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!
How to make venison meatballs juicy & flavorful
You might be wondering…what is the best way to get a really delicious meatball from venison? Traditioanlly meatballs use a blend of beef, pork and veal.
Adding pork for fat & flavor
I like to add a bit of ground pork . Not only does this add flavor, but it adds a little bit of fat. 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.
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!
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!
Print
Best Ever Venison Meatballs
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
Description
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.
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.
), I like to use that to make my dough.
