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A white ceramic dog dish that says woof filled with homemade dog food.
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4.88 from 32 votes

Homemade Dog Food Recipe

A homemade dog food recipe that can be custom-made for your dog. It is healthy, freezer friendly, and chock full of veggies, meat, and rice.
Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time1 hour 30 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: dog food, dog food recipe, homemade dog food
Servings: 16 1 cup dog servings
Calories: 338kcal

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

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

Please consult with a veterinarian and use your good judgment of what is best for your dog's diet! My dog happens to be allergic to chicken (her eyes constantly watered, were itchy, and were stained plus she threw up her store-bought food!), so that is why I use beef stock and ground beef-and oh does she love it!

Portion Homemade Food For Dogs

The best way to store fresh food for your doggie is to use freezer bags. I have a small dog, so using this recipe I calculated the calories she needs per day. Measure a few day supply based on your dogs caloric needs. And portion it into a 5 day supply, so it is food safe after it defrosts.
Simply pull out a frozen bag of new food and let it defrost in the fridge every 5 days. I give her ⅕ of the baggie daily. The bags compress flat in the freezer or you can place them in an airtight container. Store in an airtight container or larger zip-top bag in the freezer.

Senior Dogs Picky Dogs

One tip I can share is you can use riced frozen vegetables. I have used packages of riced cauliflower, sweet potato, and broccoli. All work great, save time and are convenient, but they are a little more expensive. These will work great for dogs that can't chew well, are picky, don't each much food, or won't eat larger pieces of dog food.

Finely Chopped Dog Food

If your dog is picky or will only eat finely chopped dog food (like mine), you can either run the vegetables through a food processor or finely chop them on a cutting board. Hand held boxed graters work but take a lot of time. I use the shredder blade on my processor and buzz everything through. Also, try frozen riced vegetables, they are a great option and work great!

Nutritional Needs

To meet your dog’s specific nutritional needs, there are so many considerations for a balanced diet for healthy dogs. You will want to talk to your vet, and each dog has unique considerations for their health issues, breed, activity level, and food allergies.
You can also supplement dog's food with liquid vitamins or fish oil on their food, again seek the advice of a good vet.
PRO TIP: Puppies, adult dogs, and especially senior dogs have different needs. You can use this handy tool to check the nutrition of the dog food you create here at BalanceIt.

Variations For Dog Food

What Meat Proteins Can I Use?

  • Beef
  • Chicken (my dog is allergic, many dogs are)
  • Turkey
  • Lamb
  • Fish
  • Eggs
  • Liver (organ meats)
  • Duck
  • Bison
  • Venison

What Vegetables Can Dogs Eat?

So if you have ever wondered what veggies can dogs eat safely? Let's answer that question. Again, I am a food blogger over here and not a veterinary medicine professional or nutritionist. But for thousands and thousands of years dogs have survived off the scraps of human food.
  • butternut squash
  • brussel sprouts 
  • fennel
  • peas
  • zucchini
  • carrots
  • sweet potato
  • fresh spinach
  • cooked potato (in moderation)
  • pumpkin
  • celery
  • broccoli (chopped)
  • frozen peas
  • bell peppers
  • green beans
  • kale

Don't Feed Your Dog

  • Onions (never feed)
  • Mushroom (never feed)
  • Tomatoes (never feed)
  • Garlic (never feed)
Again, do your own research on what is best for your dogs' diet!

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 338kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 62mg | Sodium: 334mg | Potassium: 503mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 5458IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 44mg | Iron: 2mg