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Step aside, chicken! These homemade venison nuggets are a fun and simple entrée, perfect for dunking in your favorite sauce. Bite-sized pieces of venison steak fried in a crispy seasoned breading, these venison nuggets are truly addicting!
Venison season is in full swing for us, and I’ve had so much fun creating new ways to incorporate it into our meals. I was craving some venison steak this week, and I decided to try something new.
You can make venison steak the old-fashioned way by searing it in a skillet, but have you tried breading and frying it?
It’s the perfect way to get out of a venison rut in your cooking and try that steak in a completely new way!
This recipe is loosely inspired by my fried trout bites, which are always a hit with my family. But instead of cornmeal, we are using a flour and breadcrumb breading so they taste more like homemade fried chicken.
The result is a juicy, tender bite of venison with an irresistible seasoned crust. Trust me, you won’t be able to get enough of these venison nuggets!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love Them
- Kid-friendly: If your little ones are picky about eating venison, venison nuggets are the perfect way to warm them up to the idea. They have the familiar shape of chicken nuggets, and the breading makes the venison simply delicious.
- Simple ingredients: It doesn’t take a lot to make these mouthwatering venison nuggets. Buttermilk, breading, spices, and lard are all you need! I like keeping it simple when it comes to home cooking.
- Versatile: Venison bites can be an entree to your meal, a fun game day snack, or the perfect protein for another meal, like tacos or a noodle dish. They’re a fun way to mix it up with your venison.
Ingredients
- Venison steak: You’ll want to cube it into small, bite-sized pieces. Try to make them a uniform size so they all cook at the same rate.
- Buttermilk: Marinating the venison in buttermilk is important to tenderize the meat, improve the flavor, and help the delicious breading stick to the nuggets.
- Flour: This is for dredging the nuggets before you add the breadcrumbs. You can use regular all purpose flour or mill your own flour.
- Breadcrumbs: I prefer to use unseasoned breadcrumbs so I can add my own spices. You can also make your own by drying slices of homemade artisan bread in the oven and pulsing them in the food processor.
- Spices: A combination of paprika, garlic and onion powders, cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper, gives these venison nuggets a bold flavor.
- Lard: I used lard to fry my nuggets, but you can use your favorite frying oil.
How to Make Venison Nuggets
Step 1. Pat the venison chunks dry with paper towels. Place them in a bowl and pour in the buttermilk. Stir to coat and let sit 30 minutes (or refrigerate up to overnight).
Step 2. In a shallow dish, combine the flour, salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne. In another shallow dish, spread out the breadcrumbs.
Step 3. Remove venison from the buttermilk mixture, letting excess drip off. First coat each piece in the seasoned flour, then press into the breadcrumbs until well coated. Set aside.
Step 4. Pour enough lard into your 10″ cast iron skillet to reach about ½ inch deep. Heat over medium until it reaches about 350°F or until a pinch of flour sizzles when dropped in.
Step 5. Fry venison nuggets in batches, making sure not to crowd the skillet. Cook 3-5 minutes per side until golden and cooked through. Adjust the heat as needed to keep the temperature steady. Transfer cooked nuggets to a paper towel–lined plate.
Step 6. Sprinkle with a little extra salt if desired. Serve hot with your favorite dipping sauces like ketchup, BBQ sauce, or honey mustard.
Helpful Tips + Notes
- If you don’t have buttermilk, you can easily make your own by combining 1 cup of milk with a tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar. Let it sit for 5 minutes to curdle, and it’s ready to go.
- There are so many ways to enjoy these venison bites, other than dunking in a dipping sauce. Try them on a salad, in tacos, or even in a stir fry! The possibilities are endless.
- Looking for more unique ways to cook venison? I have my best venison dishes compiled into a list of 37+ Venison Recipes that is perfect for browsing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Venison is known for having a gamey flavor, but that is part of the reason we soak it in buttermilk! The buttermilk helps reduce a lot of that flavor, making it taste more similar to farmed meat. If you’ve avoided venison in the past because it was gamey, definitely try this recipe before writing it off completely.
No, you can use any high-heat cooking fat, such as vegetable oil, coconut oil, or tallow. I just prefer the flavor of lard, and I usually have it on hand!
Store leftover venison nuggets in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can microwave them to reheat, but it will yield soggy breading. I prefer to reheat them in the oven so the nuggets get nice and crispy again.
You can let your creativity run wild here, but a few classic sides would be vinegar coleslaw, homemade French fries, or macaroni and cheese! You can check out my list of best venison side dishes for more inspiration.
Related Recipes
- Venison Stew Recipe
- Easy Venison Backstrap
- Venison Quesadillas
- Pan-Seared Venison Medallions
- Venison Shepherd’s Pie
If you tried this Venison Nuggets 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 Nuggets
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 venison steaks about 1 to 1¼ lb total, cut into bite-sized chunks
- 1 cup buttermilk see notes below on making your own
- 1 cup plain breadcrumbs
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper optional, for a little heat
- Lard for frying (enough to fill your skillet about ½ inch deep)
Instructions
- Pat the venison chunks dry with paper towels. Place them in a bowl and pour in the buttermilk. Stir to coat and let sit 30 minutes (or refrigerate up to overnight).
- In a shallow dish, combine the flour, salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne. In another shallow dish, spread out the breadcrumbs.
- Remove venison from the buttermilk mixture, letting excess drip off. First coat each piece in the seasoned flour, then press into the breadcrumbs until well coated. Set aside.
- Pour enough lard into your 10″ cast iron skillet to reach about ½ inch deep. Heat over medium until it reaches about 350°F or until a pinch of flour sizzles when dropped in.
- Fry venison nuggets in batches, making sure not to crowd the skillet. Cook 3-5 minutes per side until golden and cooked through. Adjust the heat as needed to keep the temperature steady.
- Transfer cooked nuggets to a paper towel–lined plate. Sprinkle with a little extra salt if desired. Serve hot with your favorite dipping sauces like ketchup, BBQ sauce, or honey mustard.
Video
Notes
- If you don’t have buttermilk, you can easily make your own by combining 1 cup of milk with a tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar. Let it sit for 5 minutes to curdle and it’s ready to go.
- There are so many ways to enjoy these venison bites, other than dunking in a dipping sauce. Try them on a salad, in tacos, or even in a stir fry! The possibilities are endless.
- Looking for more unique ways to cook venison? I have my best venison dishes compiled into a list of 37+ Venison Recipes that is perfect for browsing.
Oh my goodness, so good!!!!
That you so much! I am glad to hear!