Making perfect venison burgers isn’t hard. All you need to do is add a bit of fat and a few flavors to make this underrated meat shine on burger night.

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Making perfect venison burgers isn’t hard—it’s an exciting adventure that brings a unique twist to your burger nights! We mix it up between these Perfect Venison Burgers, Uncle Momo’s Smash Burgers and my Venison Sliders (so perfect for game day apps or a cookout). Venison is lean, so adding a bit of fat, like bacon or beef tallow, is key to keeping your burgers juicy and flavorful. Fire up your grill and get ready to savor that smoky, mouthwatering goodness!

When it comes to toppings, let your creativity run wild! Whether it’s a classic combo of lettuce, tomato, and cheese or something more adventurous like caramelized onions and blue cheese, the sky’s the limit. Pair your perfect venison burgers with your favorite sides—think crispy potatoes, a fresh summer salad or my quinoa tabbouleh —and you’ve got a meal that’s ready to impress. So, get ready to embrace the fun of summer grilling with these tasty, juicy venison burgers!

Venison burgers are a popular dish to make with ground deer meat, but they often end up dry, tough and gamey. If you find that this is usually true for you, you’re probably cooking venison burgers like you’re cooking beef burgers. With just a few simple tricks, you can take your wild game burger night to the next level and start using up that ground venison you have in the freezer. (For more venison cooking tips check out my free guide!)

Venison burgers are always a go-to in our house year-round when we’re trying to use up ground venison, and these honestly are so crazy flavorful and juicy, I like them even more than traditional beef or turkey burgers. The best part is the lean, grass-fed, responsibly sourced protein.

INGREDIENTS & KITCHEN TOOLS | VENISON MEAT, SPICES, FROZEN BUTTER

We make venison burgers on repeat in our home and they are not just a summer meal around here.

• Ground venison 
• Balsamic vinegar 
• Worcestershire sauce 
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Sea salt
• Black pepper 
• Freezing cold butter, grated* (the secret ingredient here)
• Hamburger buns (brioche is best and toppings you like – cheese (we like Pepper or Colby Jack), lettuce, tomato, pickles, ketchup, etc. 

For your toppings, feel free to mix it up, some like to keep it simple with the basics (slices of cheese, mayo, ketchup, mustard, lettuce, tomato, and pickles), but you could easily get creative by adding some bacon and a fried egg on top!

Kitchen Tools:

To whip up these burgers, you’ll need a bowl and whatever form of equipment you plan on cooking your burgers in (if using a grill, preheat to medium-high heat and spray grill grates with a grill spray. If cooking on a stovetop, I recommend a cast iron skillet).

STEP BY STEP | MAKING THE BEST VENISON BURGER RECIPE

Step 1: Before beginning, place a stick of butter in the freezer. 

Step 2: If you’re cooking your burgers on a grill, go ahead and preheat the grill to medium-high (450-500F). If you’re cooking on a stovetop, get out a large pan (preferably cast-iron) and set it on the appropriate burner. You’re going to want to heat the pan for 3-5 minutes before cooking, so keep that in mind. 

Step 3: Mix together the venison, balsamic, Worchestershire, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. I like to use a fork and my hands. It’s good to use a fork to “fluff” and break up the meat, you don’t want it too packed. 

Step 4: Right before you form the patties, grate in about 2 tablespoons of freezing cold butter (I use a regular, old cheese grater) into your meat mixture. Mix again quickly just to distribute, but not so much that the butter melts. 

Step 5: Form the meat into 4 evenly sized balls and then shape them into patties. Form a divot with your thumb in the top of the burgers to help catch some of the juice. 

Step 6: Place the burgers on the grill or in the hot pan, and cook for anywhere from 5-8 minutes per side. I like to just flip the burgers once so they have a nice crust. If you’re using cheese, add your cheese when you flip your burger over.

Step 7: I use an internal read thermometer and pull my burgers at 140-145F (medium) but you can pull them at 150F-160F if you like yours more well done. 

Step 8: Let your venison burger patties rest for 5-10 minutes (SERIOUSLY) before assembling and eating. Voila!

NOTE:

When I tell people to add butter to burger meat, I sometimes get flak from the health police. To me, it makes a huge difference, but of course, it isn’t 100% necessary. If you do not want to use the butter, just don’t use it. Your burger won’t be as juicy, and it’s only about 1/2 Tbsp. per serving. I always opt for very high-quality, grass-fed butter, by the way. 

Cooking Tip

The trick to cooking venison burgers is to add a bit of fat, in this case, grated frozen butter, to the meat because it’s very lean. Also, make sure you don’t overcook them!

TIPS AND TRICKS | PERFECTLY JUICY VENISON BURGERS & FINDING THE PERFECT MEAT-TO-FAT RATIO

Adding fat

In this recipe, you’ll see below that I’m using cold, grated butter and mixing a bit into the patties. Not too much, you don’t want the burger to be greasy, but just about 1/2 tablespoon of grated butter per patty to give it some juice.

Our deer meat is also cut with 10% pork fat, so be sure to add some sort of fat to your grind (or have your butcher do it) when processing the meat.

Cooking to perfection

One of the #1 ways to ruin deer meat is to overcook it. I like my steaks rare to medium rare and my burgers just over medium, so about 140F internally.

Once your burgers reach about 140-145F, pull them off the heat source you’re using and let them rest for a few minutes before serving them. This is SO important.

How do you make deer burgers taste good?

If you don’t love the flavor of venison, or even if you do and you want to enhance it, you’re going to want to add a bit of seasoning and acid to your burgers to let the meat shine.

I add a bit of balsamic vinegar and Worcestershire sauce to combat the richness but bring out the meaty flavor.

Then, it’s just simple salt, pepper, garlic, and onion powder. It’s really that easy!

HOW TO SERVE

These venison burgers are served perfectly as is. We always use a delicious brioche bun, with your favorite toppings – YUM. These pair perfectly with my Southwest Pasta Salad, Tabbouleh Salad, or some Homemade French Fries.

STORING & REHEATING

If you happen to have any of these leftover (very rare around here), store them in an airtight container and simply reheat in the microwave or stovetop, just for a few minutes until heated through.

OTHER VENISON RECIPES

There are so many delicious ways to use up that extra ground venison you have in your freezer. My Award-Winning Venison Chili is always a fan favorite. I also cannot recommend my Best Every Venison Meatballs – they are perfect for meal prep & store perfectly in the freezer. Venison Sloppy Joe’s & Venison Burrito Bowls are the perfect quick and easy weeknight meals that the whole family will love. If you need some other burger recipes, here are some of our favorites: Uncle Momo’s Smash Burgers, Elk Burgers, Venison Sliders, and for a low-carb option try these Venison Burger Bowls.

Love this recipe? Make sure to order a copy of my cookbook, Venison Every Day, for more amazing deer meat ideas.

Venison Burger

Making perfect venison burgers isn’t hard. All you need to do is add a bit of fat and a few flavors to make this underrated meat shine on burger night.

• Author: Allie Doran
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 12 minutes
• Total Time: 22 minutes
• Yield: 4 burgers 1x
• Category: Main Dish
• Method: Grill/Stovetop
• Cuisine: American

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Ingredients

• 1 lb. ground venison 
• 2 tsp. balsamic vinegar 
• 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce 
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper 
• 2 Tbsp. freezing cold butter, grated*
• Burger buns (brioche is best and toppings you like – cheese (we like Pepper or Colby Jack), lettuce, tomato, pickles, ketchup, etc. 

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Instructions

1. Before beginning, place a stick of butter in the freezer. 
2. If you’re cooking your burgers on a grill, go ahead and preheat the grill to medium-high (450-500F). If you’re cooking on a stovetop, get out a large pan (preferably cast-iron) and set it on the appropriate burner. You’re going to want to heat the pan for 3-5 minutes before cooking, so keep that in mind. 
3. Mix together the venison, balsamic, Worchestershire, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. I like to use a fork and my hands. It’s good to use a fork to “fluff” and break up the meat, you don’t want it too packed. 
4. Right before you form the patties, grate in about 2 tablespoons of freezing cold butter (I use a regular, old cheese grater). Mix again quickly just to distribute, but not so much that the butter melts. 
5. Form the meat into 4 evenly sized balls and then shape them into patties. Form a divot in the top of the burgers to help catch some of the juice. 
6. Place the burgers on the grill or in the hot pan, and cook for anywhere from 5-8 minutes per side. I like to just flip the burgers once so they have a nice crust. If you’re using cheese, add your cheese when you flip your burger over.
7. I use an internal read thermometer and pull my burgers at 140-145F (medium) but you can pull them at 150F-160F if you like yours more well done. 
8. Let your burgers rest for 5-10 minutes (SERIOUSLY) before assembling and eating. Voila!

Notes

• When I tell people to add butter to burger meat I sometimes get flack from the health police. To me, it makes a huge difference, but of course, it isn’t 100% necessary. If you’re wanting to not use the butter, just don’t use it. But, your butter won’t be as juicy and it’s only about 1/2 Tbsp. per serving. I always opt for very high quality, grass-fed butter, by the way. 

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 burger (patty only)
• Calories: 269
• Sugar: 1 g
• Sodium: 678 mg
• Fat: 15 g
• Saturated Fat: 8 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
• Trans Fat: 0 g
• Carbohydrates: 2 g
• Fiber: 0 g
• Protein: 30 g
• Cholesterol: 126 mg

This post was originally published in June 2020. It was updated in May 2025.