These Venison Meatballs are the best ever. They’re tender and meaty, but not gamey at all. You can make a big batch of them to use up that ground deer meat.
I have to confess that ground venison was not always my favorite thing to use when making recipes with ground meat. I grew up eating beef and turkey, like a lot of people. But, these venison meatballs are to DIE for and they are a staple in our house.
We had friends over for dinner the other week, and I had spent the day testing and photographing recipes. It’s always a gamble serving wild game when we have company, but these are ALWAYS a hit. These smoked venison meatballs are, too.
When I make this recipe, I usually make a double batch so I could freeze half to reheat on a busy day. The tough part is saving them for the freezer because as soon as they come out of the oven, my husband starts snacking on them! I swear, he eats them like candy.
You can serve these over pasta, in a meatball sub, over veggies – however you want! If you need a good sauce recipe, just omit the meat in my weeknight bolognese recipe for an easy sauce!
INGREDIENTS & KITCHEN TOOLS | FOR THE BEST-EVER JUICY & FLAVORFUL MEATBALL RECIPE
You might be wondering…what is the best way to get a delicious meatball from venison? Traditionally meatballs use a blend of ground beef, pork, and veal.
Olive oil
Yellow onion
Garlic cloves
Red wine vinegar
Italian seasoning
Salt & Black Pepper
Ground venison
Ground pork
Egg
Almond meal (instead of breadcrumbs, trust me on this one!)
I like to add a bit of ground pork . Not only does this add flavor, but it adds a little bit of fat (which adds incredible moisture to your meatballs). Venison is a very lean meat which is wonderful, but when you want a dish to be really succulent (who doesn’t want a succulent meatball?) adding a bit of extra fat is always a good idea.
Of course, if you don’t want to use extra ground pork, you don’t have to. Especially if deer meat is a regular part of your diet, you may opt to use only venison. The meatballs will be a bit drier, but they will still be SO tasty.
STEP BY STEP | FOR THE MOST JUICY AND TENDER MEATBALLS
These meatballs come together in no time with the most delicious and fresh ingredients. The best part is you can easily make these in advance by freezing them or placing in the refrigerator until ready to bake.
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 375 F.
Step 2: Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat and add the onion. Saute for about 4 minutes and add the garlic, red wine vinegar, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Cook until lightly caramelized.
Step 3: Add the onion and garlic mixture to a large bowl with the venison, pork, egg and almond meal. Mix well (I like to use my hands).
Step 4: Scoop the meatball mixture out into even balls and place on a baking sheet, I like to use a large cookie scoop with about 1 + 1/2 tablespoons in each ball. (optional: you can line your baking sheet with parchment paper for easier clean-up).
Step 5: Place in the oven for 20 – 25 minutes until the meatballs are golden brown and cooked through (You can use a thermometer to make sure they reach and internal temperature of 165 degrees F).
Step 6: Remove any fat that has rendered off the meatballs.
Step 7: Add them to your favorite sauce, or freeze them on a flat cookie sheet in the freezer and store in a large bag or container when frozen to use later.
TIPS AND TRICKS
Acid is your best friend:
One of my not so closely guarded secrets for working with venison is using acid in my cooking. You know – acid, fat, salt & heat! These 4 principles of great cooking apply absolutely when working with venison. I add it when I’m done sauteing the onions and garlic to add to the meat before baking them.
The acid helps to bring out the wonderful flavor notes of deer meat and tone down the richness.
Another tip for great meatballs – always always ALWAYS saute your onions and garlic before adding them to things like meatballs and meatloaf. That raw flavor won’t bake out if you ask me.
Once you have your aromatics sauteed and all of the ingredients in a bowl, mix together the meatballs, scoop & roll! SO simple!
HOW TO SERVE YOUR COOKED MEATBALLS | SPAGHETTI & MARINARA SAUCE, GRAVY & MASHED POTATOES, OR MEATBALL SOUP
I love using these meatballs for a classic spaghetti and meatball recipe. Just pop your meatballs into my favorite marinara sauce, simmer until the meatballs are warmed through, top it with a little fresh parsley and parmesan cheese, and serve with some crusty bread for a quick and easy dinner the whole family will love. I haven’t tried this, but I bet this recipe would be as delicious as Swedish meatballs in a rich and creamy sauce, OMG YUM! Soup season is in full swing and these would taste amazing as a hearty & cozy Meatball Soup.
STORING AND REHEATING
Freeze: After cooking the meatballs, transfer to an airtight container or freezer bag. These will keep for up to 3 months.
Refrigerate: Let cool and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Simply reheat in the microwave until warmed through.
Don’t worry if the fat renders out. Just scoop the meatballs out around it, and let them cool and freeze them for later, or add them right into your favorite sauce before serving.
If you’re looking for more easy & flavorful recipes for venison, go check out my bestselling cookbook, Venison Every Day!
PrintBest Ever Venison Meatballs
These Venison Meatballs are the best ever. They’re tender and meaty, but not gamey at all. You can make a big batch of them to use up that ground deer meat.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, finely diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
- 1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. pepper
- 1 lb. ground venison
- 1/2 lb. ground pork
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup almond meal
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 F.
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and add the onion. Saute for about 4 minutes and add the garlic, red wine vinegar, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Cook until lightly caramelized.
- Add the onion and garlic mixture to a large bowl with the venison, pork, egg and almond meal. Mix well (I like to use my hands).
- Scoop the meatball mixture out into even balls, I like to use a large cookie scoop with about 1 + 1/2 tablespoons in each ball.
- Place in the oven for 20 – 25 minutes until the meatballs are golden brown and cooked through.
- Remove any fat that has rendered off the meatballs.
- Add them to your favorite sauce, or freeze them on a flat cookie sheet in the freezer and store in a large bag or container when frozen to use later.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: about 4-5 meatballs
- Calories: 314
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 481 mg
- Fat: 21 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 2 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 28 g
- Cholesterol: 311 mg
this post was originally posted in november 2018 and was updated march 2021.
Janis says
We just made theses meatballs tonight for dinner and they are delicious! We’ve been cooking venison for years and this recipe has to be one of the best that we have come across! Thank you 😊
Miss AK says
Thanks so much, Janis! You reminded me that I need to make a big batch and freeze for the cold months 🙂
Brenda Duhamel says
Just made this for first time. I substituted almond meal for italian style breadcrumbs. They are absolutely delicious and were easy to make! So glad i stumbled on to your recipe!
Miss AK says
I’m so glad, Brenda!
Natha says
I eat a lot of venison and am always looking for new recipes. This one is top notch and going in the wild game cook book at our house. I’m making a batch this evening for thanksgiving. This is a must try recipe!
Miss AK says
We’re having these the day after Thanksgiving! Great minds 🙂 Gald you enjoyed them!
kelinda davis says
I have a lot of venison sausage (not summer sausage) more like breakfast sausage. what kind of recipes are there for venison sausage?
Caroline says
This has become an easy meal to make, freeze and serve with pasta on a quick meal night. So much flavor.
Mary says
Can I sub white whole wheat flour for the almond meal? Dear husband is allergic to almonds, but I’d love to try this!
Miss AK says
I would sub breadcrumbs, not flour!
Katelyn Gibson says
Is there anything you would substitute for red wine vinegar?
Miss AK says
You could try balsamic vinegar white wine vinegar or lemon juice, but I really would reccomend sticking with red wine vin. It brings out a certain flavor profile.
Mel says
White vinegar or apple cider vinegar will do the trick as well
Miss AK says
Glad that worked for you!
Theresa Paventi says
What is the sauce you used for these meatballs?
Miss AK says
Try our weeknight bolognese recipe on the blog and don’t use the meat!
Mel says
Can you admit the pork and just use venison?
Mel says
*Omit
Miss AK says
You can. The flavor and texture will be different but still very good!
Stephanie D says
Amazing recipe! I made a few tweaks to work with what I’ve got. First, I only had ground sausage not regular ground pork so I used 1 lbs ground sausage and 1lbs ground venison. Secondly, I didn’t have red wine vinegar so I used a 1/2 tbsp of balsamic and a 1/2 tbsp Of white wine vinegar. Third, I don’t have an oven so I browned the meat balls in My instant pot in batches until well browned on all sides but not fully cooked through. Then I added All of the browned meatballs to my instant pot, added a 28oz can of crushed tomatoes, a 10 oz can of diced tomatoes with green peppers, and a 8 oz can of tomato paste with more Italian seasoning, garlic, a pinch of red pepper flakes, and about a tsp of maple syrup. Finally added about a cup of beef stock and Manual pressure cooked it for 20 minutes And not for 10 minutes. Omg they were the best meatballs and marinara I’ve ever made or had anywhere. Thank you for the inspiration!
Jayne says
I made these meatballs with venison ground with hamburger. They turned out really well. My 15 year old grandson said they were, “Spot on!” Thanks for a simple recipe. I pot them in a crock pot with spaghetti sauce. Turned out nice and tender.
Miss AK says
That’s a great idea!
David Fernandez says
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I just made these and “tested” one, wow. They are so light, flavorful, and tender. I agree with you that the red wine vinegar adds a little something extra to these – I may need to eat a few more to figure out exactly what. I harvested my first deer this year and greatly appreciate people like you sharing your experience and culinary wisdom.
Miss AK says
I’m so glad you’re enjoying them, David!
TKY says
Love this
Alexa says
Thank you so much sharing this recipes I love the meatball juicy flavourful.
Bre says
When using the large cookie scoop, how many meatballs will this recipe yield?
Miss AK says
About 30 meatballs
Kateri says
Is it possibly to just omit the almond flour, or would that ruin some aspect of the recipe?
Miss AK says
You need some sort of breadcrumb-like ingredient for texture. I recommend using any kind of breadcrumbs or almond meal/flour.
Cindy says
I substituted almond flour and crushed up a couple handfuls of Pork Rind (Chicarones).
That worked out well.
Lisa says
What can I substitute for the almond meal?
Miss AK says
Breadcrumbs will work!
Michelle says
These were the best meatballs ever!! my family loved them!! i have a ton of venison to use up and i will be making more to freeze for sure!
!
Miss AK says
I’m SO glad you liked it! Thank you for the comment 🙂
Riley says
Would this work with moose meat?
Miss AK says
Yes! Absolutely.
Leilani L Halvorsen says
😊 Absolutely delicious!
Miss AK says
Fantastic!! So glad you enjoyed them 🙂
Tim smith says
You replied to Brea on April 21, 2021
Unclear as to how many meatballs this recipe makes. I selected to 3x the recipe which indicated that the recipe makes 18 meatballs. However, you responded to Brea’s question on April 21,2021
Brea “When using the large cookie scoop, how many meatballs will this recipe yield?”
Your Reply
Miss AK says
April 21, 2021 at 9:06 pm
About 30 meatballs
My question is: how many meatballs will I get if I use a 1-1/2 Tablespoon scoop if I 3x the recipe? If Brea gets 30 using a large cookie scoop (size unknown) will 3x’ ing the recipe result in many more meatballs than the 30 in your reply. Also, can I freeze left over cooked meatballs
Miss AK says
Tim – you’ll get somewhere between 90-100 meatballs if you 3x the recipe using 1&1/2 Tbsp. sized balls. Yes, you can freeze them after baking.
Joe Hightower says
These turned out great – thanks for posting!
Miss AK says
I’m so glad you liked them 🙂
Amanda F Sheridan says
What can I substitute the almond meal with?
Miss AK says
Breadcrumbs will work!
Beck & Bulow says
My cousin just made these meatballs as written with one exception – he added Some shredded mozzarella and they were amazing. This is a perfect recipe. Thank you.
Miss AK says
DANG! Okay trying this next time. Thank you for sharing and for the comment 🙂
Brittney says
Great meatballs! We used beef/pork mixture and white wine vinegar because it was what we had on hand and it was super delicious. Will make again for sure!
Marie says
Now my go-to recipe for venison meatballs. I use ground beef in place of ground pork to add fat and ground flaxseed in place of almond meal. I’m trying to figure out what makes these better than other recipes and I believe it’s the red wine vinegar. Of course I make a double batch to freeze. They freeze great.
Audrey says
How much ground flaxeed do you use?
Miss AK says
Hi Audrey – This recipe does not call for ground flaxseed.
Audrey says
How much ground flaxseed did you use?
Faye Deneke says
Meatballs are delicious . What sauce would taste good with these if we prefer not a tomato or barbecue base?
Miss AK says
Hi Faye – They are great in any of your favorite sauces. If you aren’t a tomato or BBQ fan, you could try a homemade Alfredo sauce. Glad you are enjoying these!
Stacie says
These were so good I did have to change a few things I used bread crumbs instead of almond four. I don’t have a regular oven just a toaster oven so I ended up with 30 meatballs and cooked in 2 batches of 15 on 350 for 25 min and they came out perfectly.
Miss AK says
Ah thanks so much for sharing your subs, Stacie. I am so glad these turned out great for you in the toaster oven. Glad you’re loving this recipe. Thank you for your review, I appreciate it!
Janet Osborn says
Hi. I made these exactly as written. Yes, they were tender and juicy. And so easy to make. The downside was they had very little flavor. Next time I will double the spices and maybe add a little fennel seed. Thanks for sharing
Miss AK says
Thanks so much for your feedback, Janet! Glad you did enjoy these even though you felt they were lacking flavor! Let me know how they turn out with the fennel seed!
LaRae Humes says
Do you have a substitute for almond meal? I have corn meal—would that work?
Thanks!
Miss AK says
I wouldn’t use cornmeal but breadcrumbs will work!
Lisa says
What can you use in place of almond meal
Miss AK says
You can use breadcrumbs!
Lindsay says
Now that I’ve made them, delicious by the way, after freezing the leftovers, how would you recommend I reheat the meatballs when I’m ready to eat them again?
Hugh Thomas says
Allie, I just wanted to let you know that I really can’t read your recipes online because of all the ads. I have your book but when I try to read something online there are so many pop ups that it’s just frustratingly impossible.
I like all your recipes but thought you should know you have reached the point of diminishing returns.
Miss AK says
Thanks so much for letting me know. I will talk to my development team about the ads.
Lauren says
After you freeze them for later use, ste they able to be cooked in the crock pot with a little water to keep them from burning or getting dry? Or do you have to thaw them out and cook them in the oven still?
Miss AK says
Hi Lauren – Depending on what you are making (as long as you have already baked them) you can toss them directly into your sauce or thaw in the microwave. Enjoy!
Ann says
I hope to make this recipe soon and wondering if you have ever added parmesan cheese? If so, how much? Thanks in advance.
Miss AK says
Hi Ann – I haven’t tried adding parm cheese but I bet you could, maybe start with 1/4 cup? Let me know how this turns out.
Brooke says
Great recipe! I used only venison for the meatballs and they still turned out great. I love all of miss allies recipes 🙂
Mary Bowen says
Made 4 pounds to put in the freezer.but about a dozen didn’t make it.my husband and I and our grandson couldn’t stop eating them as i was removing from baking pan!😋 I cooked some pasta so we could enjoy them and I quickly got the rest to the freezer before they were gone.it feels good to know I have them for quick meals when needed.followed recipe and it didn’t fail!!thanks for sharing.also enjoyed your cookbook!👏🙌
Greg Soule says
This is my favorite venison meatball recipe!!!
Duncan Hope says
Added 2tbs bacon grease instead of pork mince and breadcrumbs as that’s what i had. Came out awesome! Will use this recipe again but with almond meal next time.