Dog's love dry food, but they may love these tasty homemade dog food recipes more!
While standard dry kibble is supposed to be filled with veggies, carbohydrates, supplements, and protein, it can sometimes have fillers and additives that your dog doesn't need in their diet. Enter tasty homemade dog food recipes! Dog owners often supplement their dog's diet with whole foods and homemade meals, much like humans.
Some pet parents find that their dog needs a homemade food diet to help with food allergies and other health issues, and DIY recipes are easy to find, plentiful and nutritious. Besides, a little home cooking can go a long way in keeping your pooch healthy. Here are our favorite finds for tasty homemade dog food recipes that you and your doggie are sure to love.
5 Healthy Homemade Dog Food Recipes
When preparing a raw food diet for your pup, you should pick a recipe that suits your pup's dietary needs. Of course, having an easy DIY dog food recipe with a low total time helps, too! Collecting and measuring all your ingredients beforehand can also make things go a little faster and smoother.
1. Tasty Homemade Crockpot Dog Food Recipe
One easy way to make your pup some tasty homemade dog food is to cook it in a slow cooker or a dutch oven. Prep time is usually pretty short, and it will cook for 5 to 6 hours, freeing up your time while still giving your pup some delicious and nutritious food.
This crockpot recipe from Damn Delicious fits the bill and only takes about 10 minutes of prep. It almost reminds me of chili without the spices and tomato sauce. Grab a crockpot and gather your doggie-safe ingredients and get cooking!
For this recipe, you will need:
- 2 1/2 pounds of ground beef
- 1 1/2 cups brown rice
- One can of kidney beans
- 1 1/2 cups of chopped butternut squash
- 1 1/2 cups of chopped carrots
- 1/2 cup of peas (you can use frozen or canned
Make sure you rinse your beans and drain them before tossing them into the crockpot. Depending on your time frame, there are two ways you can cook this tasty meal, on low heat for 5-6 hours or on high heat for 2-3 hours. Place the ground beef, brown rice, kidney beans, butternut squash, carrots, frozen peas in the slow cooker. Add in 4 cups of water to the crockpot and stir as needed. If your pup has allergies to beef, you can use ground turkey or ground chicken instead.
Let this yummy meal cool before feeding it to your pooch.
2. Gluten-Free Raw Dog Food Meal
This raw dog food recipe from Running To The Kitchen covers all the nutritional bases with two kinds of meat, some produce, dairy, and omega-3 fatty acids. It also is a tasty homemade dog food recipe that can store easily for later.
Gather up these ingredients:
- 4 oz chicken livers
- Two 1/2lbs Ground beef
- 1 Apple, cored
- 1/2 cup baby spinach
- One carrot, chopped
- Two eggs, whole
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 tbsp Flaxseed, ground
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt
Finely chop the carrot, apple, and spinach in a food processor. Add in everything else but the ground beef and run it all through the processor again. The eggshell can go in too! Place all the ground ingredients in a large bowl and mix with a spoon, or you can use your hands with the ground beef. Shape the mixture into patties. They can be stored in a container or a plastic bag in the freezer until you are ready to feed them to your pup. Let it defrost completely before mealtime.
This recipe is easy to modify based on your pup's nutritional needs. Since all the veggies are blended, you can always all in things like zucchini or other organ meats in place of the chicken livers. If your pup needs a little extra coat support, you can use coconut oil or fish oil.
3. Tasty Fishy Breakfast Scramble Recipe
RELATED: 10 Homemade Dog Treats Your Dog Won't Stop Begging You For
If your pooch is a fan of fish and eggs, they are going to love this tasty homemade dog food recipe from Rachel Ray. This is one meal you could actually share with your pup. Bon appetit!
To make this, you will need the following:
- One teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and drained
- 1/2 can of boneless, skinless salmon
- Two eggs
Pour the EVOO in a small skillet over medium heat. Place the spinach and the salmon into the skillet to heat thoroughly. Next, add in the eggs and stir while it cooks. It should take about 2 minutes. When finished, let the scramble cool before serving to your pup in their dog bowl!
4. Turkey And Potatoey Goodness
This Dutch oven recipe from The Inspired Home feels like it's another one you could share with your pup, though you may want to add in some seasoning after your pooch gets their share. This large batch recipe makes about ten servings, and your prep time is only about 15 minutes, while cook time is a sweet 20 minutes. Pretty quick for a tasty doggie meal.
Ingredients:
- 2 TBSP olive oil
- 3 lb ground turkey
- Three medium sweet potatoes
- Three peeled carrots
- Two zucchini
- One broccoli
- 3 cups of no-salt chicken stock or water
- 20oz of macaroni noodles (regular or gluten-free)
Place the Dutch oven on the stovetop over medium heat with the EVOO in it. Add in the ground turkey, cooking for 8-10 minutes. Chop the veggies in a food processor, and add them plus the chicken stock into the Dutch oven.
Cook the macaroni noodles separately in a stockpot until al dente. Next, add the noodles into the Dutch oven. After the ingredients are thoroughly mixed, you can separate them into containers for later. The mixture can also be placed in the freezer.
5. Thanksgiving In A Bowl
This Mess Is Ours has a fabulous recipe with all the fall feels, though it can be made throughout the year. The recipe looks pretty easy to make, and you can get creative with it based on your pup's dietary needs.
Gather these ingredients:
- 2 lbs ground white turkey meat, cook and drain
- 6 cups white or brown rice, cooked
- 6 hard-boiled eggs
- 2 large sweet potatoes, cleaned, cubed, and steamed
- 1 bag of frozen peas or green beans
- 1/2 cup of cranberries, washed and thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup hemp hearts
- 1/4 cup parsley
- 6 minced sage leaves
- 3 tablespoons rosemary, minced
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, omega-3, and omega-6 blend, or safflower oil
Mix all the ingredients in a large container. Stir it well to mix it completely. It can go into the refrigerator until you are ready to feed it to your pup. In place of cranberries, you could also use blueberries. You can also sprinkle turmeric on top for added anti-inflammatory properties, which is especially helpful for older dogs with stiff joints. For added calcium, you can save the eggshells (rinsed) and sprinkle them on top. It also gives it a little extra crunch.
Bonus: Homemade Dog Treat Recipe
https://www.instagram.com/p/CUiIWw8JmBO/
Why stop at just homemade dog food when you can make a homemade dog treat too? Running To The Kitchen has the perfect treat that fits the bill, Pumpkin Dog Treats. They sound so good. I want to try one!
Gather up:
- 1 1/2 cup oat flour
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
- one egg
- pinch of salt
- a banana
- 1/4 cup peanut butter (xylitol-free!)
Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl, flour, and salt first, then all the wet ingredients. Roll out the dough on a floured surface and cut it into shapes, like you would sugar cookies or gingerbread. You can use a dog bone-shaped cookie cutter or another favorite shape. The biscuits cool in the oven at 350 degrees for 15-17 minutes. Let the cookies cool on a baking rack. They can be stored in a container or bag in the refrigerator. Sounds like a super tasty homemade dog food recipe to me!
Homemade Recipe Considerations
If your pup has a sensitive stomach, you likely want to make a slow transition from dog food to homemade food. I know with my own dog, the slightest change in foods, even for the better, would throw her off for a couple of days.
Before switching from pet food to a homemade diet, check in with your vet to make sure you find the best mix of carbs, cholesterol, potassium, and protein for your dog's health and nutritional needs. Also, they can help you with vet-approved human foods and determining the correct serving size.
Which tasty homemade dog food recipe is your favorite? Tell us on our Wide Open Pets Facebook page.
