Instant Pot Venison Spanish Rice (Easy Ground Venison Recipe)

Name: Instant Pot Venison Spanish Rice (Easy Ground Venison Recipe)
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 1 lb ground venison (or elk, moose, antelope, etc.); 3 Tbsp taco seasoning; 1 Tbsp pork lard (or other cooking fat); 2 Tbsp butter; 1 medium yellow onion, diced (about 2 cups); 1 cup long grain rice; ½ cup fideo pasta; 2 cups stock or broth (wild game, chicken, etc.); 1 ½ cup canned crushed tomatoes; 2 tsp chili powder; 1 ½ tsp ground cumin; 1 tsp garlic powder; 1 tsp dried oregano; ¼ tsp salt; shredded cheese, for serving (cheddar, monterey jack, etc.); sour cream, for serving (optional)

Jump to Recipe

This Spanish rice recipe is the perfect easy instant pot venison recipe. With just a few simple ingredients and the magic of pressure cooking, you'll have a hearty and flavorful meal that's perfect for an easy weeknight meal. With only 30 minutes of cooking time and 5 minutes of prep time, you're definitely going to want to add this easy ground venison recipe to your dinner rotation!

bowl of venison Spanish rice with spoonful.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Featured Comment:

Such an easy and delicious meal. My husband and I enjoyed it. I will put it in my meal rotations.

Jump to:

Why This Recipe Works:
Ingredient Notes:
Equipment Notes:
Step by Step Instructions:
More Easy Ground Venison Recipes:
Putting it All Together:
Recipe FAQ's:
Other Recipes You'll Love:
Did you try this recipe?
Recipe:
Instant Pot Venison Spanish Rice (Easy Ground Venison Recipe)
Comments

Why This Recipe Works:

One of the great things about an Instant Pot is the rice function. It's the perfect way to make rice and works wonderfully for this great recipe.

The ability of pressure cookers to infuse food with flavor quickly under high pressure is the key factor that makes this dish exceptionally delicious. The result of cooking venison under high pressure is super flavorful and tender meat.

This recipe is like the boxed mixes we all know but without all the unnecessary ingredients. The homemade taco seasoning adds great flavor to the ground venison. All of the spices and ingredients come together to make this super flavorful and easy weeknight dinner!

Ingredient Notes:

instant pot venison Spanish rice ingredients with labels.

Ground Venison: Any ground red meat can be used in place of ground venison. Elk, antelope, moose, beef, etc. will all work. A chorizo-style ground venison sausage can be used in place of the ground venison with taco seasoning. You can also skip the meat altogether and make this into a side dish rather than an entree.
Taco Seasoning: This recipe uses homemade taco seasoning but you can use your preferred taco seasoning or whatever you have on hand! Taco seasoning can be used for more than just ground venison tacos! Use it for elk quesadillas and venison enchiladas too.
Fideo Pasta: Fideo pasta, also known as vermicelli pasta, is a type of thin, spaghetti-like pasta commonly used in Mexican and Spanish cuisine. If you can't find it, you can use angel hair or thin spaghetti pasta broken into small pieces.
Stock or Broth: This recipe uses homemade wild game stock but you can use beef broth or chicken broth instead.

Equipment Notes:

Instant Pot: You can make this recipe in a large skillet on the stove instead of in an Instant Pot. See the recipe card below for complete instructions.

Step by Step Instructions:

How To Make Instant Pot Venison Spanish Rice:

This tasty Instant Pot meal comes together quickly but there are a few key steps to make sure it turns out great every time. Follow the simple steps below!

pouring taco seasoning over bowl of ground venison. — **Step 1:** Pour taco seasoning over ground venison meat.

mixing venison taco meat with hands. — **Step 2:** Combine with your hands until the spices are incorporated into the meat.

melting lard in instant pot. — **Step 3:** Turn the Instant Pot sauté mode on high. Add pork lard or other cooking fat (olive oil, etc.) to the pot.

adding taco meat to instant pot. — **Step 4:** Add seasoned ground venison.

breaking up ground venison with wood spoon in instant pot. — **Step 5:** Break up the meat and cook until browned. Remove the meat and set aside.

butter melting in instant pot. — **Step 6:** Place butter into the Instant Pot and let it melt.

diced onions cooking in instant pot. — **Step 7:** Add diced onions and cook for 1-2 minutes.

rice, fideo, and onions cooking in instant pot. — **Step 8:** Add rice and fideo pasta and stir to coat in butter. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring frequently.

pouring crushed tomatoes in instant pot. — **Step 9:** Pour in the stock and crushed tomatoes.

adding Mexican spices to instant pot. — **Step 10:** Add cooked venison and spices.

stirring venison Spanish rice ingredients in instant pot. — **Step 11:** Stir to combine. Make sure you stir it well and scrape up any brown bits to keep the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Turn off sauté mode.

quick releasing pressure in instant pot. — **Step 13:** Once the rice cycle is complete, do a quick release by turning the steam release knob. Do not do a natural release (when you allow the pressure to go down on its own) or the rice will become mushy.

spoon of venison Spanish rice over instant pot. — **Step 14:** Fluff with a spoon or fork before serving.

Pro Tip: Make sure you thoroughly stir the liquid ingredients into the other ingredients. This helps keep the rice, etc. from burning on the bottom of the Instant Pot.

More Easy Ground Venison Recipes:

Putting it All Together:

Once your venison Spanish rice is finished, all that's left to do is serve and eat! I like to top mine with some shredded cheddar cheese, but it's not necessary.

You can add some fresh toppings like avocado, diced tomatoes, cilantro, etc. but it's also delicious on its own. This is sure to become one of your favorite easy Instant Pot recipes!

spoonful of venison Spanish rice with bowl.

Recipe FAQ's:

What is ground deer meat good for?

Besides the obvious burgers and spaghetti, ground venison is a versatile game meat that can be used in many different dishes! This Instant Pot Venison Spanish Rice is a great weeknight option. Or check out these lists of ground wild game recipes and venison recipes for more inspiration.

How do you make ground venison taste better?

Occasionally, you might come across some ground venison that has an off-flavor. Thawing the meat in a paper towel-lined bowl can help remove some of those off flavors. Additionally, seasoning the meat well and adding it to a mixed dish like this Instant Pot Venison Spanish Rice can help mask some of the off flavors.

What do I mix with ground venison?

Ground venison is a lean meat but it doesn't need to be mixed with other ground meat or fat. It does need a little fat for cooking, but you certainly don't have to add it to your raw ground venison.