This venison stew is the ultimate cold-weather comfort food! Tender venison, hearty potatoes, and sweet carrots are slowly simmered in a rich and thick red wine sauce until the meat is melt-in-your-mouth delicious and the vegetables are perfectly cooked. Easy to make in the oven or on the stovetop, with a slow cooker option included. Sure to become a family favorite!
"Your venison recipes are outstanding. My daughter is a hunter and I was looking for ways to cook venison so it didn't taste "gamey". Your stew and chili are now house favorites. Looking forward to trying more of your recipes!" - Bridgit ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Venison stew is one of my favorite ways to cook with venison roast! The venison is literally fall-apart tender with zero gamey flavor, the potatoes and carrots are cooked perfectly, and the sauce is incredibly flavorful!
Red wine, beef broth, and a simple seasoning blend come together to create the perfect, thick sauce to accompany the venison and vegetables, resulting in a hearty, flavorful stew!
If you're looking to make venison stew in a crockpot, head over to my slow cooker venison stew recipe! It's very similar to this one, but with a few tweaks ensuring it comes out just as delicious in the slow cooker as it does simmering in a dutch oven!
And while this recipe is made with red wine, I also love cooking with beer! Try out my Beer Braised Venison Roast with Carrots and Mashed Potatoes next! It has many rave reviews!
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Why you'll love this venison stew recipe
- Easy to make. What's great about this recipe is that it only requires about 20 minutes of hands-on cooking time, then it gets transferred to the oven to slow cook for a few hours. Your house will smell amazing, and your stomach will be happy!
- Full of flavor. Tomato paste, red wine, balsamic vinegar, and the perfect blend of seasoning truly set this venison stew apart.
- Thick and hearty. I like my stew thick and hearty, and this recipe is just that. It's packed with tender venison, vegetables, and a rich, comforting sauce.
- Fall apart tender venison. The meatloaf simmers until it's fork-tender and practically melts in your mouth.
- Multiple cooking methods. I provide directions for the stovetop, oven, slow cooker, and instant pot. Use whatever method works best for you!
Ingredient notes
- Venison roast. I prefer to make venison stew using small chunks of boneless venison roast, but a bone-in roast will work.
- Flour. Just a small amount of flour helps to thicken the stew while it cooks. In my opinion, it's a must, but you could try thickening with cornstarch or arrowroot powder once the stew has finished cooking.
- Red wine. Red wine adds so much rich flavor to the stew along with a touch of sweetness. If you're looking for a non-alcoholic option, you can try substituting with a generous splash of pomegranate, cranberry, or red grape juice along with beef broth, or just use more beef broth.
- Balsamic vinegar. I use balsamic vinegar in just about all of my venison recipes. The sweet, acidic taste of balsamic vinegar helps to balance out the flavors when cooking with both venison roast and ground venison, and it also helps to tame those strong venison flavors.
- Worcestershire sauce. Plays a similar role as balsamic vinegar.
- Granulated sugar. Just a small amount of sugar helps to balance out the acidity.
- Peas. I like the pop that peas bring to stew, but you can omit them if preferred.
Scroll down to the recipe card for the full ingredient list.
How to make venison stew
Scroll down to the recipe card for the full instructions.
- Step 1: Sear the venison. Using a large dutch oven over high heat, sear the venison chunks in olive oil until nicely browned, then set aside.
- Step 2: Add onion, garlic, tomato paste, and flour. To the same pot, cook the onion until soft. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste, then add back in the venison with its juices, sprinkle with flour, and mix together.
- Step 3: Deglaze the pot. Slowly pour in the red wine, balsamic vinegar, and Worcestershire while scraping the brown bits from the bottom of the pot - this is where the flavor is at!
- Step 4: Add remaining ingredients. Add the broth, water, thyme, salt, pepper, sugar, and bay leaves.
- Step 5: Cover and cook. Transfer to the oven for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Alternatively, cook the stew for the same amount of time on the stove over low heat or in the slow cooker or Instant Pot.
Slow Cooker Venison Stew
Making venison stew in the slow cooker is very similar to the process of cooking venison in the oven, but I like to make a few tweaks to ensure it comes out just as thick, hearty and flavorful!
Head over to my Slow Cooker Venison Stew with Red Wine recipe!
Expert Tips
- Sear the roast. I know it's tempting to skip, but searing the chunks of roast creates a deep golden brown crust, adding delicious flavor to the stew.
- Deglaze the pot. This is especially important if you're transferring the stew to the slow cooker - you don't want to leave behind all that delicious flavor! When you sear meat, it leaves little browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot, and deglazing the pot by slowly pouring liquid into a hot pot releases those flavorful bits.
- Use a semi-dry red wine. I like to use a red blend that's around the $10-15 price point. There's no need to use an expensive wine when it comes to cooking, but you still want to choose one that you would enjoy drinking.
- Use the oven method if possible. While all the cooking methods yield delicious results, the oven method is my favorite. The rich flavors and hearty consistency that develop while slow cooking in the oven can't be beat.
Substitutions and variations
- Venison roast. When making stew, I like to cut a boneless venison roast into small 1-2" pieces, but you could make a bone-in roast work if you're in a pinch. Leave the roast whole and shred with forks once it's fork-tender. You may need to increase the cook time.
- Flour. Just ¼ cup of flour helps to thicken the stew while it cooks. In my opinion, it's a must, but you could try thickening with cornstarch or arrowroot powder once the stew has finished cooking.
- Red wine. Red wine adds so much rich flavor to the stew along with a touch of sweetness. If you're looking for a non-alcoholic option, you can try substituting with a generous splash of pomegranate, cranberry or red grape juice along with beef broth, or just use more beef broth.
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
Recipe FAQs
The best cuts for deer stew are tougher pieces like the neck, shoulder, hindquarter, and shank, which benefit from slow cooking to break down the collagen and silverskin. While any venison cut can tenderize in stew, I like to use a boneless roast. For the perfect texture, I cut the venison into 1-2" chunks for fall-apart tenderness.
Slowly cooking venison in broth over low heat for an extended period of time breaks down the connective tissues while keeping the venison moist. This results in delicious fork-tender venison. Once the venison is done cooking, you'll want to stop cooking; otherwise, it can become dry.
If the venison is tough, it likely needs more time to cook. Simmer the stew until the venison is fork-tender, which usually takes about 3 hours in the oven or 6-8 hours on low in the slow cooker, depending on the size of the meat chunks. You may need to cook the stew even longer for larger pieces of meat. If needed, you can add extra broth.
Storing
- Refrigerator: Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freezing: Store in an air-tight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. To serve, defrost the stew in the fridge overnight.
Reheating
Whether you're reheating a single serving or multiple servings, I recommend reheating the stew in a pot on the stove over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until heated.
I think meat tastes better when reheated on the stove or in the oven instead of the microwave. But that's not to say I haven't reheated stew in the microwave when I'm in a hurry. So, it can also be done that way.
Did you try this recipe?
I'd love to hear from you! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and comment below. I appreciate your helpful feedback! Follow me on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and Pinterest for more delicious recipes!
Thanks so much! - Rachel
Hearty Venison Stew
Equipment
- Dutch Oven (or slow cooker)
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 pounds venison roast cut into 1-2" chunks
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup red wine
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 3 cups beef broth
- 2 cups water
- ½ teaspoon ground thyme
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 2 teaspoons 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 cup frozen peas
Instructions
Oven or Stove-Top
- If using the oven method, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
- In a large dutch oven or soup pot, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Once hot, add half the venison and sear about 5 minutes, until nicely browned, flipping the venison halfway through. Remove to a plate. Repeat this process with the remaining venison.
- To the same pot, add the onion and remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Cook about 5 minutes until soft. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste, and cook for 1 minute. Add back in the venison with its juices, sprinkle with flour and mix together.
- Deglaze the pot by slowly pouring in the red wine, balsamic vinegar and Worcestershire while scraping the brown bits from the bottom of the pot - this is where the flavor is at!
- Add in the broth, water, thyme, salt, pepper, sugar and bay leaves.
- Cover the pot with a lid and transfer to the oven for 1 hour and 30 minutes. If your pot isn't oven safe, transfer the stew to an oven-safe dish and cover. Alternatively, cook the stew for the same amount of time on the stove over low. You want it to lightly simmer.
- Remove from the oven and add the potatoes and carrots. Cover and place back in the oven. Continue to cook another 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until the vegetables and venison are fork tender.
- Mix in the peas and remove the bay leaves. Enjoy with crusty bread!
Notes
- Sear the roast. Searing the venison in a hot skillet creates a deep golden brown crust, adding delicious flavor to the roast. This flavor also carries through to the gravy.
- Use a semi-dry red wine. I like to use a red blend that's around the $10-15 price point. There's no need to use an expensive wine when it comes to cooking, but you still want to choose one that you would enjoy drinking. If needed, you can substitute with more beef broth.
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.
Tammy says
Simply excellent. Thanks!
Rachel Kochlin says
Thanks so much, Tammy! I appreciate you taking the time to leave a review!
Meghan says
Maybe I missed it but where are the instructions for the instant pot? I remember seeing them in this recipe last year but can’t seem to find them now.
Rachel Kochlin says
You didn't miss it! I recently updated the post and I must have removed them, but I know readers love having various cooking options, so I've added the Instant Pot instructions back in for you! Thanks so much for coming back to my recipe! You can find the instructions in the notes section of the recipe card.