This delicious Venison Chili Recipe is cooked slow and low in a Dutch Oven pot, all the warm spices just melt together to make the most amazing chili you'll ever eat.
Using ground venison really helps keep the calories lower, it's cleaner and topped with your favorite extras - cheese, sour cream, avocado, green onions, etc it really is just a bowl of deliciousness.
Making chili is super easy, as long as you get the ingredients right - literally you just season and brown the venison ground meat, sweat the veggies then add all the rest of the ingredients to the pot - and simmer for about 3-4 hours.
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I try not to make my deer chili recipe too hot, as we have kiddos eating too - this gives it just enough of a bite so that you know you're eating chili, but it's not uncomfortable. Those who like it hotter can always add a little hot sauce or chilies!
Note: If you don't have to worry about the heat and prefer it hotter - add Cayenne Pepper, chilies or hot sauce to taste.
Groceries you'll need: Ingredients
- Red Kidney Beans (chili beans)
- Garlic Powder
- Onion Powder
- Creole Seasoning
- Cooking Oil
- Ground Venison (ground deer meat)
- Sweet Onions
- Green Bell Peppers
- Celery
- Chopped Carrots
- Chopped Cloves Garlic
- Rotel (chopped tomatoes and chilies)
- Tomato Paste
- Diced Tomatoes
- Tomato Sauce
- Bay Leaves
- Cumin, dried
- Chili Powder
See recipe card below for quantities.
Recipe walkthrough: Instructions
- Step 1: Season and brown the venison ground meat over a medium-high heat.
- Step 2: Remove the ground meat and sweat the veggies over a medium heat until translucent.
- Step 3: Add all the remaining ingredients to a large Dutch Oven pot, stir with your wooden spoon to combine.
- Step 4: Cover and let the chili cook over a low heat for 3-4 hours.
Hint: if you are short on time, you could use canned beans. Make sure to rinse them off before adding to the chili or they may add too much sodium.
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Recipe variations and substitute ideas
- Ground Meat - instead of ground venison you could use ground turkey or ground beef with this recipe.
- Black Beans - Some people like to use black beans instead of kidney beans.
- Sweetness - I use carrots to sweeten this dish, but if you prefer you could just use sugar.
- Vegetarian - forget the ground meat altogether and use more variety of beans.
- Spicy - add chili pepper flakes while cooking to imbue heat into the dish, or hot sauce
- Deluxe - add avocado, sour cream, cheddar cheese on top.
- Kid friendly - use less of the chilies etc.
Necessary gear: Equipment
Although I use a Dutch oven to cook this venison chili, you can also take this same recipe and add it to a slow cooker and let it cook all day. This is another one of our favorite crock pot dishes!!
Or, you need it quicker - go ahead and use the Instant Pot. Brown the ground meat and veggies on saute function, then cook for 20 minutes.
How to store leftovers
Once you have allowed the chili to cool completely, add to an airtight container and refrigerate in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Chili is actually one of those dishes that tastes so much better then next day anyway!
This dish freezes very well. Add to a freezer safe container and freeze for up to 3 months.
What To Serve With Venison Chili
Chili is always good to serve with corn chips, French fries, I even know someone who eats it on rice. I tried it... and it's good! We have a great cornbread recipe, that tastes great with this chili recipe. Add some avocado, sour cream and cheese and you have a delicious combination of flavors that will satisfy any comfort food cravings!
Mel's kitchen notes
This is a total mom-hack! So, instead of sugar to coax the natural sweetness out of the tomatoes, I like to use carrots. My son and husband HATE vegetables so this is my way of getting a little extra into their diet - plus I think it compliments the dish well. Just make sure to chop them up really fine so that they just melt into the dish.
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Venison Chili
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pounds Red Kidney Beans dried
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 teaspoon Onion Powder
- 2 teaspoons Creole Seasoning + 2 Tablespoons
- 3 teaspoons Cooking Oil
- 3 pounds Ground Venison
- 2 each Sweet Onions diced, large
- 1 each Green Bell Pepper diced, large
- 2 ribs Celery diced
- ½ Cup Carrots finely chopped
- 2 Tablespoons Garlic minced
- 10.5 Ounces Diced Tomatoes and Chilies canned (Rotel)
- 2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
- 15 Ounces Diced Tomatoes canned, 1 can
- 5 Cups Tomato Sauce
- 3 each Bay Leaves large
- 2 Tablespoons Ground Cumin
- 2 Tablespoons Chili Powder
Instructions
- Soak 1 pound of Red kidney beans overnight in water with 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder, 1 teaspoon Onion Powder and 2 teaspoons Creole Seasoning.
- In 3 teaspoons cooking oil (or olive oil). Brown 3 pounds of ground venison with 2 Tablespoons Creole Seasoning, until almost cooked through still slightly pink). Drain the fluid and set aside.
- Chop 2 Sweet Onions, 2 ribs of Celery and 1 Green Bell Pepper in Food Processor.
- Take this and add to dutch oven Pot - cook on medium heat.
- Add ½ Cup carrots to food processor and chop on high speed to get them as fine as possible. Add to the pot.
- Cook until onions are sweating and translucent.
- Add 2 Tablespoons of minced garlic and cook a further 2 minutes.
- Add 2 Tablespoons of Tomato Paste and mix together cooking for a further 2 mins.
- Add 10.5 Ounces of Rotel, 15 Ounces of Diced Tomatoes and 5 Cups of Tomato Sauce. Keep cooking on medium.
- Once bubbling add ground venison back to the pot and mix together.
- Add the drained 1 pound of soaked kidney beans.
- Add 3 bay leaves, 2 Tablespoons cumin and 2 Tablespoons chili powder, mix together well and turn heat down to idle on low for about 4 hours.
- Remove bay leaves and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
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