Homemade Dog Food Recipes (30+ Ideas!)

A white ceramic dog dish that says woof filled with homemade dog food.

4.88 from 32 votes

Homemade Dog Food Recipes (30+ Ideas!)

Easy homemade dog food recipes are fresh, nutritious, and can be custom-made! Skip expensive store-bought commercial pet food. And watch your furry friend lick the bowl clean. Now let's create one of the best home cooked dog food recipes with these 30+ ingredient ideas.

Prep Time1

Cook Time30

Total Time1 30

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: dog food recipes, food for dogs homemade, homemade dog food, homemade dog food recipes, Homemade Dog Food Recipes Vet Approved, homemade food for dogs

Servings: 1 cup dog servings

Calories: 338kcal

Author: Lisa Hatfield

Ingredients

3 pounds ground beef 7 cups cooked crumbled ground beef
2 cups brown rice or swap white rice
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon butter
28 ounces beef stock (optional) + ½ cup water 28 oz = 3.5 cups, add ½ cup water for proper ratio to make rice
1 ½ cups fresh broccoli, shred or cut finely or a 12 oz frozen bag
2 cups fresh carrots, shred or cut into small coins 2 large carrots
2 cups sweet potato, small cubes or shred 1 large sweet potato
2 cups fresh spinach

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Instructions

Make Rice

Rinse the rice in a fine mesh strainer for about 30 seconds under cold water. It removes starches that makes rice sticky.
Use a ratio of 1 cup rice to 2 cups water, which you can scale up or down. (check your rice package instructions.) Feel free to swap in beef, chicken, or vegetable broth for better flavor. You can also use a good buillon to water for extra flavor.
Bring the broth stock/water to a boil, add rice and salt (skip salt if using buillon). And if you want to add a tab of butter, too, go for it — your rice will taste 10x better. Cover the pot and simmer for 18 minutes on low and don't remove the lid! Brown rice takes 30 minutes.
Check the rice, and if done turn off the heat, replace the lid, and let it rest for several minutes in the steamy saucepan. Use a fork to fluff it up!
Chop, shread, or process in a food processor all the veggies. My dog is a small dog and prefers the veggies finely shredded in a food processor.

Make Ground Beef and Veggies

Brown and crumble 3 lbs of ground beef in a large skillet. Place in a large bowl.
In a large cast iron pan or skillet, briefly saute carrots, broccoli, and sweet potato until just soft for a few minutes on medium.

Mix Dog Food

Into the large bowl with ground beef, add warm rice, warm sauted veggies, and fresh spinach. Mix well with a large spatula.
Portion 4-5 cups of Homemade Dog Food per zip lock back, and store in an airtight container or larger zip top bag in the freezer. Pull our one small bag per week, and reheat a serving for your dog in the microwave for 30 seconds. I sometimes sprinkle some dry dog food into the homemade food to stretch out my homemade dog food batch.

Video

Notes

What Other Meat & Plant Proteins Can I Use?

Ground Beef, Ground Chicken (my dog is allergic, many dogs are), Ground Turkey, Ground Lamb, Fish, Eggs, Beef Liver (organ meats), Duck, Ground Bison, Venison, Cooked Lentils, Cooked Rice, Canned Garbanzo Beans, and Canned Black Beans.

What Other Vegetables Can I use?

butternut squash, Brussels sprouts, fennel, peas, zucchini, carrots, sweet potato, fresh spinach, cooked potato (in moderation), pumpkin, celery, broccoli (chopped), frozen peas, bell peppers, green beans, or kale.

Nutrition