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.
Can I sub chicken for beef?
My Buster loves this. I was feeding him Farmer’s dog but $187 monthly was getting a little costly. I spent about $10 on the ingredients and this will last him for a month and he loves it. I add his vitamins and probiotics to it as well store in the reusable freezer bags (a week’s worth) and serve it to him room temp. I alternate the meat and vegetables. Thanks for the great recipe.
Hi,
What vitamins do you give your dog? My dogs food she’s been eating for 10 years has been discontinued. So, I’m hoping to make her food.
I’d like to make a limited ingredient diet like the Instinct limited ingredient turkey dog kibble. Not having to rely on dog kibble is going to be great.
We love the Four Leaf Rover brand of supplements for our dogs.
My dogs love this. My question, how much do you serve each time?
I made this for my dog. He loves it! I’m not sure if I’m giving him enough, how can I calculate the amount of food to give him? Shorty is a 5 lb Yorkie. I give him 1.63 ozs twice a day.
Wow, this easy crockpot dog food recipe sounds like a game-changer for pet owners! The convenience of tossing everything into the slow cooker and coming home to two weeks’ worth of nutritious dog food is amazing. The emphasis on using a variety of veggies that withstand the slow cooking process adds a thoughtful touch. It’s fantastic that it’s customizable based on what’s available in your kitchen. Plus, the reminder to check your pup’s dietary needs with a vet is responsible advice. This recipe not only makes dog care simpler but also ensures your furry friend gets a healthy, homemade meal.
Recipe says it serves 12. However, what size dog. Large, medium, small. I have a 15 lb dog and I’m guessing serving size would be different than the store-bought food he gets now.
Also, would this food be okay for a dog with GI/pancreatitis issues?
Any advice is greatly appreciated!!
just made it for the 1st time and it makes about (12 ) 1-cup servings
I enjoyd making this fablous crockpot meal for my 2 beautiful dogs. I’m sure they will enjoy it later, when its ready 🙂
My dogs love this recipe.. I mix it in with some dry food.
Good basic recipe, except my vet told me never use peas. I use ground turkey instead of beef. I cook the rice in bouillon to make it more flavorful. Sometimes I sub sweet potato for squash or green beans instead of kidney beans. My dog likes crunch, so I cut up carrots instead of shredding them. I also add greens (per my vet)- broccoli and / or spinach.
I freeze in zip lock bags and only thaw in the fridge what she will eat in a week or less.
If doing DIY food, add a good vitamin supplement (my dog thinks her multi is a treat). I also give cottage cheese or yoghurt a few times a week to ensure she is getting enough calcium. I’ve heard egg shells are good, but haven’t tried them. They must be pulverized or you risk cutting their mouth or throat. With DIY food, fruits make excellent treats and provide vitamins (blueberries, strawberries, cantaloupe and apple pieces are excellent).
KJ – Your vet said no peas? Did they mean pea meal? Peas are full of healthy nutrients and perfectly safe in smaller portions (Google to find the portion size for your dog). Just stay away from canned peas because of the sodium
Peas are okay but not canned one due to sodium. Bouillon is way too much sodium for dogs and I read that spinach must be in small amounts or it can cause kidney damage and digestive issues.
my furbabies r allergic to rice is all rice the same????? also they cannot have beef, chicken, fish, eggs, or carrots
My pitbull loves this. He gets so excited now for his meals. Hes super hyper in general. I mix his kibble with it. Hes been more relaxed since i added this homemade food. Thank you for this recipe.
Question: what is the best way to store this and roughly how long will it last?
I would use a sealer and freeze in serving sizes. Would last a long time this way versus zip lock bags (even the ones for freezer).
Do you cook the ground meat before adding it to the slow cooker?
Do I cook the hamburger or rice before putting in the crockpot? How long is it good for in the fridge? Do you warm up a little before giving it to them?
I made this recipe recently. I did not cook the ground beef ahead of time. As it cooked in the crock pot I stirred it a couple of times to ensure it was broken up. It mixed in with the other ingredients pretty well to begin with though.
I have given this to my picky dog cold from the fridge and surprisingly he ate it. When he ate dry kibble with a little canned food mixed in it wasn’t unusual for him to skip a day’s meal. He had not skipped at all with the homemade food!
I loved making dog food.I used chicken and egg shells .
But now that I have 3 dogs..I’ve decided to use it to add to half of their dry blue buffalo( to accent it.) I add coconut oil and acv also. They go wild for it.
Do you grind the egg shells before you put them in? We are adopting a senior toothless dog so looking to make our own food for her and our own dog as well now. Do you additional supplements to the food, before or after cooking, or do you provide in pill form?
Thank you!!!
Coffee grinder on the finest grind possible. They need to be like a dust.
No peas please. Peas in any form has been linked to dilated cardiomyopathy in dogs. See recent article in the Journal of Animal Science. This condition is preventable and is usually fatal in dogs.
Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) has been in the literature and news because of the recent opinion-based journal articles and public releases by regulatory agencies. DCM is commonly associated with a genetic predisposition in certain dog breeds and can also occur secondary to other diseases and nutritional deficiencies.
Author: Sydney R McCauley, Stephanie D Clark, Bradley W Quest, Renee M Streeter, Eva M Oxford
Publish Year: 2020
found this from a university study in 2023…
“Yes, healthy dogs can eat peas, and there is no evidence that peas cause dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in dogs. In fact, a 2023 study found that dogs fed a diet containing up to 45% peas and other pulses for 20 weeks showed no signs of heart disease.
Study results
A study by the University of Guelph found that dogs fed a diet containing up to 45% peas and other pulses for 20 weeks showed no signs of heart disease.”
My kids live this recipe
I plan on making a batch of this over the weekend. I have a Boston Terrier that weighs 23 lbs. She has a bit of a belly, but hopefully, giving her 1/2 cup twice a day should help. I have been making dog food for a couple of months but just making it off the top of my head. Nothing measured. Some of the things I will add is yogurt with probiotics. Ground up eggshells that I purchased from Amazon. An excellent source of calcium. I also purchased from Amazon flat microwavable 16 oz containers with lids. They work great. They stack well in the freezer. Now I have a good recipe, and I am good to go.
I put all the ingredients in a instapot, pressure cook for 5-8 minutes and it’s perfect! How do I know how much home cooked food to feed my dogs? I use just a little kibble b/c I’m afraid they don’t get nutrients they need that might be in kibble… I have a cocker spaniel shar pei mix and he is 30 lbs, my Aussie Shepard, collie mix is 65 lbs and needs to lose a few pounds 🙁
Thanks for help and recipes! Hope to hear from you soon.
Feed a cup per 10lbs of dog per day. So if you have a 40lb dog, feed him 2 cups in the morning and 2 at night.
Karen this seems like a lot of food to feed per day. Is that because it’s mostly vegetables?
Really a cup per 10 lbs. of dog that seems like a lot to me to as my girl is 90 lbs. that would be 9 cups a day or a big serving bowl fill to the top.
My 5 month old Westie loves this recipe ….but I do not add the kidney beans. Also….as I dislike crockpots, I pre-cook the ground beef in a Cast iron Dutch Oven, add the rest of the ingredients as directed and bake in the oven at 300 deg for 2 1/2 – 3 hrs….or until the rice is cooked. Perfect every time!!
My Westie pup loves this!! Once it is cooked, I use my 4oz ice cream scoop, place the balls on a parchment lined cookie sheet and flash freeze them………perfect serving size every time!