Homemade Venison Dumplings: A Recipe with Bold, Unique Flavors
Transform your venison into unforgettable dumplings bursting with savory flavor in every bite.
Golden dumplings boiled to perfection, served with spiced tomato sauce. (Author photos)
December 03, 2025
By Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley
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This recipe is inspired by a similar dish I had at Clio in Omaha: savory meat and onion dumplings served with spicy tomato sauce and cooling yogurt.
I take a shortcut in using northern-style Chinese dumplings wrappers, which are thick and robust – much like homemade dough. If you can’t find northern style, use gyoza wrappers. Although they are the right shape, I don’t recommend square wonton wrappers because they are so thin and may fall apart. Though in a pinch, it’s better than nothing.
This recipe does make a lot of dumplings. You can easily halve the recipe or freeze dumplings after you bake them in step 5. When boiling frozen dumplings, add a few more minutes.
Serves: 6-8 Prep time: 1 hour Cook time: 40 minutes
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Ingredients Flat leaf parsley for garnish Special equipment: parchment paper Dumplings A generous portion of seasoned venison is placed in each dumpling wrapper. 1 pound ground venison (with fat added) 1 medium onion, grated 1½ tsp. kosher salt Freshly cracked pepper, to taste 2 packages of northern-style dumpling wrappers or gyoza wrappers Garlic-Yogurt Sauce 2 (5-6 ounces) containers of plain Greek yogurt 2 cloves of garlic, minced Generous pinch of salt Tomato Sauce 16-ounce can of tomato sauce ¼ cup of olive oil, plus extra ½ tsp. sumac ½ tsp. red pepper flakes ½ tsp. sweet paprika 2 tsp. sugar Salt and pepper, to taste Directions Savory venison filling meets tender dumpling wrappers, ready for baking. In a bowl, combine ground venison, grated onion (and juices), kosher salt and pepper. Combine with your hands until the onion is evenly distributed. Cover and keep cold. In a small bowl, combine Greek yogurt, minced garlic and salt. Set aside. In a medium saucepan, combine ¼ cup olive oil, sumac, red pepper flakes and sweet paprika. Turn on heat to medium and allow oil and spices to warm for 1-2 minutes, but do not burn. Then add tomato sauce and sugar, and warm through. Season to taste with salt and pepper (and more sugar, if needed). Keep warm. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. To make dumplings, trim the round wrappers into squares; do this in batches to prevent the wrappers from drying out. Add a small dollop of meat filling in the middle of each wrapper, lightly wet the wedges with water and bring the opposite corners together. Gently remove air and press edges to seal. Pinch the top. Place assembled dumplings on a cookie sheet(s) lined with parchment paper, allowing space in between each dumpling. Bake dumplings for 8-10 minutes in a 350-degree oven. This process will help the dumplings keep their shape when boiled. Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Boil dumplings — in batches if your pot is small — for about 5 minutes or until cooked through and tender. Serve immediately with warm tomato sauce, dollops of garlic-yogurt sauce, a drizzle of olive oil and fresh parsley. If the yogurt is too thick, stir in a splash of milk or water.
