6 Easy Home-Cooked Dog Food Recipes

• By Malaika Aman
• March 10, 2023
• 6 minutes read

Healthy eating is an essential component of many people’s lives. Nevertheless, we often overlook our dogs when preparing a beautiful home-cooked meal for ourselves. I’m not saying kibble is bad, but creating a dinner for your dog means you know precisely what’s going in there and therefore can perfectly portion food.

Also, while it may appear to be more expensive than kibble, it can actually save money in the long run. After all, you can simply produce this meal in batches and then store it, so it is not as expensive as many may believe. That is why searched for and tried dozens of home-cooked recipes for our dogs and selected the simplest recipes that you can create right now at home.

Check out these recipes below for yourself.

#1 The Old Standard

There’s a reason this dish is known as the Old Standard. Essentially, it has all of the components that a dog requires, with the majority of the elements already present in your home. Chungah created this recipe, and we have to say that it is surprisingly simple to make. Not only that, but our dogs devoured it with ease. We recommend creating a large quantity and freezing the leftovers for later use.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups brown rice
• 3 pounds of ground turkey
• 2 carrots, shredded
• 1 zucchini, shredded
• 1/2 cup peas (canned or frozen)
• 3 cups baby spinach, chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

1. Cook the brown rice in a large saucepan with 3 cups of water until it is fully cooked. After that, set them aside.
2. In a second saucepan, heat the olive oil and add the turkey meat, crumbling it as it cooks. Depending on the size of the turkey slices, it will take about 5 minutes to properly cook.
3. Cook for 3 minutes, or until the spinach has wilted, in the turkey with all the veggies and brown rice.
4. After it has totally cooled, serve this delectable supper to your dog.

#2 Scooby’s Stew

Michelle created this dish after her dog became ill and she wanted to prepare him something to help with his stomach. And since we humans enjoy soup when we are sick, why not do the same for our canine companion? While this recipe takes 6 to 8 hours in the slow cooker, the prep time is only 15 minutes, so we were able to make it quickly. The smell of the stew slow cooking, on the other hand, was just too enticing for our dogs, who couldn’t wait to get their paws on it.

Ingredients:

• 2 large chicken breasts, cut into 6 pieces each
• 2 pounds frozen mixed veggies (peas, green beans, carrots)
• 1 cup brown rice
• 2 cups sweet potato, cubed
• 2 1/2 cups water

Directions:

1. In a slow cooker, combine all of the ingredients listed above, making sure to completely cover the chicken with vegetables.
2. You may now cook it in 5 hours if you set your slow cooker to high or 8 hours if you set it on low – we recommend the latter technique.
3. After the chicken is fully cooked, remove it from the cooker and shred it, combining it thoroughly with the vegetables and rice.
4. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to three days, or you may freeze it in individual portions for later use.

#3 Beef & Veggie Crockpot Creation

Chungah provided us with another meal, this time with beef as the main protein, which we enjoy. This particular dinner may be prepared in minutes and then cooked in the slow cooker, which is always less work. Our dogs loved it, and you may modify the ingredients or protein to whatever your dogs like.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 pounds of ground beef
• 1 1/2 cups brown rice
• 1 (15-ounce) canned kidney beans
• 1/2 cup peas, frozen or canned
• 1 1/2 cups chopped carrots
• 1 1/2 cups chopped butternut squash
• 4 cups of water

Directions:

1. In a slow cooker, combine all of the ingredients, including the water, and thoroughly stir them together.
2. Let it cook for around six hours in a slow cooker on low heat, stirring occasionally to ensure that everything is properly cooked.
3. Remove the food from the slow cooker and allow it to cool completely before serving or storing it for later use.

#4 Turkey & Veggie Mash

If you want something low-calorie for your dog while still giving them all the nutrients they need to stay healthy, this is a fantastic dish for you. While it takes a little more effort than the other recipes on our list, we were able to easily whip up a huge amount and freeze it. And based on how quickly our dogs devoured it, it’s safe to conclude that this is an excellent addition to your dog’s homecooked diet.

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds lean ground turkey
• 2 tablespoons raw turkey or chicken liver, finely diced or pureed
• 1 cup cauliflower florets
• 1/2 zucchini, sliced
• 2 medium carrots, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup broccoli florets
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups water

Directions:

1. Steam the carrots in a double boiler until they are soft, about 10 minutes on high heat.
2. Cook the turkey and liver separately until no pink remains and remove any fat that runs out.
3. Steam all of the other vegetables for 6 to 8 minutes, depending on your heat setting. Then, either finely chop them or use a food processor to achieve a chunky consistency.
4. Stir in the vegetables and protein, finishing with a drizzle of olive oil to ensure everything is well blended, and you’re done.
5. Let it cool before freezing or serving immediately.

#5 Meatballs

We all enjoy meatballs, so it’s no surprise that dogs do as well. We have to thank Sumika for this recipe because it was not only simple to make despite the fact that we had never cooked meatballs before, but our doggos also loved eating them. This recipe contains pumpkin and oat bran, which are fantastic additions for any senior dog because they can aid with digestive issues.

Ingredients:

• 10 lbs ground beef (lean)
• 2 cups of oat bran
• 3 slices of bread, cubed small
• 4 eggs
• 3 cans of pumpkin puree
• 4 carrots, boiled/steamed and mashed
• Leaves of 4 kale stalks chopped finely
• A pinch of salt
• Flour

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, mix all of the ingredients and thoroughly combine them until they are ready to be formed into meatballs. It should have a lightly tacky feel to help them cling together.
2. Form them into little balls and dredge them in the flour, lightly dusting off any excess.
3. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and cook the meatballs until done. The cooking time will vary depending on the size of the meatball.
4. Let them cool before storing them in the freezer if desired.

#6 Chili

This is a fantastic meal that incorporates human-grade ingredients and foods that we enjoy, such as macaroni. While your dogs may enjoy it, this is not a recipe you should serve on a regular basis, and you should consult with your veterinarian first to ensure that it is safe for your dog. But, it makes the ideal treat for those days when your doggo is feeling down, and we have to admit that it definitely works because our doggos couldn’t have been happier when we brought it out after cooking.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb Ground Beef
• Macaroni
• 4 Carrots
• 1 Can of tomato paste
• Salt-free Beef Broth
• 1 Can of Corn
• 2 Tbsp Butter

Directions:

1. Boil the macaroni while the beef browns in a separate nonstick pan till it is thoroughly cooked and no longer pink.
2. Add butter, carrots, corn, and tomato paste to your beef and cook for 5 minutes while stirring it constantly.
3. Remove from the pan and place everything in a casserole dish, along with the beef broth.
4. Preheat the oven to 350°F and cook the meal for about 30 minutes, or until fully cooked.

These are just a few of the recipes our dog enjoyed, but there are many more. However, you may always substitute your dog’s favorite components in these recipes. Nonetheless, we recommend consulting with your veterinarian before substantially altering your dog’s diet and restricting them to home-cooked meals.