These Air Fryer Steak Bites are made with marinated venison tenderloin for a quick and easy venison steak dinner that goes perfect with a side of Mashed Potatoes and Roasted Asparagus for a complete meal. This steak bites recipe can also be served as an appetizer for any game day parties you may be having at home.
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Venison In The Air Fryer
Our whole family loves to eat venison. My dad would go out deer hunting every fall and he always came home with some deer meat for the freezer. Mom taught me different ways to season the venison steak to get the most out of the flavor of the meat, and these steak bites are one of my own takes on how to add delicious flavors.
While mom didn't have an air fryer, I am certain if she did, she would have made use of it like I did for this air fryer steak bite recipe. The air fryer does an excellent job quickly and easily cooking the steak bites to perfection. It seals the juices inside with the hot air, and the result is a tender, juicy bite sized piece of steak.
Marinate For Flavor
You don’t really need a marinade to cook these venison steak bites in the air fryer. They would cook up perfectly delicious with just salt and pepper. The venison tenderloin is a great cut of meat that doesn’t need a marinade to tenderize it.
However, I wanted to add another level of flavor to the venison steak bites. The entire family enjoyed this as an appetizer while standing around the kitchen bar. They disappeared quickly and the consensus was these bite sized pieces of venison tenderloin were delicious!
🥘 Ingredients
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Air Fryer, this is an excellent one.
Honey, this is my go to brand.
Worcestershire Sauce
Vanilla Extract
Ground Cumin
Olive Oil
Minced Onion (dried)
Garlic Powder
Balsamic Vinegar
🔪 Instructions
This recipe can be made in a cast iron skillet if you don't own an air fryer. Just follow the steps below:
Heat the cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add the butter and let it melt and bubble. Add the venison steak bites to the skillet in a single layer, working in batches to avoid overcrowding. Cook the steak bites until browned on all sides.
💭 Top Tips
- Be sure to remove any silverskin from the venison tenderloin before cooking. The silverskin can leave a gamey taste to the meat.
- Be sure when cooking any meat, you always keep an eye on the internal temp. Overcooking the air fryer steak bites will make them rubbery and hard to chew.
📖 Variations
- Substitute beef steak for the venison, sirloin, ribeye, or tri-tip are good choices.
- Substitute maple syrup for the honey.
- Use regular liquid smoke instead of hickory.
- Substitute 2 tablespoons of fresh onion for the minced onion.
- Substitute 1 garlic clove for the garlic powder.
- Toss the cooked steak bites with sauteed mushrooms for added meaty flavor.
- Leave the marinade off the steak bites and cook them with salt and pepper. Toss with your favorite barbecue sauce before serving.
More Air Fryer Recipes
Venison Breakfast Sausage - a touch of maple flavor is sealed in when these breakfast sausages are cooked in the air fryer.
Air Fryer Venison Meatballs - crispy outside, moist inside!
Cauliflower with Sweet Chili Sauce - the air fryer roasts the cauliflower to perfection with a coating of sweet chili sauce.
Air Fryer Chicken Wings with Buffalo Sauce - the best way to get crispy chicken wings!
Air Fryer English Muffin Pizzas
Pork Loin with Maple Glaze - a delicious roast full of flavor cooked to perfect doneness in the air fryer.
Chorizo Jalapeno Potato Puffs- a potato side dish or appetizer with a burst of heat made in the air fryer.
Air Fryer Shishito Peppers - simple roasted peppers seasoned with just salt and pepper.
Air Fryer Roast Beef - a delicious herb crust comes out crispy while the inside is cooked to your desired level of doneness.
Are you new to using the air fryer? If so, then be sure to read this post on How To Use an Air Fryer to learn the best one to buy, air fryer cooking tips, cleaning tips, and more!
*If you made this recipe for Air Fryer Steak Bites, please give it a star rating*
📖 Recipe
Air Fryer Steak Bites with Venison Tenderloin
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract optional
- ½ tablespoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon hickory flavored liquid smoke
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon minced onion
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- black pepper optional
- 1 lb venison tenderloin cut into bite sized pieces
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to a small mixing bowl and whisk well to combine. Pour over venison steak bites and stir to coat. Allow venison to marinate up to 1 hour.
- Strain the marinade from the meat and place in the air fryer basket in a single layer. Discard marinade. Cook at 400 for 10 minutes, or until venison steak bites are cooked to desired doneness.
Video
Notes
Tips and Substitutions
- Be sure to remove any silverskin from the venison tenderloin before cooking. The silverskin can leave a gamey taste to the meat.
- Substitute beef steak for the venison, sirloin, ribeye, or tri-tip are good choices.
- Substitute maple syrup for the honey.
- Use regular liquid smoke instead of hickory.
- Substitute 2 tablespoons of fresh onion for the minced onion.
- Substitute 1 garlic clove for the garlic powder.
- Toss the cooked steak bites with sauteed mushrooms for added meaty flavor.
- Be sure when cooking any meat, you always keep an eye on the internal temp. Overcooking the air fryer steak bites will make them rubbery and hard to chew.
- Leave the marinade off the steak bites and cook them with salt and pepper. Toss with your favorite barbecue sauce before serving.
The receipt was tasty and delicious. I will come to you for more receipts for now on. Thank You
Hi Reginald, thank you for trying the recipe and letting me know!
I've made this recipe and they're fantastic. Ill use this a bunch. Thanks!
Hi Justen, so happy you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for coming back to rate it for me! ˜Shelby
Do I need to preheat the air fryer before cooking?
Hi Melissa, I do not preheat the airfryer. Shelby
Amazing! My hubby is picky and he LOVED this
Hi Alexis, so happy to hear this! Shelby
My air fryer is my new best friend in the kitchen and I cannot wait to try this delicious air fryer recipe next! Looks so good!!
Thanks Gwynn! Hope you love it! Shelby
I think we have a problem, Houston. You state in nutrition, serving size is 1 gram and then you state calories as 156 kcal. Please enlighten me what the serving size in ounces, and what the serving size is for 1 serving. I just came out of a heart attack, and I don't need these calories: 156,000!!!!
Thank you, I await your answer before I start to cook this.
skaybird@outlook.com
My apologies for that! I have updated the recipe card. Hope you will enjoy the recipe!