This healthier Venison Stroganoff recipe uses coconut milk and Greek Yogurt for a lighter, but still delicious, take on classic stroganoff with wild game.
We love a good comfort meal and this Stroganoff is the ultimate comfort food in our house. Of course we try and switch between some of our favorites like my Sweet Potato Shepherds Pie which is loaded with amazing ingredients and topped with a smooth sweet potato topping – YUM! And you can never go wrong with my Award Winning Chili that the whole family knows and loves.
If you have a freshly packed freezer of Venison, I would recommend using one of your roasts to whip up my tender and juicy Beer Braised Venison Roast. We just whipped up a double batch of my Venison Meatballs to have in the freezer for a quick and easy weeknight meal. There are so many variations that these can be used for such as my Marry Me Meatballs or Meatball Subs.
Ditch the canned cream of mushroom soup and make this Healthier Ground Venison Stroganoff. It is the perfect, lighter way to enjoy a stick-to-your-ribs classic meal (that has great flavor), while using up ground deer meat (or any wild game meat) you have on hand. There are a few things that make this dish really shine. With these little tweaks I’ve made, the flavor of the venison truly shines but isn’t too strong or gamey.
TIPS AND TRICKS TO THE BEST VENISON STROGANOFF
- Apple cider vinegar. Adding acid to wild game is one of my favorite tips. For more wild game cooking tips, check out my free cheat sheet!
- White wine – dry white wine is best and adds the BEST flavor. I’m not usually a Chardonnay person, but I used a bright, crisp and buttery Chardonnay which was lovely. A Pinot Grigio would be great, too or a heavier Sauvignon Blanc.
- Thyme – Thyme brightens up the dish. You only need a pinch but it goes a long way.
- Worcestershire – this helps enhance that beefy, umami flavor that we all love
INGREDIENTS AND KITCHEN TOOLS
- Butter
- Olive oil
- Sweet yellow onion
- Ground venison (elk or ground beef would also work here)
- Baby bella mushrooms
- Garlic cloves
- Sea salt
- Black pepper
- Paprika
- Dried thyme
- Arrowroot powder or tapioca starch
- Apple cider vinegar
- Dry white wine (if you don’t want to use wine, sub for beef broth, but use it if you can)
- Full fat coconut milk
- Beef broth you could also substitute Venison Stock here
- Worcestershire sauce
- Plain Greek yogurt (we like 2% fat, but any will do)
- Egg noodles, gluten free noodles or butternut squash noodles for serving
Kitchen tools:
Here are the tools you’ll need to make this dish:
- Large pot
- Measuring cups and spoons
STEP BY STEP
Step 1: Heat the butter and olive oil in a stock pot or Dutch oven over medium heat until hot.
Step 2: Add the onion and cook for 3-5 minutes, until slightly brown.
Step 3: Add the venison and brown, about 8 minutes.
Step 4: Next, add the mushrooms, garlic, salt, pepper, paprika, and thyme. Cook for 2 minutes and add the Tapioca starch. Cook for 2 additional minutes.
Step 5: Add the wine and apple cider vinegar and scrape up all of the bits at the bottom of the pan.
Step 6: Cook for 2 minutes before adding the coconut milk, beef broth, and Worcestershire sauce. Let the mixture come to a boil, cover and reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes.
Step 7: Add the Greek yogurt, stir well to combine, cook for 2 minutes and remove from the heat. Serve with egg noodles, gluten free pasta of choice, rice, crispy smashed potatoes or butternut squash.
Cooking Tip
In place of heavy cream and sour cream, I opted for coconut milk and Greek yogurt. The addition of the Worchestershire and the wine cut any coconut flavor and the Greek yogurt does a great job adding creaminess and protein.
HOW TO SERVE
If we’re really in the mood for comfort food – egg noodles it is. Otherwise, gluten-free pasta works and butternut squash noodles are thick enough to stand up to this dish. This also serves well over rice or with my crispy smashed potatoes, the opportunities are endless.
STORING AND REHEATING
If you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. When ready to reheat, pop in the microwave or add to pot and heat on the stove. Heat until warm and enjoy!
OTHER VENISON RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE
Love comfort food? Try out my Venison Shepherd’s Pie or my Venison Stew in the Instant Pot!
Print
Healthier Venison Stroganoff
This healthier Venison Stroganoff recipe uses coconut milk and Greek Yogurt for a lighter, but still delicious, take on classic stroganoff with wild game.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Russian/American
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp. butter
- 1 Tbs. olive oil
- 1 sweet yellow onion, diced
- 1 lb. ground venison
- 1 pint baby bella mushrooms, destemmed and sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 3/4 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. pepper
- 1/4 tsp. paprika
- 1 pinch dried thyme
- 2 Tbsp. arrowroot powder or tapioca starch
- 1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup dry white wine (if you don’t want to use wine, sub for beef broth, but use it if you can)
- 3/4 cup full fat coconut milk
- 1 cup beef broth
- 3–5 dashes Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (we like 2% fat, but any will do)
- Egg noodles, gluten free noodles or butternut squash noodles for serving
Instructions
- Heat the butter and olive oil in a stock pot or Dutch oven over medium heat until hot.
- Add the onion and cook for 3-5 minutes, until slightly brown.
- Add the venison and brown, about 8 minutes.
- Next, add the mushrooms, garlic, salt, pepper, paprika, and thyme. Cook for 2 minutes and add the Tapioca starch. Cook for 2 additional minutes.
- Add the wine and apple cider vinegar and scrape up all of the bits at the bottom of the pan.
- Cook for 2 minutes before adding the coconut milk, beef broth, and Worcestershire sauce. Let the mixture come to a boil, cover and reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add the Greek yogurt, stir well to combine, cook for 2 minutes and remove from the heat. Serve with egg noodles, gluten free pasta of choice or butternut squash.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup sauce
- Calories: 397
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 614 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 14 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 30 g
- Cholesterol: 311 mg
Oh man! This look so delicious. Saving and pinning this post. I can’t wait to try this. Thank so much for sharing.
So glad you’re going to give it a try!!
Instead of white wine, could I use broth? Or is there something better?
Definitely use broth!
This dish is delicious!
I’m SOO glad you enjoyed!
Made this recipe last night….it was so delicious! Will defiantly be the new way I make stroganoff. Thank you for sharing!
This was so yummy and came together fairly quickly. I love how the flavor of the meat really stands out and is the star of the dish. Fantastic!
this makes me so happy!!!! 🙂
Thank you! This meal pleased a crowd. I’m new here and so excited to see you wrote a cookbook all about venison. Would you recommend more arrowroot or less liquid for a thicker sauce? Mine was thinner than I’d expected, but no leftovers 🙂 thank you again,
J
Hey Jim! Thanks for your comment, glad you enjoyed 🙂 I’d go a little less liquid if you want it thicker!
Delicious!!!
Such a great idea about the venison stroganoff thanks sharing this article
wow, this looks so delicious and yummy . i just love this recipe of venison stroganoff. thanks for sharing this wonderful article.
Hi! A friend gave me some deer burger and I was looking for a recipe when this one came up. I just made this for my dinner. It’s delicious! I love the coconut milk and the apple vinegar in this dish. Two of my favorite flavors. So surprised how well they work together. Thank you for this recipe! Will definitely be making this again!
Amazing! I am SO glad you are loving this recipe and it turned out great for you!
Made this recipe with just a few changes last night and my wife and I loved it. I ground sirloin steak and a venison top round combined for meats and added bell peppers and red pepper flakes. I doubled the recipe and used two pounds of meat. Loved the results, will definitely be making it again and thank Miss Allies Kitchen for the recipe. 😋
We used this recipe for elk (instead of venison) and paired it with homemade whole wheat pasta. Our guests thoroughly enjoyed getting to make fresh pasta with us and then eating it with this delicious stroganoff on top! Thanks for this recipe.
Fabulous! We use sour cream vs Greek yogurt since it’s what we always have on hand.
This was SO GOOD! We’ve made other stroganoff recipes with our ground venison but this was by far the best one. My husband rarely will take leftovers for lunch but was so excited there was extra for him to take today! Adding this one into our rotation for sure!
Ahh this is so great to hear, Natalie. I am so glad you loved this recipe and it turned out great for you! Thank you for sharing your review & star rating, I really appreciate it!
Could this be made in the crockpot? If so, for how long?
Hi CW – I don’t think this would work in the crockpot. So sorry!
Using venison, we greatly enjoyed the stroganoff. Husband loved it so I will make again. I made it with no changes, so it is perfect as written.
Amazing! I am so glad this recipe turned out great and was a hit, Diane! Thank you for sharing your review + star rating, I appreciate it!