This Venison Chili Recipe is a great alternative to your traditional beef chili. With the help of a pressure cooker, you can make the best-tasting venison chili in under 1 hour! Venison, beans, tomatoes, and dark chocolate turn this classic into something special.
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When the colder weather shows up, there is nothing I enjoy more than making soups like our Dairy Free Clam Chowder and salmon stew.
My father-in-law is an avid hunter and packs my freezer full of venison and elk meat. I am always looking for different ways to prepare venison, and chili is one of my favorites.
Venison is lean meat perfect for soups, cabbage rolls, and shepherd's pie. Grocery stores are starting to carry venison in the meat department. Often they are frozen into 1-pound packages.
If you want to make this recipe extra yummy use make my beef bone broth, it's packed full of nutrients and flavor!
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Why you'll love this recipe
- Enjoy the best homemade chili in under 1 hour! Have I told you how much I LOVE the instant pot? Sometimes we don't have 2-3 hours to spare simmering a soup.
- Venison is healthy and delicious! Deer meat is super lean and lower in fat, a great substitute for ground beef.
- Dark chocolate makes this recipe something special. Okay, so I am giving away all my secrets. 1 ounce of dark chocolate at the end of cooking brings all the flavors together.
This recipe is packed with protein just like my Turkey Lentil Soup, you should give it a try!
Ingredients
Here is everything you will need to make this homemade deer chili recipe
Ingredient Notes
- Venison - a lean meat and a great substitution for ground beef
- Spices - a mixture of garlic powder, onion powder, cinnamon, paprika, cumin, and chili powder.
- Coconut sugar - adds a touch of sweetness to balance out the spices
- Bone broth - try my instant pot beef bone broth
- Dark chocolate - creates a rich and flavorful venison chili
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make venison chili
Making chili is so easy, here's how to make it.
Step 1: Saute onions, peppers, and ground beef until the meat is browned.
Step 2: Add spices, coconut sugar, and tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes.
Step 3: Add in tomatoes, beans, and beef broth, cooking for 10 minutes under high pressure.
Step 4: Release the pressure from the instant pot and add in dark chocolate.
Step 5: Season with salt and pepper, adjusting seasoning if needed.
Step 6: Garnish chili with avocado, cilantro, and chopped red onion.
Substitutions
Venison - Other great options for chili include beer, turkey, and elk.
Spices - Chili powder is mandatory in all chili recipes. The other spices are free to play around with. Try oregano, coriander, curry powder, mustard powder, and chipotle powder.
Beans - Any mixture of beans will work. Try chickpeas, black beans, kidney beans, white beans, etc.
Broth - I like to use a good quality bone broth in all my soups. If you don't have any beef broth on hand water will work just fine.
Variations
Slow Cooker Venison Chili - Brown venison, onions, and bell peppers in a large skillet. Transfer to a crockpot and add the rest of the ingredients. Cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 3 hours.
Whole30 Chili - To make this recipe Whole30 and Paleo-friendly, remove the beans, coconut sugar, and dark chocolate from the recipe. Feel free to add more chopped bell peppers to add more veggies.
Chili topping ideas
- Avocado
- Green onion
- Shredded Cheese
- Sour Cream
- Sliced Jalapenos
- Cilantro
- Limes
- Crackers
Equipment
- Instant Pot
- Chef Knife
- Soup Ladle
Deer Chili Storage Suggestions
- Refrigerator - Make sure to cool chili down to room temperature and store in airtight containers for 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
- Freezer - Place chili in airtight containers. Check out these cool silicone soup freezer ice cube trays. The soup will last in the freezer for 6 months.
Chef Tips
- Use an instant pot to make chili super fast. Gone are the days of simmering chili on the stove for hours.
- A small amount of dark chocolate in deer chili is delicious. The acidity in dark chocolate balances out the strong flavor of venison.
- Coconut sugar brings out the flavor! A small amount of sweetness is needed to bring all the spices together. We choose coconut sugar because it's paleo-friendly.
- Chili always tastes better the next day. Make a large batch of venison chili and enjoy it for a few days.
Frequently Asked Questions
The flavor of venison can be mild or strong. If your venison has a game flavor, try adding dark chocolate or citrus-like oranges and limes. The acidity balances out the flavor.
Allspice, cinnamon, star anise, black pepper, cloves, coffee, and dark chocolate complement venison.
Yes, venison is leaner than ground beef. Deer are in the wild and grass-fed, whereas cattle are raised on farms and have more fat. Deer meat has 1 gram of fat per ounce of meat.
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📖 Recipe
The Ultimate Venison Chili Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 2 red bell peppers diced
- 1 pound venison
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon cumin ground
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 cups beef bone broth
- 28 ounces diced tomatoes with juice
- 15 ounces black beans drained and rinsed
- 15 ounces kidney beans drained and rinsed
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 ounce dark chocolate
Garnishes
- Cilantro chopped
- Avocado diced
- Red Onion diced
Instructions
- Turn on the saute function on your instant pot and let it heat up. When the digital display says HOT, you are ready to cook.
- Add the avocado oil, onion, and red peppers. Cook until the vegetables start to soften, 5-7 minutes. Add the venison and brown.
- Add coconut sugar, garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, paprika, cinnamon, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Saute for 2 minutes and add the tomato paste, cooking for another 2 minutes.
- Deglaze the pot with beef broth, scraping the bottom of the pan, and add tomatoes and beans.
- Give the chili a couple of stirs and bring it to a boil. Place lid on instant pot and cook under high pressure for 10 minutes. Naturally, release the pressure and stir in your dark chocolate until it's melted.
- Ladle chili into bowls, top with cilantro, avocado, and red onion.
Notes
Mikes Tips
- Use an instant pot to make chili super fast. Gone are the days of simmering chili on the stove for hours.
- A small amount of dark chocolate in deer chili is delicious. The acidity in dark chocolate balances out the strong flavor of venison.
- Coconut sugar brings out the flavor! A small amount of sweetness is needed to bring all the spices together. We choose coconut sugar because it's paleo-friendly.
- Chili always tastes better the next day. Make a large batch of venison chili and enjoy it for a few days.
Nutrition
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Katherine says
I have to agree on this one! The flavor is outstanding! For me the chili came out more soup-like, but since no one else seems to have had this issue, it’s on me probably because I doubled the recipe, and I think my instant pot sauté function doesn’t get as hot as it should. I had a lot of liquid after cooking the onion, peppers and browning the venison and no bits to deglaze with the broth. I hand trimmed the venison and cut it into smaller cubes instead of grinding. I also over the last couple of days made a couple of batches of venison broth that I used instead of beef broth. I will definitely use this recipe again.
Ashley DeMuth says
Amazing chili, with or without the dark chocolate addition. I have made this multiple times with tiny variations (first cook I didn’t have coconut sugar and replaced with brown sugar). Excellent flavor, great addition to the deer rotating meals!
mikecleavenger says
Venison is such healthy ground meat and chili is a perfect application. The instant pot is great for turning out a delicious chili in under an hour. Try out this recipe and let me know what your think!