Slow Cooker Venison Steaks With Peppers and Onions

Slow cooker venison steaks with green pepper and onion gravy

The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 8 hrs 15 mins
Total: 8 hrs 30 mins
Servings: 6 to 7 servings

Venison steaks are lean meat that you can make tender and delicious when cooked in the slow cooker with condensed soup and vegetables. The slow cooker method uses braising, first browning the steaks and then cooking them with a little liquid for a long time at a low temperature.

Venison steaks pair with side dishes similar to beef steaks. Mashed potatoes or wild rice make a good starch, but also consider sweet potatoes. Baked or fried sweet potato wedges are a good choice or simply make mashed sweet potatoes. As venison is often hunted or harvested in the fall, think of seasonal winter vegetable pairings such as steamed or roasted broccoli, cauliflower, or Brussels sprouts. The sweet taste of steamed carrots also goes well with venison.

If you want a good wine to serve with venison, think of a full-bodied red wine such as cabernet sauvignon, pinot noir, or syrah. Beer lovers may enjoy a dark porter.

Ingredients

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for slow cooker venison steaks recipe gathered

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  2. In a heavy skillet, heat the shortening or oil over medium-high heat. Add the venison steaks and brown them on each side. Transfer the steaks to the slow cooker.

    Seared venison steaks in the slow cooker

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  3. Add the sliced onion and bell pepper to the drippings in the pan and saute them till softened.

    Sliced onion and bell pepper with drippings in a pan

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  4. Add the flour to the cooked vegetables and stir until well blended. Stir in the soup and water (or broth). Taste and add salt and pepper, as needed.

    Vegetables and light-colored sauce in a pan

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  5. Pour the soup mixture over the venison steaks in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 7 to 9 hours, until tender.

    Vegetables and sauce combined with venison steaks in the slow cooker

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  6. Serve and enjoy.

Tips

  • Venison refers to the meat of any species of deer, and this venison recipe also applies to elk, moose, caribou, and antelope steaks.
  • You may be able to find farmed (or ranched) venison from some sources. Both farmed and ranched venison might be pastured and grass-fed, but ranched venison usually denotes that the animals are free-range and eating a more varied diet. The meat from farmed venison will usually be less gamey and have a more subtle flavor than wild venison. The meat is processed according to U.S.D.A. guidelines and is subject to inspection.
  • Hunters are a source for wild venison, which will often have a stronger flavor. When you use hunted venison, you have to trust that the meat was properly field-dressed and processed. Some hunters use a local game butcher to process the meat while others do it themselves.
  • Venison stew will last in the fridge for three to four days.

Recipe Variation

  • If you would rather use your oven, place the steaks and soup mixture into a Dutch oven, cover, and cook at 300 F until the steaks are tender.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
467 Calories
14g Fat
15g Carbs
66g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6 to 7
Amount per serving
Calories 467
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 14g 18%
Saturated Fat 6g 28%
Cholesterol 174mg 58%
Sodium 817mg 36%
Total Carbohydrate 15g 6%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Total Sugars 6g
Protein 66g
Vitamin C 24mg 122%
Calcium 139mg 11%
Iron 9mg 48%
Potassium 986mg 21%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)