Much like the processed foods that line the store shelves for humans, store bought commercial dog food contains more additives and fillers now than ever before. Owners who are aware of this often choose one best natural homemade raw dog food recipe and continue to feed their dogs this type of homemade dog food for quite sometime.
Unfortunately, even though there are numerous commercial dog food brands that are USDA certified, healthy, organic, harmless and even beneficial for our dogs, a lot of store bought dog foods contain dangerous ingredients, byproducts, fillers, and plain junk.
To avoid all of that, some professionals advise opting for a simple homemade raw dog food recipe and or even picking several for your pooch. However, owners must keep in mind that when it comes to homemade dog food, you need to ensure your pet is getting an all-around nutrition. According to studies, it's very easy to malnourish your dog with homemade foods:
“Some of the deficiencies, particularly those related to choline, vitamin D, zinc and vitamin E, could result in significant health problems such as immune dysfunction, accumulation of fat in the liver and musculoskeletal abnormalities,” says Dr Jennifer Larsen, prof of clinical nutrition at UC Davis [source]
With that being said, many dog owners have switched their pets to either 100% organic all-natural commercial dog foods or raw diet commercial dog foods. But these dog food brands can be costly.
Making your own meals for the dog using a homemade raw dog food recipe is much simpler than you may think and a lot cheaper than buying the highest quality commercial dog food. Below I list six best homemade raw dog food recipes that worked for my dog, and hopefully will work wonders for yours too.
FULL RECIPE VIDEO: Simple Homemade Raw Dog Food (Video Guide)
The Best Homemade Raw Dog Food Recipes
Making your own dog food by using a well-constructed homemade raw dog food recipe does take a little time, but you can make large batches and freeze them for future use.
Remember to supplement your dog's food/diet with necessary vitamins to avoid malnutrition.
The benefits are that feeding your dog quality homemade raw dog food recipes can boost their immune system, help reduce their risk of allergies, improve their digestive system, and give them more energy.
Take a look at some guides on holistic dog care where we discussed more of these benefits and a list of sensitive stomach dog foods for more examples. The Whole Dog Journal also has a great article on preparing homemade meals for your pet.
Here are six excellent homemade raw dog food recipe examples that your canine is sure to enjoy. These may not look too appetizing to you, but your dog would surely disagree.
MORE IDEAS: Best Homemade Dog Food Recipes
1. “Easy Peasy” DIY Homemade Dog Food Recipe
Damn Delicious has an excellent homemade raw dog food recipe for anybody looking to cook up their very first meal. With a balance of 50 percent protein, 25 percent veggies and 25 percent grains, this is a healthy choice for most canines and it even looks delicious.
2. Easy Cooked Dog Food Recipe
Another homemade raw dog food recipe which can be a good start for beginner raw feeders is this one from the Homemade Dog Food website. They don't mention the macronutrient breakdown, but it appears to be heavy on meat so lots of protein, which your dog definitely needs.
3. Sam’s Healthwise Raw Food Cakes
Feeling a little more adventourous? This homemade raw dog food recipe from Water Earth Wind Fire provides an excellent write-up of a more intricate process that in return gives you and your pooch an amazing, delicious looking and nutritious home-prepared dish.
4. Raw Dog Chili
Check out this recipe for raw dog chili from BarkPost. It's full of ingredients and foods that your dog needs on a daily basis, great on calories and looks yummy even from a human's perspective. This one also may take a little time of preparation but is well worth it.
5. Raw Dog Meat Cakes
High on protein and healthy fats, this raw dog meat cake recipe from All Recipes is one of my go-tos when I'm in the mood to cook something more elaborate than simply grinding up the meat. Make a huge batch and store the rest for another 2 weeks.
6. Doggy Beef Stew
Everybody loves a good stew, dogs included. This raw beef stew for dogs recipe from Life at Cloverehill is very simple to make and doesn't require too many or too expensive ingredients. Get the very basics and your dog with thank you for a fresh serving of a homemade meal.
7. “Beefaloaf” Meatloaf for Dogs
I'm a big meat eater myself, so this Beefaloaf recipe from PetGuide (and its photos in particular) actually make me a little hungry. It's a very simple homemade raw dog food recipe that also doesn't need too many ingredients, and it's likely you already have all of them in the fridge.
These were some of the best homemade raw dog food recipes that I found online and personally used when feeding my dogs. Now, I have some of my own stuff to show you, but if you're looking for more homemade dog food recipes, and you'd prefer to watch the videos on how to cook for your dog, then check out Top Dog Tips' dog food recipes.
3 Simple Raw Homemade Dog Food Recipes
For dog owners who can afford to spend a little more on the raw homemade dog food diet and aren't stuck with the budget dog food choices, I have a few best homemade dog food recipes of my own from a long time ago, and I list those below. These may be some of the standards of the raw dog feeders, but they work and are really easy to make.
My homemade dog food recipes are very similar to those mentioned above but with a few variations and adjustments of my own. So you can pick and choose whichever method you want to use, or even invent your own based on what you see; I've done it – it's easy!
RELATED: 7 Best Raw Dog Food Recipes
1. Simple Chicken and Rice Homemade Dog Food Recipe
Ingredients:
- 3 pounds of minced chicken
- 2 ½ cups of minced frozen vegetable (NO garlic or onions)
- 4 cups of rice
- 6 ½ cups of water
Directions:
- Step 1 – Put the chicken, rice, and veggies in a large saucepan and stir in the water until the mixture is smooth. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it comes to a boil.
- Step 2 – Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the rice is tender and all the water has been absorbed (about 30 minutes).
- Step 3 – Cool completely before serving. Store the leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, and freeze them if it will be longer than that.
SIMILAR: Simple Homemade Raw Dog Food Recipe
2. Easy Dog Chili Homemade Raw Dog Food Recipe
Ingredients:
- 4 chicken breasts
- 1 cup of drained black beans
- 1 cup of drained kidney beans
- ½ cup of tomato paste
- 1 cup of diced carrots
- 4 cups of chicken broth
Directions:
- Step 1 – Remove the fat and dice the chicken into nickel-sized pieces. Cook the chicken in a skillet and then add all the ingredients together in a large saucepan.
- Step 2 – Cook on medium heat for roughly 10 minutes until the mixture is heated through.
- Step 3 – Allow it cool before serving. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to five days and freeze them if it will be longer than that.
3. Quick-to-Make Homemade Dog Meat Cakes
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cups of brown rice
- 3 cups of water
- 2 grated large potatoes
- 4 grated large carrots
- 2 chopped stalks of celery
- 6 pounds of ground beef
- 8 eggs
- ¼ cup of olive oil
- 1 ½ cups of rolled oats
Directions:
- Step 1 – Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F and grease 36 large muffin tins.
- Step 2 – Combine the rice and water in a saucepan. Bring it to a bowl and then reduce the heat to low, cover it, and let it simmer for 20 minutes. Remove it from the heat, let it cool, and then fluff it with a fork.
- Step 3 – Combine the potatoes, celery, carrots, eggs, and ground beef in a large bowl. Mix the ingredients together and then add the olive oil, rolled oats, and rice. Make sure it is mixed together very well.
- Step 4 – Fill each muffin cup with the mixture and pat them down so they are firm. Bake for 45 minutes and then let them cool for 10 minutes. Turn the muffin tins upside down to remove the meat cakes.
Refrigerate/freeze them in a sealed bag as necessary.
SEE NEXT: How To Make Homemade Dog Food – An Instructional Guide
