Here’s what to make if you have an abundance of deer meat (or elk, antelope, moose) in your freezer. You’ll love these venison recipes!

Ah, ground venison recipes. If there’s one thing every hunter has after a harvest its ground venison, or “deer hamburger” as my husband would say. I’m curious, do you call ground meat “ground (whatever meat it is)” or “hamburger”? Anyway.

So, you have a bunch of ground deer meat (or elk, antelope, moose) on hand. And I’m here to give you some inspiration for what to do with it! The same old recipes your grandmother made can feel tired and dowdy and I know I even need to check this list to refresh my meal rotation. This a list of my tried and true (and healthy) ground venison recipe resources!

But what about the gamey taste?

The thing I want you to know is that if you follow any of these recipes, you won’t have any of that “gamey” flavor some people complain about. Yes, venison tastes differently than beef. And especially if the meat your eating is from a large, trophy buck in rut, the meat will have a stronger flavor if you’re used to commerically purchased meats. But, if you prepare venison correctly it is delicous.

The thing to do with venison is to prepare it properly. That means proper seasoning, adding some sort of acidic component AND if you’re making a burger, don’t cook it so that resembles a hockey puck. Stick to the recipes and you’ll learn a few tips and tricks that will have you clearing out that freezer in NO time!

Want more recipe ideas, tips and tricks? Go grab a copy of my cookbook Venison Every Day! There are SO many recipes that use ground venison, like sausage gravy, Asian chop salad, and pasta fagioli.

This post was published in January 2021 was updated in June 2022.