This is a hearty and easy venison chili recipe perfect for using ground venison from hunting season or, if you prefer, ground turkey or another lean meat.
Are you looking for a cozy delicious chili recipe? Try my Sweet Potato Chili recipe for a yummy twist on Grandma’s classic chili.
A chill in the air seems more manageable when you have warm chili in the belly, doesn’t it?
Many homes have a go-to chili recipe they use time and again that is a personal favorite. Chili recipes are like ordering coffee… no one person makes it the same way.
This Ground Venison Chili isn’t just any chili—it’s my husband Nate’s recipe, and trust me, it’s been asked for by family and friends for decades! We make this chili several times a year, especially during the colder months, and if you’re lucky, you might even get Nate to make it for you himself.
Key Ingredients for Venison Chili:
This yummy recipe calls on the use of canned tomatoes and sauce to speed up the process and get chili on the table fast, fast, fast.
Using canned products also makes it easier and less intimidating for the beginning cook. Don’t worry, you are NOT sacrificing flavor in any. which. way. Promise!
Start with the basic ingredients, master it, and then learn your favorite changes and additions.
Included is a list at the bottom of the post with ideas to personalize this recipe so you can create your personal chili recipe that your family adores.
- Ground venison. Any ground meat like lean ground beef or ground turkey works too. See the tips below for using ground venison.
- Onion. We use a large onion in chili. I prefer a yellow or white diced onion for this recipe.
- Garlic. Just a few cloves garlic does the trick.
- Diced tomatoes. A couple cans works fine. The tomato juice from the can goes in, too.
- Chili beans. Go ahead and swap black beans or pinto beans for some of the chili beans.
- Tomato sauce. This isn’t the same as pasta sauce, be aware.
- Chili powder. I mean….obviously :).
- Brown sugar. I think a bit of brown sugar adds depth to the chili. Give it a try.
Adaptations to try…
- add chopped green or red peppers or chili peppers :).
- use kidney or pinto beans instead of or in addition to the chili beans
- try different meats like sausage, lamb, beef, or turkey.
- add a can of beer
- Diced jalapenos, bell peppers, or green chiles.
- simmer on low for several hours
- add spices like cumin, cayenne pepper, or oregano
- go beanless.
- or meatless.
- try additional wild game like boar, buffalo, or elk.
Tips for using ground venison:
Why Ground Venison? Venison is naturally lean, and this recipe works well because the moisture from the canned tomatoes and beans balances out the lean meat. Ground venison gives a slightly earthier flavor, perfect for hearty chili.
Fat Adjustment: If you prefer a richer flavor, add a tablespoon of olive oil or bacon fat when browning the venison. However, venison’s lean nature makes it a great choice for a lighter chili without added fat.
Don’t love the flavor of ground venison? Try using a 1/2 and 1/2 blend of venison with higher fat content type of meat like beef or sausage.
Don’t Overcook the Venison: Since venison is so lean, it can become dry if overcooked. Brown it lightly, then allow it to finish cooking as it simmers in the chili.
Can I substitute ground beef for ground venison in recipes?
Ground beef, pork, or similar can be substituted for the venison. However, venison is a very lean meat and if you are subbing with ground beef or another meat with a high-fat content you will need to drain the fat off the meat before continuing..
How to make Venison Chili:
There are those chili recipes that employ long periods of time on the stove; or cooking chili in a slow-cooker, or all sorts of different ingredients, this isn’t one of those.
- In a dutch oven on medium-high heat, saute up some chopped onions, add minced garlic, and then brown up your meat.
- Add your remaining ingredients and let that simmer on the stove on medium heat for about 20 minutes. One-pot. The end.
- Top with some fresh cilantro, cheddar cheese, and sour cream.
Let’s bring up the fact that this chili is served with cinnamon rolls in the pictures. This is for the Iowan readers in da house. Apparently, serving a big pot of chili with cinnamon rolls is a thing where some of you all live.
In Minnesota and Wisconsin we don’t traditionally serve chili with cinnamon rolls but I’m all for starting new traditions. It’s a tasty combo!
Venison Chili Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground venison or ground turkey
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 2 cans 14.5oz diced Hunt’s tomatoes (low sodium)
- 2 cans 14.5oz chili beans
- 1 can 14.5oz Hunt’s tomato sauce (this is NOT pasta sauce, rather tomato sauce)
- 3 tablespoons chili powder
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
Instructions
- Heat a large soup pan on medium heat. Add the olive oil.
- Add the ground venison and brown the meat in the soup pan on medium high heat.
- Add the onion, garlic, and pepper. Saute for about 3 minutes or until the onion softens.
- NOTE- if using ground beef drain off the fat right now, before adding the other ingredients.
- Add the cans of diced tomatoes, un-drained beans, sauce (these will be undrained), chili powder, and brown sugar. Stir.
- Simmer on low for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. You can leave the chili to simmer on low for up to 1 hour.
- Add additional salt & pepper as needed.
- Serve with sour cream, cheese, and chives.
You know…I bet you could! I never have. I would, of course, recommend you have the ground beef cooked first.
Can you throw it in the crockpot as well?
I’m certainly not a canning expert but from my knowledge when the jar lid is bulging like that and then does an exploding business when you open it…there were gasses that built up in the jar. Don’t eat it, for sure. From what I understand, those gasses are dangerous to consume. I hope that helps! And what a bummer!
Hi, Nellie Alice here I was wondering what went wrong with my deer chili sauce I made it before and canned it up with no problem except I had to add more spices after opening the jar. This year I got flooded I had an excellent freezer and hubby got too small deer last fall so I just froze it. Well, that flood has taken my home car, and freezer. I wasn’t worried about the meat in it because I had canned it in the past but I ran into a problem. The lids on some of my deer chili started welling up and when I took the lids off it was working like it was pickled when I took the lid off it exploited not all in that batch, did just a few cans. What went wrong and is it eatable?
Delicious! My husband said it was the best chili I have made 🙂 making this again. Thank you for great recipe.
We have made your “Deer” chili several times, always enjoying it. However, this time we were out of venison and ended up using some Bison we had in the freezer. It turned out fantastic. We used chives and shredded smoked Gouda on the top.. Thanks again for all your wonderful recipe ideas.
So glad to hear it!! This is definitely a recipe to pull out in the fall for hunting season.
One of our favorite meals. Easy to make and very tasty. My brother-in-law gave us the ground venison from his deer hunt. I also added green chilies. It is delicious!
Really good for items already in the house!
What a great addition!
Loved it! Added some green chilis!
Oh yippee! So glad to hear you enjoyed this. And if Texas boys are happy…that is high praise, indeed!
Made some of the best chili I’ve ever eaten with this simple recipe. I highly suggest it to anyone. I use it every time. Y’all know how us Texas boys are bout our deer and chili. Thank you for sharing
Well, since you mentioned it… it is QUITE an amazing story from the hills of New Hampshire….”Got Moose” http://www.throughherlookingglass.com/?p=6766 Enjoy!
I love that! Who randomly has ground moose in their freezer :). Sounds like a great story!
Great basic recipe, Janel. Have never made chili with venison, but I happen to have some ground moose in my freezer. Not kidding. (It’s a long story.) Definitely need to try this!