
These super simple Venison Fajitas will be a staple in your house. The easy cilantro lime marinade makes for a healthy & flavorful meal!
There’s nothing better than hearing the sizzle of fajitas being brought to your table in a restaurant. I love ordering them when I’m out, but I never used to make them at home. That’s until…I started making these venison fajitas.
Just picture it. You’re tucked into a booth at your local Mexican joint with a tall, stemmed margarita glass in front of you. You take a sip and get notes of the sweet & tart lime, salty rim – perfection. You dunk your chip into melty queso and then you hear it. Your sizzling hot fajitas are being brought right to your seat. Heavenly, no?
While I can’t promise that you’ll be waited on and the margarita + queso situation will be up to you, I CAN assure you that these venison fajitas are basically as easy to make as ordering off a menu and you’ll have them in a quarter of the time it takes to drive and order from a restaurant.

I started making fajitas with venison at home because I tend to have a few “funky” cuts of meat hanging out in the back of the freezer. The flank, skirt, and rump steaks, usually. They’re generally not thick enough to hold whole well unless you take utmost care. But when you slice the meat, marinate and then cook? It’s basically foolproof.
This is THE recipe for you if you have a few steak cuts laying around that you don’t know what to do with. This easy and healthy venison fajita recipe will KNOCK your socks off. Trust me, this was my 1-year-old daughter’s birthday meal, they’re that good.

How do you make venison fajitas taste better than beef fajitas?
The extra deliciousness comes from the marinade here. It ensures that your meat is both flavorful and tender. I know I sometimes inwardly groan when I see a marinade with a recipe but TRUST. You can throw this together an hour before you want to cook OR you can do it the night before and even give this an overnight stay in the fridge. Make it work for you!
But, the marinade gives a layer of flavor from the garlic, cilantro, cumin, and lime that can’t be beaten. Pair that with fresh peppers and onions, plenty of chili powder + cumin, and a healthy squeeze of lime, and you’re got an actual recipe for success.

What cut of meat of fajitas?
As I mentioned previously, the best cutes for this are flank, skirt, and rump steaks. BUT, I know how those random cuts end up in your freezer. This recipe is forgiving. Thaw what you have, slice it up, get it in the marinade for a while and try it. I encourage you to really use up what you have on hand!

I know you’re going to just FLIP for this recipe. If you’re looking for even more venison cooking ideas, check out my bestselling cookbook, Venison Every Day!
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Venison Fajitas | Easy Cilantro Lime Marinade
These super simple Venison Fajitas will be a staple in your house. The easy cilantro lime marinade makes for a healthy & flavorful meal!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes + 1 hour marinade
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes + 1 hour marinade
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mexican American
Ingredients
For the marinade:
- 1 lb. venison steak (flank, rump or skirt work well)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice (1–2 juicy limes)
- 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
- 2–3 garlic cloves, smashed and roughly chopped
- 2–3 Tbsp. fresh, chopped cilantro
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. cumin
For the fajitas:
- 1 Tbsp. oil – avocado or olive oil if you don’t have that (sometimes I even use duck fat)
- 1 yellow onion, sliced
- 1 green bell pepper, sliced
- 1 red, orange or yellow bell pepper, sliced
- 2 tsp. chili powder
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 1/2 tsp. salt (or to taste)
- 1 lime, juiced
- tortillas, extra lime & extra cilantro (+ any other toppings you desire), for serving
Instructions
- Start by slicing your venison steak into strips, cutting against the grain. Place the strips into a bowl with a lid or zip-top bag.
- Then, whisk together the remaining marinade ingredients and pour over the venison. Place the meat in the fridge and let it marinate for at least 1 hour, but up to overnight.
- When you’re ready to cook, remove the venison from the fridge to get it to room temperature while you prep and slice the onions and peppers.
- Heat a large pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the venison strips, cooking only for 2-4 minutes. The meat should be just browned and still rare in the middle. Remove it from the heat immediately as it is browned and transfer to a plate. Set aside.
- Next, add the onions and peppers to the pan and saute them for 5-7 minutes, until they soften. hen, add the chili powder, cumin, and salt. Toss to combine.
- Then add the venison and lime and stir again to coat everything with the lime juice and spices.
- Remove from the heat and serve right away with your choice of tortillas, toppings, etc. Enjoy!!
Keywords: fajita, venison
I’m really intrigued by this recipe. Fajitas have always been one of my favorites as there is just something about lime, cilantro and chilli that I just love. Venison is an interesting choice though as I would have thought the gamey flavour might intrude on the flavour combination. Venison is a very healthy meat to cook with though, so I’m going to give it a shot. Thanks for the recipe!
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Hope you enjoy it!
Hi Miss Allie! Found you on Pinterest… Such a nice site!
I’m a fan of fajitas and yes, venison could be really tasty! I love how you set the scene.. “You’re tucked into a booth at your local Mexican joint…” Nice! And great that you encourage using whatever random cuts are in the freezer. Never considered that fajitas would be a really good clean-up recipe!
Thanks, and keep up the great work!
★★★★★
Wow that was good. Fajitas are one of my favorite meals! Making them with venison sounds like a great idea. I will have to try it.
★★★★★
Thanks, David!
Unbelievable! The venison was extremely tender, marinated it for 8 hours. I have used your recipes many times and your tips and tricks always work to make the venison not taste gamey at all!
This is the best, Susan! I am so glad you are loving these fajitas. The longer they marinade the better they are!