This savory Venison Meatloaf recipe is delectably tender, perfectly seasoned, and lacquered in a rich and tangy sauce! This recipe will quickly become a favorite use of deer meat!
Honestly, you can use most beef meatloaf recipes with ground venison, and they will taste great. However, the best venison meatloaf recipes are the ones specifically tailored to the rich flavor of venison.
I find the herbal flavor of sage to be a great compliment to wild game meat while a bit of sweetness and tang from tomato paste and brown mustard brightens the flavor of venison. But it is the tangy glaze that really makes this recipe amazing. One bite and you will see why this is one of the most popular venison meatloaf recipes online!
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Ground venison - To avoid excessively dry meatloaf, make sure your butcher blends your deer meat with fat. An 80/20 fat blend ratio is ideal for meatloaf and venison burgers. If your ground deer meat does not contain any fat, mix the lean meat with 50% ground pork or ground beef for this recipe.
- Plain breadcrumbs - Panko breadcrumbs can be substituted.
- Beef broth
- Large eggs
- Yellow onion
- Fresh parsley - You can substitute one tablespoon of Italian seasoning.
- Tomato paste - Tomato sauce can be substituted.
- Brown mustard - Dijon mustard is a good substitute.
- Worcestershire sauce
- Table salt
- Paprika
- Garlic powder
- Black pepper
- Ground sage
- Brown sugar
How to make venison meatloaf
To make this homemade venison meatloaf recipe, begin by preheating your oven to 350 degrees. While the oven preheats, crumble the ground meat into small pieces and place in a large mixing bowl. Top with breadcrumbs.
In a separate bowl, combine the remaining meatloaf ingredients, then add to the bowl with the crumbled venison. Mix everything well to combine.
Add ketchup, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce to a small bowl and mix together to form the meatloaf glaze.
Spread a spoonful of glaze on the bottom of a loaf pan, then add the meatloaf mixture and press into a loaf shape. Then spread the remaining glaze over the top of the meatloaf.
Place in the preheated oven and cook the meatloaf at 350 degrees for 75 minutes, or until the internal temperature reads 160 degrees when tested with an instant-read thermometer in the center of the meatloaf. The cooking time will be shorter if you don't use a loaf pan and you flatten it in a 9x13 baking pan instead.
What to serve with it
When making any meatloaf, there isn't a more classic side dish than mash potatoes. I don't think any meatloaf dinner is complete without them. Mashed potatoes can be prepared on the stove top while the meatloaf bakes in the oven. Choose any of the following vegetables to round out the meal:
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
Leftover venison meatloaf should be stored in an airtight container, or covered in plastic wrap, for up to one week in your refrigerator. Reheat the meatloaf in individual servings in a microwave until warmed through, or gently warm in a skillet set over medium-low heat.
Venison Meatloaf
Equipment
- Bread loaf pan
Ingredients
Meatloaf
- 2 pounds ground venison (blended with fat)
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 cup beef broth
- 2 eggs (beaten)
- ⅔ cup grated onion
- ¼ cup finely chopped parsley
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon brown mustard
- 1 ½ tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 ½ teaspoon table salt
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ rounded teaspoon ground sage
Meatloaf Glaze
- ½ cup ketchup
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Gently crumble venison into small pieces and place into a large bowl. Sprinkle breadcrumbs on top.
- In a separate bowl combine the remaining meatloaf ingredients and stir to combine the meat mixture. *
- Pour seasoning and liquid mixture into bowl with venison. Gently mix to combine with clean hands.
- Combine all ingredients for the glaze and paint a couple tablespoons onto the bottom of a loaf pan. Place the meatloaf into the loaf pan and pour remaining glaze over the top of the meatloaf.
- Place meatloaf in the oven for 75 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.
- Let meatloaf rest for 5 minutes and serve.
Notes
Nutritional Information
Don't forget to check out the rest of my mouthwatering venison recipes too!
This recipe was originally published on June 15, 2018.
Teresa
So happy I found this recipe. Hy hunter husband and I enjoyed this very much.
Nanajee Travels
This venison meatloaf sounds absolutely mouthwatering! Tender, flavorful, and topped with a rich, tangy sauce—such a delicious way to enjoy deer meat. Definitely a must-try!
Lis
Oh my goodness this is the best ever! I followed the recipe and it was simply Devine. My husband has claimed it his new fav. Thank you for sharing this! It was so damn delicious 😋
Paul Tomczak
The recipe calls for 2 lbs ground venison. Is the pork/beef included in that amount, or added to it? If it is included, how many ounces of venison and how many ounces of pork/beef? I am uncertain because the beginning of the article indicates 100 percent ground venison, no fat, needs 50 percent fat in the form of pork or beef, which could mean a blend of half venison and half pork/beef, or a blend of venison and 50 percent pork/beef (1 lb venison plus 1/2 lb pork/beef). Also, how would this recipe work in the form of a Wellington (your recipe baked inside a crust made of crescent rolls)?
Fox Valley Foodie
Yes, anything the butcher mixes into your venison is included in the quantities listed. That is just a recommendation on the best mixture.
Kay K S
i've made a lot of venison meatloaf over the years and this was outstanding!!
Koryn
This came out great in the end! There were some issues along the way. For starters, I don't know what size loaf pan you all have used but this was easily 2 9" loaf pans full. I didn't have a second loaf pan so it used a deep dish 8" round cake pan. That worked BUT it took 40 minutes more to cook through! I did the rest to spec. It did need more breadcrumbs than called for. I never added broth to a meatloaf before. It got pretty soupy and I panicked but it all works out! The flavor of this is great. I love the glaze. I'll make it again
April
This recipe is a keeper!! It's hard to get the kids to eat venison but this recipe had them asking for seconds!
Jackie T
I never leave reviews but this recipe deserves one! Absolutely delicious. I was debating between using this recipe and other I found online. So glad I went with this one!! The venison I used was pretty lean, and I didn't have a grater for the onion so I lightly blended some bacon and onion with the liquid mixture and it was a game changer. So moist. Will use this recipe for years to come!
Debbie
Can I use dried oats instead of bread crumbs?
Fox Valley Foodie
Yes, that is a great substitute!
Georgetta Busler
Third time making this meatloaf and family goes crazy for it. I usually don't care for a glaze but this one really adds some nice flavor to an already very tasty dish.
Mick
Can I use fresh sage?
Fox Valley Foodie
Yes, fresh sage would be great!
Robin Simons
I'm trying this as muffins and half beef half venison.
Ronelle
My meatloaf came out...mushy? Is that normal?
Fox Valley Foodie
No, that isn't normal. Do you mean it is falling apart? My first thought is maybe the loaf wasn't pressed firmly enough together.
Janie
Amazing. Thank you.
Sara
Can I use onion soup mix instead? But what would I take out that that onion soup mix would substitute? Just the onion or the beef broth or some of the seasoning as well?
Fox Valley Foodie
Yes, if you want to use onion soup mix I would recommend using my brown sugar meatloaf recipe. You can use venison rather than ground beef.
Amarti
Made this 1 pound venison. Cut the recipe in half. Very moist. Meatloaf glaze is a little sweet. I'm going to use tomatoe sause or paste next time with no brown sugar.
Bob Diggs
My meatloaf has always had bell peppers in it. Do you think it would be OK in this
Fox Valley Foodie
Absolutely! That would be a great addition.
Michele
Made this tonight for dinner and everyone loved it! Great flavor and moistness!
Debbie Bergeron
Wow love this. Made half and half homemade jimmy dean breakfast sausage and venison. (Only thing I omitted was the sage since I was doing breakfast sausage with it). Incredible flavor. So glad I came across this recipe
Tabitha Anthis
Exactly what I did tonight, based on your comment. I was looking for a recipe to use both venison & sausage. This is IT!!! Yum.
Mark
What kind of breadcrumbs? Dried? Fresh?
Fox Valley Foodie
You want dried breadcrumbs.
Kim
This was Soo good !! . I followed the recipe and am so glad I did !! Thanks
Taryn
What is the serving size per the calorie calculation above
jim cornette
Great meatloaf recipe. I left out the mustard because I hate mustard. The venison I used did not have fat added. I put 4 pieces of bacon in a mini food processor and grinded (ground-?) it up and added that to it.
Mandi
Sooo, my family loves my traditional meatloaf and I was scared to try something different .. but my husband hunts and we have a lot of venison burger so I wanted to try meatloaf with venison instead of ground beef. They absolutely loved it! I’m so thankful they are not disappointed, it’s delicious! Thanks so much, I made this exactly as written!