We have hundreds of recipes published here on Top Dog Tips for dog owners looking to start cooking for their pets. However, with so many options to choose from, many are often lost and confused where to begin. Having myself recorded and published 100+ homemade dog food recipes, I decided to pick 15 of my own recipes that I and my dogs consider our favorites.
Below you can check every one of those recipes with their photos, ingredients and cooking instructions. I've made these much more concise so it's easier to follow, but if you feel you need more details and directions, follow the link to read the full recipe, watch my video and find more pictures of my cooking process.
Your suggestions: If you have any favorite homemade recipes of your own that your pups love, I'd love to hear about it! Let us know in the comments below, and I may even record and feature it in the future here on Top Dog Tips.
1. Recipe with Ground Beef and Vegetables
Ingredients:
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 tsp. coconut oil
- 3 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 cup dry milk
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 1.5 cups low sodium beef broth
- 2 cups dog-friendly vegetables – finely chopped (I used carrots and green beans)
Directions:
First, cook the ground beef. I fry mine, so I add 1 teaspoon of coconut oil to the pan to prevent sticking. You'll also need to boil or steam the vegetables. In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry milk and flour and stir until they are well mixed. In a small mixing bowl beat together the eggs, vegetable oil, Worcestershire sauce and broth.
Slowly add this wet mixture to the dry ingredients. Add the cooked ground beef and vegetables, and then mix until it forms a moist dough. Spread the dough mixture onto a very well greased cookie sheet. It should be about 1/2-inch thick. Bake this best homemade dry dog food recipe at 200° for about 30 minutes. Remove it from the oven and use a pizza cutter to cut the dough into bite-size pieces.
Place the dog food back into the oven and bake for another hour. Shut the oven off and allow the dog food to stay in the closed oven until it is completely cool. This may take an hour or more. Remove the pan from the oven and break the dog food into pieces using the score marks you made with the pizza cutter.
2. Chicken and Rice Mini Muffin Dog Treats
Ingredients:
- 1 cup dry rice (any type – I used white rice, but I usually use wild rice)
- 1 cup diced or shredded chicken
- 3 tbsp. rice flour
- 2 tbsp. dried parsley (you can substitute for 1 tbsp. fresh parsley)
- 1 egg, beaten
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°. Cook the chicken (I boil it). Cook rice according to the directions on the box. It takes about 20-30 minutes to cook the chicken, and I cook the rice at the same time.
After cooking chicken and rice, combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir until well combined. Using a spoon, press the mixture into the cups of a well-greased mini muffin trays. Pack them down tightly with the spoon so they'll stick together when baked.
Back them in the 350° oven for about 25 minutes. Chicken will begin to turn brown as they cook. You'll know when they are done because they chicken will get crispy.
3. Egg and Rice Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 beaten egg
- 1/3 cup applesauce
- 1 cup cooked vegetables (I used peas and green beans)
- 1 cup cooked brown rice
- 1 tbsp. brewer's yeast
Directions:
Cook the vegetables and rice before you put the ingredients together. Preheat your oven to 350°. Once you've cooked the rice and vegetables until tender, mix all the ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Place small rounded tablespoonfuls on a well greased cookie sheet.
Bake in the 350° oven for 12-15 minutes. They be firm and begin to turn brown on the top when they're done. Once they're cool, you can feed them directly to your dog.
4. Sweet Potato Fries for Dogs
Ingredients:
- 1 medium to large sweet potato
- 1 tbsp. melted coconut oil
- 1 tbsp. cinnamon
- 1 tbsp. turmeric
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 425°. Wash the sweet potato and cut it into long, skinny fry shaped pieces. In a large resealable bag, add the sweet potato slices, melted coconut oil and spices. Give the bag a good shake until the fries are evenly coated with oil and spices.
Place the fries on a cookie sheet in a single layer. Bake them on one side for about 15 minutes, and then flip the fries over for even baking. Bake them for another 15 minutes on the other side.
5. Hypoallergenic Homemade Dog Food
Ingredients:
- 1 cup brown rice
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups vegetables
- 1 pound of boneless chicken breast
Directions:
Because this is a slow cooker recipe, you simply add the ingredients, set the slow cooker and then go about your daily routine. You'll need to layer the ingredients in the same order that they are listed above.
Pour the rice into the bottom of the crock pot, add the water, veggies and then place the chicken on top. Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook on low for about 8 hours. After 4 or 5 hours you'll notice that chicken becomes extremely tender. Once the food cools, you can serve it to your pet.
6. Grain Free Homemade Dog Food
Ingredients:
- 1.5 pounds chicken (2 pounds if you do not have chicken livers)
- .75 pounds chicken livers
- 1 cup cottage cheese
- 1/8 cup coconut oil
- 1 cup squash (chopped)
- 1/2 cup carrots (chopped)
- 1/2 cup green beans (chopped)
- 10 oz. spinach
- 1/8 cup rosemary
- 1/8 cup basil
- 1/8 cup parsley
- 1/8 cup turmeric
- 4 cloves garlic
Directions:
Add the chicken to the bottom of the slow cooker and cover it with water. Add the rest of the ingredients on top of the chicken and water. The spinach will almost fill the slow cooker so you'll need to squash it down.
Cook on low for about 8 hours. You'll need to stir it every once in a while to mix the spinach in with the other ingredients. After about 4 hours the chicken will be very tender and you'll be able to tear it into smaller pieces and mix it around with the other ingredients.
7. Salmon and Broccoli Dog Food
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. salmon WITH skin
- 1 tbsp. coconut oil (you can substitute olive oil or other cooking oil)
- 1 head of broccoli
- 3 sweet potatoes
- 2 carrots
- 1 squash
Directions:
Cook the salmon in a skillet using the coconut oil to prevent sticking. Chop the squash, carrots and broccoli, and steam them until tender. Boil the sweet potatoes with skin on until tender. When the potatoes are tender, mash them.
Combine the ingredients. Shred the salmon in a large mixing bowl. Add the broccoli, squash and carrots. Mix thoroughly. Add the sweet potatoes and mix until everything is completely combined. Once the food has cooled, you can feed it to your pet.
8. Simple and Healthy Doggy Meatloaf
Ingredients:
- 3 cups of ground meat (turkey, chicken, beef, etc.)
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup of chopped or grated dog-friendly vegetables
- 1/2 cup cottage cheese
- 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°. In a medium mixing bowl, combine all ingredients with your hands. When thoroughly combined, press the mixture into a loaf pan. Bake in 400° oven for about 80 minutes.
You'll notice that the loaf turns a golden brown color on the top. You could also use a meat thermometer to ensure that it's cooked to the proper temperature, depending on the protein source that you used (check USDA for cooking temperatures of each meat). Once cooled, you can serve it to your dog.
9. Venison and Vegetable Stew for Dogs
Ingredients:
- 4 cups of ground venison (or other protein source of your choice)
- 4 cups of low sodium broth
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 1/2 cup chopped green beans
- 1/2 cup chopped carrots
- 1/2 cup chopped broccoli
Directions:
Brown the meat. You don't need to cook it all the way through because you'll also be boiling the stew later. Cook the meat until it's about 3/4 done in a skillet. If you're using a lean meat, like venison, you'll want to add a bit of oil.
Chop the vegetables. Once your meat is cooked and the veggies are chopped, mix all the ingredients together in a large pot. Turn the burner to medium heat, and add the cooked meat, broth, vegetables and rolled oats to the pot.
Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. You'll notice that the veggies and oats soak up the broth. After the stew cools you can feed it to your pet immediately, or store it in the refrigerator in an air tight container for up to 5 days.
10. Well-Balanced Homemade Dog Food
Ingredients:
- 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1/4 cup chicken livers
- 1 cup carrots (chopped)
- 1 cup green beans
- 2 apples (cored and sliced)
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 cup peas
- 1/4 cup dried parsley (or 1/2 cup fresh parsley)
Directions:
Add chicken, livers, carrots, green beans, apples and olive oil to the slow cooker. Put the lid on and cook on low for 6-8 hours. You'll know when it's finished when chicken is very tender.
When done cooking, add the peas and parsley and stir until it's thoroughly combined. Let the recipe cook for another 10-15 on low. Once it's cooled you can serve it to your pup.
11. Gluten Free Dog Food Recipe
Ingredients:
- 3 cups white rice (cooked)
- 1/2 cup dog-friendly vegetables
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/4 cup grated cheese
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350°. In a small casserole dish, layer the cooked rice and vegetables. The vegetables do not need to be cooked. In a small bowl, beat the egg and milk together and pour the mixture over the rice and veggies.
Sprinkle the cheese over the top, and bake in the 350° for 20 minutes. Once done cooking, wait for the food to cool and you can feed it to your pet.
12. Dog Food Recipe for Joint and Hip Health
Ingredients:
- 6 cups of water
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 cup of celery
- 2 cups of carrots
- 2 cups of kale
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1.5 cups of barley
- 1/2 cup brown rice
- 1/2 cup lentils
- 1 cup parsley (fresh or dried)
- 1 cup nettles (fresh or dried)
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
Directions:
Add all ingredients into the slow cooker and set it on low. Cook for about 6-8 hours. You can also cook on medium/high heat for 3-4 hours if you're home to tend to it. Stir it every 20 minutes if you turn the heat up.
If cooking on low, stir the food occasionally to break up the ground turkey, but it's not essential – you can use a large spoon to break the ground turkey once it's cooked. After finished, let it cool and you can serve it immediately.
13. Cheap and Healthy Homemade Food
Ingredients:
- 3 medium-size sweet potatoes (grated)
- 2 large carrots (grated) OR 1.5 cups french cut carrots
- 1 can kidney beans
- 4 eggs
- 1 tsp. crushed rosemary
- 1.5 lbs. ground beef (85% or 90% lean)
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350°. Rinse and drain the kidney beans. Add rosemary, kidney beans and eggs (with or without eggshells) in a food processor. Pureé the ingredients.
Add the pureéd ingredients to a medium-size mixing bowl and add the grated sweet potatoes, carrots and ground beef. Blend the ingredients with your hands. Place the mixture in as many loaf pans as needed. Bake the loaves for about 60 minutes in the 350° oven.
14. Pumpkin Biscuits for Sensitive Stomach
Ingredients:
- 1 egg (if your dog is allergic to egss, just leave this out)
- 2/3 cup pureed pumpkin
- 2.5 tablespoons flaxseed oil or olive oil
- 2 cups brown rice flour
- 1/3 cup cold water
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°. In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg. Then add the pureed pumpkin. Add the flaxseed oil and brown rice flour, and stir until the mixture forms a dough, which will be dry.
Slowly add water to the mixture. If you notice the dough becoming sticky, stop adding water. Once the dough is smooth, you can roll it onto a floured surface. Roll it out to about 1/4-inch thick, as evenly as possible so the biscuits will cook thoroughly. Even out all thick spots and thin spots.
Use cookie cutters, butter knife or pizza cutter to cut out shapes. Place each biscuit on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. Since there is no rising agent, you can place the biscuits close together on the cookie sheet. Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes. You'll notice they turn a darker orange and begin to crack on top when they're finished.
15. Cheap Homemade Dog Food Meal
Ingredients:
- 4 pounds ground turkey
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1.5 cups dry brown rice
- 15 ounces tomato sauce
- 1 large sweet potato
- 4 cups fresh spinach
Directions:
Cook the rice according to the instructions on the box. Add olive oil to a large pot and brown the turkey on medium heat (about 15-20 minutes total). Put the sweet potato in the microwave for 3.5 minutes. Once it's cooked, flip it over and cook it for another 3.5 minutes. Once it's cooled, cut the sweet potato into cubes that are bite-size for your pup.
When the turkey is completely cooked, add the cooked rice, tomato sauce, cubed sweet potato and spinach to the pot. Cover the pot and let it sit for about 2 minutes to wilt the spinach. After it's cooled, you can serve it to your dog.
READ NEXT: 50 Best Homemade Dog Food Recipes
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