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 hr
Cook Time30 minutes mins
Total Time1 hour hr 30 minutes mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: dog food, dog food recipe, homemade dog food
Servings: 16 1 cup dog servings
Calories: 338kcal
- 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
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.
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!
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