Wondering what the best sides for venison are? Look no further! I’ve got you covered with this handy guide of the 50+ best side dishes for venison steaks, burgers & more!

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When serving venison for dinner, there are 3 essentials in my book:

An amazing sauce – like jaeger sauce or red wine sauce. Here are even MORE sauces for venison.
Wine. Here are the best wine options.
And, of course, some really delicious side dishes.

The BEST Sides for Venison

Hasselback potatoes on grey plate dolloped with sour cream.

Air Fryer Hasselback Potatoes

These easy air fryer Hasselback potatoes are drenched in garlic herb butter, giving you an almost addictive crispy-on-the-outside, pillowy-on-inside snack or side dish in no time.

Air Fryer Hasselback Potatoes

Crispy Air Fryer Mushrooms

Upgrade everyday dinners and holiday meals with Air Fryer Mushrooms! Perfectly seasoned and endlessly customizable, this quick and easy recipe serves as a delectable side dish or topping for burgers, steaks, and beyond.

Recipe

Roasted brussel sprouts in bowl drizzled with balsamic glaze and sprinkled with cranberries.

Brussel Sprouts with Balsamic Reduction

These Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic Reduction & Cranberries make a simple and elegant side dish that both kids and adults love!

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic Reduction

Sauteed Onions

This complete guide on how to saute or caramelize onions perfectly is such a life saver! This tutorial shows you the tricks and technique for the best sauteed onions recipe EVER!

Sauteed Onions

Jaeger Sauce

This mouthwatering Jaeger Sauce is a type of German mushroom gravy. Easy to make in about 20 minutes with everyday ingredients, the finished sauce is so creamy and has incredible layers of umami, herby, and savory flavors. Serve it with schnitzel, steak, veggies, and more!

Jaeger Sauce

Two hands holding bowl of cooked polenta.

Parmesan Polenta

This Creamy Parmesan Polenta recipe makes a delicious side dish. Irresistibly delicious with parmesan cheese, but simple to make with just 5-ingredients: polenta, parmesan, milk, chicken broth and butter. Yum!

Parmesan Polenta

Close up of roasted cabbage steaks topped with bacon and drizzled with cream sauce.

Cabbage Steaks with Bacon

Roasted Cabbage Steaks with bacon and a garlicky, creamy mustard sauce. Perfection! This delicious side dish is always a hit.

Cabbage Steaks

Spears of asparagus cooked sous vide topped with parmesan shavings.

Sous Vide Asparagus

How to cook perfect asparagus sous vide. Bright green, perfectly cooked spears. With three options for flavoring – garlic, parmesan or lemon.

Sous Vide Asparagus

Duchess Potatoes

Duchess Potatoes are a fancy piped potato side dish that must make an appearance at your next dinner party. Rich, creamy, and cheesy with just a subtle crisp, these elegant baked mashed potatoes are unlike anything else!

Duchess Potatoes

Cacio e Pepe Cauliflower

If you love cacio e pepe, this lightened-up Cacio e Pepe Cauliflower is for you! It puts a low-carb and gluten-free twist on the classic pasta dish but still has the same rich, cheesy, and peppery flavors you love.

Cacio e Pepe Cauliflower

Close up of baked potato with sour cream, cheese and bacon.

Crockpot Baked Potatoes

Learn how to make perfect slow cooker baked potatoes with minimal effort. Just season the potatoes with a bit of olive oil and salt, wrap in foil, and cook in the crockpot. Serve them with your favorite toppings like cheese and sour cream, or chili. Or, host a Baked Potato Bar.

Slow Cooker Baked Potatoes

Vegan Caesar Salad

This Vegan Caesar Salad has all the tanginess and creaminess that you'd expect from a traditional Caesar salad, but it's completely plant based. Topped with fresh avocado, cripsy fried capers and croutons.

Vegan Caesar Salad

Sliced steak on plate drizzled with red wine sauce.

Red Wine Reduction Sauce

Add elegance to home-cooked meals with a reduced Red Wine Sauce. This classic French steak sauce is ideal for beef tenderloin, filet mignon, and other juicy cuts of premium beef, lamb, pork, and game meats.

Red Wine Sauce

Finished Mushroom risotto in dutch oven.

The BEST Mushroom Risotto

This Mushroom Risotto is rich, creamy and totally decadent.

Mushroom Risotto

Onion gravy in large skillet with spoon.

Red Wine Onion Gravy

Learn how to make gravy without drippings using this red wine onion gravy recipe! Luxurious and incredibly savory, it’s an easy homemade gravy made from simple, yet flavor-packed ingredients.

Onion Gravy

Miso Mashed Potatoes

Miso Mashed Potatoes make a quick and easy side dish. With roasted garlic and buttery miso paste these potatoes pack a delicious umami flavor.

Miso Mashed Potatoes

Simple Arugula Salad Dressing

This Arugula Salad recipe with red wine vinaigrette is my go-to green salad. The arugula has a peppery bite to it which pairs wonderfully with the acid in the vinaigrette. It’s the perfect salad for pairing with rich dishes.

Arugula Salad

Din Tai Fung Green Beans

These copycat Din Tai Fung Green Beans are deliciously crispy and coated with lots of savory garlic and a spicy chili crisp. It’s the best umami-forward side dish to pair with all of your takeout-inspired favorites!

Din Tai Fung Green Beans

Overhead shot of bowl of mashed potatoes topped with a pat of butter, next to bowl of sour cream.

Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes

These Easy Mashed Potatoes with Sour Cream are the most delicious mashed potatoes you will ever have. They're light, creamy, buttery and tangy and easy to make with the help of your stand mixer – No hand mashing required!

Easy Mashed Potatoes with Sour Cream

Prepared radicchio salad in grey bowl with serving utensils.

Italian Radicchio Salad

This delicious Italian Radicchio Salad is dressed in a creamy lemon-vinaigrette and tossed with buttery calvestrano olives, tasty breadcrumbs and nutty parmesan cheese. And, a special tip ensures that your radicchio won't be bitter!

Radicchio Salad

Sauteed Spinach with Garlic Recipe

Add a healthy boost of nutrients to your dinner with this easy Sauteed Spinach. Baby spinach is added to a skillet along with garlic and olive oil, then sauteed gently to create a simple side dish that pairs with any meal!

Sauteed Spinach

Hungarian Mushroom Soup Recipe

This Hungarian Mushroom Soup with Fresh Dill is rich, with hints of smokiness and a great umami flavor. It’s the perfect bowl of soup to warm up with this season!

Hungarian Mushroom Soup

Close up of roasted delicata squash on baking sheet.

Savory Roasted Delicata Squash

Savory Delicata Squash is a winter side dish that’s really easy to prepare. There’s no peeling required and the maple flavors and warm spices taste divine!

Roasted Delicata Squash

Crispy smashed potatoes on black plate next to bowl of mojo sauce.

Easy Smashed Potatoes

These Easy Smashed Potatoes with Mojo Sauce are the most delicious side dish! Crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.

Smashed Potatoes

CLOSE UP OF ROASTED SWEET POTATOES ON SERVING TRAY WITH SPOON.

The BEST Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Roasted Sweet Potatoes are a salty, crispy, savory, and slightly sweet side dish you can pair with almost anything! Lightly spiced and so simple, this easy recipe is a total crowd pleaser and a must-have for weeknight dinners.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes

Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes with garlic take a classic comfort food dish to a new level! Made with tangy goat cheese, sour cream, and Parmesan cheese, these potatoes are perfectly creamy and flavorful every time.

Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes

Glazed Stovetop Carrots

These are the BEST Glazed Carrots – Lightly sweetened, delicately seasoned, and perfectly glazed. These carrots make an amazing side dish that both kids and adults can’t get enough of!

Glazed Carrots

POTATO LATKES ON GREY PLATE TOPPED WITH DOLLOPS OF SOUR CREAM AND SERVED WITH BOWL OF PINK BEET HORSERADISH SAUCE.

Classic Potato Latkes

This is the best Potato Latke recipe. Crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Their irresistible golden crusts are seasoned with just a sprinkling of salt and ready to be served with a side of sour cream and applesauce. They’re perfect for Hanukkah, but you’ll want to enjoy them year round.

Potato Latkes

Smoked asparagus spears on baking sheet with parchment and charred lemons.

Traeger Grilled Asparagus

Learn how to smoke asparagus on a Traeger or pellet grill/smoker! This Traeger Asparagus recipe is foolproof and yields tender-crisp, delightfully smoky asparagus every time.

Traeger Asparagus

Creamy Mushroom Sauce

This extra creamy, incredibly flavorful Mushroom Cream Sauce is easy to make and on the table in about 20 minutes. It’s a rich, umami-forward sauce that’s fantastic spooned over chicken, pork, steak, and even pasta!

Creamy Mushroom Sauce

Overhead shot of baked potatoes topped with sour cream and chives.

Crispy Instant Pot Baked Potatoes

Learn how to make Instant Pot Baked Potatoes with crispy skins! They cook in just 12 minutes in your pressure cooker. Then, finish them off under the broiler for perfect, crispy & salty skins.

Instant Pot Baked Potatoes

Peppers with grill marks scattered on counter.

Grilled Bell Peppers

Learn how to make perfectly tender and blistered Grilled Bell Peppers at home! It’s one of the best and easiest side dishes you can add to burrito bowls, fajitas, or pair with grilled meats.

Grilled Peppers

Finished roasted parmesan squash pieces on baking sheet with sprigs of rosemary.

Parmesan Delicata Squash

This easy recipe for Parmesan Delicata Squash roasts Italian-seasoned and parmesan-coated squash slices in the oven until they’re cheesy and tender. Enjoy it as a simple but addictive side dish with any fall or winter meal.

Parmesan Delicata Squash

Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Mashed Sweet Potatoes – Ultra creamy, flavorful and delicious and made with only 3-ingredients! No hand mashing required. Let your stand mixer do all the work for you!

Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Grilled Potato Salad

Say bye bye to basic potato salad. This Grilled Potato Salad combines smoky grilled potatoes with a delicious tangy mustard dressing that’s loaded with fresh herbs and salty capers. It’s delicious!

Grilled Potato Salad

Split open sweet potato on grey plate with pats of butter and fork.

Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes

Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes cook up quicker than in the oven and they’re deliciously fluffy and creamy every time! Learn how to make the BEST sweet potatoes in the pressure cooker in just about 30 minutes!

Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes

Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes

These Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes with chicken broth are the most delicious mashed potatoes you will ever have. They’re light, creamy, buttery & quick to make with the help of your pressure cooker.

Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes

Serving spoon in bowl of tomato cucumber salad.

Mediterranean Tomato Cucumber Salad

This Tomato Cucumber Salad features fresh cucumbers, juicy tomatoes, and crisp red onion. Dressed in a tangy homemade red wine vinaigrette, every bite is bursting with refreshing Mediterranean flavors!

Tomato Cucumber Salad

Shaved Fennel Salad

This Fennel Celery Salad comes together quickly and has such a delicious light lemon-parmesan vinaigrette and wonderful crunch. It's the perfect side salad for rich and hearty dishes like pasta or braised short ribs.

Shaved Fennel Salad

Pasta salad in bowl on wooden cutting board next to bowl of pepper flakes.

Zucchini Pasta Salad

This Zucchini Pasta Salad recipe may be the best I've tried to date! Packed with sauteed zucchini, loads of parmesan cheese, fresh dill and crunchy walnuts.

Zucchini Pasta Salad

Overhead shot of cherry tomato salad in grey bowl.

Cherry Tomato Salad with Roasted Lemons

This Cherry Tomato Salad with Roasted Lemons is the perfect side dish. Sweet tomatoes combine with a tangy vinaigrette and delicious roasted lemons.

Cherry Tomato Salad

Overhead shot of cooked sunchokes in bowl.

Simple Roasted Sunchokes

Sunchokes are a knobby root vegetable that can be prepared in more ways than you can imagine! In this recipe, you’ll learn how to roast them with olive oil, garlic, and thyme. It’s an easy side dish you can pair with anything.

Sunchokes

Blistered shishito peppers served on a black plate with lemon wedges.

Blistered Shishito Peppers Recipe

These Blistered Shishito Peppers are the perfect finger food. They’re so easy to make too. Lightly seasoned and slightly smoky, you’ll find that most are mild… one out of every ten might surprise you.

Blistered Shishito Peppers

Mashed Cauliflower

Mashed Cauliflower is a delicious, low carb & keto friendly side dish. With 5 flavor variations and instructions for making Stovetop Mashed Cauliflower or Instant Pot Mashed Cauliflower.

Mashed Cauliflower

Mexican Carrots

I’m serving up these Oven Roasted Mexican Carrots elote style. Similar to how you’d dress grilled street corn, these delicious tender carrots are topped with lime, crumbled cheese, jalapenos and cilantro. So crazy good!

Oven Roasted Mexican Carrots

Fried green beans on baking sheet next to three types of dipping sauce.

Fried Green Beans with Dipping Sauce

Crispy Fried Green Beans are baked in the oven for a healthy, delicious treat. Served up with three dipping sauces – green goddess, honey mustard & creamy sriracha. A secret ingredient makes them extra delicious! Air Fryer directions included.

Green Bean Fries

Grilled Broccolini with Apple Cider Vinaigrette

This grilled broccolini is topped with a tangy apple cider vinaigrette and marcona almonds for a delicious crunch. It’s a perfect side dish for autumnal menus or Thanksgiving.

Grilled Broccolini

Overhead shot of honey balsamic brussels sprouts in white bowl next to bowl of honey and bowl of balsamic glaze.

Roasted Honey Balsamic Brussel Sprouts

Brussels sprouts don’t have to be boring! In fact, when roasted to perfection and drizzled with a rich, tangy balsamic-honey glaze, they become a standout side dish that’s hard to resist. This Honey Roasted Brussels Sprouts recipe is all about getting that perfect balance of crispy, caramelized exteriors and tender, juicy insides, finished off with a sweet-and-savory glaze that will have you coming back for seconds.

Honey Balsamic Brussels Sprouts

Ears of corn on the cob in a grey serving dish with a pat of butter and sprinkling of parsley.

Instant Pot Corn on the Cob

Learn how to make the BEST Instant Pot Corn on the Cob. This pressure cooker corn on the cob recipe uses a simple, secret ingredient to guarantee that your corn is sweet, tender and delicious!

Instant Pot Corn on the Cob

Smashed Brussel Sprouts

These Crispy Smashed Brussel Sprouts are flattened so that they become extra crispy when roasted in the oven. Drizzled with the most amazing Lemon Tahini Sauce.

Smashed Brussel Sprouts

Overhead close up of zucchini fries on platter.

Air Fryer Zucchini Fries

Air Fryer Zucchini Fries with Lemon Tarragon Aioli are perfect for snacking. Strips of zucchini, coated in panko cook up perfectly crispy in the air fryer. Dip them in an easy-to-prepare creamy aioli flavored with tarragon and lemon.

Air Fryer Zucchini Fries

Overhead shot of hand holding bowl of butternut squash risotto.

Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto

This always rich and warming Butternut Squash Risotto is the perfect meal for fall. Roasted squash, creamy and tender rice, and fresh sage come together to form dreamy and heavenly flavors in every bite.

Butternut Squash Risotto

Over head shot of cooked brussels sprouts in grey bowl with spoon.

Air Fryer Brussel Sprouts with Balsamic

Air Fryer Brussel Sprouts with Balsamic cook up crispy and delicious with minimal oil with the help of your air fryer! Dressed simply with balsamic vinegar and a sprinkle of salt. You'll love these!

Air Fryer Brussel Sprouts

How to Make Ahead and Store

Many of these venison side dish recipes can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for a few days or even in the freezer. Simply check the individual recipes for full storing instructions and details on how to make ahead.

More Side Dish Recipes

Did you Make Any of These Venison Side Dishes?

Please leave a comment and rating below, if you loved this round up of sides for venison steaks. Also, be sure to snap a picture of your finished dish and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #platingsandpairings and tagging me @platingsandpairings.

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