My Venison Chili is rich and hearty. The perfect meal to make during the cool weather during hunting season. Includes recipes for slow cooker, instant pot, or on the stovetop.
Chili is one of my favorite meals. Beef. Chicken. Pork. Vegetarian. In this case, Venison Chili.
Living in northeastern Wisconsin means there is no shortage of deer hunters and, even though I do not hunt, that means that it is likely that a friend will share some of their hard earned meat.
Cooking with venison is really easy. Venison is a lean meat, but when ground, works great in chili. The flavor is subtle, but has a mild game flavor. I love using it in place of ground beef in my chili recipes!
Ingredients
- ground venison - lean ground beef or turkey can be substituted
- jalapeno
- green pepper
- white onion
- celery
- chili powder
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- cumin
- cinnamon
- black pepper
- salt
- pinto beans
- kidney beans
- petite diced tomatoes
- diced tomatoes
- tomato sauce
- crushed tomatoes
What Makes Venison Different Than Ground Beef?
Venison is about 50% leaner than ground beef. Deer are also, typically, grass-fed which contributed to a leaner alternative to red meat. Due to the fact that deer are wild fed, the flavor of the meat is typically richer and earthier because of their diet.
Instructions
There are many fantastic ways to make my Venison Chili. I have created and tested 3 methods using stove top, slow cooker, and Instant Pot (pressure cooker) for my chili recipe.
Stove Top Instructions
- In a large pot, break apart ground venison and brown over medium heat.
- When meat is almost browned, add peppers, and onions. When meat is cooked and veggies are slightly tender add chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, cinnamon, pepper and salt. Stir.
- Add beans to chili meat and stir. Add diced tomatoes and petite diced tomatoes and stir. Add tomato sauce and crushed tomatoes and (you guessed it) stir.
- Cook on low heat for 2 hours, stirring every 20 minutes or so.
- Serve Venison Chili with cheese, sour cream, and crackers.
Slow Cooker Instructions
- Follow steps for stop top preparation.
- Once the chili would be ready to simmer on the stop top, ladle the chili into a slow cooker and cook on low 3-5 hours.
Instant Pot Instructions
- Turn on the sauté setting on the pressure cooker.
- Add the venison, onion, peppers, and celery. Sauté till the meat is browned and veggies start to become tender.
- Add remaining ingredients and stir. Turn off the sauté function. Place the lid on the pressure cooker, and set nozzle not to vent.
- Cook for 20 minutes. Release the pressure either manually or allow it to release naturally.
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Venison Chili
Ingredients
- 3 lbs ground venison
- 1 large jalapeno diced
- 1 medium green pepper diced
- 1 large white onion diced
- ¼ cup chili powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- ½ tablespoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ½ tablespoon salt
- 15 oz can pinto beans
- 15 oz can kidney beans
- 14.5 oz petite diced tomatoes
- 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
- 28 oz tomato sauce
- 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
Instructions
Stove Top Instructions
- In a large pot, break apart ground venison and brown over medium heat.
- When meat is almost browned, add peppers, and onions. When meat is cooked and veggies are slightly tender add chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, cinnamon, pepper and salt. Stir.
- Add beans to chili meat and stir. Add diced tomatoes and petite diced tomatoes and stir. Add tomato sauce and crushed tomatoes and (you guessed it) stir.
- Cook on low heat for 2 hours, stirring every 20 minutes or so.
- Serve with cheese, sour cream, and crackers.
Slow Cooker Instructions
- Follow steps for stop top preparation.
- Once the chili would be ready to simmer on the stop top, ladle the chili into a slow cooker and cook on low 3-5 hours.
Instant Pot Instructions
- Turn on the sauté setting on the pressure cooker.
- Add the venison, onion, peppers, and celery. Sauté till the meat is browned and veggies start to become tender.
- Add remaining ingredients and stir. Turn off the sauté function. Place the lid on the pressure cooker, and set nozzle not to vent.
- Cook for 20 minutes. Release the pressure either manually or allow it to release naturally.
Sheila Thigpen
Sharing this recipe with my brother-in-law, the avid deer hunter in our family — he'll love it!
Radha
This is an ultimate bowl of comfort loaded with flavors!
Wendy Klik
One of my favorite ways to use venison. So good. Love that you gave all the ways to prepare it. Thanks for hosting Ashley.
Inger @ Art of Natural Liivng
This is perfect for all that ground venison! What a great alternative to all that sausage!
Jennifer
My brother in law is a big hunter and he keeps our freezer stocked with venison so I know exactly what I am making with it!!
Julie Menghini
What a delicious recipe! Time to take some venison from the freezer!
Kathryn
We love venison and I love the idea of adding it to chili! Your chili looks so hearty and flavorful. My mouth is watering and I can't wait to try your recipe. Thanks for another great recipe Ashley!
Karen @Karen's Kitchen Stories
I just saw some venison in the store today and now I find this recipe! It was meant to be.
The Freshman Cook
Your chili looks amazing! I love all the flavors!
Kathleen
Just like you, my neighbor just gave me some ground Venison! And now I know exactly what I will make with it! Thanks for all of the cooking options too! For the first batch I am using our slow cooker!
Rebecca
I love how different this recipe is with Venison as the protein! This is such a yummy dish, and all the different beans really make this chili stand out!