This tender and juicy Crockpot Venison Roast is cooked low and slow, along with hearty vegetables, cream of mushroom soup, and Italian seasoning. Serve over a bed of rice or mashed potatoes, and drizzle with our homemade venison gravy for a little slice of comfort-food heaven.
Looking for more crockpot recipes? You can also try our Crockpot Rump Roast, Crockpot Shredded Pork Tacos, or this recipe for Mississippi Pot Roast.
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Crockpot Venison Roast
If you have a hunter in the family, you may often find yourself with a freezer full of venison and a limited number of recipes to use it for. Venison is a very lean meat so finding ways to cook it can become a bit of a challenge.
Presenting—the crockpot. Not only is is this an incredibly easy way to cook venison, it’s also a great way to ensure that such a lean meat won’t become tough or dry.
We’ve given you step-by-step instructions on how to cook your venison to perfection, and then make a delicious venison gravy to drizzle all over it. This recipe also makes great leftovers, so be sure to make plenty!
What to Serve with Deer Roast
I like to serve this recipe with its gravy and veggies on top of a generous pile of rice or Mashed Potatoes. Venison and potatoes are made for each other, and lucky for you we have plenty of Potato Recipes to choose from!
Venison roast also goes great with sweet potatoes, like our Sweet Potato Casserole or Roasted Sweet Potatoes. Really, any hearty or starchy sides would taste great.
Simple buttered egg noodles would be a great choice, as would this Stuffing Recipe with Apples, or our Cheesy Rice.
How to Remove the Gaminess from Deer Roast
You can significantly remove the gameness from your venison by adding the raw roast to a bowl of cold water. Add enough water to cover the roast. Let the roast sit in the fridge overnight to draw out the blood from the meat. In the morning, your water will be red from the blood. Just drain the water off and pat the roast with paper towels to remove any moisture. This will greatly help the flavor of the roast.
Key Recipe Ingredients
- Venison Roast - this recipe calls for a 3-5 pound boneless venison roast. This would also make a great elk roast recipe.
- Onions - we used red onions, cleaned of their outer skin, and quartered. They will hold up well to the long cooking time. You could also substitute yellow or white.
- Carrots - we like to use baby carrots, but you can also peel and cut regular carrots into 2” pieces.
- Italian Seasoning - we like Good Seasons Italian Salad Dressing Mix, but any of your favorite brands will work.
- Cream of Mushroom Soup - use your favorite brand.
- Cornstarch - you will need this to thicken your gravy.
- Beef Broth - use beef broth to thin down and flavor your gravy until you get it just how you like.
How to Make Venison Roast in the Crockpot
- Place venison roast, onion, carrots, Italian seasoning, can of mushroom soup and garlic into your crockpot.
- Cook on low for 6-8 hours, or until the meat can easily be shredded.
- Once the venison is cooked, place a strainer over a large pot and drain the drippings off of the meat. Pour or ladle the rest of the drippings and veggies from the crockpot over the strainer into the pot, making sure to remove any small pieces of gristle, then return the carrots to the crockpot. (Note: You may wish to save or discard the onions, or you can choose to blend up a few chunks of onion into your gravy.)
- Shred the venison, using two forks, and return to the crockpot as well. Keep warm until ready to serve.
How to Make Venison Roast Crock Pot Gravy
- In a large saucepan, over medium heat, bring the drippings to a low boil.
- Add about 1 cup of beef broth to the drippings and mix well. Season with salt and onion powder (optional), and up to 1 more cup beef broth to taste. (Note: If you wish to blend in any pieces of the cooked onions, do that now. Just transfer it all to a blender and puree until smooth, then return to the pot.)
- Mix 2-3 tablespoons of cornstarch in a small bowl with 2 tablespoons of cold water and stir until well-combined.
- Slowly add the cornstarch mixture into the gravy, stirring with a wire whisk until the gravy coats the back of a spoon. If you over-thicken the gravy, add beef broth. If your gravy needs to be thicker, add more of the cornstarch and cold water mixture.
- Serve venison warm, drizzled with gravy, over mashed potatoes or rice. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Any of your leftover Venison Roast can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days and added into soups, stews, or warmed up and served over rice, egg noodles or mashed potatoes.
If you have a lot leftover, you can freeze it sealed in freezer bags, or any other airtight container, for up to 5 months. Once you are ready to use it, defrost in the fridge overnight and then reheat slowly in a saucepan with some of the gravy or a touch of water or beef broth.
The term venison is used to describe game animals such as deer, elk, antelope, and moose. Most commonly, though, venison refers to deer meat. It is similar to beef but less fatty.
Tips for Cooking With Venison
- Trim the fat. Unlike other proteins, venison fat doesn’t add the kind of flavor that you want to eat! Venison fat turns waxy and “gamey” once it’s cooked - not exactly appetizing, and one reason it turns some people off.
- Soak: Add your raw deer roast to a bowl of cold water and store it in your fridge overnight. This will draw out the blood from the roast and help remove any of the gameness that venison roast can be known for. Drain the water and pat dry before preparing.
- Pat Dry. Use a paper towel to pat the blood or any liquid off the roast before cooking.
- Don’t overcook it. The slow cooker is a great way to cook venison. It is incredibly lean meat and easy to overcook on the grill, stovetop, or roast in the oven. You want to cook to an internal temp of about 145 degrees F.
- Use strong flavors. Adding seasoning like fresh herbs, Italian seasoning and garlic will help mask some of the gaminess of the venison.
- Consider the Cut. Different cuts of venison have varying levels of tenderness. Tenderloin and backstrap are more tender cuts, while shoulder or hindquarter may require slower cooking methods.
- Tenderize with Buttermilk. For cuts that may be tougher, you can tenderize them by soaking them in buttermilk for a few hours or overnight. The acidity in the buttermilk helps break down the muscle fibers.
Slow Cooker Venison Roast Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 3-5 lb Venison Roast boneless
- 1 large Red Onion quartered
- 4 medium Carrots peeled and cut into 2" chunks
- 1 package Good Seasons Italian Salad Dressing Mix or similar brand
- 1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
- 2 tablespoons Garlic Minced
Venison Gravy
- 2 tablespoons Corn Starch
- 2 tablespoons Cold Water
- 1-2 cups Beef Broth
- Salt to taste (optional)
- Onion Powder to taste (optional)
Instructions
How to Make Venison Roast in the Slow Cooker
- Place venison roast, onion, carrots, Italian seasoning, can of mushroom soup and garlic into your crockpot.
- Cook on low for 6-8 hours, or until the meat can easily be shredded.
- Once the venison is cooked, place a strainer over a large pot and drain the drippings off of the meat. Pour or ladle the rest of the drippings and veggies from the crockpot over the strainer into the pot, making sure to remove any small pieces of gristle, then return the carrots to the crockpot. (Note: You may wish to save or discard the onions, or you can choose to blend up a few chunks of onion into your gravy.)
- Shred the venison, using two forks, and return to the crockpot as well. Keep warm until ready to serve.
How to Make Gravy
- In a large saucepan, over medium heat, bring the drippings to a low boil.
- Add about 1 cup of beef broth to the drippings and mix well. Season with salt and onion powder (optional), and up to 1 more cup beef broth to taste. (Note: If you wish to blend in any pieces of the cooked onions, do that now. Just transfer it all to a blender and puree until smooth, then return to the pot.)
- In a small bowl, mix 2-3 tablespoons of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cold water and stir until well-combined.
- Slowly add the cornstarch mixture into the gravy, stirring with a wire whisk until the gravy coats the back of a spoon. If you over-thicken the gravy, add beef broth. If your gravy needs to be thicker, add more of the cornstarch and cold water mixture.
- Serve venison warm, drizzled with gravy, over mashed potatoes or rice. Enjoy!
Nutrition
More Crockpot Recipes That We Love!
- Easy Crockpot Ranch Chicken
- Mississippi Pot Roast
- Crockpot Lasagna with Ravioli
- Crockpot Mashed Potatoes
- Slow Cooker Cilantro Lime Chicken
- Crockpot Hot Chocolate
- Crockpot Cheesy Potatoes
- Crockpot Scalloped Potatoes
- Crockpot Rump Roast
- Scalloped Ham and Potatoes
- Crockpot Tortellini
- Crockpot Shredded Pork Tacos
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We cook this Slow Cooker Venison Roast low and slow, alongside hearty vegetables, Cream of Mushroom Soup and Italian seasoning, to make sure it comes out tender, juicy, and flavorful every time. Served over a bed of rice or mashed potatoes, and drizzled with our homemade venison gravy, it’s like a little slice of comfort-food heaven!
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