Venison Meatballs with Asian Zing Sauce

Name: Venison Meatballs with Asian Zing Sauce
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 pound ground venison ((ground deer meat)); 1 pound ground pork; 8 ounces firm tofu (drained well and patted dry); 1 cup green onions (chopped); 2 tablespoon ginger (freshly grated); 3 cloves garlic (peeled and minced); 2 tablespoons soy sauce (or coconut aminos to keep gluten-free); 2 tablespoons rice vinegar; 2 tablespoons sesame oil; 1/2 teaspoon white pepper (or to taste); oil (or oil spray to prevent meatballs from sticking to baking tray); bamboo skewers (or toothpicks (optional)); 2 teaspoons cornstarch; 2 tablespoons rice vinegar; 1/2 cup soy sauce (or coconut aminos to keep gluten-free); 2 teaspoons sesame oil (toasted); 4 tablespoons honey; 2 teaspoons garlic chili paste (or Sriracha sauce); 1 tablespoon oil (for frying garlic); 2 cloves garlic (peeled and minced); toasted sesame seeds (optional); green onions (chopped (optional)); chili peppers (minced (optional))

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If you’ve ever found venison (deer meat) too gamey, these juicy Venison Meatballs with Asian Zing Sauce will completely change your mind.

These baked meatballs have a mix of lean ground deer meat, pork, tofu, and aromatics like our potsticker filling making them extra tender and flavorful. Toss them up in a tangy, refined sugar free Asian Zing Sauce or enjoy them plain for a tasty low carb treat. Ready in just 30 minutes, they’re perfect as a quick appetizer or a satisfying dinner!

Juicy venison meatballs slathered in a homemade Asian zing sauce in a pan.

This easy deer meat meatball recipe makes between 36 to 38 (1.5-inch) balls of awesomeness. They are great for football tailgating, parties or meal prepping for the week. In addition, these meatballs freeze great and are a breeze to reheat.

Deer Meat Meatball Ingredients

Ingredients to make deer meat meatballs laid out on a wooden table.

Venison (ground or minced deer meat) – We know many of you are deer hunters and you might even grind your own meat. Maybe someone has given you some ground venison, but you have no idea what do with it – this is the venison recipe for you. During the fall (peak season) sometimes grocery stores will carry ground venison. Believe it or not, we found grass fed ground venison right in the refrigerated section of the grocery store right between the bison and ground beef. If not, there are many online butchers that carry venison with delivery. You can substitute with ground beef or turkey.

Ground Pork – Plain, not pre-seasoned pork sausage, because you want the flavors of the Asian aromatics to shine. Venison is a very lean meat (95% lean and 5% fat). Without the addition of the extra fat from pork, it can be very tough. 1 pound (454 grams) of ground deer meat has 544 calories and 11 grams of total fat. However, 1 pound of 85% lean ground pork has 1013 calories and 64 grams of fat. Adding both the venison and ground pork together add the much-needed extra fat and flavor for a moist and tender meatball.

Firm Tofu – Yep! There are no breadcrumbs or eggs in this recipe. Just like our Thai curry meatballs, the tofu makes the meatballs extra tender without the added carbs or gluten.

Rice vinegar – adds flavor and tenderizes the meat.

Aromatics - Green onions, garlic and ginger are the 3 main Chinese flavor enhancers.

White pepper – is not a deal breaker because you can exchange it with black pepper. However, black pepper is spicier than white pepper. White pepper still has a good kick and prefer it in our hot and sour soup and many Chinese recipes. Go gently on this spice unless you like it hot.

Sesame oil – nutty flavor and aromatic aroma

Soy sauce or coconut aminos for gluten free – Gives these venison meatballs a savory umami flavor.

How to Make Baked Venison Meatballs?

Ground venison in a bowl and then the pork, tofu and all the aromatics and seasonings.

Add ground venison, ground pork, tofu, green onions, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil and white pepper to a large bowl and mix with hands.

Forming meat and tofu mixture into meatballs and placing them on a lined baking sheet.

Roll the meat mixture into approximately 1.5-inch balls and lay on a lined baking sheet.

Baked Venison meatballs hot out of the oven and tossed in homemade Asian zing sauce.

Bake venison meatballs at 400°F (204°C) for approximately 20 minutes or until the internal temperature reads 160°F (71°C), according the USDA guidelines, and the meatballs are golden brown.

What is an Asian Zing Sauce?

Have you ever eaten at a Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant? One of their famous sauces for the chicken wings in their Asian Zing sauce is the sweet and tangy sauce but it is filled with refined sugar and a whole lotta of OTHER ingredients that are not the best for your health.

Buffalo Wild Wings Sauce Ingredients

high fructose corn syrup, chili garlic sauce (salted chili peppers (chili peppers, salt), water, sugar, rice vinegar, dehydrated garlic, modified corn starch, acetic acid), sugar, soy sauce (water, wheat, soybeans, salt), distilled vinegar, water, ginger, modified corn starch, salt, natural flavor, potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate added to maintain freshness, citric acid, xanthan gum.

Ingredients to make a homemade copycat Buffalo Wild Wings Asian Zing Sauce on a wooden table without refined sugar.

Homemade Copycat Asian Zing Sauce Ingredients

Our quick and easy copycat sauce recipe has no refined sugar and it’s composed of easy to source ingredients. You got to love that!

Garlic- but of course!
Soy sauce or coconut aminos to keep it gluten-free.
Rice vinegar (exchange with an apple cider vinegar in a pinch)
Garlic chili sauce or Sriracha
Honey
Sesame oil
Cornstarch to thicken the sticky Asian sauce.

How to Make the Best Sauce for Meatballs?

Adding rice vinegar to cornstarch to make a slurry and the rest of the Asian zing sauce ingredients.

Add cornstarch to a medium bowl and slowly add the rice vinegar while stirring to remove any lumps.
Then, add soy sauce (coconut aminos), sesame oil, honey, garlic chili sauce or Sriracha and stir until well combined.

Stir frying garlic and add the mixed meatball sauce ingredients into the skillet.

While the venison meatballs are baking, add a little oil to a pan and stir fry the garlic until aromatic.

Asian style sauce bubbling and thickening in pan and a spoonful of completed sauce.

Add the Asian zing sauce to the pan. Bring to a boil while stirring. The mixture will thicken in about 2 minutes. Set it aside until the meatballs are done baking.

Cornstarch thickens liquids ONLY when they reach a BOIL.

Recipe Tips

Use firm tofu. Please drain it well and lightly dry with a towel to remove the extra moisture. This prevents soggy meatballs.
Don’t over mix the meat mixture or it can make the venison meatballs tough. Mix just until combined. Don’t put the meat into a food processor. The best way to mix the meatball mixture is with your hands.
Use a rimmed baking sheet because when the meatballs cook, they release a little liquid.
We like to line our baking sheets with aluminum foil and use and little spray oil to prevent the deer meat meatballs from sticking while baking. It makes cleanup a snap.
If you have a cookie scoop, this works great to keep the meatballs all the same size. This ensures that they cook evenly.
You will need 2 half sheet pans. This recipe makes about 36 to 38 meatballs. Please keep about a 1.5 to 2 inches space between each so they have room to cook evenly.
Cook ground venison to a minimum of 160°F (71°C). According to University of Minnesota, “When you grind deer meat, you can spread any bacteria that may have been present throughout the batch”. Cooking to this temperature kills any bacteria that may have been present.
If you are going to serve the meatballs with the sauce already on them, we like to use a large frying pan to cook the sauce then you can add the meatballs right into the sauce. On the other hand, if serving as an appetizer with the sauce as a dip, you can use a medium pot to cook the tangy sauce.
This copycat Asian zing sauce will thicken as it sets or cools. To loosen it back up, add a teaspoon of water or two until the consistency coats the back of a spoon but it is pourable.

Asian Style meatballs in a skillet with bamboo skewers and a person grabbing a meatball.

How to serve?

Appetizer – Serve up these Asian meatballs like a lollipop on short skewers or with toothpicks. Depending on how hungry your crew is and if you are also serving other side like our General Tso Chicken Wings or Air Fryer Chinese Garlic Ribs, you can count on everyone enjoying at least 3 to 4 meatballs per person. Here are 3 fun ways to serve them up…

Plain with the zing sauce on the side as a dipping sauce.
Plate of sauce and then place the plain venison meatballs on top of the sauce.
Lastly, our favorite lazy way is to serve them tossed in the sauce right in the same pan we made the sauce in. Garnished with sesame seeds, green onion and even chili, if you like a little extra kick. Spear each of the appetizers with a toothpick and let everyone help themselves.

Main Dish – Count on at least 6 meatballs per adult if serving as a main dish. Perfect with a side of fried rice and stir-fried romaine lettuce. Yep, cooked lettuce - don’t knock it until you try it. It’s quick and easy. If you have room on one of your baking trays, add some broccoli flowerets tossed in a little olive oil and salt and pepper for a complete sheet pan dinner.

Deer meatball without any garnishes swimming in a sticky golden brown sauce.

Storage

Prepared raw or cooked venison meatballs can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or frozen up to 3 months. Raw frozen prepared meatballs will need to be defrosted in the refrigerator overnight before baking the next day.

Regarding the homemade Asian zing sauce, we suggest it is only good for 3 days in the refrigerator because it contains cooked garlic. Alternatively, it can be frozen for up to 3 months.

How to Reheat?

Our 2 favorite ways to reheat cooked Asian style venison meatballs is either in the microwave or on the stovetop.

Reheat Cooked Meatballs in the Microwave

Place the desired number of meatballs and sauce in a microwave safe bowl.
Cover the bowl lightly so it does not make a mess in the microwave.
Microwave on high for 30 second increments, turning frequently until toasty warm throughout. The exact amount of time varies depending on the number of meatballs you are reheating.

Stovetop Reheat

The best way to reheat cooked meatballs to keep them tender and juicy is in the sauce! Place meatballs, sauce, and a teaspoon of water at a time to thin out the sauce in a skillet. The goal is that sauce coats the back of a spoon but pours easily. Reheat the Asian style meatballs over low heat until they are warm and toasty throughout. The exact time depends on how many meatballs you have in the skillet.

Alternatively, you can reheat venison meatballs in the oven at 300°F (148°C) covered for about 12-15 minutes or until warmed though.

Frequent Asked Questions (FAQ’s)

How to make deer meat super tender?

Here are some helpful tips to keep deer meatballs tender.
Mix ground venison with other fatty meats like pork in a ratio of 1:1. Venison is very lean and needs a little extra fat while cooking to stay juicy and tender.
Be sure to add in tofu or breadcrumbs and egg to keep the deer meatballs from being too dense.
Don’t overcook! Deer meat is considered safe to eat when the internal temperature reaches 160°F (71°C), per USDA.

Can you pan fry venison meatballs?

Yes, you can cook venison meatballs in a large skillet over medium heat with a little oil until browned on all sides. The meatballs are safe to eat once the internal temperature is 160°F (71°C) You will have to cook in batches.

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