These Mediterranean venison meatballs with tzatziki sauce are packed with fresh herbs creating flavorful, tender bites. Paired with cool, creamy tzatziki sauce and tangy pickled red onions, they strike the perfect balance of bold and refreshing. Serve them with homemade flatbread, over rice, or alongside a vibrant salad for a hearty, wholesome meal.
Recipe Highlights
Bold and Flavorful: The fresh herbs paired with bold pickled red onions will excite your taste buds!
Versatile: These venison meatballs can be served as a shareable appetizer or as part of a complete meal.
Fresh and Vibrant: Between the fresh herbs and pretty pink onions, this dish is as beautiful as it is delicious!
Ingredients
- Ground Venison: Any wild game meat, ground beef, etc. can be used in place of venison in this meatball recipe.
- Tzatziki Sauce: I like to make my own tzatziki sauce. If you're short on time, there are storebought options as well! Make a double batch and try venison gyros, too!
See recipe card for quantities.
Equipment
Recommended:
Cookie Scoop
A cookie scoop is a handy tool to make evenly sized meatballs!
How to Make Tzatziki Sauce
This tzatziki sauce is simple to make but packed with flavor!
- Step 1: Cut the cucumber in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds.
- Step 2: Grate the cucumber.
- Step 3: Combine yogurt, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, honey, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Whisk until well-combined.
- Step 4: Fold in cucumber and mint. Transfer to a glass jar for easy storage. Refrigerate in an airtight container for at least 2 hours before serving to let flavors marry. Refrigerate for up to 5 days.
How to Make Mediterranean Venison Meatballs
These meatballs are so tender and packed with flavor but easy to make!
- Step 1: To a medium bowl add egg, milk, bread crumbs, olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, and pepper. Mix together with a whisk.
- Step 2: Let mixture sit while you prepare other ingredients (onions, garlic, herbs, etc.), about 5 minutes. The breadcrumbs will absorb the wet ingredients which helps the meatballs stick together.
- Step 3: Add meat, onion, garlic, and herbs to the bowl.
- Step 4: Gently mix together with your hands until well combined.
- Step 5: Use a cookie scoop to divide the meat mixture into 24 equal portions, about 2 tablespoon each.
- Step 6: Gently form each portion into a ball. Place meatballs on a parchment paper-lined pan, evenly spaced.
- Step 7: Bake for 12-15 minutes at 425°F or until internal temperature reaches 165°F and the outsides are golden brown.
- Step 8: If you'd like to brown your meatballs a little more, you can broil them on high for 3-5 minutes after the initial cooking time.
Pro Tip
Venison meatballs are perfect for freezing! You can freeze them either raw or cooked, then cook or reheat them later for a quick and convenient meal.
Serving Suggestions
Top meatballs with fresh herbs and pickled red onions for a fresh, tangy contrast. Serve with a generous dollop of creamy tzatziki sauce for dipping and warm flatbread on the side.
Add a crisp cucumber and tomato salad for extra freshness, or pair with a grain like lemon couscous. For a lighter option, serve the meatballs and tzatziki sauce over a bed of your favorite greens. Enjoy!
Recipe FAQs
Venison meatballs pair well with a variety of sauces, depending on the flavor profile you're going for. Whether it's a classic tomato sauce, mushroom gravy, or fresh tzatziki sauce, venison meatballs are very versatile!
There are several reasons meatballs may be tough. Overmixing the ingredients is the most common culprit. Overmixing causes the meatballs to become compacted and tough. Also, not using enough filler ingredients like sourdough breadcrumbs, milk, and eggs can lead to tough meatballs.
Milk is a great addition to meatballs because it adds moisture. Try soaking your breadcrumbs in milk before adding them to the meatball mixture for super tender, moist meatballs!
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Annie
📖 Recipe
Mediterranean Venison Meatballs with Tzatziki Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
Tzatziki Sauce
- 1 cup whole milk Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
- ½ teaspoon honey
- ¼ teaspoon garlic, grated
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup English cucumber, seeds removed and grated
- 1 tablespoon fresh mint, finely chopped
Meatballs
- 1 lb ground venison (or other lean ground meat)
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup grated yellow onion (or 1 teaspoon onion powder)
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced (or 1 teaspoon garlic powder)
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped (or ½ tablespoon dried parsley)
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, finely chopped (or ½ tablespoon dried oregano)
- ½ tablespoon fresh thyme, finely chopped (or ½ tablespoon dried thyme)
Toppings (optional)
- pickled red onions
- Italian parsley, chopped
Instructions
Tzatziki Sauce
- Combine all ingredients except cucumber and mint in a small bowl. Whisk until well-combined. Fold in cucumber and mint. Transfer to a glass jar for easy storage. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving to let flavors marry. Refrigerate for up to 5 days.
Meatballs
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- To a medium bowl add egg, milk, bread crumbs, olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, and pepper. Mix together with a whisk. Let mixture sit while you prepare other ingredients (onions, garlic, herbs, etc.), about 5 minutes. The breadcrumbs will absorb the wet ingredients which helps the meatballs stick together.
- Add meat, onion, garlic, and herbs to the bowl. Gently mix together with your hands until well combined.
- Use a cookie scoop to divide the meat into 24 equal portions, about 2 tablespoon each.
- Gently form each portion into a ball. Place meatballs on a parchment paper-lined pan, evenly spaced. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165°F and the outsides are golden brown.
- If you'd like to brown your meatballs a little more, you can broil them on high for 3-5 minutes after the initial cooking time.
Serving
- Top meatballs with chopped parsley and pickled red onions. Serve with tzatziki sauce for dipping. Enjoy!
Notes
- Any wild game meat, ground beef, etc. can be used in place of venison in this meatball recipe.
- I like to make my own tzatziki sauce. If you're short on time, there are storebought options as well!
- One of the secrets to tender meatballs is to gently mix the ingredients. If you overmix the ingredients or compact the meat mixture too much, you'll end up with tough meatballs.
- A cookie scoop is a handy tool to make evenly-sized meatballs. But, you can also portion them by hand.
- These venison meatballs are super tender, so they are best baked in an oven to avoid breaking them. You can cook them in a pan on the stovetop, but be careful when you flip them!
- Parchment paper is essential to making sure your meatballs don't stick to the baking sheet.
- Venison meatballs are perfect for freezing! You can freeze them either raw or cooked, then cook or reheat them later for a quick and convenient meal.
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