These are the 15 Best Rabbit Breeds for Meat

When it comes to having a balanced meal, you really need to make sure that you get your protein intake in so that you can grow big and strong. If you want to live a happy and healthy life you absolutely need to have meat or at least some sort of meat replacement in your diet and that’s a fact. But when it comes to meat, there are just so many options to choose from out there that it gets really hard to find the proper meat for you to consume.

Whether we’re talking from a personal taste point of view or from a health benefit perspective, the truth is that finding the perfect choice for you can be quite tough to do, especially when you realize just how much flawed information you have to avoid while going online.

This is why, for today we decided to cover one of the most popular types of meat out there, the rabbit meat. We will bring up the top 15 best rabbit breeds that you can actually consume today and the health benefits behind each and every one of them.

So, without further ado, let’s start off with our number 15^th pick for the day, aka:

15. Altex Rabbit

The Altex rabbit breed is especially popular because of its incredibly high-quality fur and of course, its meat. The best part about this rabbit breed is the fact that it actually puts on weight very quickly to the point where a rabbit can easily get to 13 pounds in practically no time.

If you want to buy yourself a rabbit breed and simply use it for the meat quantity alone then this might be the best choice for you out there. This breed is also especially docile and easy to take care, just make sure that you don’t get too attached to it because they can be quite loveable and fluffy.

It also makes for a great indoor breed, and that’s all thanks to the fact that it does not shed all that much. The typical Altex rabbit will have short white to grey fur and upright ears.

14. Florida White Rabbit

This is commonly referred to as the “all purpose” rabbit breed and this is because you can easily use it for everything you could ever ask for from a rabbit.

The only real problem with the Florida white rabbit is definitely the fact that it isn’t exactly all that heavy, to the point where the typical rabbit from this breed will weigh in less than 8 pounds at its heaviest.

But because of this they are also very fluffy and soft, meaning that they are amongst the most famous pets for families that don’t even want to consider butchering their rabbits.

With one of the calmest temperaments out there, this is also a very good pet for children, although we would recommend trimming down their nails since they can easily leave some nasty scars on your hands if you scare them.

13. Palomino Rabbit

Taking a step back a bit, this right here is more of a general use type of rabbit breed mostly because it is used both commercially and for the typical homestead as well. The Palomino rabbit has been one of the most popular choices for rabbit meat out there and that’s mainly because it reaches adulthood so quickly and because it is so easy to take care of.

On top of that this rabbit breed can easily go on to weigh as much as anywhere between 8 to 11 pounds in total, which is quite profitable if you’re looking to sell it to the masses. And that’s not even the best part, this is an especially delicious rabbit meat as well, it is often times considered to be one of the tastiest out there and best of all, it’s very easily accessible from most any markets out there.

Lastly, this is a great choice for a rabbit breed mainly because of its great temperament, although it does tend to grow a bit slower than most other rabbit breeds out there, it is a genuine joy to take care of which makes the process all the easier.

12. Rex Rabbit

This rabbit breed is primarily used both for its fur and for its meat. When they actually reach adulthood, this breed can end up weighing in around 8 to 10 pounds in total, and as far as the general taste goes, it’s definitely a step above the rest from that point of view.

This is also an especially beautiful rabbit breed, just take a glance at how soft and squishy their fur looks. This is one of the main reasons as to why so many people nowadays choose to own Rex rabbits as pets.

On top of it all, it is a very easy to take care of rabbit breed, it’s not overly aggressive, quite the contrary actually, and really, thanks to its very soft and cuddly fur you will enjoy every minute of hugging and playing around with them.

11. Satins Rabbit

If you happen to live in a cold environment then there really is no better choice out there than the Satins rabbit breed. This is one of the few rabbit breeds out there that not only survives the coldest of temperatures, but also thrives in it. It originated from South America but it quickly caught on in the rest of the world as well to the point where you can easily get access to their meat all across the globe.

Their fur color is generally random, depending on the rabbit itself. You can go for a black, blue, white, chocolate, Siamese or even chinchilla colored rabbit when going for the Satins rabbit breed and on top of that you also get some really delicious meat from them as well.

They can easily get to 5 pounds within 8-weeks although they can grow way larger than that, to the point where they can easily weigh as much as twelve pounds in total at their heaviest.

10. Dutch Rabbit

While definitely quite a small breed, weighing in at around five pounds each, this is actually a great choice if you’re willing to forget about the quantity of the meat and instead focus on the quality of it.

A fun fact about this breed is the fact that despite its name, it was originally bred in the United Kingdom in the 1830s and it quickly caught on because of how cute and cuddly it can be and most importantly, because of how friendly this breed is.

It’s the type of rabbit that you can find all around the globe for a very cheap price, and it can be used for most anything you want to. Whether you want it for its meat, its fur or just for its companionship, you will definitely get your money’s worth from this breed.

9. Belgian Hare

Despite the fact that we would love to put this breed a bit higher up on our list, we actually can’t simply because of how hard it is to come by. This is all thanks to the fact that it is a threatened rabbit breed, meaning that there are very few of them still out there so it’s not allowed to commercially sell it anymore these days.

It originally hit the scene around the 1900s and it completely blew up thanks to its incredible taste. It reached the point where it even costed as much as $5,000 per single rabbit.

This meat is also very popular because of how lean it is, but the only real problem with it is the fact that it is a very difficult breed to keep as your own, as it requires a ton of room to run around in and it can be very naughty, ripping and tearing through everything around.

8. Cinnamon Rabbit

If you happen to live outside of the United States you probably won’t be able to get your hands on this breed. But if you do live in the United States then definitely try to get your hands on it since it is by far one of the best rabbit breeds out there.

This breed can easily reach up to 11 pounds during adulthood and while definitely a bit more docile, it is a very active breed that will run around all day long and try to play with you any chance they get. Because of this they make for great pets, some of the best actually, and that’s especially supported by the fact that they live up to 5 to 10 years in total.

Their color is generally dark cinnamon, with an even darker stomach and that orange tinge that can be spotted very easily from afar. They are also commonly known for the certain dark smoky grey color that can be spotted on their nose and the outline of their ears.

7. Champagne D Argent Rabbit

The Champagne D Argent breed is also commonly referred to as the French Silver Beauty and for good reason too. This is one of those breeds that grows up to be very large as large as 12 pounds in total and on top of that it also just looks downright beautiful as well.

Just look at that gorgeously soft silver fur, it is, depending on who you ask, one of the prettiest rabbit breeds out there and who are we to say anything against that eh?

Regardless, this breed is especially docile, to the point where most people refer to them as even softer kittens which is why they’re so perfect as pets especially around children.

6. Silver Fox Rabbit

Definitely one of the top picks for most homesteaders out there, the Silver Fox rabbit breed is one of those rabbit breeds that’s pretty much universally acclaimed by now.

It is considered to be one of the fanciest rabbit breeds out there as well, and that’s mostly because of its higher price tag and of course, its incredibly tasty meat and softer than imaginable fur.

Despite the fact that most people consider them to be great pets, they’re actually amongst the best breeds for commercial use out there and that’s because they can easily weigh in as much as 12 pounds each and as mentioned previously their meat can be extremely tasty.

The only real problem with this breed is definitely the fact that it is quite rare to come by, but if you can get your hands on it definitely go for it because it’s well worth the price tag.

5. Blanc de Hotot Rabbit

This is one of the largest rabbit breeds in the world and on top of that it is also a true heritage breed as well. It was originally bred back in the 1900s in France and it quickly became known as the second breed to have ever been bred by a woman.

It is an especially popular rabbit breed and it all stems back to its overall size and taste. If you like rabbit meat you will absolutely love this meat, and even if you don’t necessarily like it you might seem compelled to give it a second try because of its nutritional value.

A typical mature Blanc de Hotot rabbit will weigh in as much as 11 pounds in total, although they can grow up very fast so you can easily go from taking care of them to getting them ready for the dinner plate in no time.

4. Flemish Giant Rabbit

If what you’re looking for is quantity then the Flemish Giant rabbit most definitely lives up to its name because it’s absolutely massive. This is a rabbit breed that grows as large as twenty pounds, but there are a few aspects that need to be taken into consideration before buying one of these for yourself.

First and foremost, while especially large, it is also a black hole for food. This breed of rabbit will literally consume food day and night, it actually takes around twice as much food to fully satiate the Flemish Giant rabbit than it would take for most any breed out there.

Secondly, it can be very expensive to buy and maintain, mostly because of the aforementioned appetite that this breed has.

But if you can take those two negatives and solely focus on the positive side of it then we would most definitely recommend going for the Flemish Giant rabbit over most other rabbit breeds out there.

3. American Chinchilla Rabbit

This is one of the best dual-purpose rabbit breeds out there and it is all solely thanks to their meat. If you ever tasted American Chinchilla rabbit meat, we most definitely believe that you knew it right off the bat because it is one of the most uniquely tasting and delicious meats in the world.

You can expect around 12 pounds of meat from them although you might find it hard to get a few for yourself simply because they’re considered to be endangered and so they are quite hard to come by.

2. New Zealand Rabbit

If you’ve ever had rabbit meat at any restaurant then chances are that you’ve had yourself a plate full of this breed right here. Why? Because this is by far one of the most commonly used rabbit meats out there.

Almost 90% of the rabbits are raised for their meat and this is mostly thanks to the fact that they grow so large and they’re so easy to come by.

Ever since they were first introduced into the market by the early 1900s, they quickly became a fan favorite for the typical consumer and for good reason too. Their meat is just absolutely delicious.

California Rabbit

We chose this as our number one pick for the day because while it is definitely an especially delicious breed of rabbit, it also has one of the softest and most huggable furs in the world, making it one of the most versatile rabbit breeds out there.

On top of that, they’re very easy to come by and take care of thanks to their docile behavior and they are very cheap to grow as well which is why most homesteaders love this rabbit breed in particular.

Conclusion

So, with all of that out of the way, you should have a pretty good idea over which rabbit breed you want to get for yourself.

Regardless of whether you’re an aspiring homesteader, a general fan of the meat or just a random traveler that wanted to see what the best rabbit breed is, we hope that this was a helpful guide that answered all of your questions.

While we definitely skipped over a lot of information regarding these breeds, we can safely say that the focus of our study was well met, and that is that we provided you with the main reasons as to why these breeds are specifically considered to be amongst the best out there.