Best Venison Burgers Recipe

These venison burgers are so good you’ll never have to search for another venison burger recipe again! They are simple to make and cooked to perfection in a cast iron skillet, topped with caramelized onions, bacon and cheese!

I’ve grown up hunting my entire life with my dad and it’s always been something I’ve loved! I killed my first buck when I was 12 years old on opening day of deer season and I’ve had buck fever ever since. 

And I’ve always enjoyed the meat but my dad used to turn most of the meat into deer jerky and then BBQ the backstrap and tenderloins, it was always good but nothing that special. 

So I never knew how much I would truly love venison until I married my husband who is also a lifelong hunter. But my husband introduced me to a whole new world of cooking venison because he had some family recipes that are absolutely incredible! My most favorite being this fried deer meat and gravy! 

And ever since learning how to cook venison in these delicious recipes, I am really hooked on putting fresh meat in the freezer each year. It’s no longer about hunting for the biggest buck, it’s about hunting to put meat in the freezer for our family. 

But now let’s get to the burger recipe!

Ingredients Needed

The ingredients are super simple and that’s what makes this burger so good! In my opinion, a good burger has minimal ingredients, cannot be overcooked, and turns into perfection with a combination of delicious toppings. 

Here is everything you need to make the venison burger patties:

Ground Venison – venison is lean and when you’re processing your venison you do not want any fat or sinew in the grind. But it’s important to add pork or beef fat in at the time of processing or before you make your burgers for best flavor, and for a burger that doesn’t fall apart. Learn more about adding in fat to venison here.

Worcestershire Sauce – this is the secret ingredient that I would not skip. It gives a great flavor and helps take away from from “gamey” flavor.

Seasonings – I like to keep it simple with just salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

Butter – the butter is for cooking the patties in the cast iron skillet and adds great flavor!

Here are all my favorite toppings for theses burgers:

Caramelized Onions – the caramelized red onions are my favorite topping on this burger! If you like onions they are a must!

Sliced Cheese – top your patties with your favorite cheese such as Pepper Jack, Swiss, Sharp Cheddar, American, or a combination of more than one! I love double the cheese with a combination of Pepper Jack and American.

Bacon – our new favorite way to have bacon on our burgers is cooked and chopped in small pieces so that the entire slice to doesn’t come out with one bite. Instead you get a little bit of bacon with every bite and it’s delicious!

Veggies – slice up your favorite veggies such as avocado, tomato, lettuce, and pickles.

Sauce – coat your buns with your favorite sauces such as mayonnaise, ketchup, and dijon mustard. Dijon mustard is our favorite on this burger!

Hamburger Buns – choose your favorite buns, slice them in half, then toast them in a frying pan with melted butter a few minutes before assembling your burger for an even better experience!

How to Make Venison Burgers 

This burger recipe is super simple and can be tweaked to your liking. However, after testing it out exactly the same for weeks in a row, I recommend trying it as is.

Cook the patties in a cast iron skillet with butter and top your burgers with caramelized onions and extra cheese! They’re so good! 

And now let’s go over how to make these burgers. For exact details check out the recipe card further below. 

Step 1 – Slice all of your burger toppings and set them aside. Lettuce, tomato, avocado, etc. and get together any sauces you want. My favorite for this burger is mayo and dijon mustard!

Step 2 – Chop 12 pieces of bacon into small pieces and cook in a frying pan until desired doneness. Then remove the bacon from the pan and set aside.

Step 3 – Caramelize the onions. Add 2 tablespoons of bacon grease or butter to a frying pan with the sliced onions and brown sugar. Toss to combine, then let the onions caramelize over low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Step 4 – Make the burger patties. Add the ground venison into a medium mixing bowl with the Worcestershire sauce and seasonings and mix with your hands. 

Step 5 – Form the patties. Divide the meat into six equal portions. Make a round ball and then smush the pattie flat with your hand. Keep the patties as round as possible and make them slightly bigger than the size of your hamburger bun.

Set them on a cookie sheet or cutting board and use a spoon to press a dent in the center of each patty which prevents them from puffing up as they cook. 

Step 6 – Preheat a cast iron skillet over medium heat, then melt 2 tablespoons of butter in the pan and add in 2-3 patties, dent side up. I typically cook the patties in two batches of three, but you can add however many fit in your skillet. 

Cook for two minutes over medium heat. After 2 minutes flip the patties and cook for an additional two minutes. While the patties finish cooking, top each burger with a large spoonful of caramelized onions and then add 1-2 slices of cheese on top of the onions. By the time the patties are done cooking the cheese should be melted to perfection!

Step 7 – Add the cooked burgers to a toasted or warmed bun and top with all of your favorite toppings and sauces! 

Cook the remaining patties and repeat!

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Make Ground Venison Taste Better?

The key to ground venison that tastes good is processing it correctly! Any part of deer meat that isn’t muscle doesn’t taste very good. This means you need to trim off all of the silver skin, fat, and ligaments before cooking.

Unlike beef fat that is typically mild with good flavor, deer fat is bitter. So whether you’re taking your meat to a butcher or processing it yourself, it’s crucial to take the time to trim off everything except muscle before putting it through the meat grinder. If not, the entire batch will be tainted with an undesirable flavor which is one of the most common reasons why most people think ground venison tastes gamey.

But on the flip side, if you trim off all of the fat, silver skin, and ligaments, leaving only muscle, ground venison should taste great. 

The next way to improve the taste and texture of ground venison is to add in 10-20% pork or beef fat. Ideally it should be done when the meat is processed but you can also mix it in prior to cooking. 

What Takes the Gamey Taste Out of Venison?

If you have “gamey” tasting venison you can use strong seasonings to mask some of the gamey taste. Another trick is to add a bit of vinegar or Worcestershire sauce to the recipe, which helps neutralize the gameness. 

If you have the time, marinate the venison in buttermilk or milk overnight before cooking. It works wonders to tenderize the meat and reduce any unwanted flavors.

Looking for More Delicious Venison Recipes? Be Sure to Also Try:

• Fried Deer Meat and Gravy
• Venison Chili Recipe
• Cheesy Venison Helper

Check out the printable recipe card below with more details on cooking our favorite venison burgers!

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