Homemade Dog Food Recipes

Cooking for your dog is one of the best alternatives to commercial dog food. Homemade dog food is free of preservatives, fillers, and chemicals that are often found in commercial dog foods (here’s a list of preservatives to avoid). Just like raw dog food, homemade dog diets have plenty of benefits for your dog’s health:  lean muscle, strong bones and teeth, hearty organs and immune systems, high energy, efficient digestion, healthy coat and skin and an increased life expectancy. Here are some easy homemade dog food recipes that your dog will enjoy:

17 Homemade Dog Food Recipes

I have gathered 17 easy and delicious homemade dog food recipes. Cooking for your dog might seem difficult at first but if you learn to manage your time, your dog will be much healthier. I would suggest preparing dishes in advance and freezing in individual serving sizes. Before trying any of these recipes on your dog, it would be better to consult your veterinarian, as some dogs can be allergic to a certain type of meat or other ingredients. I would also recommend avoiding the dangerous foods for dogs.  Here’s a list with the good foods for dogs, that can be used on any recipe

1. Easy Chicken Stew

• 1 lbs of cooked ground meat (chicken)
• 2 cups of cooked brown rice
• 1 yam
• 5 carrots
• A few potatoes (medium-sized)
• 1 cup of cooked green beans (cut into small pieces)
• 1 cup of cooked peas
• Either a cup of chopped apple or a can of apple sauce

Cook the yam, the carrots and the potatoes together in a pot and mash when done. Mix with the meat and then add the green beans, the peas and the apple. You can add any supplements (vitamins, minerals) suggested by your veterinarian.

2. Chicken Meatloaf

• 1 lbs ground chicken or turkey
• 1 cup of mixed vegetables
• 1 egg
• 1-2 cup bread crumbs
• 1 cup uncooked rice

Preheat oven 350 degrees. Drain vegetables and put in food processor to puree. Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Put in a loaf pan and bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Cool before feeding your dog.

3. Yummy Chicken Breast and Pureed Veggies

• 1 large double chicken breast, including skin and bones
• 5 carrots
• 1 small beet
• 1 small sweet potato
• 1½ cups lentils
• 2 ½ cups brown rice

Cover the chicken, carrots, beet and sweet potato completely with water in a large soup pot and simmer about 40 minutes until everything is tender. Remove chicken to a very large bowl. Add vegetables to blender with enough extra water just to puree. Meanwhile, add the lentils and the brown rice to the stock remaining in the soup pot (there should be quite a bit). Bring to a boil, reduce heat to very low, cover well and allow steaming for about an hour. Remove chicken and skin from bones and chop finely. Mix pureed vegetables and chicken in the large bowl, adding steamed lentils/rice mixture when done. Blend well; add 1 cup of frozen chopped spinach if you want and 2 tablespoons of ground flax seed.

4. Buffaloaf

• 3 cups ground buffalo (lean)
• 2 eggs
• 1 and a half cups old fashioned oats
• ¾ cup grated mixed vegetables (including zucchini, broccoli, carrots, and sweet potatoes)
• ½ cup cottage cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Hand-mix all ingredients and press into a loaf pan. Bake for 40 minutes. May be refrigerated, or frozen in slices for easy serving. Substitute ground turkey, chicken, or beef, if desired. Mixing meats is not recommended.

5. Delicious Rice

• 1 cup meat of choice, cubed
• ¾ cup carrot and sweet potato, cubed
• ¾ cup instant brown rice
• 1 cup water

Add all ingredients, except rice, to large pot and boil. When vegetables are tender, add rice and cook until done. Add more water as needed during cooking.

6. Steamed Veggies with Chicken

• 1 cup lean chicken (or turkey)
• ½ cup steamed vegetables (carrots, broccoli, squash, spinach, sweet potato)
• ½ cup prepared brown rice
• 4 tablespoons broth

Boil the meat and then boil the rice in the broth; steam the vegetables and then combine all ingredients.

7. Turkey with Rosemary Flavor

• 6 cups water
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 2 cups brown rice
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• ½  (16 ounce) package frozen broccoli, carrots and cauliflower combination

Place the water, ground turkey, rice, and rosemary into a large oven. Stir until the ground turkey is broken up and evenly distributed throughout the mixture; bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the frozen vegetables, and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool. Refrigerate until using.

8. Rice and Chicken

• 3 pounds minced chicken meat
• 2 ½ cups frozen vegetable blend (no garlic or onions), minced
• 4 cups rice
• 6 ½ cups water

Place chicken, vegetables, and rice into a large saucepan or oven. Stir in water until the mixture is smooth. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the rice is tender and all of the liquid has been absorbed, about 25 minutes. Cool completely before serving; store covered in the refrigerator.

9. Doggy Meatloaf with Vegetables

• 1 ½  pounds lean ground beef
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 carrots, grated
• 1 apple, cored and diced
• 2 eggs
• 2 slices white bread, torn into pieces
• 1 cup regular rolled oats
• 1 cup wheat germ
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 4 medium potatoes, cubed
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, cubed

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coat a large roasting pan with oil and set aside. In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, 3 stalks of celery, grated carrots, apple, eggs, bread, oats, wheat germ and tomato paste using your hands. Divide the meat mixture into four equal parts and make loaf shapes. Place the loaves in the roasting pan. Surround them with the potatoes, remaining carrots and remaining celery. Cover the pan with a lid.

Bake for 80 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the meat is cooked through. The internal temperature should be 175 degrees F (80 degrees C) when taken with a meat thermometer. Allow to cool. Portion the food into containers with one loaf and one quarter of the vegetables in each one. Refrigerate. To serve, give your dog 1/3 of a container with each portion of kibble.

10. Poochie Meat Cakes

• 1 ½  cups brown rice
• 3 cups water
• 2 large potatoes, grated
• 4 large carrots, grated
• 2 large celery stalks, chopped
• 6 pounds ground beef
• 8 eggs
• 1 dash salt
• ¼  cup olive oil
• 1 ½  cups regular rolled oats

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Grease 36 cups of 3 large muffin tins. In a medium saucepan, combine the rice with water. Bring to a boil over high heat, uncovered, and cook 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes. Remove from heat, let cool several minutes, then fluff with a fork and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, carrots, celery, ground beef, and eggs. Mix ingredients together using your hands or a sturdy spoon. Add salt, olive oil, rolled oats, and rice; mix well. Fill each muffin cup with some of the meat mixture, and pat down to make it firm. Bake 45 minutes, or until surface feels set. Cool on a rack 10 minutes or longer. Remove the meat cakes by turning the muffin tin upside down over a sheet of aluminum foil. Tap each muffin cup to release the cake. Refrigerate or freeze in sealed plastic bags. Do not feed to dogs while still hot.

11. Doggy Fish Dinner

• 1 can of salmon (bones removed)
• 1 egg beaten
• 3 Tbsp cornmeal
• 1 potato
• 1 carrot
• 1 celery stalk
• 1 Tablespoon peanut butter

Combine salmon, egg, and cornmeal. Form into patties and press into more cornmeal. Sautee in a canola sprayed pan until cooked through. Chop and steam the vegetables. Cut salmon patties into small bites and combine with the vegetables. If the mixture seems too dry, add a bit of cottage cheese or yoghurt.

12. Cheezy Bites

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
• 4 tablespoon canola oil (or safflower)
• 4 tablespoon water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients, mixing well. Knead into dough and roll out into a ¼ inch thickness on a floured surface. Cut into bite sized pieces and bake on greased cookie sheet approximately 10 minutes or until brown.

13. Doggy Chicken Dinner

• 3 lbs minced or finely chopped chicken meat
• 2 ½ cups of frozen or finely chopped fresh vegetables (carrots, peas, broccoli, cauliflower, kale and celery; no garlic, onions or corn)
• 4 cups brown rice
• 7 cups water (you can substitute in 2 cups of chicken broth for added flavor)

Place chicken, vegetables, and rice into a large saucepan. Stir in water until the mixture is smooth. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for around 25 minutes or until the rice is soft and all of the liquid has been absorbed. Cool completely before serving. Store covered in the refrigerator.

14. Bacon & Cheese Twists Gourmet Dog Treat Recipe

• 1 cup water
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup white flour
• ½ cup cornmeal
• 1 ½ teaspoons dry yeast
• 3 tablespoons parmesan cheese
• 3 tablespoons bacon bits
• 1 tablespoon dry milk
• 1 tablespoon tumeric

Mix all the ingredients together in a large mixing bowl until it forms smooth dough. When the dough is ready, divide it into 24 pieces. (You can vary the number of pieces, depending on how large you want the twisters to be). Divide portion into 2 equal parts. Roll each part into a long rope or stick. Place the 2 sticks side by side and pinch the ends together. Twist the 2 sticks and then place each twister carefully on a lightly greased baking tray.

Bake the twists in a preheated 300 degrees F oven for about 45 minutes, or until golden brown. When they are done, turn off the oven and let them continue to dry and harden for a few hours before treating your dog with them. Guaranteed to be a winner with your dog, this recipes yields around 24 twists, depending on how big you make them.

15. Green Beans and Chicken

• 1 lbs of chicken meat
• 1 carrot finely chopped
• 1 small potato finely chopped
• 1 celery stalk finely chopped
• ½ cup sliced green beans (string less)

Place all ingredients into a large casserole dish. Cover with water and mix. Place lid on casserole. Microwave on High for 10 minutes and then Medium for 10 minutes. This should be cooked at least an hour before feeding so that it is well cooled.

16. Dog Biscuits

• 1½ cups whole wheat flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon honey

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine flour and baking powder. Stir in milk and then add the peanut butter and honey. Mix well. Knead dough on a floured surface, and then roll out into a ¼ inch thickness. Cut into bite sized pieces and bake on a greased cookie sheet for approximately 20 minutes or until brown.

17. Magic Minty Breath Freshening Dog Treats Recipe

• 2 cups of whole wheat flour
• ¼  cup of fresh mint, finely chopped
• ½ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 1 cup water
• 6 tablespoons olive oil

Preheat oven to 325 F. (180 C.) degrees. Mix flour, mint and parsley together in a large bowl. Stir in ¾ of a cup water and save the rest.  Add olive oil and mix thoroughly. Roll mixture out onto a floured surface to about 1cm thick (if the dough does not stick together add some more water until mixture is less crumbly). Cut into desired shapes and place onto greased baking tray spaced at 1 inch apart. Bake for 40 minutes.

Homemade Dog Food Recipes Book

The best resource I have come across in terms of homemade dog food is written by Dr. John Miller. It contains 245 homemade dog food recipes. Visit Dr. Miller’s websiteand find out more about homemade dog food! That’s about it! If you enjoyed this post, please consider sharing it!