Boneless rabbit meat is an extremely versatile ingredient. Use it to make fajitas, “chicken” salad, Rabbit a la King, Rabbit Rice Casserole, and more. Any recipe calling for boneless chicken can easily be adapted for rabbit. Just stir the meat into a sauce or casserole, heat, and enjoy.
Now some people will tell you to de-bone the rabbit BEFORE cooking it…
You have got to be kidding! If you have ever tried to cut all the meat off an uncooked rabbit it’s a major undertaking (ie. lots of work!).
No thanks… sharp knives, tendons, and tiny bones are a recipe for disaster at our house.
My solution – cook the whole rabbit until the meat practically falls off the bones – then clean it. Easy, peazy! Minimal effort and lots of delicious boneless rabbit meat for our culinary delight.
If you tend to be pressed for time (and who isn’t these days), cook the rabbit beforehand and save it for quick meals. Store cooked meat covered in the fridge for a few days or freeze in Ziplock bags for a couple months.
Approximate yield of meat per rabbit:
| Fryer rabbit age | Dressed weight | Boneless meat | Serves |
| 8-10 weeks | 2-2.5 lbs. | 2 cups | 2-3 |
| 12 weeks | 3 lbs. | 3 cups | 4 |
| 16 weeks | 3.5-4.5 lbs. | 4 cups | 6+ |
How to cook rabbit – 3 ways
1. Instant Pot Rabbit
First, put rack in bottom of pressure cooker. Then place a whole rabbit on the rack and season w/ salt & pepper. Add 1 C. water. Cover with lid and turn valve to “sealing”. Cook on high pressure for 22-30 min. (less time for younger rabbits). Let pressure release naturally, or cover the stream valve with a folded towel and open 15 min. after cooking is complete.
Our instant pot goes to a warming cycle when it is finished cooking. Try not to leave the rabbit on the warming cycle too long because it will dehydrate the top layers of meat.
A major benefit of the instant pot is that a rabbit can be cooked frozen (without thawing first). Just plunk in a rabbit and add 1 cup of water. Set the valve to “sealing” and cook on high pressure for 30 minutes.
TIP: When packaging rabbits for the freezer, tuck the hind legs into the body cavity before bagging. The rabbit can be stored very compactly this way and there is less chance of sharp bones puncturing the bag.
We have a 6 quart Instant Pot pressure cooker. I can fit all but my biggest adult rabbits in it whole. Large rabbits can be cut in parts to fit, though I usually just put them in the crock-pot which has more space. No sense cutting up a rabbit if I don’t have to!
2. Crock-Pot Rabbit
To cook rabbit in a crock pot, place whole cleaned rabbit in slow cooker. If desired, add herbs/onion to the body cavity. Season with salt and pepper. Pour 1 C. water over rabbit. Cover and cook on low until meat is very tender (3-4 hours for a young rabbit, 4-6 hours for an older rabbit).
The crock pot is a foolproof way to cook rabbits, especially older ones. The meat always comes out moist and tender. Use a slow cooker when you aren’t sure you will be able to clean the rabbit promptly since there is no risk of the meat drying out if you leave it in a little too long.
Instead of adding water, you can add other ingredients to make a one pot meal (such as barbecue sauce, crushed tomatoes and balsamic vinegar, etc.). Use a favorite crock pot recipe for chicken and you’ll get delicious results.
3. Cook Rabbit on the Stove
This method works best for young rabbits, up to 3 months old.
Add rabbit(s) to a pot and add water to just cover. Bring to a gentle boil. Boil for 20-30 minutes, then turn the heat off. Cover the pot and let sit for a 1/2 hour. The meat will be totally cooked through. Remove rabbit from broth and cool. Strip meat from bones.
How I Cook Rabbit
Isn’t it great to have options in this modern world?
- Rabbit too big – cook it in the crock-pot
- Pressed for time – use the Instant-pot
- Want to humidify the house? Boil it on the stove
I usually cook rabbit in our 6 quart Instant Pot in the early afternoon so the kids can clean it after school. We store the boneless rabbit meat in a covered container in the fridge until it is time to make dinner. All of the bones go back into the cooking liquid to make a batch of rabbit stock for soup the following night. Our Meat Rabbit Processing Course includes a tutorial on making rabbit stock.
Boneless Rabbit Meat: 3 Easy Ways
Ingredients
- 1 Rabbit
- Salt & pepper
- Water
Instructions
In an Instant-Pot
- Place rack in bottom of pressure cooker. Place whole rabbit on rack and season w/ salt & pepper. Add 1 C. water. Cover with lid and turn valve to "sealing". Cook on high pressure for 22-30 min. (less time for younger rabbits). Let pressure release naturally, or cover the stream valve with a folded towel and open 15 min. after cooking is complete.
In a Crock-Pot
- Place whole cleaned rabbit in slow cooker. Add herbs/onion to the body cavity if desired. Season with salt and pepper. Pour 1 C. water over rabbit. Cover and cook on low until meat is very tender (3-4 hours for a young rabbit, 4-6 hours for an older rabbit).
On the Stove
- Add rabbit(s) to a pot and add water to just cover. Bring to a gentle boil. Boil for 20-30 minutes, then turn the heat off. Cover the pot and let sit for a 1/2 hour. The meat will be totally cooked through. Remove rabbit from broth and cool. Strip meat from bones. (This cooking method works best for young rabbits, up to 3 months old)
Notes
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What’s your favorite way to cook rabbit meat? Please share below…
Just wanted to say thanks for this! I’m going to try the crockpot with a 2ish year old rabbit. My family (including me!) has never had rabbit before and I am nervous to get it right so they all approve of adding this protein source into our regular diet and backyard! So much easier then chickens to process! And the pelts are so luxurious to handle! …if only they could lay eggs… 🤣
Hope your rabbit meal came out well! I also prefer rabbits to chickens as a source of meat. They don’t lay eggs, but rabbit manure is amazing for the garden. Dig some bunny berries into the soil for bounteous harvests.
Chinese hot pot with vegetables on an induction cooking countertop. Barbecue rabbit leg sichuan style with red chile peppers. Recipes online. Induction cooking is very efficient and quick.
Thanks for the suggestions. I’ll look into it!
How much instant pot time would you use for part of a rabbit? I have 4 frozen pieces of a rabbit fryer.
Cook frozen rabbit meat with 1 cup of water on high pressure for 30 minutes. If the meat falls off the bone, you could try a little less time in the future.
Wow thanks for the instant pot instructions! The meat was so easy to get off of the bones and it was very tender. Used in a “chicken” alfredo casserole recipe. I think this will be my new go-to for cooking rabbit. My boyfriend will be so happy to not have to deal with the tiny bones.
Your “chicken” alfredo casserole sounds delicious! The instant pot is my favorite way to cook rabbit. Be sure to make some delicious rabbit stock with the bones.
Thank you for this wonderful information!! I am new to raising rabbits for food and this is awesome for me. Thank you
Thank you so much for your rabbit expertise!! I am in Tasmania Australia. I was given a couple of rabbits and having never cooked them before I was a bit stumped. You have simplified things for me very much 😁.
Will chuck them in the Instant pot, and search for your creamy mustard and bacon recipe which sounds delicious. Thankyouoooooo! 😃👍
Wow, I never thought my post would help someone on the other side of the world! I’m so glad you found it informative. Hope you enjoyed your rabbit meat!
Hi Alyssa, I’m over in Vermont probably not far from you. I have NZ meat rabbits in the freezer and am glad I found your recipe. Just finished pressure cooking a big 10 week old from 3 years ago. Tastes absolutely wonderful. I can hardly wait to get a couple ingredients I need for the mustard creamed rabbit!! Thanks so much. Joel
Glad to hear that you are enjoying your rabbit. Mustard Cream Rabbit with Bacon is my all-time favorite rabbit recipe. Be sure to let us know how you like it!
These are great suggestions. I am going to try them out. I wanted to share the way that works for us. I smoke them. The key is using a vertical smoker and putting a chicken (or two) above the rabbit. I place the rabbit(s) in a foil pan with a 1/2 cup of water. Then smoke low and slow for 2-3 hrs. turning once. The broth from the chicken and rabbits keeps the meat moist. Then I cover with foil and move the rabbit(s) to the top rack. Smoke for another hour or two depending on the size and number of the rabbits. Once the legs move freely, I pull them out, let them cool and debone them. They are amazing. The meat is super tender. I use the broth in the pan for stock for other meals/soups. When I boil the bones for bone broth it has a smoky flavor that is a wonderful addition to my dishes. I am not sure how this would work in a horizontal smoker, I have found that you need the chicken to baste the rabbit as it smokes, I have heard you can lay bacon across the top and get a similar outcome, but have not tried that.
Yum! Smoked rabbit sounds delicious. Thanks for sharing these tips and instructions Michal.
Writing from Alabama and started raising rabbit the first of the year. I just started cooking them and what I’ve made have been great. I have been so wanting to smoke them and since we also raise our own roaster chickens this sounds like an amazing way to prepare them. Thanks to everyone who commented, I appreciate the encouragement to try new things!