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.
Leslie
I used Pho Beef Broth and cilantro instead of parsley and no sage it is RIDICULOUSLY delicious! Thank you, I will definitely make this again!
Mike R
Made this recipe tonight from venison that I ground from the first deer I’d shot in 15 years. It was great, although I made a couple changes: I didn’t use beef broth, I used dijon mustard instead of brown mustard, and instead of glazing the top I put the glaze on the bottom and sides of the pan, and topped the loaf with thin sliced bacon (for a little bit of fat).
Fox Valley Foodie
Congratulations on your deer! I know what those dry spells feel like.
Benjamin Bywater
Great recipe, But i have to say some of what you say is misleading, Being hunter a butcher and a chef i can tell you mixing this recipe with brute force would not hurt it. Tenderness comes from the cut of the meat used, How it was cut and processed and cooking it to proper temperature. Half mixing your meat will not make it more tender.If you want true flavor throughout the meatloaf mix it properly. Otherwise great flavor!! Also if you add a 1/2 tsp of ground mustard to the topping mix it will give it a little zest.
Fox Valley Foodie
We are going to have to agree to disagree on this one. I think you are getting tenderness of a cut of meat confused with how gently/firmly held together a ground meat product can feel when eaten. If we were talking steaks you would be correct. You can easily test this out by making two freshly ground burgers. Make one as described in my homemade burger recipe with fresh ground meat pressed together just firmly enough to hold its shape, and make a second burger with heavily mixed and mashed ground beef. You will find heavily working the meat makes a much tougher and denser final product.
Stephanie
Made this recipe AGAIN 💕 used half ground venison and half venison sausage, no salt added.. amazing...
Matt S.
Did 1 lb venison and 1 lb boar. Came out awesome. Will definitely be making it again.
Stephanie
It’s a keeper!!
Best recipe!! Not dry, love the sage and onions. I will use a smidge less salt next time(which is today). Thank you for sharing.
Ralph
Looking to try this.can you freeze it and how long you think it would keep.
Fox Valley Foodie
Yes, you can freeze it. It should last for a couple months if it is well protected. If your venison is blended with pork fat, it won't last quite as long as beef fat though.
Summer
This is a great recipe! We used 1/2 ground venison and 1/2 ground local grass-fed/finished beef. Only because I’m a little picky with the flavor of venison. But in this recipe, I could not detect the “game” flavor from either meats. We also added a couple of tablespoons of leftover bacon grease because our venison and beef grounds were 90/10. The flavors were delicious. I really loved the addition of the sage as well as the grated onion. I’m not a fan of onion chunks in my meatloaf so this was perfect 🙂 thanks!!
Dave
I made this without the glaze and lined the pan with a single layer of bacon. By far the best meatloaf I've ever had.
Kelley
Can this be made ahead of time, put in the refrigerator and then baked the day after? Not sure if it will all hold up well together for a day... sounds delicious and I can’t wait to try it!
Fox Valley Foodie
Absolutely!
Tatonka Kat
Forgive me for not following to the letter but I knew this was a great recipe and could survive substitutions from my pantry. I only had 1lb venison so I added 1lb ground turkey. Did not have bread crumbs so I used Pepperidge farm cornbread stuffing mix. Added some of the leftover tomato paste to ketchup sauce topping. This smelled like heaven and tasted like home. Due to turkey and stuffing mix I think I should’ve cut salt in half but still was amazing. Please don’t cringe at abuse if you are a recipe purist - just wanted to say thank you for posting and encourage those like me to go for it even if your pantry is a little short use what you have this is a wonderful family pleasing recipe easy on the budget.
Tatonka Kat
And I used milk instead of water because I was worried it would be dry since I was using lean venison hamburger (not sausage) and turkey. Turned out moist and flavorful. Thanks again
MaryBeth
I found your blog while searching for a venison meatloaf recipe. I truly look forward to trying your recipe tomm. Your blog is entertaining as well.
Tom
Simply perfection.
Leigh Segel
I made two venison meat loaves today. One with a Ketchup, Worcestershire & Brown Sugar topping (pictured) and another with a Stone Mustard, Wine Vinegar & Brown Sugar topping.
I think the mustard glaze was the winner.
The ketchup glaze sounded good, but was too sweet.
I didn't use the tomato paste, herbs and seasonings this recipe called for, aside from salt and pepper.
I used duck eggs (higher in fat & protein) french onion soup mix, minced onion, worcestershire, stone mustard and breadcrumbs to bind it together, but I used lots of whole milk to soften it.
Baked them both in a square baking dish for 45 minutes.
Bob
So an entire different recipe. Ha
Mandi
Agreed! 🙂
Only gave 4 stars and completely changed the recipe, makes zero sense.
Cindy
MY husband took one bite and asked “This is venison?” in disbelief. I answered “yes it is!”. He raved about it! This recipe is a keeper. Thanks!
Cody Wright
Today was my the start of my days off of work. So I thought I’d enjoy today with a bottle of bourbon to keep me warm. While I get caught back up splitting firewood. I thought I’d cook dinner tonight for the family “which is always a hit & miss deal”. I luckily came across your recipe for deer meatloaf. I decided just to cook it on the grill “seemed like a better idea since I have no clue what a meatloaf pan is”. It was very excellent!!!
Fox Valley Foodie
You sound like someone I could hang out with.
Jane Wilson
I made this for our gourmet club (4 couples, we’ve been doin gourmet club for 35 years) and comments were “best meat loaf ever”! On the advice of a friend I added 1/3 c heavy cream just for added fat with the lean venison.
Thanks so much!
Eva
I have venison mixed with sausage will that be ok with this receipe
Fox Valley Foodie
I bet that would taste fantastic!
Ron
Made this with a buck I shot two weeks ago and it turned out great! The sage was a great addition. Would definitely make it again. Thanks for sharing.
Fox Valley Foodie
Thanks for the feedback, I am glad you enjoyed it. Congrats on the buck!
Joyce
We made this with some venison we still had in the freezer and it was fantastic. My husband loved it.