This delicious, hearty and nourishing venison stew is packed with flavor and will bring you warmth and satisfaction during the cold winter months. Truly a meal that everyone will enjoy!
The freezers are packed with wild game meat and the weather has turned cold.
Time for STEW!!
This is definitely one of my favorite ways (possibly the best way...) to cook and eat venison. It turns out delicious and satisfying each time and everybody loves the meal. It's warming, comforting and hearty in these cold months.
It's the taste of fall, right along with pumpkin pie, mashed potatoes, and warm cinnamon oatmeal. I love the changes that happen in the kitchen when a new season arrives.
Enjoy fall and winter and, for goodness sake, enjoy some amazing hearty stew! You could also make split pea soup, ham and white bean soup or Chinese vegetable soup, just add some crusty bread and your life will be complete.
Venison Stew FAQ
Is Venison Stew Healthy?
Venison (deer meat) is wild and naturally grass-fed! It's higher in protein and iron than beef is and lower in fat. It's also high in zinc and many B vitamins.
This easy venison stew is also packed with healthy, hearty vegetables and rounded out with nourishing bone broth, making it a very nutritious meal!
How Long Does Venison Stew Take to Cook?
This venison stew cooks for 3 hours in the oven, and it's the slow cooking process that is the reason the venison meat and any connective tissue in it becomes fall-apart tender. It literally melts away in your mouth. If not slow-cooked, the game meat ends up very chewy and it takes great effort to break apart in your mouth.
If you think this is an inconvenience, I highly recommend you try it once. After you do, you'll be convinced it's worth it. Just plan to make the deer stew on a day you're home in the afternoon and maybe start it up while cooking or after eating lunch. Then put it in the oven and forget about it!
What to Serve With Venison Stew
Venison stew can be perfectly paired with dinner rolls, biscuits or crusty, buttered slices of sourdough bread. To stretch this hearty meal even further, you could serve the stew on a bed of rice, quinoa or couscous!
Can You Freeze Venison Stew?
Venison stew can be frozen and reheated with no problem. Potatoes can turn grainy in the freezer and be unpleasant after being reheated, so you may wish to leave them out if you plan to freeze some. (However, I've frozen and reheated stew with potatoes in the past and it's been just fine!)
Tips for Making Venison Stew
- Brown the meat! It's technically optional, but it's a great way to create a really flavorful stew, so please don't skip this step. You want all those delicious brown bits at the bottom of the pot!
- I keep a jar of beef bouillon in my fridge, which I will use in addition to my homemade bone broth if I don't have beef bone broth. This way I still get the health benefits of bone broth, and the deep, rich taste of beef broth.
- If you don't want to use your oven, you can cover your pot and simmer the stew (very low) on the stove top for 3 hours.
- Can be made in the Instant Pot or slow cooker - see below for directions.
Variations of Venison Stew
- Use any red stew meat. We've used bear and beef in this recipe and both have turned out delicious!
- Use bacon fat instead of olive oil if you have some. Always adds great flavor!
- So many vegetables work in stews, so use whatever vegetables you have on hand. Some examples are green beans, celery stalks, sweet potatoes, etc.
- Add a few tablespoons of tomato paste if you like tomato flavor. My husband doesn't do well with tomatoes so we leave it out.
- Make it into a pot pie- see my beef pot pie recipe!
Dutch oven or large pot (oven-safe if cooking in the oven)
How to Make Venison Stew
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds venison stew meat in 1-inch cubes
- 4 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 yellow onions, diced
- 7-8 garlic cloves, minced
- 6 carrots, peeled and cut into ½ inch pieces
- 6 cups bone broth or beef stock
- ¼ cup arrowroot powder or cornstarch
- ¼ cup cold water
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
- 1 bay leaf (or 2 small bay leaves)
- 1½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 6-7 small potatoes cut into ½-¾ inch cubes
- 2 cups frozen peas
- sea salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 325°F.
Heat oil (2 tbsp) in a large oven-safe pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Pat stew meat dry with a paper towel, salt and pepper it generously and add it to the pot. Cook, stirring every few minutes until browned on multiple sides. Transfer to a plate using a slotted spoon. It's best to do the meat in small batches so there is just a single layer of meat in the pot at one time.
Turn down to medium heat and add the remaining 2 tablespoon oil and diced yellow onion to the pot. Cook until onions begin to soften, about 10 minutes. Add carrots and cook for a few more minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add garlic and cook for one more minute.
Pour in broth and scrape up browned bits from the bottom of the pot (that's where all the flavor is!). Whisk arrowroot powder with water and add it to the pot, along with soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf, pepper and browned venison.
Cover with an oven-safe lid or aluminum foil and cook in the oven for 2½ hours.
Remove from the oven and add in potatoes and peas, cover again and return to the oven. Allow it to cook for 30 more minutes.
Remove the pot from the oven and take out the bay leaf.
Serve hot!
Slow Cooker Venison Stew
Follow the directions above. Then instead of placing the pot in the oven, pour the stew into your crockpot and add the potatoes as well. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4-6 hours. The veggies and meat should both be tender.
Stir in the frozen peas, remove the bay leaf and serve!
Instant Pot Venison Stew
Follow the directions above, but do all of the searing and sauteing in the Instant Pot on the saute function, instead of in a pot on the stovetop. Add the potatoes when you add in the browned version.
Close the lid, ensure it's "sealed" (not venting) and cook for 35 minutes on high pressure. Allow at least 10 minutes of natural releasing before carefully turning the quick release knob to release the rest of the pressure.
Remove the lid, take out the bay leaf, add peas and serve!
How to Store Venison Stew
Store any leftover stew in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Store in a freezer-safe container or freezer bag for up to 3 months.
Did you try this recipe? If so, I would really appreciate a 5-star rating and your comments below! Thanks!
MORE NOURISHING DINNER IDEAS
- SAUSAGE AND VEGGIE FOIL PACKET DINNER
- BRAISED VENISON ROAST
- GROUND BEEF AND QUINOA SKILLET
- CREAMY CHICKEN WITH SPINACH
- NO MAYO TUNA SALAD
- SPLIT PEA SOUP
📖 Recipe
The Best Venison Stew
Yield: 8 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours 20 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours 40 minutes
This delicious, hearty and nourishing venison stew is packed with flavor and will bring you warmth and satisfaction during the cold winter months. Truly a meal that everyone will enjoy!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds venison stew meat in 1-inch cubes
- 4 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 yellow onions, diced
- 7-8 garlic cloves, minced
- 6 carrots, peeled and cut in ½ inch pieces
- 6 cups bone broth or beef stock
- ¼ cup arrowroot powder or cornstarch
- ¼ cup cold water
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
- 1 bay leaf (or 2 small bay leaves)
- 1½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 6-7 small potatoes cut in ½-¾ inch cubes
- 2 cups frozen peas
- sea salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- Heat oil (2 tbsp) in a large oven-safe pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Pat stew meat dry with a paper towel, salt and pepper it generously and add it to the pot.
- Cook, stirring every few minutes until browned on multiple sides. Transfer to a plate using a slotted spoon. It's best to do the meat in small batches so there is just a single layer of meat in the pot at one time.
- Turn down to medium heat and add the remaining 2 tablespoon oil and diced yellow onion to the pot. Cook until onions begin to soften, about 10 minutes. Add carrots and cook for a few more minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add garlic and cook for one more minute.
- Pour in broth and scrape up browned bits from the bottom of the pot (that's where all the flavor is!). Whisk arrowroot powder with water and add it to the pot, along with soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf, pepper and browned venison.
- Cover with an oven-safe lid or aluminum foil and cook in the oven for 2½ hours.
- Remove from the oven and add in potatoes and peas, cover again and return to the oven. Allow it to cook for 30 more minutes.
- Remove the pot from the oven and take out the bay leaf.
- Serve hot!
Notes
Slow Cooker
Follow the directions above. Then instead of placing the pot in the oven, pour the stew into your crockpot and add the potatoes as well. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4-6 hours. The veggies and meat should both be tender. Stir in the frozen peas, remove the bay leaf and serve!
Instant Pot
Follow the directions above, but do all of the searing and sauteing in the Instant Pot on the saute function, instead of in a pot on the stovetop. Add the potatoes when you add in the browned version.
Close the lid, ensure it's "sealed" (not venting) and cook for 35 minutes on high pressure. Allow at least 10 minutes of natural releasing before carefully turning the quick release knob to release the rest of the pressure.
Remove the lid, take out the bay leaf, add peas and serve!
Fridge: Store any leftover stew in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Freezer: Store in a freezer-safe container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
Did you make this recipe?
Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram
