Instant Pot Venison Stew Recipe

This Instant Pot Venison Stew combines venison and veggies for a hearty, one-dish meal. Prep time is only 15 minutes, and the Instant Pot does all the work! This delicious stew is the perfect comfort food for a cold day.

With my husband and daughter as avid hunters, I cook venison several nights a week. And this venison stew recipe in instant pot is one of our favorites.

For more venison recipes, check out Venison Meatballs With Sweet and Sour Sauce and Smoked Venison Roast, and 31 Ground Venison Recipes (an excellent roundup of great recipes that contain instant pot venison chili, venison crockpot stew, and other venison instant pot recipes).

Jump to:

• Recipe Features
• Ingredients
• How To Make Instant Pot Venison Stew
• Variations
• Storage
• Expert Tips
• Recipe FAQs
• Serving Suggestions
• More Instant Pot Recipes You'll Love
• More Venison Recipes
• Recipe
• Instant Pot Venison Stew
• Comments

Recipe Features

• EASY: This easy, delicious recipe is ready in under 1 hour.
• COOKS FAST: Pressure cooking helps the venison to cook quicker, so it doesn't take much time to prepare. The cooking time is only 35 minutes!
• TENDER VENISON: The pressure cooker is the key to making venison tender.
• GLUTEN-FREE: This stew is naturally gluten-free!

Ingredients

• Venison stew meat (or other wild game meat), cut into bite-sized pieces. Cut into ½-inch to 1-inch cubes. I like to use deer meat, elk meat, moose meat, or even ground venison. You can also use leftover cooked meat.
• Olive oil: Olive oil prevents the venison from sticking to the bottom of the pressure cooker while sauteing. You could also substitute avocado oil as well.
• Beef broth (or water). You can also use vegetable broth or chicken broth.
• Potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks. I used red potatoes, but feel free to use any potato, even sweet potatoes!
• Onions, peeled and chopped. I used a red onion, but you could also use a yellow onion or a sweet onion.
• Garlic cloves peeled and chopped, or 1 teaspoon of garlic powder.
• Squash, cut into 1-inch chunks. I used buttercup squash as that is the kind I grew in the garden this year (my favorite), but you could also use butternut squash or acorn squash. If you like buttercup squash, try Roasted Buttercup Squash Soup.
• Paprika. You could also use smoked paprika if you have it.
• Red wine vinegar. If you do not have red wine vinegar, you can substitute white wine vinegar or red wine.
• Worcestershire sauce. Worcestershire is perfect for tenderizing meat, as well as adding deep flavor to the stew.

See the printable recipe card below for a complete list of ingredients and quantities.

How To Make Instant Pot Venison Stew

First, brown the meat to add some flavor. Add olive oil to the instant pot and turn on the saute function. When the oil starts to sizzle, add the cubed venison. After 5 minutes, add chopped onions and garlic and cook with the meat. Stir often and saute until the cycle ends or until the meat is brown on all sides.

Add the beef broth to the instant pot and use a spoon to scrape any brown bits on the bottom of the pressure cooker. Next, add potatoes, carrots, squash, paprika, sea salt, pepper, Italiano seasoning, red wine vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce. Give it a final stir to mix all the ingredients well.

Secure the lid and set it to "sealing" or the "stew" setting. Cook on high pressure for 35 minutes, then let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes, then do a quick release for any remaining pressure.

Remove the lid and stir the elk stew well. If you want your stew thicker, mix two tablespoons of cornstarch and two tablespoons of cold water and pour it immediately into the stew. Stir until thickened.

Pour into serving bowls and enjoy!

Variations

Modify the ingredients for specific tastes by adding different vegetables, herbs, or spices.

• Spicy - add chili pepper flakes or red pepper flakes.
• Deluxe - add celery, fresh mushrooms, dried mushrooms, or diced tomatoes.
• Kid friendly - add crushed tortilla chips on top

Storage

Remove from heat and set aside to cool completely. Place cooled venison stew in a refrigerator container or freezer-friendly bag with all air removed.

FRIDGE: Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

FREEZER: Freeze for up to 2 months in an airtight container or freezer bag. To reheat, remove from the freezer and thaw overnight before reheating on the stove top or microwave until hot throughout.

Expert Tips

• Use leftover meat. Leftover meat cooked in the instant pot is extra tender and falls apart with your fork. If using leftover cooked meat, skip the saute step.
• Sear the meat first. This provides a much more flavorful stew, trust me! However, do not overcook the meat in this step.

Recipe FAQs

Serving Suggestions

I like to serve this venison stew in Instant Pot with Smoked Foil-Wrapped Corn on the Cob on the side or a garden salad.

I also like to use Fluffy Air Buns, No Milk Biscuits, Irish Soda Bread, Focaccia bread, or garlic bread to soak up the broth.

More Instant Pot Recipes You'll Love

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