Making homemade dog food can be a great way to add variety to your pet’s diet while providing them with a healthy meal that doesn’t contain any harmful chemical preservatives or mystery ingredients. But with so many recipes available on the internet, it can be difficult to know which ones are actually good choices.
So, we created a list of the best meals that you can make for your dog. Each entry has a list of the ingredients and the preparation steps. All these recipes are easy and can make great substitutes for your dog’s dry kibble once or twice per week.
Why Only Once or Twice A Week?
While instinctively it feels that home-prepared is always going to beat store-bought in terms of freshness and nutritional value, the challenge with homemade dog food is that it’s almost impossible to be certain that we’re providing everything they need in the right proportions.
Commercially prepared food needs to go through an analysis process to qualify as AAFCO-approved, meaning that it has been tested to ensure it contains enough – and not too much – of the protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals that dogs need to be healthy. Homemade dog food may be a healthy option, but there is a risk of causing nutritional imbalances or malnutrition if we don’t get the right blend of ingredients.
The 4 Homemade Dog Food Recipes
1. Easy Homemade Dog Food Recipe
Rosemary & Turkey Homemade Dog Food
Equipment
- Dutch oven or large saucepan
- Airtight container
Ingredients
- 6 cups water
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 2 cups brown rice
- 1 tsp. dried rosemary
- 8 oz. frozen broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower blend
Instructions
- In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, mix the water, turkey, rice, and rosemary until the turkey breaks up evenly.
- Bring mixture to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Add the frozen vegetables and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and cool.
- Store in the refrigerator.
Notes
2. Homemade Dog Food by The Farmer’s Dog
The Farmer’s Dog’s Homemade Dog Food is a fantastic recipe that gives your dog the taste of beef. One batch makes 5 pounds of food, and it is easy to scale up as needed.
- 2¾ pounds ground beef (85% lean or better)
- 1 cup lentils
- ¼ pound beef liver
- ¾ pound fresh sweet potato
- ½ pound carrot
- ¼ pound spinach
- 1 tbsp. safflower oil
- 1 tbsp. omega-3 fish oil (optional)
- Boil liver and sweet potato.
- Cut liver into small pieces.
- Boil lentils.
- Dice greens and chop carrots.
- Cook the ground meat.
- Add optional omega-3 fish oil.
- Add sweet potato, liver, lentils, greens, and carrots.
- Mix well.
- Separate into individual servings.
- Freeze or refrigerate extra.
If you want to give your dog the best healthy food possible but don’t have the time to cook it up, you can actually get The Farmer’s Dog delivered to your door!
3. Homemade Dog Food Recipe by The College Housewife
The College Housewife’s Homemade Dog Food is a high-quality dog food based on turkey. This recipe adds in several vegetables and even an option to add omega-3 fats, which help produce a shiny coat and reduce inflammation.
- 3 pounds ground turkey
- 2 pounds sweet potatoes
- 3 carrots
- 2 zucchini squash
- 1 cup broccoli
- 2 pounds macaroni
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- Grind sweet potatoes, carrots, squash, and broccoli in a food processor.
- Add all the ingredients to a crockpot or Dutch oven, and cook on high heat until the meat and macaroni cook completely.
- Allow to cool, and portion into single-serving containers.
4. Fish Stew For Dogs by Dog Child
This recipe from Dog Child is a great option for dogs that are allergic to common ingredients like chicken or beef, plus it shouldn’t be too hard on the wallet, either.
- 1.725 Ibs or 618g of Cod (Deboned)
- 3 Cups or 360g or 12.8 Oz of Chopped Potato
- 1 ½ Cups or 188g or 6.6 Oz of Green Beans
- 1 ½ Cups or 240g or 8.5 Oz of Green Peas
- 2 Cups or 480g or 16.9Oz of Water
- ½ Cup or 64g or 2.24 Oz of Omega Oil
- Heat 4 tablespoons of Omega oil In a large non-stick skillet pan over medium-high heat.
- Add the fish filets to the pan and saute on each side for several minutes. Check the middle to see if the fish is done – it should be white and flake apart easily.
- Turn off the heat and place the fish filets on a paper towel-lined plate.
- Using a food processor, pulse the potatoes, green beans, and green peas until finely chopped.
- Add the vegetables to your pan with the water. Cook on medium heat for 5-7 minutes.
- Then add the grilled fish and the remaining Omega oil to the pot.
- Using a fork, pull apart the fish and mix everything together until well combined.
- Let cool and serve!
Please contact a vet if you have any questions about the recipes in this guide and would like professional advice before serving them to your dog.
Summary
These high-quality recipes are great alternatives to your pet’s regular dog food, and we included different recipes for different kinds of dogs. Although preparing a home-cooked meal for your dog sounds like one of the best things you can do for them, it can be tricky and time-consuming to make sure you are giving them the right balance of nutrients. We recommend making homemade food once or twice a week and using AAFCO-approved food the rest of the time. Always speak to your vet before making any significant changes to your dog’s diet, particularly if they have any specific health conditions.
Featured Image Credit: Miriam Doerr Martin Frommherz,
