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This one-pan meal will delight the entire family, and it’s so easy to make! This venison fried rice is chock-full of flavor and loaded with ground venison and veggies. It’s the perfect way to use up leftover rice, and you’ll have a homemade dinner ready in no time.
You’ve probably had fried rice with chicken or pork before, but have you ever tried it with venison?
I truly love using venison in a variety of familiar favorites to give them a unique twist and use the meat I have on hand.
With that in mind, I’ve used our deer meat to make venison quesadillas, venison chili, and even venison lasagna!
It’s so fun eating your favorite comfort meals made with wild game, and it always turns out so tasty.
This venison fried rice is a hunter’s take on an asian-inspired classic. It’s rich and savory, satisfying, and so easy to make!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- One-pot meal: I love recipes that are a complete meal in one simple dish! This venison fried rice is filling and delicious, but super simple to make in one skillet.
- Intensely flavorful: This fried rice does not skimp on flavor! It’s savory, salty, and full of umami that will leave you craving more.
- Use what you have: Fried rice is the perfect meal for cleaning out the fridge at the end of the week! You can toss a variety of veggies and meat into it, and it will still turn out great. Similar to my garlic ginger venison!
Ingredients
- Ground venison: I think you’ll be amazed at just how delicious venison tastes in fried rice. Check out my other ground venison recipes if you have some to spare!
- Sesame oil: Sesame oil is used as the cooking oil in this recipe, and its distinctive sesame flavor is perfect for fried rice.
- Seasoning: A combination of salt, pepper, and onion powder is all you need — we’ll get plenty of flavor from the other ingredients!
- Aromatics: Fresh garlic and ginger are always best! You can use jarred, pre-minced, or dried as needed.
- Sauces: Teryaki sauce and soy sauce give the rice a deep umami flavor that is irresistible.
- Veggies: I use a freshly chopped onion plus frozen peas and carrots. You can use fresh carrots if you prefer, but they will need to cook longer.
- Eggs: A traditional ingredient in fried rice that adds so much!
- Rice: I recommend long-grain white rice. Day-old rice is best, but you can also make a fresh batch of dutch oven rice, just be sure to read the ‘tips + notes’ section first so you don’t get mushy fried rice.
- Optional garnishes: I like to top my fried rice with sesame seeds and chopped green onions. They are a lovely finishing touch that adds flavor and texture.
How to Make Venison Fried Rice
Step 1: Heat a large skillet over medium heat. (A wok works well here, too.) Add 1 tablespoon of the sesame oil, followed by the ground venison, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Cook, breaking the meat up as it browns, until fully cooked, about 5–7 minutes. Drain if needed, then transfer the venison to a plate and set aside.
Step 2: Return the skillet to the heat and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of sesame oil. Add the chopped onion and cook for 1–2 minutes until softened. Stir in the minced ginger and garlic and cook just until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Step 3: Add the peas and carrots and cook, stirring often, until tender and heated through.
Step 4: Push the vegetables to one side of the skillet. Pour the beaten eggs into the empty side and scramble gently until just set. Once cooked, mix the eggs into the vegetable mixture.
Step 5: Add the cooked rice to the skillet. Drizzle the soy sauce and teriyaki sauce over the rice, then stir well to combine. Cook for a few minutes, letting the rice heat through and lightly fry as everything comes together.
Step 6: Add the cooked venison back to the skillet and stir until evenly distributed. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
Step 7: Finish with sesame seeds and chopped green onions if using, and serve hot.
Tips + Notes
- You can use pre-minced ginger, but I prefer fresh. To mince it yourself, peel the ginger, slice it into thin pieces, cover with a piece of plastic wrap, and give it a few good whacks with a spoon. Easy fresh-minced ginger.
- Day-old cooked rice works best. If you make it up fresh and add it hot to the recipe, it can get mushy. If you do use fresh rice, I recommend letting it cool and refrigerating it for an hour first.
- To make things easier, I get frozen carrots and peas in a bag together and just use 1 cup total.
Substitutions and Variations
One of the best things about fried rice is how forgiving it is with ingredients! It’s a true clean-out-the-fridge meal in that you can substitute any veggies or meat you have on hand. Here are just a few ways you can change up this recipe:
Veggies: Rather than (or in addition to) peas and carrots, you can add other vegetables that need to be used up! Try it with broccoli, cauliflower, snap peas, mushrooms, cabbage, asparagus, or zucchini.
Meat: You can substitute the ground venison with another ground meat, such as pork, chicken, turkey, beef, or another wild game like elk.
Recipe FAQs
Making this recipe gluten-free is very simple — all you need to worry about is the sauces! Just be sure to use a gluten-free tamari instead of soy sauce and buy or make a gluten-free teriyaki sauce.
Absolutely! Cubed venison steak would be delicious in this fried rice, and it’s a great way to use up leftovers.
Yes, it is! Fried rice is a great make-ahead or meal prep dish because it saves extremely well. Just allow it to cool and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can reheat fried rice in the microwave or on the stove in a cast iron skillet.
Related Recipes
- Egg Roll Bowl Recipe
- Honey Garlic Chicken
- Shrimp and Broccoli Stir Fry
- Authentic Chinese Beef and Broccoli
- Best Beef Liver Stir Fry Recipe
If you tried this venison fried rice recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Venison Fried Rice
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons sesame oil divided
- 1 pound ground venison
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 2 tablespoons ginger minced (see notes below)
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 3 cups cooked rice see note
- 1/2 onion chopped
- 1/2 cup frozen peas see notes
- 1/2 cup frozen carrots
- 1/4 cup soy sauce or to taste
- 2 tablespoons teriyaki sauce
- 2 eggs lightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons green onions chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. (A wok works well here, too.) Add 1 tablespoon of the sesame oil, followed by the ground venison, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Cook, breaking the meat up as it browns, until fully cooked, about 5–7 minutes. Drain if needed, then transfer the venison to a plate and set aside.
- Return the skillet to the heat and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of sesame oil. Add the chopped onion and cook for 1–2 minutes until softened. Stir in the minced ginger and garlic and cook just until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add the peas and carrots and cook, stirring often, until tender and heated through.
- Push the vegetables to one side of the skillet. Pour the beaten eggs into the empty side and scramble gently until just set. Once cooked, mix the eggs into the vegetable mixture.
- Add the cooked rice to the skillet. Drizzle the soy sauce and teriyaki sauce over the rice, then stir well to combine. Cook for a few minutes, letting the rice heat through and lightly fry as everything comes together.
- Add the cooked venison back to the skillet and stir until evenly distributed. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
- Finish with sesame seeds and chopped green onions if using, and serve hot.
Video
Notes
- You can use pre-minced ginger, but I prefer fresh. To mince it yourself, peel the ginger, slice it into thin pieces, cover with a piece of plastic wrap, and give it a few good whacks with a spoon. Easy fresh-minced ginger.
- Day-old cooked rice works best. If you make it up fresh and add it hot to the recipe, it can get mushy. If you do use fresh rice, I recommend letting it cool and refrigerating it for an hour first.
- To make things easier, I get frozen carrots and peas in a bag together and just use 1 cup total.
These have made me a rice fan! I love the taste of venison combined with rice and soy sauce.
I am so excited to try this one!
Yay!