Crockpot Venison Stew, or deer stew, as we call it around here, is slow-cooked on low heat until the venison falls apart in a dark, rich broth, full of deer meat , potatoes, and tenderizing red wine or brown ale! Whether you use red wine for a bold depth or beer for a malty twist, this stew hits the spot on a cold night.
I grew up on slow-cooked comfort food, like this pot roast with onions, and this stew is my venison twist on it.
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Why You'll Love Slow Cooker Venison Stew
High Protein & Lean: Venison has less fat than beef, so you get all the same hearty, slow-cooked comfort with a leaner boost of protein.
Rich and Flavorful: The longer it cooks, the better it tastes. The broth gets richer with every hour.
Customizable: Use red wine or beer, whichever you've got open.
What You Need to Make Crockpot Venison Stew
Below are just some of the basics you need to make this crockpot venison stew recipe. You will need several seasonings from the pantry which are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Venison Stew Meat
- Potatoes: I love to use gold potatoes. I feel like they have the creamiest texture and buttery flavor. They go excellent in this stew.
- Cremini Mushrooms are my favorite. If you don't like mushrooms, just leave them out. You can also use white button mushrooms or baby portabellas.
- Tomato Paste: this is an important ingredient. It will help thicken up the stew as well as add flavor.
- Red Wine or Beer: A dark or light beer will work, whichever you enjoy the most. I prefer a dry red wine like Pinot Noir or Burgundy, but any dry red you have on hand will do the job.
- Beef Broth
How To Make Crockpot Venison Stew
Wine gives the broth a deeper, slightly fruity edge. Beer leans sweeter and malty. Either one works so just grab what's already in your kitchen.
Season
Prepare the stew meat by tossing it with flour, salt, and pepper in a mixing bowl.
Sear
Heat a large non-stick skillet until it is hot. Add 1 tablespoon of oil and sear meat until browned on all sides.
Chop
While deer meat is searing, prepare your vegetables for the stew. Chop and measure your vegetables for the venison stew and set aside.
Layer ingredients
In your crockpot, layer your vegetables and seasoning in your slow cooker ceramic pot. Add seared venison last.
Add wine or beer
Pour wine or beer along with broth over venison. Cover and cook on low 7-½ hours or until meat is tender. Discard bay leaf before serving.
Slow cook
Cook on low temperature for 7 hours (recommended) or high for 4 hours.
Instant Pot Method
Short on time? You can make this in the Instant Pot too. Season and sear the venison right in the pot using the saute function, just like you would on the stovetop. Add the vegetables, seasonings, wine or beer, and broth. Seal the lid and cook on high pressure for 35 minutes. Let it release naturally for 10 minutes, then finish with a quick release.
Equipment
- Crockpot: I use this one (affiliate link) I love that it has a warm setting on it so if it finishes before we get home, it keeps it warm still.
- Cutting board
- Sharp knife
- Large skillet (for browning stew meat)
- Stainless steel spatula
Hint: stainless steel spatulas (affiliate link) are the best type of material to use in a hot cast iron skillet.
Substitutions
Meat: If venison isn't available, substitute with beef or lamb.
Alcohol-Free: Replace red wine or beer with beef broth for a non-alcoholic option.
Vegetables: Use sweet potatoes or parsnips instead of regular potatoes for a sweeter flavor.
Variations
Spicy Kick: Add a diced chili pepper or a dash of cayenne for heat.
Herb Twist: Try rosemary or thyme in place of or in addition to parsley.
Flavor boost: Use bacon grease in place of olive oil to sear the meat.
Creamy Finish: Stir in a splash of heavy cream right before serving.
Top tips
- 1" dice: Be sure to dice your carrots and potatoes into smaller pieces. A good recommendation is 1" cubes. Anything larger can cause your vegetables to not cook.
- Thickening the Stew: If the broth is too thin, mix a tablespoon of cornstarch with cold water and stir it in during the last 30 minutes of cooking.
- Timing: Avoid lifting the lid too often to keep the heat consistent.
- Hunting Season Prep: Whenever hunting season rolls around, I like to double this recipe and portion the extra into the freezer, so there's already a hearty dinner waiting after a long day out in the woods.
Venison FAQ's
Stew meat is basically the least tender cut of the deer. Grumpy says it is the bits and pieces of tougher meat that also can be made into ground venison. It is the tougher meat from the animal which is why slow cooking is the best way to prepare it.
Yes! While traditional stew meat works great, you can also use shoulder, neck, or shank cut into 1-inch cubes. These are naturally tough cuts that get nice and tender after hours in the crockpot. Just skip backstrap or tenderloin for this recipe; those lean tender cuts are better saved for quick-cooking meals since they'll turn dry and tough after a long slow cook.
Wild game has a rich and earthy flavor. However, gaminess is caused by several factors. Undesirable flavor can be the result of taking an older buck, one that was in the rut (therefore his testosterone is high), or poor processing can all be factors of a gamey flavor. To tone it down, soak your venison in buttermilk or a mild saltwater brine for a few hours before cooking. Trim away as much silverskin and fat as you can (that's where most of the gamey flavor hides). Give the meat a good hard sear before it goes into the crockpot. All three steps go a long way toward a milder flavor.
It depends on how the meat is packaged. I recommend vacuum sealing. Good wrapping will assist in longer storage. We have had venison in the freezer for as long as 2 years and have never had freezer burnt meat.
Serve with...
- Serve with dinner rolls or over creamy mashed potatoes.
- Pair with a side of air fryer asparagus, Air Fryer Frozen Green Beans, or a simple green salad.
- Enjoy with a glass of red wine or a cold beer to complement the flavors.
More Venison Recipes
If you love venison recipes, you will want to try my Easy Venison Sloppy Joes with Homemade Joe Sauce, Spicy Asian Venison Bowl, Venison Stroganoff, and BBQ Cheddar Venison Meatloaf Muffins.
When you make this recipe, please comment below and let me know what you think. I'd love it if you tag me on Instagram @grumpyshoneybunch or #grumpyshoneybunch so I can see your photos!
If you love this recipe, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating
📖 Recipe
Crockpot Venison Stew
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Ingredients
- 2 cups Yukon gold or red potato peeled and cubed
- 2 cups cremini mushrooms , quartered
- 1 cup celery , sliced
- 1 cup carrot , sliced
- ½ cup onion , diced
- ⅓ cup tomato paste
- 1½ teaspoon sugar (optional)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ cup flour
- ⅙ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 1½ pound venison stew meat
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup red wine
- 1 cup beef broth
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, sprinkle the flour, teaspoon salt, and teaspoon pepper over top of the venison stew meat. Toss to coat.
- Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the venison. Cook for 4 minutes or until browned on all sides, turning frequently.
- In the following order, layer: potatoes, carrots, onions, celery, mushrooms, and venison stew meat, tomato paste, oregano, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, salt, pepper, and sugar (if using).
- Pour beer and broth over venison. Cover and cook on low 7 ½ hours or until meat is tender. Discard bay leaf before serving.
Video
Notes
Make this recipe the way you like it
- Substitute beer for the red wine
- Substitute diced turnip for the potatoes for a lower carb version of venison stew.
- Make this in a dutch oven instead of the crockpot. In step 2, instead of putting the ingredients in the slow cooker, put them in the dutch oven and bake at 350 for 1-½ hours.
- Stew can be frozen in an airtight container for up to three months; add a little more water or beer when reheating.
DeeJay says
Excellent recipe.
I increased the tyme and rosemary to our taste.
Added about an 1/2 cup of more wine about 6 hrs in (for that bouquet) and then added 5 cloves of minced garlic in the meat prep.
Soo good!!
Harrie Dennison says
Very simple and tasty recipe. Used it for some Blacktail stew meat, added 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne pepper and 1 teaspoon of corn starch and water the last hour of cooking.
The recipe is a keeper!
Elmarmo says
This is a great recipe thank you! I also enjoyed the post with the deer meat diagram.
I had two lbs of meat so I made some adjustments. I used 32oz of beef broth, about 1.5 cups wine, added some parsnips, had no rosemary (unfortunately bc I definitely miss it) added sage, mustard powder, a little extra salt and fresh garlic chunks. It was good at six hours on low but pretty darn good at close to eight hours too so I liked the wiggle room for cooking time but I’m assuming that’ll always change with the size of the meat chunks.
I will 100% use this recipe again for venison and I’m excited to try it for beef!
Rai says
My husband and I LOVE this recipe. Thank you for sharing. I follow it exactly, except for the seeded and quartered jalapeño I add for just a little zing.
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Rai, thank you so much for coming back and telling me. So happy you love the recipe! Shelby.
Manda says
Third time making this, my favorite stew recipe ever! My husband loves it too, as someone else stated you seriously hit all the seasonings perfectly. Perfection!
Chandice Probst says
What a fantastic and hearty wild game recipe! The instructions are great though especially for a newbie to this kind of meat. Thank you so much!
mark traxon says
I doubled the recipe added a little sege . best stew I ever made.
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Mark, thank you so much for coming back to rate the recipe. So happy you enjoyed it! Shelby
Suzy says
How much time was needed to cook the stew, when you doubled the recipe?
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Suzy, I have not doubled this recipe, but I would be sure to use a large slow cooker and cook it on low for 8-10 hours.
Harold Burton says
I made this last night, and it was wonderful! I added sauteed onions and mushrooms. My boyfriend loved it.
Ingrid says
This is my go to venison stew recipe. I put it in a pie crust which my husband LOVES!
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Ingrid, thank you for sharing! I love the idea of serving it in pie crust! Shelby
Jessica Robinson says
As a hunting family, I make this often. It's currently hunting season here. I make this in the morning and the hunting crew has a nice warm meal when they get back. I pretty much follow the recipient exactly. I use guinness beer instead of red wine. it's a hit!
Kathryn says
I must say great recipe!
I love stew and soups so I made a
Venison soup in crockpot!
Seasoned cheap part of Venison with salt pepper adobo floured the meat lightly and sautéed in frying pan added 1-2 chopped onions 3-4 carrots celery roughly chopped peeled and quarter either 2-3 potatoes and sweet potatoes or yams Sauted all to get good color optional 1/2 cup wine your choice addedBroth chicken or beef to cover and cooked in crockpot till meat & potatoes are all tender. Stew in crockpot on high a good 6 hours
Taste add seasoning if needed.
Serve with good crusty bread & butter.
Maybe someone will like this as a soup?
Enjoy
Pooky Sholtz says
Love this recipe. I've made it 3 times now. Needs nothing extra.
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Thank you so much! Shelby
Mike says
Best stew l have ever had! Seriously!
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Thanks Mike!
Ken McBroom says
Can’t wait to try this recipe. I have made venison stew before but not in a crockpot. I can put this together turn it on and go hunting and return home to a delicious dinner.
Shelby Law Ruttan says
I hope you love it! I like it with beer and wine, but I prefer the red wine (in the broth and in a glass!) Thanks!
Claire says
Made this for dinner tonight, I had never made venison myself before so I just stuck to the recipe and it was amazing! It melted in my mouth and my picky child ate 2 bowls! Definitely keeping this recipe on hand to make again and again!
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Claire, Thanks for stopping by and sharing your experience! So happy your picky child loved it! 🙂 Shelby
Laurie Zahar says
I was pretty excited to try this recipe as we too, have a freezer full of venison. I totally forgot to put it on Sunday morning so I converted it to a stovetop recipe using a LeCreuset pot and it was delicious! I probably simmered it too long, but it melted in our mouths. Thank you so much for sharing. You hit all the spices perfectly. Can't wait to make the next batch in the crock pot!
Shelby says
Hi Laurie! So happy you stopped by and let me know you tried the recipe! Glad it turned out so delicious for you also 🙂
Marla says
My husband is concerned the mule deer tenderloin won’t get tender enough. What have you found? Or any suggestions to make sure it is tender enough?
TIA
Shelby says
I have used tenderloin when my stew meat was gone and had no issues. However, I recommend stew meat as it takes well to long, slow cooking. Normally tenderloin needs to be cooked quickly as overcooking it can cause it to become tough. My recommendation is to use stew meat if you have it. Having said that, the meat recipe still was not tough - it was very delicious!
Harrie Dennison says
Marla, you should absolutely have no problem with the tenderloin being tough, it's the tenderest cut on venison! Try salt, pepper, a bit of McCormick Montreal Steak seasoning and a splash of Worcester sauce. Let it marinate for 2-6 hours. Grill at medium heat for 11-12 minutes, 4 minutes per side, basting with melted butter to keep it moist. I've used this simple recipe on Mule Deer, Black Tail, Axis, Pronghorn and Elk.
Heather says
I just went out recently with my boyfriend and his family hunting in WI, I am making this today on high heat whist we go to cut our Christmas tree. I have only had venison stew once, one my boyfriend made early on in our relationship, with meat he had shot the year before. This recipe sounds amazing and I can’t wait to try it. I will day I added a bit more veggies and the meat was a smidge more than 1lb so I added more of everything else. And I always add waaaay more garlic. It smells amazing so far so it should be an awesome meal. Thank you for the recipe!
Shelby says
Hi Heather! I hope it turned out great for you! Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
Anne Lawton says
you can't go wrong with stew this time of year! This looks good.
Caroline says
I haven't had venison in so long since we don't really get it here, but I used to love it when we got it in the UK. This looks so comforting.
Karen says
How awesome that you have someone who goes out and brings back dinner! Your bowl of the stew is gorgeous.
Liz @ The Lemon Bowl says
This looks so yummy! I don't often cook with venison - but this sounds fabulous! 🙂
ashley manila says
I have to try this soon!
Carolyn says
This sounds lovely, bread dipped in this stew would be so amazing!
Jersey Girl Cooks says
I'm not a huge venison person but I think I'd love this stew! Or I could always use beef instead. Love your presentation!
Lauren Vavala @ DeliciousLittleBites says
Sending this recipe right over to my fiance now! He's got a bunch of venison in the freezer and needed some new ideas for it! Thanks!
Lisa | Garlic & Zest says
It seems that being a "hunters widow" is more beneficial than being a "golf widow". My husband never shows up with game after 18 holes. Your venison stew looks amazing!
Dahn says
delicious stew! We still have some venison from last year that needs to get eaten so we can make room for this years supply. Time to make some stew!
Lisa says
We have so much venison in the freezer. I was just thinking I need to make a stew and this one looks so delicious.
Claudia Lamascolo says
We love venison and stew is the way to go, it makes it so tender. I love how delicious this looks and the flavors will be exactly what I would use my husband would love this. I will need to make this when he gets venision again!
Kaylee says
I have this is in my crockpot right now, but with Elk instead. Thank you so much for posting game recipes, my dad is a huge hunter so we get most our meat from him and since my husband is out of town I need to prep cook for the week.
Shelby says
Hi Kaylee! Thanks for letting me know. I hope your family loves this recipe with the Elk! I have not had Elk yet, but Grumpy does want to do an Elk hunt so I'm pretty sure one day I will finally get to try it 🙂
Richa Gupta says
The soup looks spicy and yummy over all!
Carolyn says
This looks perfect for the colder days!
ashley says
This looks so warm and comforting!
Laura says
A family friend of ours hunts and always gives us some venison! YUM!
Kristine says
My family doesn't like mushrooms. Would you substitute something else or just leave them out? Thanks!
Shelby says
You can leave the mushrooms out 🙂
ERIN says
COULD I USE VENISON "STEW MEAT" INSTEAD OF THE BACK STRAP? I HAVE SOME IN THE FREEZER AND I NEED A RECIPE FOR IT. THIS LOOKS PERFECT.
Shelby says
Absolutely and thank you!
BRIAN & JOANIE says
My husband has been making venison stew for years. I made your recipe 2 days ago. He says it was the best he's ever had. I made pop overs with them. Yummy!
MacKenzie says
I was wondering about how much this recipe makes. I have to feed about 25 to 30 fireman (also known as food vacuums haha) and I'm wondering if I shouldn't make two. Thanks.
Mama C says
I made this recipe recently and it turned out fantastic! The only changes I made was to use rice flour instead of ap flour, and pino noir instead of beer, as we were somehow out...
pigpigscorner says
I've only had venison at restaurants and have no idea where to buy the meat. This looks great!
Pete says
Tough or next to impossible to buy wild venison. Gotta hunt it. Nothing more satisfying than harvesting your own food, meat or vegetables.
Olga says
have never had venison. it's gray and cold in DC...would love a bowl of it.
Nat says
Gorgeous !
{kiss my spatula} says
what a perfect stew for a chilly evening! i love venison!
Phoenix says
This looks amazing! I've been trying to think of a way to get the boyfriend interested in something other than burger meat, and this might do the trick. Thanks for sharing!
Donna-FFW says
Well, that just looks absolutely delish! Grumpy is LUCKY to have you.
HoneyB says
Thanks!
Grumpy went out...early morning and evening hunt. So he still went out....he just complained. 😉
Coleen, it not so much he doesn't want to be in the rain. Its more that its too windy and raining pretty hard to be hunting with a bow. Right now it is archery season. 😉 However, that said, it has done nothing but rain here for about 2 weeks straight now.
Barbara, I get more than a week. 😉 Early archery starts around Sept 28 and he hunts right thru muzzleloader, rifle...up to the 2nd weekend in December!
Coleen's Recipes says
We don't have access to venison here, but we DO make moose stew. I'm chuckling at Grumpy not wanting to hunt in the rain...a little wimpy don't you thin? haha. I totally know what you mean about enjoying Grumpys hunting trips. Around here we call it, enjoying Hubbys snowmachine trips.
Katy ~ says
HoneyB, I can just see Grumpy's big smile for this one. It looks outstanding!
Josie says
You crack me up! You sound exactly like my mom about my dad regarding hunting (and what a pain in the tush they can be when the weather doesn't cooperate!). I need a grumpy in my life to bring home venison for me so I can try this stew!
teresa says
my tummy is cravint this stew!
Helene says
What a stew. Looks delicious.
Mags says
It's been awhile since I've had venison stew. Hubby doesn't hunt, but my dad and brothers did when I was growing up and I fondly remember all the meals we ate from their hunts. This looks delicious Shelby.
Pam says
My husband would love this stew, especially because you cooked it with beer. Great photos Shelby.
Natalie says
wow yum! I haven't had venison since I was a little kid, but this sounds awesome!
Barbara Bakes says
You take such good care of Grumpy! I might need my husband to take up hunting so I can have a week by myself!
Jessie says
Grumpy cracks me up! sitting around sulking because it was bad day weather wise. I hope that yummy venison stew cheered him up!
Amanda says
LOL - my hubby doesn't hunt, but there are plenty of them here in southern WI! A good friend of mine looks forward o this time of year. Her boyfriend and all his buddies go up north for a week of hunting. She can't wait to get him out of the house LOL!
This stew looks great - I have never tried venison. Sounds like a shocker, but since we don't have a hunter here... I bet this would be just as fabulous with beef too 🙂