Easy Crockpot Dog Food
DIY dog food can easily be made right in the slow cooker. It’s healthier and cheaper than store-bought, and it’s freezer-friendly!
If you didn’t know what your slow cooker is capable of, you’ll be very happy to know that you can now add dog food to the crockpot list.
Remember that DIY homemade dog food recipe I made recently? Well, this is pretty much the crockpot version, using a blend of different veggies that will hold up a little better in the slow cooker.
Now the best part about this, just like all slow cooker recipes, is that you can simply dump everything right in. That’s it! Simply set it before you go to work and then you can come home to 2 weeks worth of dog food by the time you get home.
It’s easy, it’s healthy, it’s nutritious, and you know exactly what’s going into your pup’s bowl. This recipe is also completely customizable to veggies that you have on hand – just be sure to double check what your pup can and can’t eat. You can simply do a “can my dog eat xyz” search on Google.
But as always, please consult with your pet’s veterinarian for possible allergies and when applying this information to your own dog’s diet.
Easy Crockpot Dog Food
Ingredients
- 2 ½ pounds ground beef
- 1 ½ cups brown rice
- 1 15-ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 ½ cups chopped butternut squash
- 1 ½ cups chopped carrots
- ½ cup peas, frozen or canned
Instructions
- Stir in ground beef, brown rice, kidney beans, butternut squash, carrots, peas and 4 cups water into a 6-qt slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on low heat for 5-6 hours or high heat for 2-3 hours, stirring as needed.
- Let cool completely.
Did you make this recipe?
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style=”text-align: center;”>Please consult with your pet’s veterinarian and use personal judgment when applying this information to your own dog’s diet.
Sweet potatoes,broccoli,carrots, string beans ,and a pot roast, all in a crock pot with water to cover cook 5 to 6 hr.s or more, let stand in the refrigerator over night skim off any fat ( it will come to the top after it’s been in the frig over night) mix all together and serve in a cup sizes per pound dog…them buy a multi vitamin ….much better than dog food on the market…and much cheaper…my sweet little Millie loves it …
A good recipe except for the cow flesh. There is no reason to feed dogs meat. Cholesterol and animal fat is bad for them just like it’s bad for us. The beans are protein enough. You can always add broccoli, spinach, or lentils if protein is really an issue. For fat use coconut oil or peanut butter.
Holy smokes that looks delicious. I am going to have to try this for my babies.
Recipe looks good but does it contain the important food ingredients which a dog need for its daily life?
This is a great idea, I amended mine slightly to suit my 2 chihuahuas, using 5% fat turkey mince and switching out the kidney beans for green beans and they love it. I portioned everything out and froze it, one batch lasted well over 2 weeks for 2 dogs (although my teeny dogs probably amount to 1/4 of a normal sized dog!) I just mix their dry biscuits in with it and they demolish the bowls in minutes.
Thank you!
I made this delicious looking recipe last night, used ground sirloin 90% lean 10% fat. There was a lot of fat. I made a mistake and put too much water in also. It was too much food for my 6 quart crock pot, so I had to take another crock pot out and divide the food between the 2 pots. I cooked it for 6 hours on low. I tried to drain off the recess water as best I could.
This morning I gave my 26 pound mixed terrier a bite and then took his food bowl away. He jumped down off his chair and followed me asking for more. I gave him about 3/4 cup, some chicken and some dry food. He loved it and ate every bite of the homemade dog food except a large kidney bean which he spit out and left behind.
My concern is that the large amount of fat may upset his tummy. I normally cook chicken tenders in the crockpot for him. I feed him the chicken and some rice with his dry food. He gets tired of the food sometimes.
I recently watched a video explaining how bad the commercial food and treats can be for our fur children. I am concerned but don’t have enough info to switch him off his Nutro Natural choice dry kibble. I had been giving him milk bone treats and bones as well as greenies for treats. Now I read that Milkbone treats contain a preservative that can be poisonous to my baby. Now I have to try and make a change there as well.
I am 76 years young and this is a lot of work for me, but my little rescued terrier mix is worth every effort I can make to keep him with me as long as possible. I have had him for 4 years July 15. He is 8 years old now, very actively chases squirrels in the back yard every time he sees one through the window where he sits on his big chair. I want only the Best for him!
I am thinking of trying the ground turkey next time or using either stew beef or 93/7 ground beef . It is too much food to waste if he doesn’t care for it or if I make a mistake like I did on the water and made it mushy. Meantime zi will give this in small amounts until I see how his tummy processes the fat. I drained off an awfully lot of fat and threw it in the garbage, so maybe that will help, although the cup I used to measure the food for freezing individual portions seemed to be greasy as well. He loves his diy recipe of beef, rice, butternut squash, peas, carrots shredded in the magic bullet, I did taste it and although it looked so delicious, it was so bland you would need some seasonings for human consumption.
I have been crock pot crock pot cooking for my fur babies for a few yrs also.
I’ve tried several types of meat along with all the veggies mentioned. I do add fresh yams or carrots, organic coconut oil and canned chicken made by keystone. The dog prefer the chicken over the beef. Since this is cooked I add after the veggies are cooked. I also have to puree the veggies because one had to have 5 teeth pulled after he was given to us AND he does not eat yellow, ie yams etc. or green like peas lol. I like to kind of like to chop the meat so it mixes better. If I’m making a smaller batch of dog food I can make something like chicken noodle soup or chicken and rice for our dinner too.
My fur babies are healthy and happy. The last time they had canned dog food they had runny stools.
Lastly if human food can be kept under refrigeration for up to 7 days, why can’t our crock pot dog food?
My dog is allergic to rice. Any suggestions for a substitute to absorb the water/grease?
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment.
I have been feeding my 14lb Silkey Terrier a recipe I got from a vet which includes barley not rice.
He has done
excellent on this recipe but I like the comments and the recipe on this website, only using barley instead of rice.
Like one of the other commenters suggested I just made with this turkey rather than beef. It didn’t come out very greasy at all, made the whole house smell delicious and the best part about it is that my American cocker spaniel absolutely loved it!
Thanks for the recipe, I’ll definitely be making this one again for my little guy.
Thank you for this recipe!!! We have a senior dog who has recently become a very picky eater. He has a few things going on with his liver, kidneys and GI tract so we really have to watch what we are feeding him. I made this today and he LOVES IT! Thank you so much!!!!!
The nutrients list doesn’t say anything about the calcium levels. From what I have read dogs need higher calcium requirements.
So I´ve got 5 dog´s two RR, a Border, a staff and an American Pittbull. The Big guys are doing great but I am having trouble with one of the RR´s she´s 3 months and is just not gaining enough weight Our vet has prescribed Vitamins for her but i´m going to try mixing this with her dry food to see it it helps. Thanks
My 7 month old RR is having a tough time gaining weight as well, she’s burns it off as soon as I give it to her. Looking back my 3 year old RR had the same issue. ,y vet said to up her protein and she’ll even out. Guess they’re too bus for their own good.
Can cats eat this too?
This recipe is suited for dogs, not cats. But as always, please consult your vet and/or use your best judgment.
Cats need taurine, so research their needs before doing anything
Just got this prepped tonight to cook in the morning for my girls – two corgis. They are going to love it! Thanks for the recipe!
I just made this for Coco my 11 year old pom, she loves it and I no what’s in it, will last over 7 days for sure as she is small, love it 🙂 healthy she gobbled it all up
What type of supplements do you give dogs when feeding them this type of diet?
We use Balance IT® Canine as recommended by our veterinarian.
Is this effiencient to feed all the time or should switch it up from time to time with other DIY recipes. I have a skinny picky eater and he had gobbled this stuff down!
Misty, you can certainly choose to switch it up as needed. I personally love using BalanceIT.com for variety. Hope that helps!
The meat is still a little pink, I cooked it for 6hrs…is this ok or should I finish it off on the stove???
Misty, if the meat is still pink, you can cook as needed to ensure that the beef is completely cooked through before serving.
Hi, I made this last night….it didn’t say anything about browning the meat first….so I didn’t….some of the meat is still a bit pink…..is this bad?? I was thinking about throwing it on the stove to ensure all the meat is browned or can dogs handle a bit of pink?? I cooked it for 6hrs …… please advise
How should I cook this if I don’t have a crockpot ?
You can try this stovetop version instead.