Home » Health and Nutrition » 11 Best Homemade Dog Food Recipes
by Liam J. Barnes
"Why make dog food at home when you can just buy it at the store?"
The #1 reason is simply this: Control. You have full control over every single ingredient with no surprises.
Dogs with allergies, sensitivities, or intolerance can live a happy life and you can live worry free. Which is why we like making grain free treats at home too.
The second reason is money savings! When it comes to healthy dog food the top brands are quite expensive, but you can simply use the same ingredients at home and save an absolute ton.
Of course, the next biggest concern is your time investment.
But surprisingly this isn't as bad as it looks, and with just an hour or less per week you can make enough food to last for several days. We recommend you make use of a some big ziplock bags or containers and freeze what you're not immediately using.
Each recipe allows for customization based on your dogs individual nutritional requirements and tastes. But, before you get started you must speak with a Vet to see what your dog should and should not eat, as each dogs diet will vary.
Finally, always check to see what dogs can and cannot eat before adding ingredients.
Picture: Damn Delicious
Chungah proves that making dog food at home is not only cheaper, but healthier too. You have full control over the ingredients, and so your fur-baby will eat nothing but the best. If your looking to lean up the meal a bit, replace the ground beef with ground turkey or chicken to curb some of those extra calories and fat.
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups brown rice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 pounds ground turkey
- 3 cups baby spinach, chopped
- 2 carrots, shredded
- 1 zucchini, shredded
- 1/2 cup peas, canned or frozen
Recipe By: Chungah - Damn Delicious
Come join me in my culinary adventures where we'll be using simple, fresh ingredients, and transforming them into sophisticated and elegant meals for the everyday home cook.
Looking to make something quick and easy? Try a simple 4-ingredient recipe of Turkey, Rice, Broccoli, and a pinch of Rosemary. We definitely recommend cutting up the brocolli into smaller bits to ensure there is no choking hazard, since we all know some dogs don't chew as much as they should.
Ingredients:
- 6 cups water
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 2 cups brown rice
- 1 teaspoon rosemary
- 1/2 (16 ounces) package frozen broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower combination
Here's another healthy time saver for your pup, making a stew ahead of time and freezing the leftovers until needed. Making use of nutrient-rich ingredients and a slow cooker, SkinnyMs has created a really high quality food source that humans and dogs can appreciate.
Ingredients:
- 3 pounds (boneless and skinless) chicken thighs, or about 10-12 thighs
- 1/4 cup chicken livers
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
- 1 cup frozen green beans
- 1 apple, core andseeds removed and discarded (cut into 4 pieces)
- 2-3 cups water
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 handful fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Recipe By: SkinnyMs.
The SkinnyMs. team believes that all people, regardless of age, size, and fitness level, have the power to transform their lives — they just need the resources to do so. The SkinnyMs. method promotes healthy living through a combination of clean eating and regular exercise. We offer everything you need to be successful.
Picture: DogVilles
Another awesome crockpot recipe, this time just using some simple ingredients such as: Chicken, Rice, Green beans, Sweet Potato, and Carrots - all good stuff that will keep your dog fueled and happy. The best part is this recipe comes with a how-to video so you can follow their exact process.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup brown rice
- 2 cups water
- 1/2 lb. green beans, broken into segments
- 1 medium sweet potato, raw, cut into medium-sized chunks (leave skin on)
- 3 carrots, sliced into about 1″ thick rounds
- 2 boneless chicken breasts (with or without skin)
Recipe By: Rachel G- Dogvills
Rachel loves working with power tools, yoga, coffee, and dancing out of rhythm. She has a passion for new ideas, healthy living, and being your best self. She loves creating videos and crafting
SkinnyMs is on our list twice, and for good reason - she makes awesome recipes! This is a fantastic blend of turkey, organs, and some nutrient rich veggies. Make sure you make enough for leftovers, using ziplock bags or containers so that you'll have enough for the whole week!
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds lean ground turkey
- 2 tablespoons raw turkey or chicken liver, finely diced or pureed
- 2 medium carrots, coarsely chopped
- 1 cup broccoli florets
- 1 cup cauliflower florets
- 1/2 zucchini, sliced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Recipe By: SkinnyMs.
The SkinnyMs. team believes that all people, regardless of age, size, and fitness level, have the power to transform their lives — they just need the resources to do so. The SkinnyMs. method promotes healthy living through a combination of clean eating and regular exercise. We offer everything you need to be successful.
Yeah, you read that right - BEEFaloaf, and your dog will love it. It's exactly how it sounds too, just make some meatloaf with all your dogs favorites: beef, eggs, and veggies. Then just bake in the oven for 40 minutes and you're all set to spoil your fur baby.
Ingredients:
- 1 lbs. lean ground beef
- 2 eggs
- 1 ½ cups rolled oats (you can use gluten free oats if you want)
- 1 ½ cups grated mixed vegetables (use your dogs favorite veggies – I used broccoli, carrots and apple)
- ½ cup cottage cheese
Picture: 12Tomatoes
Slow cooker recipes are especially good just for their time saving - since you may be making dog food each week. This is another simple recipe that you can create in just 20 minutes, using a combination of beef and anti-oxidants. If you want to lean things up a bit just swap the beef for chicken or turkey.
Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 pounds ground beef
- 1 (15 oz.) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 1/2 cups brown rice
- 1 1/2 cups butternut squash, chopped into small cubes
- 1 1/2 cups carrots, finely chopped
- 3/4 cup peas, fresh or frozen
One more slow cooker recipe for the list, this time using more frozen veggies to save some extra time, and throwing in a few extras like sweet potatoes and carrots. Of course you can always be creative by adding in some extra veggies, just make sure you follow the What Foods are Safe For Dogs list.
Ingredients:
- 2 1/2-3 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs and breasts
- 1 sweet potato, cubed
- 2 carrots, sliced
- 2 c. frozen green beans
- 2 c. frozen peas
- 1 large or 2 med apples, cored and cubed (no seeds!!)
- 1 can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Recipe By: A - Pearls And Sports Bras
I’m A, a twenty-something fashionista with a career in medicine and a creative side. Here you’ll find posts about style, health, and beauty. You’ll also see a running catalog of my DIY and home improvement projects.
No Crockpot? No problem - just make a potato beef stew with whatever pot you have around the kitchen, your dog will appreciate the effort all the same. Amanda even takes it a step further and supplements her dog food with extra dog vitamins, which is a great idea. Just make sure you talk to the Vet first so they can receive the optimal level of nutrients needed for your dog.
Ingredients:
- 1 lb ground beef, chicken or turkey
- 1 large potato or sweet potato, diced
- 1 medium carrot, diced
- ½ cup frozen peas
- water
A really fantastic recipe using just some cooked rice and a dutch oven for everything else. Of course we have the usual healthy stuff like carrots, spinach, zucchini, and peas, and they have even included all the nutritional info on their site which is helpful for the pups on a diet.
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups brown rice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 pounds ground turkey
- 3 cups baby spinach, chopped
- 2 carrots, shredded
- 1 zucchini, shredded
- 1/2 cup peas, canned or frozen
Recipe By: Chungah - Damn Delicious
Come join me in my culinary adventures where we'll be using simple, fresh ingredients, and transforming them into sophisticated and elegant meals for the everyday home cook.
This is a different type of recipe, in fact there's no real recipe here at all. This is more instruction on how to construct your own recipe using optimal ingredients for a properly nutrtionally balanced meal. They have sources several scientific studies and even vet endorsed sample diets in order to give you a better idea of what's suitable for your dog - a highly recommend you give this a read.
But wait - there's more! If you're looking to spoil your dog even more, consider making your dog a birthday cake or some pupcakes (even if its not their birthday, we're not judging!)
