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The BEST Ground Venison Tacos

Name: The BEST Ground Venison Tacos
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: Mexican American
Ingredients: 1 Tbsp. olive or avocado oil; 1 small onion, finely diced; 1 lb. ground venison*; 4-5 garlic cloves, minced; 2 Tbsp. chili powder; 1 Tbsp. cumin; 1 tsp. salt; 1/2 tsp. pepper; 1 orange, juiced; 1 lime, juiced; 1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar; 1/3 cup water

By: Allie Doran | Updated: January 8, 2025

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This is the best, simple and from-scratch recipe for ground venison tacos. Simple to make and no packets of seasoning from the store needed!

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Ground venison tortilla tacos on a white plate

In our home, the love for Mexican food runs DEEP. About once a week we’re having something with a Mexican flair – these chicken fajita bowls, elk tacos salads, my venison fajitas, easy venison birria tacos, my favorite southwest pasta salad with grilled chicken, venison chili, and venison enchiladas are always a win, OR I make this ground venison taco recipe.

Taco night is always received well. What’s not to love about making your own little handheld morsel of meat and toppings, right? And, I love it because it’s fast to make, easy to use fresh & healthy ingredients (sometimes I use butter or bib lettuce instead of a tortilla), my family is obsessed with taco meat, and the flavor of venison actually shines when paired with taco seasoning. That’s why I also make these burrito bowls ALL of the time, too.

Five ground venison tacos on a wooden cutting board surrounded by bowls of ingredients

One of the requests I get most often is recipes for ground venison or deer meat. It seems that many families get most of their deer meat made into ground meat after a harvest. And, I can’t say I blame them. As much as I would caution against getting ALL meat made into ground (seriously save the ribs, buy my cookbook and made those short ribs!!), it’s so convenient and cost-effective because you can stop buying red meat from the store.

Take taco Tuesday to a whole new level with this ground venison taco meat! I know you’re going to love it.

INGREDIENTS AND KITCHEN TOOLS

Ingredients to make Ground Venison Tacos

The ingredients that you’ll need for this recipe are seriously so easy, I bet you already have most of them on hand. I highly recommend using the ingredients for my homemade taco seasoning, it truly makes the biggest difference and it is way better than store bought. And trust me on the citrus! I can’t wait for you to try these!

Olive or avocado oil
Onion
Ground venison meat*
Garlic cloves
Chili powder
Cumin
Sea salt
Black pepper
Orange
Lime
Apple cider vinegar
Water

Kitchen Tools

You’ll need simple kitchen tools for this delicious meal. Grab yourself a large skillet or cast iron skillet. It’s always important to have good mixing tools on hand as well as measuring cups and spoons.

STEP BY STEP

Ground venison and onions sautéing in cast iron pan

Step 1: Begin by heating a large pan over medium-high heat on the stove. Add the oil to the pan and when the oil is hot, add the onion and saute until translucent, about 3-4 minutes.

Step 2: Then, add one pound ground venison and cook until browned, about 6-8 minutes.

Step 3: Next, add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Stir well and cook for an 2 additional minutes before deglazing the pan with the orange juice, lime juice and apple cider vinegar.

Step 4: Then, add the water and turn the heat to medium-low. Allow the meat to simmer for 5-10 minutes until the desired texture and moisture level are reached.

Step 5: Serve in taco shells, lettuce wraps, corn tortillas, flour tortillas, burritos, quesadillas, nachos – however you like!

NOTES:

This recipe will work with any game meat such as ground beef, elk, antelope, moose, bison, lamb – really any red meat.
If you’re thawing venison from frozen, try thawing it on a paper towel or drying it with a paper down and discarding old blood before cooking. This helps the meat to taste fresh and not “gamey”.
Topping suggestions: Chopped tomatoes, shredded cheese, fresh lime juice, jalapeños, shredded lettuce, cilantro, sour cream, spice it up with some hot sauce, salsa, avocado or guacamole. Seriously add any of your favorite toppings, the options are endless.

Cooking Tip

Adding acid to venison and wild game meats that have a richer flavor is a great way to combat some of that unfamiliar flavor that some people call “gamey”. It is one of my top tricks for making deer meat dishes taste amazing. I used to be someone who didn’t like venison, and now I prefer it to anything you can buy in the store!

STORING AND REHEATING

IF there are any leftovers, they will store perfectly in an airtight container for 3-5 days. Just reheat your leftover venison taco meat and serve over a salad for a taco salad, on nachos or in your favorite taco shell or burrito.

Ground Venison Tacos on a cutting board topped with cheese, tomatoes, jalapeños and sour cream

COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What’s not to love about having your own stash of sustainably sourced, free-range protein at home?

But, another common complaint I receive from people when they have a ton of ground deer meat to go through…it just doesn’t taste like beef. And they’re right. If you cook venison like you cook beef, you’re going to be disappointed with the results. However…

This is one of the BEST ways to use up ground deer meat

Seriously. The taco seasoning flavors not only enhance the flavor of deer meat, but they transform it into a meaty but bright flavor profile that makes the best dang taco meat that I have ever had. And I don’t say that lightly!

What do you add to ground venison to make taco meat?

To make the best ever ever EVER ground venison tacos, you add a combination of chili powder, cumin, fresh lime juice, fresh orange juice and apple cider vinegar to ground deer meat that has been sautéed with onions and garlic.

Chili powder and cumin are some of the greatest seasonings for deer meat

I love making my own taco seasoning blend with chili powder and cumin instead of buying the pre-made packages because it tastes so bold and fresh, I get to control the flavor levels and it is so much more natural!

Ground venison taco nachos on a baking sheet with sour cream, tomatoes, jalapeños and avocados

MORE VENISON RECIPES YOUR FAMILY WILL LOVE

If you are on the hunt for more ways to elevate your taco Tuesday’s, you have to check out these Venison Enchiladas. My Easy Venison Birria Tacos make the most amazing deer meat tacos and are so easy to make. If you are looking to make something for a cookout that everyone will be drooling over, my Southwest Pasta Salad with Grilled Chicken is always a hit!