That said, homemade dog foods can require a significant amount of time and effort to get right. Homemade dog food needs to contain nutrients dogs need to be healthy. But those nutrients should be right amounts so as not to get too much or too little of any nutrient. A veterinary nutritionist has specialized training to help pet parents like yourself make nutritionally balanced meals for your dog. The recipes in this article have all been reviewed by our veterinary consultant with this goal in mind.
It’s a good idea to have the recipes in this article handy in case you run out of dog food. Treat your dog like any of your other family members by preparing nutritious food from trusted ingredients.
Homemade Dog Food Delivered
- In the age of UberEats, DoorDash, and having just about anything you wish delivered, you also have the option to buy fresh, natural dog food for doorstep delivery. It can be a huge time-saver and may be worth the cost after adding all the ingredients you’ll need to buy to cook a recipe.
- The Farmer’s Dog ships frozen, allowing you to keep it on hand or serve it daily as a regular meal. This food is made with fresh, healthy, and easy-to-pronounce human-grade ingredients. And you can spend your time on more important things, like belly rubs and walks.
What Nutrition Guidelines Should You Follow?
Like humans, every dog is different, so this is not a one-pup-fits-all rule. Serving size, your dog’s weight, health conditions, size, and activity level are all factors you should consider when determining what’s suitable for your dog.
However, in general, dogs need six basic nutrients to maintain a healthy, balanced diet: water, protein, fat, carbohydrates, minerals, and vitamins. A mix of these nutrients provides energy for your dog’s body to metabolize and grow.
To ensure your dog is getting all the vitamins and minerals he needs, you may want to add a fully balanced nutrition blend, like one of these blends from Just Food For Dogs. And in addition to meals, you may also want to add a multivitamin like Zesty Paws Multivitamin Chews to ensure your pup gets the recommended balance of vitamins and minerals.
Necessary Nutrients
Here are the benefits of the necessary nutrients and why it’s essential your pup has adequate amounts of each (listed in order of priority).
- Minerals, including calcium, potassium, sodium, magnesium, iron, zinc, etc. – Give dogs structurally sound bones and teeth, among other benefits.
- Fat (from oil and meat) – Assists with absorbing specific vitamins, protects and insulates internal organs, and promotes good skin and hair growth.
- Carbohydrates (rice, corn, and beans) – Keeps intestines healthy and supplies glucose to critical organs, including the brain.
- Protein (chicken, lamb, turkey, beef, fish, and cooked eggs) – Helps with the growth and maintenance of cells, tissues, organs, antibodies, hormones, and enzymes.
- Vitamins A, B, C, D, E, and K – Promotes eye and skin health, immunity, and more.
Water accounts for 60-70% of a dog’s body weight, so it’s critical that your dog stays hydrated and eats a well-balanced diet. Dehydration can lead to some health issues, so give your dog access to plenty of clean, fresh drinking water throughout the day.
Low-Calorie Dog Food Recipes
The recipes listed below are low in calories but should be consumed in moderation (serving sides similar to what they currently eat). Work with your vet to ensure that the amount you feed matches your dog’s daily caloric needs.
Our Favorite Homemade Dog Food Recipes
To jump to a recipe you’re interested in, click on the link below. We also have some yummy organic dog treat recipes and treats made with Thanksgiving leftovers. You may wish to have a collection of pet food recipes on-hand at all times, making a cookbook an excellent choice. Dinner PAWsible is one of our favorites.
- Turkey, Rice, and Veggie Mix
- Beef Stew, Doggie Style
- CBD-Infused Treats
- Pumpkin Dog Biscuits
- Easy Slow Cooker Beef & Rice Meal
- Grain-Free Chicken Jerky Strips
- Frozen Banana Treats
Best Homemade Dog Food Recipes
I’ve broken my top 50 list of best homemade dog food recipes into five separate categories, with ten recipes in each section. Let me start with my recommendations for what I consider some of the overall best dog food recipes.
These are the ten recipes I’d recommend more than all others for standard, non-specific situations.
Chicken and Rice
- 1/4 pound of cooked, skinless chicken
- 1 cup of brown rice
- 1 cup of peas and carrots
- 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
- 1/4 teaspoon of potassium chloride
Turkey and Vegetable Dinner
- 1/2 cup of green beans
- 1 cup of cooked brown or white rice
- 1 pound turkey meat
- 1/2 cup of carrots
- 1/4 cup of water
- 1-2 tablespoon vegetable oil
Simple Raw Dog Food
- 1 cup of mixed vegetables (carrots, romaine lettuce, squash, Brussel sprouts, etc.)
- 1 tablespoon of cod liver oil
- 1.5 cups of raw meat (whichever your dog prefers)
- 1 tablet supplement
- 2 tablespoons of bone meal or another calcium supplement
Cheesy Dog Biscuits
- 1/2 cup of chicken or beef stock
- 1 egg
- 2.5 cups of wheat or oat flour
- 1/2 cup of cream cheese and bacon bits
Healthy Pumpkin Balls
- 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
- 2 cups of whole wheat flour or oats
- 1/4 tablespoon of baking soda
- 1/2 cup of canned pumpkin
- 4 tablespoons of molasses
- 4 tablespoons water
- 1/4 tablespoon of baking powder
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
Apple Crunch Cupcake
- 1 medium-sized egg
- 4 cups of whole wheat flour or oats
- 2-3 cups of water
- 1/4 cup of applesauce (non-sweetened)
- 2 tablespoons of honey
- 1/8 tablespoon of vanilla extract
- 1 cup of dried apple chips (non-sweetened)
- 1 tablespoon of baking powder
Ground Beef Recipe
- 1/4 cup of kale
- 1/2 cup of yellow crookneck squash
- 1 cup of lean ground beef
- 1/2 cup of the beef kidney (trim the fat)
Doggie Chili
- 1 cup of drained black beans
- 1 cup of carrots
- 4 cooked chicken breasts (remove the fat)
- 1 cup of drained kidney beans
- 1/2 cup of tomato paste
- 4 cups of chicken broth
Mixed Meat Goodness
- 1 pound of broccoli stalks
- 1 pound of red leaf lettuce
- 1/2 pound of chicken liver
- 3 pounds of cooked whole wheat macaroni
- 2 pounds of chicken thighs (remove fat)
- 1 pound of lean ground beef
- 1/2 pound of beef heart
- Egg white from 1 large egg
- 4 tablespoons of eggshell powder
- 1 tablespoon of kelp meal
- 10+ drops of vitamin E
Leftovers Trail Mix
- 1 pound of other vegetables (no onions)
- 1/2 pound of fruit (no grapes or raisins)
- 1 pound of meat (turkey, chicken, lamb – not seasoned)
- 1 pound of potatoes
Fish Patty Dinner
- 1 egg
- 1 stalk of celery
- 1 can of salmon
- 1 carrot
- 1 potato
- 3 tablespoons of flour
- frying oil
Homemade Veggie Smoothie
- 1/4 cup of fruit juice (not grape juice)
- 4 tablespoons of yogurt
- 1/4 cup of combined carrots, squash, zucchini, green beans, spinach, collards
- 1/4 cup of apples, peaches, pears, bananas
- 1 tablespoon of cream cheese
Raw Fish Dinner
- 4 tablespoons of parsley
- 2 tablespoons of oregano
- 2 pounds of fish fillets
- 1 can of pink salmon
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon of bone meal
- 1/2 cup of cooked rice
Beef Stew, Doggie Style
This recipe is loaded with iron from fresh protein and can be stored in your fridge for most of the week (or frozen and heated up later).
- 1/2 cup of carrots, diced
- 1/2 cup of green beans, diced
- 1 pound of beef stew meat
- 1 small sweet potato
- 1/2 cup of flour
- 1/2 cup of water
- 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
Turkey, Rice, And Veggie Mix
This is an excellent, low-calorie, and low-fat recipe for pooches who may need to keep the pounds off. With a good balance of lean animal protein, healthy carbs, and veggies, it yields 12 cups of dog food and can be refrigerated for up to 5 days.