What You Should Serve With Venison Steaks
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Whether it’s for lunch or dinner, you can bring out the best of venison steaks with a plethora of flavors and combinations. Depending on your steaks, you can complement it with a unique flavor each time. So, if you’re wondering what you should serve with venison steaks, we’ve got you covered.
Venison steaks can be served with a variety of side dishes and sauces. Even the choice of drink can alter the experience of having a steak. To have a fulfilling meal, you can pair your venison steak with blackberry sauce and roasted sweet potatoes on the side. And to finish it off, complete your meal with a fruity drink like red wine or cranberry juice.
Although the aforementioned pairing can create a pretty satisfying meal, there are still many sides, sauces, and drinks you can choose from. So, try out some other pairs of side dishes, sauces, and drinks to complement your venison steak.
Best 3 Flavors To Pair With Venison Steaks
As venison meat has very little fat, it lacks the juice and flavor to hold a dish by itself. Hence, you need to make up for it by adding some strong flavors to go with your venison steak.
Depending on the type of flavors you choose, you can decide the sauce and side dishes to make the meal come together. So, first, pick your desired flavor combos. Some good flavors to pair with venison are:
Fruits
Fruits like apples, blackberries, pears, and cherries can take the flavor of a steak to the next level. You can make a fruit sauce to pair with your steak. You can also opt for fruit drinks to clean your palate after the meal.
A fruity salad can bring some freshness to the table. Often when eating a lot of steak we feel a bit uncomfortable due to all the oil and fats. Something fresh like a fruit salad can help you revive yourself from that feeling and go back for seconds.
Mushrooms And Nuts

Sauces made of mushrooms or different nuts complement wild venison steaks. Hence, you can use different species of mushrooms, like shiitake and Portobello to make your sauce to pair with your steak.
You can also make cashew nut or peanut sauces to go with your venison steak. Additionally, you can make mushroom or nut salads as a side dish.
Herbs & Spices
Herbs and spices like garlic, rosemary, bay, oregano, sage, thyme, black pepper, etc. are essential ingredients for the side dishes of a venison steak. These spices are loved by all, so make sure to use them.
Garlic and venison are the most basic yet perfect pair. Anything garlicky will make venison taste insanely good. Simply make a simple sauce with garlic and black pepper to serve with your steak and see the difference for yourself.
4 Best Types Of Sauces That Go Well With Venison Steak
Venison meat can be quite dry due to its lack of fat, so you need a sauce to pair with venison steak to get rid of this unpleasantness. Even though many sauces can enhance the taste of a venison steak, keep in mind that venison is wild meat. Therefore, even the best sauces will not change the unique flavor and texture of the meat.
Fruity Sauces
Fruit sauces go really well with venison steaks. As fruits tend to be acidic, fruity sauces add a citrus flavor to the meat. This helps to get rid of the strong meaty flavor and the heaviness of the venison steak.
Sauces like pear caramel sauce, orange sauce, apple and cranberry sauce, and spiced pear sauce are the perfect serving option. Apart from fruity sauces, several other flavors pack a punch too.
Garlic Sauce
You can never have enough garlic. And the combo of garlic sauces and venison steak proves it.
You have the option of making a simple garlic sauce or adding cilantro and other fresh herbs for a kick. A creamy garlic sauce, with cashews or peanuts, is also a wonderful flavor enhancer for venison steaks. Here’s an awesome garlic sauce recipe for you to try out:
Mushroom And Nut Sauce
A mushroom sauce made of sherry, mushroom, and sweet onion forms the perfect combo to accompany a venison steak.
Additionally, sauces like peanut sauce, creamy cashew sauce, or simply, some tahini sauce can also help get rid of the dryness of a venison steak.
Gravy
Although sauces are great with venison steaks, a gravy can go beyond that and ensure a fulfilling meal. As venison meat can be tough to chew on, a white, cream, or mushroom gravy can tenderize the meat.
Add wild rice and beans on the side and voila! You get the perfect combo for a family get-together.
Best Side Dishes To Pair With Your Venison Steak
Now that you have paired your steak with the perfect sauce, you need food to eat with it. Luckily, there are many dishes you can choose from, dishes that ought to make the steak taste ten times better.
Anything With Potato
Potatoes and steak are a match made in heaven. Garlic potato wings, garlic mashed potato, roasted sweet potato, cheesy sweet potato, and many other dishes can complement a venison steak.
Sweet potatoes and venison steak never disappoint. Roasted sweet potatoes or sweet potato wedges add that sweet yet spicy kick that goes perfectly with a fine piece of venison steak.
On the other hand, the mushy, buttery, flavorful, and wholesome mashed potato paired with a fine piece of venison steak will leave flavors exploding in the mouth. To elevate the flavor even more, you can opt for fancier potato dishes by cooking them with compound butter, garlic, parsley, chives, and a little bit of cheese.
Salads
A crunchy, flavorful salad is the perfect option if you’re looking for health and flavor. Cucumber salad is a perfect pairing with venison steaks.
Other salads like potato salad, fresh greens salad, or coleslaw can be paired with a venison steak for a fulfilling, yummy meal. My favorite is having a nice coleslaw. Here’s an awesome coleslaw recipe that I recommend.
Vegetables
Sautéed, roasted, or baked veggies can add life to your piece of venison steak. Dishes like spinach, sautéed broccoli, baked beans, or just asparagus help elevate the flavor of the meal.
Vegetables are a great way to balance the richness and heaviness of a steak dinner. The acidity of vegetables also brings your palate out of the monotony of an umami dish.
Other Sides
Bread, mac and cheese, buttery corn, and sautéed mushrooms also complement venison steaks. If your dinner invite includes kids, they might like these options more than veggies or salads.
The Perfect Drink For A Venison Steak
To neatly finish off a meal, you should pair your venison steak with a good drink. The perfect drink to go with a venison steak should cut through the heaviness of the meat and leave you feeling refreshed. It should also curb any greasy feeling left in your mouth.
Alcoholic Alternatives
If you’re having a fancy dinner party, you can pop out a bottle of aged red wine or a classic bottle of whiskey to complement your steak.
The richness of these drinks cleans your palate after a meal. On the other hand, beer is also a cheap and casual alternative to having a venison steak.
Non-Alcoholic Drinks
Sodas and other carbonated drinks with lemon give the perfect fizz after a heavy meal. Soda also helps cut through the meat and balances the richness of the steak.
On the other hand, fruit juices like cranberry juices can also be paired with venison steaks. They act as a palate cleanser at the end of the meal. Other drinks include pomegranate or apple juice. They also pair well with venison steaks.