Best 9 Homemade Dog Food Recipes

facebook share image   twitter share image   pinterest share image   E-Mail share image

Creating delicious, healthy homemade dog food is a fantastic way to keep your canine companion happy and healthy. With the right ingredients and a little planning, you can easily whip up nutritious meals that are tailored to your dog's specific needs. Whether you have a picky eater or a dog with special dietary requirements, making homemade dog food allows you to control the quality of the ingredients and ensure that your dog is getting the nutrients they need to thrive. Let's dive into the wonderful world of homemade dog food and discover why so many pet owners are switching to this healthier, more natural option.

Here are our top 9 tried and tested recipes!

HOMEMADE GRAIN-FREE DOG FOOD



Homemade Grain-Free Dog Food image

My dog is getting older and his health has become more of a priority. I worry about how many nutrients kibble may lose through the cooking process. So, I developed this homemade dog food recipe to include all of the vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids that my dog needs. It took me a bit of research to figure out what foods in what proportions to use. The protein ingredients include liver and poultry (dark meat poultry is best), sunflower oil for linoleic acid, and 10 other essential amino acids that dogs must get in their diet.

Provided by nursekja

Categories     Meat and Poultry Recipes     Chicken

Time 50m

Yield 10

Number Of Ingredients 8

4 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
2 apples - peeled, cored and chopped
¼ cup water
6 eggs
3 pounds ground chicken
6 ounces chicken livers, chopped
3 tablespoons sunflower seed oil
4 cups baby spinach leaves

Steps:

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  • Place carrots, apples, and water into a pot. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until soft, 10 to 15 minutes.
  • Crack eggs and whisk together in a bowl; place eggshells onto a baking sheet.
  • Bake eggshells in the preheated oven until dry, 5 to 7 minutes.
  • Remove eggshells from the oven and pulverize using a mortar and pestle or a coffee grinder.
  • Place ground chicken, chicken livers, eggs, ground eggshells, and sunflower oil into a large skillet. Heat over medium heat, mixing occasionally, until ground chicken is browned and crumbly and livers are no longer pink, 5 to 7 minutes.
  • Place spinach on top of meat mixture in the skillet and cover with a lid to steam until soft, about 5 minutes.
  • Mash softened carrots and apples using a potato masher and add to meat mixture; mix together.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 290.6 calories, Carbohydrate 7.3 g, Cholesterol 242 mg, Fat 12 g, Fiber 1.6 g, Protein 37.1 g, SaturatedFat 2.7 g, Sodium 144 mg, Sugar 4.3 g

HOMEMADE DOG FOOD WITH BEEF



Homemade Dog Food with Beef image

My Samoyed, as he grew out of puppyhood, refused to eat kibble (and even canned food) and would go days without eating or eating very little until he lost weight. Frustrated, I did some research and started giving him this homemade dog food twice a day. He is back to a normal weight, and is very happy! Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Serve without bones; give separately as a treat as desired and use caution.

Provided by dish567

Categories     Fruits and Vegetables     Vegetables     Squash

Time 1h45m

Yield 6

Number Of Ingredients 9

2 pounds ground beef
6 cups water, or more as needed
4 cups uncooked brown rice
1 pound assorted beef bones (shin, shank, short ribs, or marrow bones)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 (15 ounce) can sliced carrots, drained
1 (13.5 ounce) can spinach, drained
6 eggs
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree

Steps:

  • Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir ground beef in the hot skillet until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain and discard grease.
  • Place 6 cups water and brown rice into a stockpot. Add browned beef, bones, and rosemary; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low or low and let simmer, stirring occasionally to prevent burning, until rice is mushy, about 45 minutes. Add water if necessary to keep mixture a little thicker than a porridge-like consistency.
  • Meanwhile, place carrots, spinach, and eggs with their shells into an electric blender. Blend until completely pureed and no eggshells are intact.
  • Mix pumpkin and blended egg mixture in a bowl until combined. Remove meat mixture from heat and pour egg mixture into the pot to cook the eggs in hot contents, about 5 minutes. Let cool thoroughly before feeding to your dog, about 30 minutes.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 846 calories, Carbohydrate 107.4 g, Cholesterol 258.3 mg, Fat 26.6 g, Fiber 8.6 g, Protein 43.4 g, SaturatedFat 9.4 g, Sodium 369.2 mg, Sugar 5 g

HOMEMADE DOG FOOD WITH CHICKEN



Homemade Dog Food with Chicken image

Chicken thighs, green beans, and oatmeal served with kibble. I serve my dogs 1/4 cup of this recipe and 1/4 cup kibble mixed at breakfast and again at dinner. Your dog's size will determine the proper portion size of this homemade dog food. Let me know what your dog thinks!

Provided by Jay

Categories     Meat and Poultry Recipes     Chicken     Chicken Thigh Recipes

Time 1h25m

Yield 10

Number Of Ingredients 6

3 cups water
1 ½ cups rolled oats
2 tablespoons canola oil
4 pounds boneless chicken thighs, chopped
1 pound frozen cut green beans
¼ cup liquid aminos (such as Bragg®)

Steps:

  • Pour water and oats into a rice cooker. Seal and select setting according to manufacturer's instructions; cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Pull out the pot as soon as the unit clocks to Warm setting. Set aside.
  • Heat oil over high heat in a large frying pan. Add chicken and cook, covered, for 4 minutes, stirring every minute. Add green beans and cook, covered, stirring every minute, for 4 minutes. Pour in aminos and stir; chop mixture using a spatula. Cover, reduce heat to low, and let simmer for 10 minutes.
  • Add cooked oatmeal to mixture; stir and chop further using a spatula. Remove from heat and let cool completely, 20 to 30 minutes.
  • Package for freezing.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 385.7 calories, Carbohydrate 11.4 g, Cholesterol 113.1 mg, Fat 22.4 g, Fiber 2.4 g, Protein 33.3 g, SaturatedFat 5.6 g, Sodium 369 mg, Sugar 1.3 g

HOMEMADE DOG FOOD



Homemade Dog Food image

With all of the scare regarding tainted dog food, I began making my 3 Jack Russells home made dog food. I found that it's quite comparable in cost, and they love it!

Provided by SouthernSusie

Categories     Healthy

Time 2h15m

Yield 6 quarts, 24 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 9

1 lb ground beef
1/2 lb ground chicken
1/2 lb ground turkey
1 lb baby carrots
2 small baking potatoes
3 cups brown rice
3 eggs, slightly beaten
3 cups chicken broth
2 cups water

Steps:

  • Cook all 3 ground meats together in larger 6 quart dutch oven.
  • Add rice, chicken broth and water. Cook on medium heat for 30 minutes.
  • Add potatoes and carrots, and slightly beaten eggs. Cook for an additional 20 - 30 minutes.
  • After cooking, put mixture into storage containers. This freezes very well.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 183, Fat 5.8, SaturatedFat 1.9, Cholesterol 50.8, Sodium 143.2, Carbohydrate 21.6, Fiber 1.5, Sugar 1.3, Protein 10.6

HOMEMADE DOG FOOD



Homemade Dog Food image

I have made dog food ever since my dogs were puppies - 4 years now! They are very healthy and have never had any problems. You can also add it to their kibble. They love it! My dogs are large breed so they get 2 cups in the a.m. and p.m.

Provided by redgirl

Categories     Meat and Poultry Recipes     Turkey     Ground Turkey Recipes

Time 30m

Yield 5

Number Of Ingredients 5

6 cups water
1 pound ground turkey
2 cups brown rice
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
½ (16 ounce) package frozen broccoli, carrots and cauliflower combination

Steps:

  • Place the water, ground turkey, rice, and rosemary into a large Dutch oven. Stir until the ground turkey is broken up and evenly distributed throughout the mixture; bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the frozen vegetables, and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool. Refrigerate until using.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 440.1 calories, Carbohydrate 64.1 g, Cholesterol 71.7 mg, Fat 9.8 g, Fiber 4.5 g, Protein 23.1 g, SaturatedFat 2.5 g, Sodium 118.3 mg, Sugar 0.5 g

GRAIN-FREE HOMEMADE DOG FOOD



Grain-Free Homemade Dog Food image

This homemade dog food is full of fresh, wholesome ingredients for your favorite pet. I ask the local butcher for the freshest minced chicken and chicken hearts.

Provided by Petfoodie

Categories     Meat and Poultry Recipes     Chicken     Chicken Breast Recipes

Time 1h

Yield 20

Number Of Ingredients 10

1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 pound chicken hearts
1 pound minced chicken meat
3 carrots, roughly chopped
2 apples, roughly chopped
2 pears, roughly chopped
2 cups fresh spinach
1 ⅓ cups strawberries
¾ cup blueberries
½ pound French beans

Steps:

  • Heat coconut oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add chicken hearts; cook and stir until browned, 5 to 6 minutes. Pour into the bowl a food processor and chop. Transfer to a bowl.
  • Add minced chicken to the frying pan over medium heat. Cook and stir until evenly white throughout and no longer pink in the center, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
  • While minced chicken is cooking, place carrots, apples, pears, spinach, strawberries, blueberries, and French beans into the bowl of the food processor. Blend until finely chopped.
  • Stir cooked chicken hearts into the frying pan with the cooked minced chicken. Spoon chopped vegetable-fruit mixture into the pan. Cook and stir gently over medium heat until vegetables are lightly cooked, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool fully, about 30 minutes. Divide into portions and serve.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 94.7 calories, Carbohydrate 8.8 g, Cholesterol 69.3 mg, Fat 3.4 g, Fiber 1.8 g, Protein 7.8 g, SaturatedFat 1.3 g, Sodium 56.8 mg, Sugar 4.5 g

HOMEMADE DOG FOOD GRAVY



Homemade Dog Food Gravy image

I only feed our dogs dry dog food and have always checked to make sure what I feed them is a top quality, balanced dog food. Our dogs do great on it. When I adopted my Grandmother's dog I had every intention of feeding her the same, but everyday she would hardly eat any of it (because my grandmother would feed her what she ate and never bought dog food). She lost a lot of weight, which at first was good, but when it didn't stop and she was becoming underweight I became concerned. At that point I bought some canned food and would mix a little bit with some water to coat her dry food. It worked, she began eating the proper amount of food. I began making gravy, just like the kind you can buy, for the conveince of how well it mixed with dry food and for how much less it costs than buying dog gravy. This homemade recipe is best for dogs because it utilizes a balanced, pre-made dog food. Be sure not to give your dogs anything with onions, garlic or salt in them, these can be toxic to dogs. Many homemade dog food recipes out there include onions, garlic or salty broths in them. Always check with your vet if you are concerned with anything in your dog's diet.

Provided by CH2000

Categories     < 30 Mins

Time 25m

Yield 30 Tablespoons

Number Of Ingredients 4

1 (13 ounce) can dog food (ground, not chunks in gravy)
13 ounces water (use the dog food can to measure)
1 tablespoon water (to mix with the cornstarch)
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Steps:

  • In a sauce pan combine the can of dog food and 10 oz of water. Begin to heat the mixture.
  • In a bowl combine the tablespoon of water and tablespoon of cornstarch until smooth and stir it into the dog food mixture.
  • Bring the ingredients to a boil stirring constantly. Boil until thickened (about 1 minute) continuing to stir.
  • Allow mixture to cool at room temperature for about 10 - 15 minutes. Once cooled pour into a blender and blend until there are no more chunks. If the mixture is too thick, add more water one tablespoon at a time. The mixture can then be stored in a hot sauce or ketchup bottle. Follow the storage and best used by date on the can of dog food used, most should be refrigerated.
  • Use about 1 tablespoon of gravy for every 1/2 to whole cup of dry dog food.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 1, Sodium 0.3, Carbohydrate 0.2

BUDDY'S AND BUBBA'S HOMEMADE DOG FOOD



Buddy's and Bubba's Homemade Dog Food image

This is a healthy addition to, or replacement for, your dog's daily meals that he will happily devour.

Provided by Karen Martell Bishop

Categories     100+ Everyday Cooking Recipes

Time 2h15m

Yield 10

Number Of Ingredients 10

2 chicken leg quarters
1 cup brown rice
1 pound ground beef
⅔ cup rolled oats
1 (10 ounce) package chopped frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
2 cups frozen chopped broccoli, thawed
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans - rinsed, drained and mashed
2 carrots, shredded
1 cup cottage cheese
½ cup olive oil

Steps:

  • Place the chicken leg quarters in a large pot, and fill with enough water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 40 minutes. Remove the legs and allow to cool. Strain and return the cooking liquid to the pot. Once the legs have cooled. Remove and discard the skin and bones; chop the meat, and set aside.
  • Stir the brown rice into the reserved chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the rice is tender, 45 to 50 minutes. Drain off any excess liquid, and add the rice to the bowl with the chicken.
  • Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, and add the ground beef. Cook and stir until the beef is crumbly and no longer pink, about 7 minutes. Pour off any excess grease, and place the beef into the bowl. Stir in the oats, spinach, broccoli, kidney beans, carrots, cottage cheese, and olive oil. Store the dog food in resealable containers in the freezer. Thaw the daily portions overnight in the refrigerator.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 400.5 calories, Carbohydrate 27.9 g, Cholesterol 42 mg, Fat 25.1 g, Fiber 5.5 g, Protein 16.7 g, SaturatedFat 7.2 g, Sodium 242.3 mg, Sugar 0.9 g

DIY WHOLESOME HOMEMADE DOG FOOD



DIY Wholesome Homemade Dog Food image

This is a well-balanced recipe, though it is always wise to rotate a variety of foods in your dog's diet. This makes enough to feed my Boston Terrier for several days. It's much more wholesome than store-bought dog food, and costs about the same as canned dog food. Recipe yield depends on the size of your dog(s).

Provided by Kevin Andrews

Categories     Meat and Poultry Recipes     Turkey     Ground Turkey Recipes

Time 55m

Yield 6

Number Of Ingredients 10

½ cup uncooked brown rice
1 pound ground turkey
½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
2 eggs
½ cup frozen chopped spinach
1 (14.5 ounce) can peeled and diced tomatoes
½ cup cottage cheese
¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
¼ cup diced celery
¼ cup sunflower oil

Steps:

  • Bring water and brown rice to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until rice is tender and liquid has been absorbed, 45 to 50 minutes. This should yield about 1 cup cooked rice.
  • Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add turkey and Italian seasoning. Cook and stir until turkey is browned and crumbly, 4 to 6 minutes. Add eggs and scramble with the turkey mixture until eggs are cooked, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
  • Place spinach in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 1 minute, and then at 30-second intervals until easy to stir and warm to the touch. Drain excess liquid.
  • Transfer turkey mixture, cooked rice, and spinach to a large bowl. Add spinach, tomatoes, cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese, celery, and sunflower oil and mix until well combined.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 321.7 calories, Carbohydrate 15.8 g, Cholesterol 115.5 mg, Fat 18.5 g, Fiber 1.6 g, Protein 22.7 g, SaturatedFat 4 g, Sodium 316.3 mg, Sugar 2.1 g

Tips:

  • Choose fresh, high-quality ingredients: The quality of your dog's food will depend on the quality of the ingredients you use. Choose fresh, organic, and human-grade ingredients whenever possible.
  • Start with a simple recipe: If you're new to cooking for your dog, start with a simple recipe that uses a few basic ingredients. You can gradually add more complex ingredients as your dog gets used to eating homemade food.
  • Cook the food thoroughly: Make sure to cook the food thoroughly to kill any bacteria that may be present. This is especially important for meat and poultry.
  • Let the food cool before serving: Allow the food to cool to a safe temperature before serving it to your dog. This will help prevent your dog from burning its mouth.
  • Store the food properly: Leftover homemade dog food should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can also freeze the food for up to 3 months.

Conclusion:

Cooking homemade dog food is a great way to provide your pet with a healthy and nutritious diet. By following these tips, you can make sure that your dog's food is safe, delicious, and tailored to their individual needs. Homemade dog food can be a great alternative to commercial dog food, especially for dogs with allergies or other health problems. However, it's important to talk to your veterinarian before switching your dog's diet to make sure that they're getting all the nutrients they need.

Related Topics