Make mouthwatering, juicy Venison Burgers without any added fat! You can have lean, delicious venison burgers from ground venison in less than a half hour.
So you know how I mentioned we had 28 pounds of venison in our freezer when I posted my Mexican Lasagna recipe?? Well we are slowly making our way through it all! We had slow cooker chili, Mexican lasagna made with venison, venison steak, and now I made venison burgers.
More game meat recipes to try: Air Fryer Frog Legs
Ground venison recipe
For those of you who are new to venison, venison is deer meat. So venison burgers are made from ground deer meat!
A lot of people are turning towards eating venison, because venison is typically naturally organic, free-range, etc., because it is hunted by hunters instead of farm-raised. And venison is very flavorful and is much lower in fat than beef.
So this ground venison recipe is a great idea if you want to make a burger and enjoy your red meat, but want to keep it a little healthier. By the way, you might also want to check out my bison meatballs for another healthy beef alternative!
Where to buy venison:
Most grocery stores probably do not carry venison unless you live in a rural area, but butcher shops are more likely to have it. If you can't find it in person, you can always order venison online from reputable sellers such as Fossil Farms. If you're going to place an order, you should try venison steak or medallions too, just to get an idea of how flavorful venison is even without extra seasoning.You can also find even more venison recipes on their website.
Do you need to add fat to ground venison?
A lot of people add fat to ground venison when making burgers. But what is the point of adding fat to such a lean, flavorful meat?
My venison burgers are really good and juicy without adding extra fat to them.
I add an egg to the ground venison mixture to help the burgers bind together. The burgers aren't dry or tough.
These burgers are delicious with a slice of sharp cheddar cheese. My husband ate his with a fried egg on top and oh my goodness that was delicious!
How to make venison burgers:
Venison burgers are made very similarly to regular beef burgers: start by adding all the ingredients to a bowl and mixing well.Then form the patties:
The venison patties are first cooked in a pan. A cast-iron pan is the best for this recipe. You can use either a cast-iron grill pan or a regular cast iron pan to brown the burgers.
You'll want to use canola oil to sear the burgers, or another oil that tolerates high heat. If you use olive oil, you'll get a lot of smoke since you'll be cooking these burgers at very high heat in the pan.
After a quick sear, the burgers are put in the oven for 10 minutes to cook them to my liking - medium-well for me, please! (The recommended temperature to cook ground venison is 160F).
If you are using a cast-iron pan that can fit all the burgers, you can transfer it directly into the oven. Or you can place the burgers on a baking sheet, if you prefer.
If you prefer to cook these on a grill, then just prepare the venison burger patties using my recipe below, and follow your favorite grilled burger directions for the cooking time. Just be careful not to overcook them past 160F so they remain juicy and flavorful.
How to serve venison burgers:
Serve these venison burgers with your favorite burger toppings, just like you would eat a burger made out of beef. Some ideas:
- Lettuce, tomato, sliced red onion
- Mayo, ketchup, or this delicious mayo-sriracha-ketchup sauce I use on my pork burgers
- Cheese
- Sauteed onions and/or mushrooms
- Fried egg
- With a side of crispy baked sunchoke chips
And don't forget to toast the bun!
Other burger recipes to try:
- Instant Pot burgers
- Taco Burgers with Salsa
- Juicy Chicken Burgers with Guacamole
- Turkey Burgers
- Chickpea Sweet Potato Burgers with Feta
- Juicy Ground Pork Burgers
Enjoy this recipe! Please let me know if you end up making these, either by leaving a comment and rating below, or tagging me on instagram: @babaganoshblog. I love to hear from you all!
Juicy Oven-Baked Venison Burgers
Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground venison
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup Italian bread crumbs
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- Burger essentials - buns, lettuce, tomato, ketchup, mayo, cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray.
- Combine all the burger ingredients in a large bowl and mix together with your hands or with a fork until all the ingredients are combined. Distribute the spices well, but do not overmix or the burgers will come out tough.
- Form the burger patties: Split the venison mixture in half. Then divide each half into 3 equal parts. Form each part into a burger patty that is about the size of your buns. Flatten the burgers in the center so they cook evenly.
- Preheat your grill pan. Brush the grill pan with the canola oil as you are pre-heating. Place 3 burgers on the pan and cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes on each side, or until the burgers are nicely browned. If you have a large grill pan, you might be able to fit all 6 burgers in at once.
- Place the burgers on the sprayed baking pan and transfer to the oven. Bake for about 10 minutes at 375F for medium burgers, or until the burgers are cooked to your liking. Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature (ground venison should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160 F). Cooking time will vary depending on how thick your burgers are. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before eating. Assemble your burger and enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
The nutritional information displayed is an estimate and not to be used as dietary or nutritional advice. Consult a nutritionist or dietician for nutritional info based on the exact ingredients you use.
What to serve with venison burgers
As much as I would like to load up my plate with French fries anytime I have a burger, I try to pair my burgers with a healthier side dish, such as a salad.
But not a boring salad! Oh no. Here are some flavorful healthier side dishes for burgers:
- Coleslaw orzo salad - half coleslaw, half pasta salad, with a light and tasty citrusy vinaigrette
- Spiralized zucchini and carrot salad with lemon garlic dressing
- No mayo potato salad with feta and olives
- Carrot daikon radish salad with sesame ginger dressing
- Sauteed bell pepper salad
Other tasty non-beef burger recipes:
- Juicy turkey burgers with guacamole
- Juicy ground pork burgers
- Sweet potato chickpea burgers with feta and sriracha - a great vegetarian option!
Rae
Friday 3rd of November 2023
These were delicious. I cut up and added some raw bacon to the mixture. Hubby loved them. The patties stuck together nicely and once cooked, they were juicy. I did end up cooking mine longer though
Celeste Peters
Sunday 5th of December 2021
These were so juicy and flavorful, not to mention quick and easy! This will be our go-to from now on. Can't wait to try more interesting recipes from this site. Thanks!
Kate
Thursday 9th of December 2021
Thanks so much!!
Conrad
Sunday 27th of December 2020
I made these for the first time tonight. First time making venison burgers ever actually! My picky eater Wife and even pickier 10 year old son loved them! I used avocado oil because it was what I had instead of canola oil and it worked fine. Thanks!
Kate
Monday 28th of December 2020
I'm so glad to hear that!!
Debbiejill
Saturday 14th of November 2020
Oh my gosh, so yummy! Easy, too!
Kate
Saturday 14th of November 2020
So glad you liked it!!
Thom
Saturday 9th of May 2020
Came out EXCELLENT - only shortcoming on my part was not to mix the spices in well enough, so there were overspiced and underspiced portions of the burgers. But even with that, they vanished QUICK!
Kate
Saturday 9th of May 2020
Thanks so much for letting me know, Thom!!