5 Delicious Ways To Cook Venison

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Raise your hand if your husband is a hunter and your diet consists of 90% venison during deer season. Yep, same. We’ve recently been cooking up some fun and different meals to use up some of the meat in our deep freeze (because there is a LOT), and I’ve gotten several requests for delicious ways to cook venison! Keep reading for a variety of venison recipes and tips.

5 delicious ways to cook venison; ground venison recipes; cream cheese and venison stuffed crescent roll recipe

In today’s post I’ll be sharing some of the other recipes we have used for our venison thus far, including an original recipe from my husband, Ethan.

the life of a deer hunter’s wife

Ethan and I have been married since September 2017. We were engaged for 18 months, and we dated for two years before that. I knew that he had hunted before, and he’d occasionally go on duck hunts with buddies, but it wasn’t something he did SUPER often until recently.

In the past year or so, he has become very passionate about hunting, especially deer hunting. He listens to hunting podcasts, watches hunting shows on Netflix, goes hunting A LOT and spends a ridiculous amount of time at Scheel’s. LOL. (Tbh, I love that place, too.)

I’m sure part of this increase is due to the fact that we’ve been living with my parents while we build our house and he is looking for ways to get some peace & quiet for a few hours at a time. ; ) (Just kidding, parents…)

picture of a deer hunter in a tree stand in a snowy background

I will admit; it was hard for me to get on board with the hunting thing at first. I’m not a vegetarian, but I do love animals and the thought of HIM being the one to kill them made me sad. Especially deer! Any other hunting wives out there have probably heard the speech about how it’s “conservation” and all that, and I get it… but still.

At the end of the day, it’s something he loves to do and it makes him happy. That is all that matters. In a way, it’s a blessing, because we both have hobbies that keep us busy!

For me, that is my blog and podcast! I don’t have to feel guilty about spending all day working on my business if he’s sitting in a tree out in the woods. Everyone wins, right? 😉 The delicious meat that we get from it is definitely a bonus.

how do you make ground deer not taste gamey?

With all of that said, this year was the first time I ever tried venison! To be honest, I was nervous to try it. I just didn’t really know what to expect, and everyone talks about how hunting meat is “gamey”. (AKA, wild game)

deer hunting; venison recipes; picture of a man holding a deer with a bow and arrow

I’m gonna go ahead and say that we have eaten venison several times now and in several different forms (steaks, ground venison, etc.) and I really haven’t found it to be gamey at all. Maybe we have just done a good job preparing it?

We have not really served it by itself at all, but mostly mixed it into a variety of dishes and seasoned it up really well. You can basically use venison in any recipes that you would traditionally use beef in.

I actually do like it when he brings home sheds because they are pretty and the dogs love to chew on them, lol.

Some of the things we’ve made so far include fajitas, chili, steaks and the unique recipe I’m going to share with you today!

what do you serve with venison?

Again, I have kinda just been treating the venison like beef, and we’ve mostly been using it in mixed dishes that don’t necessarily require a “side dish”. However, if you’re making steaks or using the backstraps, roasted sweet potatoes or roasted veggies are always an easy go-to. Otherwise you could do a yummy side salad and/or cauliflower mashed potatoes!

delicious ground venison recipes

Okay, time to share some of the recipes we have made and loved using venison, plus the one that Ethan kinda created all by himself! 🙂

30-Minute Chili With Venison

I made Joyful Healthy Eat’s 30-minute beef chili recipe a few times and fell in love, so I knew I had to have something like it on my blog! Check out her original, delicious recipe here.

My version of the recipe, with a few additions like sweet potatoes, can be found here! You can obviously use ground beef OR ground venison for this one!

delicious ways to cook venison; ground venison chili recipe

Crockpot Lasagna

Last but definitely not least, we used ground venison in my Crockpot Lasagna recipe and it was amazing!!! Just an equal sub for ground chicken or ground turkey (about 1 pound).

This lasagna recipe has quickly become one of the most popular on my blog, and for good reason! It’s so easy, so tasty and the leftovers are almost even better than the first go-round. The best!

delicious ways to cook ground venison; crockpot lasagna recipe

venison backstrap and venison steak recipes

One-Pan Venison Fajitas

For our venison fajitas, we used this video from Sam The Cooking Guy as our inspiration! We just used venison steaks cut into strips!

To see the video and get the recipe for his One-Pan Steak Fajitas, click here!

Seared Venison Backstrap with Blackberry Sauce

Ethan used this recipe from Jess Pryle’s blog to make Seared Venison Backstrap with Blackberry Sauce. Not going to lie – it was DELICIOUS! I was a little skeptical, but I took a bite of his and totally regretted not having a serving for myself!

venison backstrap with blackberry sauce - delicious ways to cook venison
Seared Venison Backstrap with Blackberry Sauce — photo by Jess Pryle!

WARNING: the blackberry sauce is VERY sticky and will stick to your pan and Tupperware if you have leftovers. Just wanted to give a heads up on that, haha! We had to soak ours overnight.

I think this would be especially delicious with Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes and maybe some roasted Brussels sprouts. Now I’m drooling.

venison cream cheese stuffed crescent rolls

Now time for the delicious recipe that Ethan developed all by himself! Proud wife moment. ; )

Ethan likes to call these “deer stars”, but Venison Cream Cheese Stuffed Crescent Rolls seemed a little more descriptive to me… IDK. Either way, they are seriously the bomb.

Cook the ground venison, then mix in the chopped veggies and cream cheese. Then spread out the crescent rolls and evenly distribute the meat/veggie filling.

All you need is some ground venison, veggies like bell peppers, onions, jalapeno and a big ol’ slab of cream cheese, and some crescent rolls! Nothing fancy or complicated and you can easily customize them based on what your family prefers.

delicious ways to cook venison; ground venison recipes, venison cream cheese stuffed crescent rolls
Next, fold the corners of the crescent roll toward the middle!

We think that they would be delicious with the Blackberry Sauce from the recipe above drizzled on top… definitely going to have to try this next time! You might even be able to use my Homemade Cranberry Chia Jam (using blueberries or blackberries)! Or honestly… maybe even BBQ sauce. Feel free to experiment and let us know what you think!

delicious ways to cook venison; ground venison recipes, venison cream cheese stuffed crescent rolls
VOILA! Perfect golden brown.

Venison Cream Cheese Stuffed Crescent Rolls

Ethan Hutcheson
These Venison Cream Cheese Stuffed Crescent Rolls are a simple and delicious way to use up your deer meat! And they are family friendly! You can also substitute any other ground meat, including ground beef, turkey or chicken.
4.84 from 55 votes
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 8 servings
Calories 372 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb ground venison
  • 8 oz cream cheese plain, softened at room temperature
  • 1/2 bunch green onions chopped
  • 1/2 red onion chopped
  • 1-2 jalapenos diced
  • 2 package crescent rolls
  • 1/4 tsp chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp onion powder
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper more if you like spicy
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare two medium baking sheets with parchment paper and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
  • Season venison with chili powder, onion powder and cayenne pepper. Cook in medium skillet over medium high heat until cooked through.
  • Drain any grease if needed.
  • Transfer cooked venison to a large bowl with softened cream cheese and add chopped green onion, red onion, yellow onion, jalapeno and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
  • Using a spoon, stir well until ingredients are evenly distributed and cream cheese is mixed in.
  • Take crescent rolls out of packaging and lay each one flat on your baking sheets. Spoon about 1/3 cup of filling onto each roll, until all 8 are filled evenly.
  • Fold each corner of the roll to the center and press down so it is securely closed. It is okay if there is some visible filling between corners.
  • Place baking sheets in the oven for 8-12 minutes (or per package instructions) and remove from oven when the crescent rolls are golden brown.
  • Serve hot. Serve alongside roasted vegetables, cauliflower mashed potatoes and/or a side salad.
  • Store any leftovers in airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Microwave to reheat.

Nutrition

Calories: 372kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 17gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 79mgSodium: 566mgPotassium: 255mgFiber: 1gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 465IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 34mgIron: 3mg
Keyword cream cheese frosting, crescent rolls, deer meat, family friendly, ground venison recipes
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
ground venison recipes, deer meat, venison cream cheese stuffed crescent rolls; delicious ways to cook venison

I hope you enjoy all of these delicious ways to cook venison! I know that we have! Since we still have a deep freeze full of venison, I’ll do my best to try some more creative meal ideas and will be sure to share any successes! : ) Stay tuned!

Hunting families: do you have any favorite ways to prepare your venison?! If so, please leave a comment below!

Thanks in advance!

Shanna

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56 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I make deer stuffed peppers, deer spaghetti, and of course deer chili a lot in the winter!! Thanks for the new ideas!

    1. Ooh, stuffed peppers is a good idea!!! And yes using it for meat sauce would be perfect too! Thank YOU! 🙂 🙂

  2. My fiancé is huge on deer hunting all of the sudden also! He got his first one this year and I made a neck roast in my crockpot – DELICIOUS. Like better and more tender than your traditional chuck roast 😩. Highly recommend!

    1. Oooh, yum!!! Good to know! I haven’t experimented with any big roasts yet, so that might be next on my list! Thanks so much for the rec! 🙂 🙂

    2. Can you please share the recipe please for the roast? Or if you have any good stew meat recipes please. Cos my bf got a deer this year and so excited about it.

      1. Hi there! Unfortunately I don’t have any roast recipes; that isn’t something I’ve experimented with very much yet! I’m sure if you search Pinterest there will be tons of results! Congrats to your boyfriend on his deer! 🙂

        1. Deer roast frozen or thawed
          1 packet of dry ranch dressing
          1 packet dry Italian dressing
          2 packets of McCormick brown gravy
          2 cups water
          1 tbsp garlic powder

          Mix all together and place in a crockpot for 8 hours. Deer roast falls apart! Can be used with pork or beef also!!

          1. I’ve made the crock pot roast with the ranch Italian and beef gravy. Love it and the juice makes a tasty gravy for mash taters

  3. 5 stars
    So it is March 28, 2020, we are in quarantine and I am bored out of my mind. I looked up some venison recipes because my boyfriend is an avid hunter and we have a lot of ground venison. I found your recipe online. I did not have green onion or jalapeños but I did substitute some red pepper. And everything else I had. These are absolutely delicious! Thank you so much for sharing your recipe!

    1. Oh YAY! I’m so glad you loved them! My hunter husband gets the credit for these ; ) We are due for making this recipe too, especially since we have a TON of venison to go through too! Thanks so much for sharing. 🙂 Stay safe and healthy!! XO

  4. 5 stars
    I made this last night. It was so good I sautéed the onions and jalapeños first and added some cubes of sharp cheddar. My husband loved it too. I was telling a friend about making it and he said it should be called spicy Bambi in a blanket which I thought was hilarious and will be calling it this from now on. Thanks for the recipe, I’m sure it will be a new regular.

    1. LOL that is hilarious!!! Might have to rename the recipe. ; ) I’m so glad you loved them!! Thank you so much for sharing!

  5. 5 stars
    Love this recipe!! Super simple, quick and inexpensive to make. We don’t have venison meat, so we just sub it for ground beef or turkey. We have been adding onion, mushroom and green pepper into the meat while cooking then when it’s mixed in with the cream cheese it taste just like philly cheese steak. This is a bi-weekly staple in our house.

    1. Love that you’re mixing it up with different veggies and meats! So easy and delicious! Thanks for your feedback! : )

  6. 5 stars
    Haven’t tried yet but count me in tonight!!! Yay! Thanks so much for sharing and for the ideas! Off to the store! Idea since you used chili powder reminded me of a recipe I recently tried from MightySpark site. (name brand of Ground turkey & chicken) Ground Turkey Sweet Potato Skillet and it was AMAZING I’m going to try with my ground deer next time! You should try that one?

    1. Oooh yum, that sounds delicious! We recently made something super similar with eggs and sweet potatoes and venison and veggies – so so good!!! Can’t wait to hear what you think of this recipe! 🙂

  7. 5 stars
    I made the crescent roll venison puffs last night for dinner! I put 2 on the hub’s plate, and he went back for 2 more…it was a hit! I asked his rating out of 10, and he gave them a ‘9’- these will be made again! I was short on the green onions and used 1 jalapeno. I was in need of new ideas…keep ’em coming…THANK YOU!

  8. 5 stars
    I had some steaks left from last years harvest. I ended up using some small chunks instead, but The family loved it! Also used the blackberry sauce and the flavor combo works great!

    1. Yay! That’s great to hear! It’s nice to try new ways of preparing that leftover venison! We still have some from last year to use, too. 🙂

  9. 5 stars
    Stumbled across this and had to give it a try! What an amazing idea! This one is definitely going in our venison recipe list!

  10. I think I’m going to try these as a side for thanksgiving. My son got his first deer this archery season and would love to include something from his deer. Sounds great!

  11. 4 stars
    I enjoy trying new venison recipes on a routine basis. This recipe was pretty tasty. Although I definitely prefer to taste my venison as this recipe tends to hide the venison flavor. This is a plus if you want to introduce venison into ones diet without destroying a person’s first time trying it. We have 4 leftover pieces of this and I believe that tomorrow morning (thanksgiving day 2020) leftovers heated up with an over easy on top will be a fenominal breakfast. Thanks for the recipe we will keep this in our game arsenal forever!!!

    1. Thank you for your review! I definitely agree that this recipe somewhat masks the venison flavor, which I personally don’t mind, haha! It can be a little gamey for me at times, so I like to disguise it a bit. ; ) But I’m glad to hear you enjoyed it! Happy Thanksgiving!

  12. 5 stars
    Thanks for the idea. I am always looking for new recipes. I have a similar recipe that involves taking venison burger meat, mix with saute’d onions, green onions and garlic, mixed with cream cheese. Put a a blob of this mixture in the middle of a large flour tortilla, wrap it up and deep fry. Serve with sour cream or jalepeno cheese on top. Delicious, and you can freeze and re-heat these.

  13. 5 stars
    Deer stars are going to be a staple in our house after trying these! They were very easy and so versatile (I had to sub some veggies out)! Thank you for the opportunity to mix up our typical venison recipes!

  14. 5 stars
    I’m pretty new to cooking with deer meat and have failed numerous times to try and find a recipe that tastes good. This one sure takes the medal. I didn’t have onion powder so I skipped that, accidentally opened the wrong spout of the cayenne seasoning and probably added about 1/8 CUPS worth, found out I didn’t have 8oz plain cream cheese, so I just added 4oz of some of the leftover onions-and-chives flavored cream cheese in the fridge and substituted the other 4oz with plain greek yogurt, and laid out my crescent roll into a ring, found some cheese in the fridge too so I added that right on top of the meat mixture right before rolling the crescent ring closed. I served this with some diced tomatoes to add a lighter layer of flavor contrasted to the hearty, creamy taste of the crescent ring. Even after all the mistakes and modifications, this dish was still a winner. DELISH!

    1. I love how resourceful you were, though – haha! It sounds amazing! LOVE the idea of onion and chive cream cheese… might have to try that next time! Thank you so much for your review!

  15. 5 stars
    Our family loved this recipe! So easy and tasty. We used ground beef because that is what we had on hand, but I definitely shared the recipe with my friends that have hunting husbands, who are always looking for ways to use the venison they have in their freezer. Love your blog!

    1. Aww, thank you so much for sharing with your friends! I’m so glad you all liked it! Ground beef is a perfect sub and tastes so good in this recipe too! I appreciate your review! 🙂

  16. We just finished eating a variation of the Venison Cream Cheese Stuffed Crescent Rolls. We harvested 5 deer in the fall if 2019 and canned all of it since we didn’t have room in the freezer. I drained a pint of the canned venison and shredded it with a fork. Since it was already cooked, I then mixed it with the cream cheese, onions, and spices. I left out the jalapeños. Since I didn’t have any crescent rolls, I made a tart pastry and rolled it out and cut it into 8 pieces. It was enough to wrap each serving completely with the pastry. I baked it initially at 350, then turned it up to 375 and switched to convection heat the last 10 minutes or so. Total baking time was about 40 minutes. I was a little skeptical about how cream cheese mixed with venison would taste, but we loved it. The onions were done. It was very tasty and we will definitely have it again. It’s a challenge to have a variety of venison recipes and this one is definitely a keeper. Next time I will add a tad bit more chili powder and cayenne and will add a chopped red bell pepper.

  17. Love these as we call them “deer stars”! My husband is an avid hunter and I’m always looking for creative ways to cook venison. Even the kiddos we hang out with love them. I took them to a football cookout last fall and they went SO FAST!!

  18. 5 stars
    Delish!
    Super easy to make!
    I did onions, peppers, ranch seasoning, and rosemary.
    Thank you for an easy dinner recipe

  19. 5 stars
    Our freezer is always stocked with venison. I was tired of only ever making chili or spaghetti with it and decided to try these out. WOW! We love them and have made these many times now. I love recipes like these where you can add more veggies and really make it your own. Thanks Shanna!

  20. 5 stars
    I made these last night and they were a hit!
    I used a bell pepper, red onion and yellow squash for my veggies but I sautéed then in brown sugar to give it a little sweetness. My husband asked me to make them again in the future! We have tried venison every way possible since we both hunt but these were definitely a favorite! Will be making these again!

    1. Yay!! I’m so glad you loved them! They are definitely a favorite over here, too. 🙂 Thanks for your review!

  21. 5 stars
    This is the second recipe of Shanna’s that I’ve tried recently, and it did not disappoint! I made the recipe exactly as written, minus subbing ground turkey for venison. It was simple, quick, and delicious! My husband ate 3, which is the ultimate compliment. I even made one portion without jalapeños and cayenne for my 19.5 month old son, and he devoured it too! Thanks for another easy and tasty recipe, Shanna!

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