Venison Mushroom Swiss Burgers

Jump to Recipe

Have you ever had a burger so good that you couldn't set it down? Yeah? This is one of those burgers. The secrets to a perfect venison mushroom swiss burger are a little bit of time and a whole lotta cheese. Perfectly caramelized mushrooms and onions are an exercise in patience but once you have them paired with a deliciously cheesy, juicy burger, you'll want to make them over and over again.

venison mushroom swiss burger with beer.

Jump to:

Why This Recipe Works:
Ingredient Notes:
Equipment Notes:
Step by Step Instructions:
Putting it All Together:
Recipe FAQ's:
Other Recipes to Try:
Recipe:
Venison Mushroom Swiss Burgers

Why This Recipe Works:

There's something special about a classic mushroom Swiss burger. The flavors aren't hidden with a bunch of different toppings. The caramelized mushrooms and onions combined with melted Swiss cheese and a juicy venison burger are a true thing of beauty. A little ketchup (or your favorite tangy condiment) adds some acidity to break up the richness but is not necessary. Simple ingredients truly do make amazing food!

venison mushroom swiss burger ingredients with labels.

Ingredient Notes:

Ground Venison: Any ground meat can be used in place of venison - elk, moose, antelope, beef, turkey, etc.
Onions: Any type of onion you use will caramelize. Use whatever you prefer!
Mushrooms: Cremini mushrooms are great for caramelizing but you can use white mushrooms or get creative and try some other gourmet mushrooms!
Swiss Cheese: Swiss cheese is the obvious choice for a mushroom Swiss burger but if you're not a fan, you can totally use any melty cheese you prefer.

Equipment Notes:

Pellet Grill: If you don't have a pellet grill, you can use whatever grill you normally use.
Cast Iron Pan: Cast iron pans are great for caramelizing onions because they hold their heat well and distribute it evenly. But, you can use any other skillet as well.
Grill Pan or Small Sheet Pan: A grill pan lined with foil is a great way to ensure you don't lose any toppings or cheese to the depths of your grill when melting the cheese. You can also use a small sheet pan instead. Don't want to stick your sheet pan on the grill? Melt the cheese in the oven instead!

Step by Step Instructions:

How To Make Cheese-Stuffed Venison Burgers:

What's better than a burger with cheese on top? A burger with cheese on top AND inside. Incorporating cheese into venison burgers helps keep them juicy and adds great flavor too! See below for how to make them.

ground venison in bowl and other burger seasonings. — Gather your ingredients: ground venison, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and diced cheese.

pouring spices over ground venison. — Add all ingredients but the cheese to the venison.

mixing spices into ground venison. — Mix by hand until spices are well-incorporated into the meat.

mixing cheese into ground venison. — Add in cheese and gently incorporate it into the meat. Don't mix too hard or you'll compact the meat.

ground venison cut into quarters in bowl. — Divide meat into 4 equal portions.

forming ball of meat with hands. — Gently form a ball with each portion.

forming burger patty with hands. — Form into a patty about 4.5-5" in diameter.

4 burger patties on pan. — Place on a plate or sheet pan and refrigerate until ready to grill.

Pro Tip: Keep your burger mix cold when forming patties. If it has warmed up while mixing, place it back in the fridge for 30 minutes before making your patties. This helps keep the patties intact and prevents them from falling apart.

How to Caramelize Mushrooms and Onions:

I know what you're thinking. You've heard of caramelized onions, but caramelized mushrooms? Yes, they're a thing! If you take your mushrooms just past the point of being sauteed but before the point of burning, they develop a wonderfully deep, sweet flavor. Mixed with caramelized mushrooms, they're a perfect topping for your juicy venison burger. Read below to learn how to make them!

mushrooms and onions on wood board. — Gather your mushrooms and onions.

slicing cremini mushrooms. — Cut the stems off the onions and slice all mushrooms. Keep the stems for something else like ramen broth.

cutting top off onion. — Cut the tops and bottoms off the onions.

cutting onion in half. — Cut in half vertically.

removing core from onion. — Remove core from onions.

julienning onion. — Slice onion root to tip (julienne).

melting butter in cast iron skillet. — Melt butter in a cast iron skillet over medium-low heat.

cooking onions in cast iron skillet. — Add onions and cook for 20-30 minutes, stirring frequently.

caramelized onions in cast iron skillet. — Remove from pan when they are lightly golden brown.

cooking mushrooms in cast iron skillet. — Turn heat up to medium-high and add mushrooms.

mushrooms cooking in skillet. — Cook until the mushrooms release their liquid and reabsorb it, about 7-10 minutes.

caramelized mushrooms in skillet. — Mushrooms should be a golden brown color after reabsorbing their liquid.

cooking mushrooms and onions in skillet. — Add in onions and cook an additional 25-30 minutes until the mixture is a deep golden brown color but not burned.

caramelized mushrooms and onions in cast iron skillet. — Keep warm until ready to use or refrigerate to use later. Isn't it amazing how much 4 cups of onions and a pound of mushrooms cook down into? They're so full of flavor because they're so concentrated!

Pro Tip: Slicing onions root to tip (julienned) keeps the vegetable fibers more intact which helps keep the pieces whole when caramelizing them and prevents them from turning to mush.

Putting it All Together:

Alright, you have some delicious-looking venison burger patties and a whole mess of caramelized mushrooms and onions. It looks like a lot but I promise it's the perfect amount for 4 amazing burgers. Now comes the dilemma of how to keep it all together without those goodies you worked so hard on falling off your burger! Here's where a little ingenuity (a foil-lined grill pan or small sheet pan) and finesse (gently piling on the toppings and covering them in a gooey melted cheese blanket) go a long way.

2 burger patties on grill. — Preheat grill to 350°F and cook burgers for 4-5 minutes, directly over the flames.

venison burgers cooking on grill. — Flip and cook an additional 3-4 minutes.

venison burgers on foil. — Place cooked burger patties on a foil-lined grill pan or small sheet pan.

topping venison burgers with swiss cheese. — Top with Swiss cheese.

venison burgers with melted swiss cheese. — Put the pan on the grill and cook until the cheese is melted. Add it to your favorite bun with condiments of your choice and enjoy!

Recipe FAQ's:

How do you get deer burgers to stick together?

Thaw ground venison in a paper towel-lined bowl to soak up excess liquid. Removing the excess liquid gives the meat a more sticky texture that makes it easier to form a patty.

Do I need to add fat to ground venison?

Venison does not need fat ground in to be delicious and juicy. But, if you prefer the flavor of venison with fat ground in, that is more than fine!

What can I mix with venison burger?

One of the best "bang for your buck" (pun intended) seasonings you can use with ground venison is Worcestershire sauce. It doesn't take much and it adds so much flavor to your burgers!

Other Recipes to Try:

If you make this recipe, please leave a star rating at the bottom of the page! This provides helpful feedback to me and fellow readers. And if you want more delicious, wild game recipes you can subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Instagram and Pinterest!