Make this quick & healthy venison stir fry when you’re running short on time and you want something packed with lean protein and veggies.
I know a lot of people assume that because I’m a food blogger, that I must make fancy meals every night at home. Most nights, that couldn’t be further from the truth. That’s where meals like this venison stir fry come in handy.
Running 3 businesses, plus raising Miss Madi Jo can make dinner time pretty crazy, especially if I have not planned out dinners for the week in advance. Let’s be honest here, while I love being in the kitchen, there are times when I really feel that lack of motivation to cook dinner. BUT I love a one pan meal that literally takes no time at all to whip up.
This Venison Stir Fry is loaded with veggies and our favorite venison (can also be made with beef) and if/when I plan ahead and have all my veggies chopped and ready to go, I just throw everything in to a pan and it is ready to go. A hearty, healthy and easy meal that the whole family loves!
THE KEY TO TENDER VENISON FOR STIR FRY IS A QUICK MARINADE
The key to making this venison stir fry taste delicious with so little effort is a simple marinade. When you’re cooking small pieces of venison (or any wild game), especially if they come from a tougher part of the animal like the leg, the trick to making sure it cooks up super tender. To do this, I recommend using a marinade that has added some flavor and helped to break down some of the tissue.
For this recipe, I just use a combo of soy sauce (or coconut aminos), lime juice and olive oil for at least 4 hours or overnight. This takes me all of about 1 minute to throw together the night before, in the morning, or at lunch time.
And then, when I’m ready to cook, all of the work is practically done for me and all I have to do is throw everything together in one pan! Voila!
INGREDIENTS AND KITCHEN TOOLS | VEGETABLES, DEER MEAT, SOY SAUCE
Made with fresh and flavorful ingredients, this dish is sure to satisfy your cravings. Gather these delightful components for a taste bud-tingling experience: succulent venison strips, vibrant bell peppers, crisp sugar snap peas, fragrant garlic, and ginger, all stirred together in a tangy and aromatic homemade sauce. Whip up this delightful stir fry in minutes for a healthy meal that will surely be a hit! Bring a contemporary twist to your cooking repertoire with our Venison Stir Fry and savor the flavors of today.
Avocado or olive oil, divided (You could also use sesame oil if you have that on hand)
Soy sauce (You can use low sodium or coconut aminos for soy free), divided
Lime, juiced
Thinly sliced venison steak (I used leg meat)
Bell peppers, julienned (I used a red and orange)
Carrots, peeled, halved and julienned
Yellow onion, sliced
Garlic cloves, minced
Head of broccoli, chopped
Water chestnuts, drained
Rice or white wine vinegar
Honey
For Serving: Rice or noodles, green onion, sesame seeds, red pepper flakes (for a little spice) and extra lime wedges (optional)
Kitchen Tools
You don’t need much to whip up this quick and easy meal. As always I recommend having a high-quality cutting board, sharp knife, and good pans such as cast iron, but for this recipe, a wok will work great.
STEP BY STEP | FOR A QUICK & HEALTHY VENISON STIR FRY RECIPE
Step 1: Before cooking, marinate your meat for at least 4 hours or up to overnight. To marinate, in a small bowl, a bowl with a lid or ziplock bag, combine 3 tablespoons of the oil, 1/4 cup of the soy sauce/coconut aminos, the lime juice and the venison. Make sure all of the meat is coated and set it in the fridge until you’re ready to cook.
Step 2: When you’re ready to cook, heat the remaining oil in a large skillet (I prefer cast iron), saucepan or wok over medium high heat. When the pan is hot, add the bell peppers, carrots and onion and saute for about 5 minutes, or until they start to soften.
Step 3: Then, add the marinated venison, garlic, broccoli, water chestnuts if using, remaining soy sauce, vinegar, and honey. Saute for about 5-8 minutes, until the venison is browned on the outside and the broccoli is softened a bit. Don’t overcook it, you want the venison tender. Remove from the heat when done.
Step 4: When you’re ready to serve, spoon the mixture over rice and garnish with sesame seeds, lime and green onion. Enjoy!
HOW TO SERVE | OVER RICE OR NOODLES
Keep it simple! Serve over some rice and top with sesame seeds, green onions, and a little sriracha if you like to spice it up.
STORING AND REHEATING
This Venison Stir Fry is perfect for a quick and easy dinner or meal prepping for the week ahead. Store it in an air-tight container over some rice, reheat it in the microwave when you are ready to eat, and enjoy! This will keep in the fridge for about 5 days!
OTHER QUICK AND EASY DINNER RECIPES
I cannot get enough of quick and easy meals lately, this egg roll in a bowl recipe, is also made in just one pot and is absolutely delicious. These Easy Chicken Fajita Bowls are perfect twist for taco Tuesday. We love whipping up this Sticky Ground Pork Rice Bowls, they are loaded with flavor and amazing for meal prep. Don’t forget about my Best Ever Venison Steak Sandwich to use up any leftover steak or backstrap for sandwich night.
If you are looking for more incredible venison recipes, check out my cookbook, Venison Every Day!
Love healthy venison recipes? Check out this post with the best 15 out there.
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Quick Venison Stir Fry
Make this quick & healthy venison stir fry when you’re running short on time and you want something packed with lean protein and veggies.
Ingredients
- 4 Tbsp. avocado or olive oil, divided
- 1/4 cup + 3 Tbsp. soy sauce (or coconut aminos for soy free), divided
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 lb. thinly sliced venison steak (I used leg meat)
- 2 bell peppers, julienned (I used a red and orange)
- 3 carrots, peeled, halved and julienned
- 1 yellow onion, sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 head broccoli, chopped
- optional – 8 oz. water chestnuts, drained
- 2 Tbsp. rice or white wine vinegar
- 1 Tbsp. honey
- Rice, green onion, sesame seeds and extra lime wedges for serving
Instructions
- Before cooking, marinate your meat for at least 4 hours or up to overnight. To marinate, in a bowl with a lid or zip top bag, combine 3 tablespoons of the oil, 1/4 cup of the soy sauce/coconut aminos, the lime juice and the venison. Make sure all of the meat is coated and set it in the fridge until you’re ready to cook.
- When you’re ready to cook, heat the remaining oil in a large saucepan or wok over medium high heat. When the pan is hot, add the bell peppers, carrots and onion and saute for about 5 minutes, or until they start to soften.
- Then, add the marinated venison, garlic, broccoli, water chestnuts if using, remaining soy sauce, vinegar, and honey. Saute for about 5-8 minutes, until the venison is browned on the outside and the broccoli is softened a bit. Don’t overcook it, you want the venison tender. Remove from the heat when done.
- When you’re ready to serve, spoon the mixture over rice and top with sesame seeds, lime and green onion. Enjoy!
This looks so good, and not that complicated to boot. I will definitely try this. Thanks!
Hope you’re able to try!
Hey, This recipe looks delicious! You know I am always in a hurry and want recipes that can be quickly prepared and is healthy too. My father has a cholesterol problem and for him, I want to make healthy dishes always. Thanks a lot for sharing this.
glad you enjoy it!
This was so good! Noone believed me that deer steak could be good without being fried and this proved them wrong!
Aha! You go, Rana!
I cheated and used stir fry blend. Tasty and easy
I marinated the venison for four hours. I substituted the broccoli with green beans, used seasoned rice vinegar and skipped the honey. I wanted to add some ginger but only had some wasabi in a tube so added that to give it a little zing. I forgot to add the green onion, sesame seed and lime at the end. We served it over rice and it was delicious anyway.
Sounds amazing! Glad this recipe is a hit, Maureen!
I use this recipe often and I have yet to marinate the venison for longer than 30 minutes. Just last night, I was running behind schedule and was tossing the meat into the marinade as I chopped it. It was still so tender! Our veggies are similar but usually what ever we have on hand. This recipe never disappoints and I only started cooking with venison last year. My kids (6 and under) devour this supper.
The flavour is incredible! I just would’ve preferred it to be a little saucier.