'll do this by slowly pouring the red wine (or beef stock) in the hot skillet to release the browned bits, which are full of flavor and the start to a great sauce.
- Adjust thickness at the end. Although the stew thickens while it cooks, you can thicken it even more once it's finished by mixing 1-2 tablespoons of cornstarch or arrowroot powder with equal parts water to make a slurry that you'll mix into the stew. Let it simmer a bit to thicken. On the other hand, if the stew is too thick for your liking, you can thin it out a bit with an extra splash of beef broth.
Recipe FAQs
Cook venison stew on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4-6 hours until the meat is fork-tender.
The best liquid for venison stew is a combination of red wine and beef or venison stock with a splash of balsamic vinegar and Worcestershire sauce. The sweetness and acidity from the red wine and balsamic vinegar add rich, deep flavor and helps to tenderize the meat, while stock creates a flavorful base, and Worcestershire adds savory, Unami flavor.
Browning venison stew meat before adding it to the slow cooker isn't required, but it is recommended. It adds extra depth of flavor and richness to the stew that slow cooking alone can't achieve. But if you're in a hurry, you can certainly skip this step.
Make ahead
Venison stew is a great make ahead recipe! To do so, you have a couple options:
- Option 1: Follow the instructions in the recipe card through step 3, then transfer everything from the skillet to the slow cooker. Cover and store in the fridge for 1-2 days. When you're ready to cook the stew, add the remaining ingredients - holding off on the peas until the stew has finished cooking.
- Option 2: Follow all instructions in the recipe card to fully cook the stew. Let cool, then cover and store in the fridge for 1-2 days. Before serving, reheat the stew in the slow cooker over high or low heat, stirring frequently, until warm. I actually think this stew is even better the next day!
Storing and reheating
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
Reheat on the stove over low heat, stirring frequently, or in the microwave until it's heated to your liking.
Did you try this recipe?
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Thanks so much! - Rachel
Slow Cooker Venison Stew (with Red Wine)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2-3 pounds venison roast cut into 1-2" chunks
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups dry red wine
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 cups beef stock or broth (or venison stock)
- 1 cup water
- ½ teaspoon ground thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried)
- 1 teaspoon salt plus more to season venison
- ½ teaspoon black pepper plus more to season venison
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 pound potatoes cut into 1-2" chunks (about 3 potatoes)
- 1 pound large carrots cut into 1-2" chunks (about 3 carrots)
- 1 ½ cups frozen peas
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Once hot, add half the venison and season with salt and pepper. Sear until nicely browned, then flip and sear the other side. This will take about 5 minutes, then remove to a plate. Repeat this process with the remaining venison.
- To the same skillet, add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and diced onion. Cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Mix in the garlic and tomato paste, then cook for another minute. Add back in the venison with its juices, then sprinkle with flour and mix together. Let cook for a minute.
- Deglaze the skillet by slowly pouring in the red wine while scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pot - this is where the flavor is at!
- Transfer the stew from the skillet to the slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients except for the peas. Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or until the meat and vegetables are tender.
- Mix in the peas and remove the bay leaves. Enjoy with my Easy No-Knead Crusty Bread!
Notes
- Red wine. You'll want to use a dry red wine, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah or Malbec. For a lighter flavor, try using pinot noir. Red blends work great, too! Just stick with a dry red blend and avoid anything labeled "sweet" or "dessert."
- Non-alcoholic option: To make the stew without red wine, you have a couple options. Replace the wine with more beef broth and an extra 1-2 teaspoons of balsamic vinegar or try 1 cup of beef broth + 1 cup of cranberry or pomegranate juice.
- Flour. For a gluten-free version, you can omit the flour and thicken the stew with arrowroot powder or cornstarch when it's finished cooking. Mix together ¼ cup water or stock with ¼ cup arrowroot powder or cornstarch to create a slurry, then mix into the stew. Turn the heat to high and let simmer until thickened. If needed, you can add more or if it becomes too thick, you can thin it out with more stock.
- Potatoes. Yukon Gold potatoes have a creamy texture and delicate skin that makes them perfect for stew, but you can substitute with russet potatoes, or even sweet potatoes, if that's what you have on hand!
- Option 1: Follow the instructions in the recipe card through step 3, then transfer everything from the skillet to the slow cooker. Let cool, then cover and store in the fridge for 1-2 days. When you're ready to cook the stew, add the remaining ingredients - holding off on the peas until the stew has finished cooking.
- Option 2: Follow all instructions in the recipe card to fully cook the stew. Let cool, then cover and store in the fridge for 1-2 days. Before serving, reheat the stew in the slow cooker over high or low heat, stirring frequently, until warm.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is automatically calculated by a third party software and is only an estimate, not a guarantee. This information is provided as a courtesy, and you are solely responsible for all decisions related to your health.
Hannell JD says
Divine
Nate says
Excellent Recipe! Definitely a repeat meal!
Rachel Kochlin says
The balsamic vinegar and red wine add so much flavor to this stew, and the venison is incredibly tender and not at all gamey! The perfect thick and hearty stew, and it comes together so easily. I love serving it with crusty bread for dipping. Always a big hit!