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.
So good
I did add a can of chick peas and most of the time I use 3 lbs of meat. Also I cook this in and INSTAPOT for 40 minutes. I weight and bag everything and this gives me about a months worth of food for my Carin Terrier who is 2 years 3 months. She seems to like it. This a great and easy recipe to follow and use.
Mike, can i ask you how you cooked it in Instant Pot, how long for etc, thank you
I cook mine in an instant pot too. I pressure cook mine for 45 minutes with a 20 min build up pressure time. Make sure you don’t forget the water. I quick release the pressure and it comes out great every time.
We have a 15-year-old Springer Spaniel that’s stayed in perfect health in a raw diet… until he decided he wouldn’t eat it anymore. This recipe has him excited for food again and he’s maintaining his weight and activity level. Like some others, I found the rice wasn’t cooking and because of that I wasn’t getting the volume needed for the number of servings indicated in the recipe. I now cook the rice with spinach, frozen peas and carrots in a rice cooker, and cook the ground beef, beans and pumpkin on the stove top. I mix it together in a bread pan and let it cook before freezing. He loves it.
This recipe is awesome but I have a question. It seems underdone at 6 hours and meat appears pink… am I missing something?
The first time I cooked it, I had the same problem, it is a lot of food and pretty dense and it didn’t cook properly. Needed a lot more time before it was right. I use an instapot now and it only take about 1 hr to cook all together.
I love this recipe but I did take out the Kidney beans and peas. I added Broccoli, green beans and Cauliflower. It was easy to make for the dogs.
My dog really loved this recipe I just have a question can I freeze this dog food ?
It’s kinda powdery after thawing it but she really Loves the food
Thanks
Hi, thank you for sharing. I was just curious about adding any veggies (I.e the peas in particular) from can given the sodium content? Does that not cause issues?
consider low-sodium version when using cans
Thank you for this easy recipe! I used venison and my dogs LOVE it! It is so much healthier for my boy with cancer!
I am currently cooking this recipe right now in the crockpot. I added deer burger vs 90% lean ground beef. I have two English Bulldogs. My male, Bruce is 10.9 years bullieful-sadly, his fur is falling out in sections, so I wanted to change his diet. The vet stated it was bacteria-so trying to figure it out. Thank you for this recipe. I’m sure Bru and Bella will enjoy. Thanks again.
Hi Carmen. I have to English bulldogs as well. Our male has lost his hair also. Looks like a saddle around his midsection. Our vet said it was bulldog alopecia. Google that and see if it’s what yours have. Also how many cups are you giving them. Mine would be so fat if I gave them 4 cups a day. They are both around 55lbs
Thank you but how much should I give dog? She gets (1) cup in a.m and (1) in p.m.
Should I do same?
I’m curious as to how much is recommended to feed. I have a 3 year old, 23lb French Bulldog. I also have a 11 year old, 30lb frenchie. What do you suggest?
I would do 1/2 cup twice per day and see how things go. I have a 9-pound mini pin. She eats 2 ounces, twice per day of recipes that consist of a substantially similar calorie profile. She is almost 12 years old, and she maintains an ideal body weight (with a small allowance for a bit of cheese as treats).
I have a 30 lb, 2 year old Boston Terrier. I I give him 3/4 cup twice a day mixed with his kibble, Taste of the Wild. He loves this stuff. His fur is beautiful and his energy level is amazing. I use 32oz of low sodium beef broth instead of water. I also cook it on the stove because it’s faster. Bring everything to a boil then cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes then let cool.
Our Nellie is THE fussiest eater and I’m so happy I’ve found your recipes – she EAT’s this! Yay!
Thanks for the crock-pot version – making life easier for sure!
Hi I have a 18 pound Shorkie (1.5 yrs) & a 6.5 year Pekinese Maltese 14 pounds how much do I feed daily. I’ll be substituting turkey.
I made my first batch of DIY Crockpot dog food using this recipe. I added 5 hand beaten eggs, 2tblsp parsley, and 1/2 tsp rosemary to it. My border-collie terrier mix loves it! Thanks for putting this recipe up!
My fur baby loves this food I switch the meat from ground beef to ground turkey every other time. she has a sensitive stomach and homemade is working out wonderful
I’ve already been following you and making your recipes for a while. I only just now discovered you have recipes for dog food and it’s a game changer. I seriously love everything you make. Your recipes are delicious and not intimidating for amateur cooks. Thank you!
Good and health my dogs love it simple to make
I’ve made this several times and have always had trouble getting the rice done. After 7 hours on high, rice is still crunchy. I’m using an Instant Pot in slow cook mode.
Did you try soaking the rice for an hour in lukewarm water with some salt?
My instant pot won’t ever fully cook potatoes or rice in sow cooler mode. Works great on meat only. I would say try a traditional crock pot or cook rice separately and add it to the other ingredients in the crock pot and reduce the water.
Awesome recipe. I have made it with chicken also. I do brown the meat in a fry pan and drain off excess oil, pat dry then add it in the crock close to the end of the cook time. Excess meat fat can cause pancreatitis esp in older dogs so I do this as a precaution.
Was great! Just wanted to know the protein, veggies and grain precentages
I am getting mixed messages online about the canned kidney beans. Are these okay to use in the recipe and does everybody use the canned? Other than that the dogs love it!!!
Can anybody explain serving sizes please?
1 Cup per 10 lbs from what I’ve read elsewhere
I have a 60 lb golden retriever and an overweight golden retriever. The 60 lb one gets 1 1/2 cup am/pm and the overweight one gets 1 cup am/pm. I add water since both of them inhale their food so this help them eat it a bit slower.
Fantastic we both get fed
Yeah, brother, make up a bunch for all and all eat hearty.