This venison taco salad brings all the flavors of taco night together in a fresh, colorful bowl. Savory taco-seasoned venison, crisp romaine, fresh toppings, crunchy tortilla chips, and a smoky chipotle lime dressing create a lighter meal that's packed with flavor.
TL;DR
Taco salad has always been one of my favorite weeknight dinners because it checks all the boxes: it's quick, colorful, packed with vegetables, and everyone can customize their own bowl. Venison has a rich, savory flavor that pairs perfectly with taco seasoning, and because it's naturally lean, I like to cook it with a little added fat to help it brown and develop crispy edges without drying out.
- Great for meal prep. Just store the dressing separately until serving. You can also make ground venison tacos one night and use the leftover meat for salad the next.
- Ready in about 30 minutes.
- Smoky chipotle lime dressing doubles as a salad dressing and taco sauce.
- Easy to customize with your favorite taco toppings.
Ingredients
- Ground Venison: Ground venison makes a flavorful, lean alternative to ground beef in this taco salad. The addition of lard or another cooking fat helps create crispy, browned taco meat while adding richness. If you prefer whole cuts of meat, this salad is just as delicious topped with grilled venison steaks, like from my elk fajitas recipe.
- Taco Seasoning: Use your favorite store-bought taco seasoning or homemade taco seasoning blend. A seasoning mix with chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, oregano, and paprika works especially well with venison.
- Chipotle Lime Dressing: I like using a combination of mayonnaise and Greek yogurt because it keeps the dressing creamy without feeling overly heavy. The yogurt also adds a subtle tang that complements the smoky chipotle peppers and fresh lime juice. Adjust the amount of chipotle peppers to suit your preferred spice level.
- Salad: This salad is loaded with classic taco toppings like black beans, tomatoes, cheese, avocado, olives, green onions, pickled jalapeños, and tortilla chips. Customize it with your favorite toppings or use it as a "clean out the refrigerator" meal with extras like corn, cucumbers, cabbage, peppers, radishes, or leftover grilled vegetables.
See recipe card for quantities.
Equipment
Immersion blender: Makes quick work of blending the chipotle lime dressing until smooth and creamy.
How To Make Venison Taco Salad
This taco salad comes together in a few simple steps!
Quick Recipe Video
Venison Taco Meat
- Step 1: Add seasoning to ground meat (¼ cup per 1 lb of meat) and incorporate spices into meat, using your hands.
- Step 2: Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add lard to the pan, let it melt, and swirl to coat the pan. Add seasoned meat to pan and spread meat out into a thin layer. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until bottom side is browned and crisp. Flip and cook an additional 3-5 minutes.
- Step 3: Break up meat with a wooden spoon. Add in tomato paste and broth. Stir until well combined.
- Step 4: Bring to a simmer and let the liquid reduce for an additional 2-3 minutes, or until the liquid is no longer soupy. The mixture should be mostly meat with a little extra thickened sauce to keep it moist. Set aside until ready to use.
Chipotle Lime Dressing
- Step 5: Add mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, lime zest, lime juice, chipotles in adobo, cilantro, and a pinch of salt to a tall jar or measuring cup.
- Step 6: Blend with an immersion blender until smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt or lime juice, if desired. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Assembly
- Step 7: Divide romaine lettuce among 6 bowls or plates. Top each salad with warm taco meat, tomatoes, black beans, shredded cheese, avocado, black olives, green onions, pickled jalapeños, and cilantro leaves. Drizzle with chipotle lime dressing and finish with crushed tortilla chips. Serve immediately.
Pro Tip
Resist the urge to stir it right away. Letting the meat sit undisturbed creates browned, crispy bits that add much more flavor than constantly breaking it apart.
Variations
- Serve family-style: Arrange everything on a large platter and let everyone build their own salad.
- Make it dairy-free: Use all mayonnaise in the dressing and omit the cheese.
- Use a different protein: Ground elk, antelope, beef, turkey, or chicken all work well.
- Add extra vegetables: Corn, bell peppers, radishes, cucumber, or shredded cabbage make great additions.
- Turn down the heat: Reduce the chipotles in adobo or omit the pickled jalapeños.
- Make it low-carb: Skip the beans and tortilla chips.
Storage
Store the taco meat, dressing, and salad ingredients separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
For meal prep, portion the lettuce and toppings into containers and keep the dressing and tortilla chips separate until serving. Reheat the taco meat before assembling if desired.
Serving Suggestions
This taco salad is a complete meal on its own, with protein-packed venison, fresh vegetables, and plenty of satisfying toppings. Any leftover taco meat can be used throughout the week in tacos, burritos, quesadillas, or rice bowls. The chipotle lime dressing is also great drizzled over grilled meats, roasted vegetables, or used as a dipping sauce for tortilla chips.
If you make this recipe, I'd love to hear what toppings you chose. Taco salads are endlessly customizable, and I'm always looking for new combinations to try.
Recipe FAQs
Yes. Prepare the taco meat and dressing up to 2 days in advance. Store all components separately and assemble just before serving.
Not when prepared correctly. Adding cooking fat, tomato paste, and broth helps keep the meat flavorful and moist while still allowing it to develop crispy edges.
The dressing has a mild to medium heat level. For a milder dressing, start with one tablespoon of chipotles in adobo and add more to taste.
Did you try this recipe?
Let us know what you thought by leaving a comment below and sharing it on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest!
Thank you!
Annie
📖 Recipe
Venison Taco Salad with Chipotle Lime Dressing
Equipment
Ingredients
Venison Taco Meat
- 1 lb ground venison
- ¼ cup taco seasoning
- 1 tablespoon pork lard (or other cooking fat)
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- ¾ cup stock or broth
Chipotle Lime Dressing
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 Tbsp fresh lime zest (about 2 limes)
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)
- 2 tablespoon chipotles in adobo sauce, roughly chopped
- ½ cup fresh cilantro
- salt, to taste
Salad
- 6 cups romaine, chopped
- 1 ½ cups grape tomatoes, halved
- ¾ cup black beans, rinsed and drained
- ¾ cup cheddar or pepper jack cheese, shredded
- 2 avocadoes, diced
- 6 tablespoon black olives, sliced
- 6 tablespoon green onions, sliced
- 6 tablespoon pickled jalapeños
- 6 tablespoon fresh cilantro leaves
- 6 oz tortilla chips
Instructions
Venison Taco Meat
- Add seasoning to ground meat (¼ cup per 1 lb of meat) and incorporate spices into meat, using your hands.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add lard to pan, let it melt, and swirl to coat the pan.
- Add seasoned meat to pan and spread meat out into a thin layer. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until bottom side is browned and crisp. Flip and cook an additional 3-5 minutes.
- Break up meat with a wooden spoon or ChopStir tool. Add in tomato paste and broth. Stir until well combined. Bring to a simmer and let liquid reduce for an additional 2-3 minutes or until liquid is no longer soupy. The mixture should be mostly meat with a little extra thickened sauce to keep it moist. Set aside until ready to use.
Chipotle Lime Dressing
- Add mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, lime zest, lime juice, chipotles in adobo, cilantro, and a pinch of salt to a tall jar or measuring cup. Blend with an immersion blender until smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt or lime juice, if desired. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Assembly
- Divide romaine lettuce among 6 bowls or plates. Top each salad with warm taco meat, tomatoes, black beans, shredded cheese, avocado, black olives, green onions, pickled jalapeños, and cilantro leaves. Drizzle with chipotle lime dressing and finish with crushed tortilla chips. Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- Ground venison makes a flavorful, lean alternative to ground beef in this taco salad. The addition of lard or another cooking fat helps create crispy, browned taco meat while adding richness. If you prefer whole cuts of meat, this salad is just as delicious topped with grilled venison steaks, like from my elk fajitas recipe.
- Use your favorite store-bought taco seasoning or homemade taco seasoning blend.
- I like using a combination of mayonnaise and Greek yogurt because it keeps the dressing creamy without feeling overly heavy. The yogurt also adds a subtle tang that complements the smoky chipotle peppers and fresh lime juice. Adjust the amount of chipotle peppers to suit your preferred spice level.
- Customize this salad with your favorite toppings or use it as a "clean out the refrigerator" meal with extras like corn, cucumbers, cabbage, peppers, radishes, or leftover grilled vegetables.
- Resist the urge to stir it right away. Letting the meat sit undisturbed creates browned, crispy bits that add much more flavor than constantly breaking it apart.
Annie Weisz says
This has been on repeat at our house lately! It's one of those meals that feels fresh enough for a hot summer evening but is still hearty enough to keep everyone full. If you make it, I'd love to know what toppings you add!