An easy recipe for ground Venison Chili. It's so meaty, flavorful, and rich. Give it a try and let me know what you think in the comments below! (Oh, and if you don't have ground venison, you can simply use ground beef here, it's still delicious!)
Chili with ground venison
To be honest, this is simply my go-to chili recipe lately. It's so flavorful, meaty, and just absolutely delicious. It feeds a crowd and the leftovers taste even better the next day.
In this version I use venison instead of ground beef. But if you only have ground beef on hand, I recommend you still make this specific chili because it's SO rich and tasty.
But the venison definitely takes it up a notch, since it has a meatier texture than ground beef.
More chili recipes to try: Award Winning Beef and Bean Chili
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground venison (thawed if frozen)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 green bell pepper, seeds and pith removed
- 1 jalapeño, seeds and pith removed
- 3-4 tablespoons chili powder (start with less, if you're not sure about this!)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 14-ounce cans diced tomatoes
- 14-ounce can tomato puree (or tomato sauce)
- 3 14-ounce cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 cups beef broth (or 2 tablespoons Better than Bouillon Beef Base + 2 cups water)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1-2 tablespoons brown sugar
- salt and pepper, to taste
- for serving: diced scallions, cilantro leaves, sour cream, grated cheese, cornbread, tortilla chips, etc.
More chili recipes to try: White Chili with Ground Turkey
Equipment
- 6-8 quart soup pot or Dutch oven
- Can opener
- Paper towels and tongs (to absorb any extra water when cooking the venison)
More hearty comfort foods: Chicken Tortilla Soup
Instructions
Prep all the veggies: Dice the onion, mince or grate the garlic, dice the bell pepper into ½ inch pieces (remove seeds and pith), finely dice the jalapeño.
Preheat the pot to medium-high heat and add the olive oil, venison, and all the diced veggies (onions through jalapeño). Cook undisturbed for 3-4 minutes to brown the venison, then use a spatula to break up the meat. Continue to cook for another 6-7 minutes, stirring once in a while to make sure nothing is burning. If there is a lot of liquid coming from the venison, use tongs and paper towels to absorb and remove it. Continue to cook until the venison is browned.
Add the chili powder and cumin and mix well.
Add the diced tomatoes, tomato puree, beans, broth, tomato paste, and brown sugar. Stir well, bring to a boil then simmer for 30-60 minutes. For a thicker chili, simmer uncovered for 60 minutes (keep an eye on the liquid and add a little water or broth, if needed. For a soupier chili, cover it and simmer for less time.
CAREFULLY give the chili a taste (it's hot!) and add salt and pepper, to taste. Serve hot with your favorite chili toppings.
More hearty stewy dishes to try: Chicken Chile Verde Stew
Kate's cooking tips
- If you're really short on time, you can add less broth and simmer for 10-15 minutes, but the flavor won't be as rich.
- Be sure to brown the meat. This adds more flavor!
- Try adding a little Better than Bouillon Beef Base instead of salt, or a beef broth cube. It adds saltiness AND flavor.
- Try loading up your chili with more vegetables! Use 2-3 bell peppers, grate a carrot, or add cubed sweet potato.
- For a less beany chili, use 2 cans of beans.
- Try substituting 1 cup of broth for 1 cup of beer.
- Add more spice: use 2-3 jalapeños, or add a little cayenne pepper.
- Some chili powder is spicier than others, so start with a smaller amount if you're not sure and can't handle spice.
Venison Chili
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground venison thawed if frozen
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion diced
- 3-4 cloves garlic mined
- 1 green bell pepper seeds and pith removed
- 1 jalapeño seeds and pith removed
- 3-4 tablespoons chili powder start with less, if you're not sure about this!
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 14- ounce cans diced tomatoes
- 14- ounce can tomato puree or tomato sauce
- 3 14- ounce cans kidney beans rinsed and drained
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1-2 tablespoons brown sugar
- salt and pepper to taste
- for serving: diced scallions cilantro leaves, sour cream, grated cheese, cornbread, tortilla chips, etc.
Special equipment
- 6-8 quart soup pot or Dutch oven
- Tongs and paper towels (to soak up extra liquid from the venison)
Instructions
- Prep all the veggies: Dice the onion, mince or grate the garlic, dice the bell pepper into ½ inch pieces (remove seeds and pith), finely dice the jalapeño.
- Preheat the pot to medium-high heat and add the olive oil, venison, and all the diced veggies (onions through jalapeño). Cook undisturbed for 3-4 minutes to brown the venison, then use a spatula to break up the meat. Continue to cook for another 6-7 minutes, stirring once in a while to make sure nothing is burning. If there is a lot of liquid coming from the venison, use tongs and paper towels to absorb and remove it. Continue to cook until the venison is browned.
- Add the chili powder and cumin and mix well.
- Add the rest of the ingredients (diced tomatoes, tomato puree, beans, broth, tomato paste, and brown sugar). Stir well, bring to a boil then simmer for 30-60 minutes. For a thicker chili, simmer uncovered for 60 minutes (keep an eye on the liquid and add a little water or broth, if needed. For a soupier chili, cover it and simmer for less time.
- CAREFULLY give the chili a taste (it's hot!) and add salt and pepper, to taste, or stir in a bit of Better than Bouillon for flavor. Serve hot with your favorite chili toppings.
Video
Notes
- If you're really short on time, you can add less broth and simmer for 10-15 minutes, but the flavor won't be as rich.
- Be sure to brown the meat. This adds more flavor!
- Try adding a little Better than Bouillon Beef Base instead of salt, or a beef broth cube. It adds saltiness AND flavor.
- Try loading up your chili with more vegetables! Use 2-3 bell peppers, grate a carrot, or add cubed sweet potato.
- For a less beany chili, use 2 cans of beans.
- Try substituting 1 cup of broth for 1 cup of beer.
- Add more spice: use 2-3 jalapeños, or add a little cayenne pepper.
- Some chili powder is spicier than others, so start with a smaller amount if you're not sure and can't handle spice.
Kate
Sunday 25th of January 2026
We are obsessed with this chili and have made it a few times this winter. It's the perfect cold weather soup, and an amazing recipe for sharing with friends and family on game day. Give it a try and let me know what you think. I hope you love it as much as we do!