Discover how to prepare healthy dog food in your own kitchen. Your beloved pet will enjoy every meal, and you’ll appreciate the fact that this straightforward recipe for homemade dog food can be easily cooked on the stovetop using wholesome ingredients that you are familiar with.
When preparing homemade dog food, there is a wide variety of meal options available for your dog. This excellent beginner recipe consists of ground turkey, vegetables, and brown rice.
Ingredients needed for this homemade dog food recipe:
Here are the ingredients you’ll need for this homemade DIY dog food, which is packed with protein, vegetables, and healthy grains.
- Coconut oil – provides a variety of health benefits for dogs, such as improving the skin and coat, increasing energy, aiding digestion, and reducing allergic reactions, just to name a few. And just like us, your dog needs healthy fats in their diet.
- Ground turkey – will add necessary protein to your dog’s diet, as well as important vitamins and minerals.
- Veggies – this homemade dog food recipe uses a mix of zucchini, spinach and carrots. All are safe for dogs and will provide your baby with a variety of nutrients.
- Turmeric – a dog-safe seasoning that also provides antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties.
- Egg – for extra protein and nutrients.
- Rice – a complex carb that provides energy and aids in gastrointestinal function.
How to make homemade dog food:
Creating homemade dog food is incredibly easy! Now, let’s go through the process step by step:
- Brown the turkey. Heat a large skillet or pot over medium-high heat. Add in the coconut oil and turkey and sauté until it is browned and cooked through, about 10 minutes.
- Add the veggies. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the zucchini, spinach, carrots and turmeric. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-7 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
- Mix in the egg. Turn off the heat and and crack in the egg. Let the egg cook in the hot food, mix it around to ensure it mixed through and cooked through.
- Stir in the rice. Add the rice and stir it in with the other ingredients until everything is well combined. Cool and serve!
Recommended serving size for homemade dog food:
The quantity of homemade dog food needed by your dog depends on its weight and activity level, which varies from one dog to another. We recommend consulting your veterinarian for their guidance on a suitable initial amount.
You can also keep an eye on your dog to ensure they are staying happy and active and maintaining their weight.
This recipe yields approximately six cups of food, equivalent to three days’ worth of food for Charlie, who weighs around forty-five pounds. You can simply modify this quantity based on your dog’s weight. Furthermore, feel free to increase the measurements and make the recipe twice or even thrice as much if you wish to reduce your cooking frequency.
DIY Homemade Dog food
Now the best part about making homemade dog food – just like making anything at home – is that you know exactly what is going into the dog bowl, and not any of that questionable gelatinous gunk from the canned food.
It should be noted that dogs have dissimilar nutrient needs compared to humans in relation to their body size.
- High-quality protein (meat, seafood, dairy or eggs)
- Fat (meat or oil)
- Carbohydrates (grains or vegetables)
- Calcium (dairy)
- Essential fatty acids (egg yolks or oatmeal)
This recipe currently consists of 50% protein, 25% veggies, and 25% grains, however, it can be effortlessly modified to cater to your dog’s breed and/or specific requirements.
After preparing the entire batch of dog food, you can portion it into individual servings, indicating the date, and then freeze it. When you wish to serve it, simply thaw it overnight in the refrigerator and heat it in the microwave for 15-30 seconds. That’s all! It’s surprisingly effortless to make dog food, isn’t it?
INGREDIENTS
- 1 ½ cups brown rice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 pounds ground turkey
- 3 cups baby spinach, chopped
- 2 carrots, shredded
- 1 zucchini, shredded
- ½ cup peas, canned or frozen
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a large saucepan of 3 cups water, cook rice according to package instructions; set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add ground turkey and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the turkey as it cooks.
- Stir in spinach, carrots, zucchini, peas and brown rice until the spinach has wilted and the mixture is heated through, about 3-5 minutes.
- Let cool completely.
