homemade dog food recipes in crockpot
5 Homemade Crockpot Dog Food Recipes
The crockpot is an underrated kitchen appliance, but it's one of the best cooking tools in our household with two dogs.
It allows me to create healthy homemade dog food crockpot recipes with low effort and a low price.
The reason most dog owners dislike homemade recipes is an inconvenience.
So, if you're getting into a home-cooked dog food routine, I would highly recommend you get yourself a good slow cooker and try some of these homemade crockpot dog food recipes below.
Why Switch to Crockpot Dog Food?
Two years ago, I switched to making mostly homemade dog food crockpot recipes, and it's been a huge relief in my time and my finances.
These are the two biggest complaints pet owners have about switching to homemade: Who has the time? and Who has the money?
I have a busy household, and we live on a budget, so this was true for me, too.
With slow cooker dog food cooking, all you need is about 10 minutes to cut and chop a bunch of ingredients, then toss them into the crockpot and let it cook for anywhere between 2 to 8 hours until it's done, without the need to stand over the crockpot.
This way, you can prepare at least a week's worth of homemade dog food meals in one go.
You can also use a crockpot to make dog treats or stuff for dog toys. It's easy to store this food in a fridge or freezer for later feeding using Tupperware or a dog food container.
I usually cook about 2 weeks' worth of meals for my dogs, and it's all done by the time I get home from work. Per Samantha's advice, I keep most slow cooker dog food meals in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 daysand for up to 8-10weeks in a freezer.
Note: After you've picked out homemade dog food crockpot recipes to try, consult with your veterinarian about them. Depending on your dog, some of them may need dog supplements to make them well-balanced.
My Two Favorite Slow Cookers for Homemade Dog Food
There are many costly slow cooker brands out there, but before getting myself one, I researched the best pressure cookers and didn't find any reason why you shouldn't buy a cheap one (unless you're making very fancy meals).
Over the years, I've tried a few crockpots myself and found a few that are extremely affordable and long-lasting (you can also see Samantha reviewing one for homemade dog food in this video).
Below are the two that are best in terms of price-for-value ratio.
This is the most basic, small-sized ceramic and stainless steel slow cooker, but it gets the job done perfectly well. 3-quart capacity is enough to make a large serving that you can split into about a week's worth of homemade dog food crockpot meals.
It has three settings you need: high, low, and warm. Dishwasher safe. Nothing else is really needed. It's also the cheapest and best-rated on Amazon.
For something a little bigger (or a standard slow cooker), you can't beat this option in price and quality. 6-quart capacity is the norm and it's plenty for making about two week's worth of homemade crockpot dog food.
This one is also a little more powerful and has some extra features, like temperature control, defrosting, LCD screen, and more. Personally, this is my favorite one, and it's only $3.50 more expensive than the above one.
There are several more great slow cookers (see Amazon Best Sellers) that you can buy and they will have more features and will be more expensive.
Still, personally, I don't see the reason for spending extra money, particularly when using it for making homemade crockpot dog food recipes.
Vet's Tips for Homemade Dog Food Crockpot Recipes
I've consulted with my own veterinarian about homemade slow cooker dog food recipes and read other people's experiences about using a slow cooker (particularly Samantha's recipes here) and how they switched homemade dog food crockpot recipes. Here's the most common advice given by most vets that you should consider before starting:
- Consult with a veterinarian first (every dog is different)
- Calculate each recipe's nutrition: calories and nutrients
- Consider adding pet supplements to make a well-balanced meal
- Watch the fat content (lean meats are often better)
- Mind the bones, and remove all of them (after cooking is done)
- Remove all seeds and pits if using fruits and vegetables
- Some crockpot dog food meals aren't a replacement for a regular diet
With that in mind, I highly recommend you try a pressure cooker for anybody looking to switch to home-cooked dog food meals.
Below are five of my favorite homemade crockpot dog food recipes you can try, but you can also find others.
For example, Samantha Randall (our homemade dog food expert) has published several of her own homemade dog food crockpot recipes with step-by-step videos. These are my top 10 favorites of hers: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten.
Take a look at these above recipes for the exact step-by-step cooking process and tips on using a slow cooker for homemade dog food meals.
In terms of homemade crockpot dog food serving sizes and how much to feed a dog, see her article right here.
5 Best Homemade Crockpot Dog Food Recipes
1.Beef Bonanza
- Prep Time:10 minutes
- Cook Time:6 hours
Ingredients:
- 2 and a half pounds of ground beef
- 1 and a half cup of brown rice
- 1 15-ounce can of already drained and rinsed kidney beans
- 1 and a half cup of chopped butternut squash
- 1 and a half cup of chopped carrots
- Half a cup of frozen or canned peas
Stir the ground beef, brown rice, butternut squash, and brown rice into a standard six-quart slow cooker. Add the carrots, the peas, and four cups of water into it as well. Once everything is well mixed, cover the crockpot and cook the meal at low heat for about 6 hours.
Alternatively, you can cook at high heat for 2 or 3 hours, but youll need to stir regularly.Once the stew is ready, let it cool off completely. After that, it will be ready to serve or be put in the freezer.
Side note: Some owners may be worried that this homemade crockpot dog food recipe is not suitable for the pooch as some beef cuts can be fatty. This is a valid concern for many dogs prone to becoming overweight or otherwise needing to stay on a low-fat diet.
If that's the case, youd do well to opt for lean beef to lower the fat amount in the meal.
Alternatively, you can also swap the beef altogether and replace it with chicken or ground turkey. The latter two options will change the meal's entire taste, but your Fido is likely to enjoy it just as much.
After consulting with a vet about homemade crockpot dog food recipes and if given the green light, remember to ask about supplements to use with this or other recipes to make well-balanced meals.
2. TheMeat Feast
- Prep time: 15 minutes
- Cook time: 4 hours (high); 7 hours (low)
Ingredients:
- 1.5 cups water
- 1 cup brown rice
- 4 lbs. protein source (I used 1 lb. ground beef and 3 lbs. ground pork)
- 1/2 cup blueberries
- 1 large apple (cubed)
- 1 cup kale (chopped)
- 1 large sweet potato (cubed)
- 2 large carrots (cut into chunks)
This is Samantha's recipe from here, and it's a straightforward one to make. It takes about 10 to 20 minutes to dice the veggies and fruits, which is the only time-consuming task.
When sliced and ready, please put all your ingredients into the crockpot and stir the food occasionally as it cooks.
You can cook for four hours on a high setting and seven hours on a low setting. With this slow cooker dog food recipe, you can easily substitute the ingredients that your Fido enjoys more or for health reasons (based on what your vet tells you).
You can use frozen meat in this slow-cooker dog food recipe. It will save you the time of defrosting the meat, and it wont change the taste or texture of the food at all (trust me, the dogs will still enjoy it).
All you have to change is add about 30 to 45 extra minutes to the cooking time to account for the frozen meat.
Once the beef and pork are done, you can feed it to your pooch after it cools off. Store the rest in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days, or you can freeze it.
3.Doggie Stew
- Prep time: 15 minutes
- Cook time: 6 to 12 hours
Ingredients:
- 3 pounds of boneless and skinless chicken thighs (this roughly equals 10 to 12 medium-sized thighs)
- A quarter of a cup of cup chicken liver
- 2 peeled and sliced medium-sized carrots
- 1 cup of frozen green beans
- 1 big apple or 2 medium-sized apples (remove the core and seeds and cut the apples into pieces)
- 2 to 3 cups of water
- 1 cup of frozen peas
- 1 handful of chopped, fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
Directions:
Put the chicken thighs into the slow cooker.
Add chicken livers, carrots, beans, apples, and water to it.
The water needs to be just enough to cover the rest of the ingredients and not more.
Cover the pot and cook on low heat for 8 hours (or on higher heat for 2-3 hours, but youll need to stir frequently; this depends on your slow cooker, too).
10 15 minutes before the meal is cooked, add the peas, parsley, and olive oil. Once everything is cooked, let it cool off completely.
After that, its ready to serve or be put in the freezer.
Side note: Remember that while apples are good for dogs, apple seeds are toxic, so it is crucial to remove the core and the seeds from the apple(s). This generally applies to all fruits and vegetables.
Also, to prevent choking with any of these homemade crockpot dog food recipes, you are strongly advised to remove the thighs' bones (or to remove deboned chicken altogether).
4.Veggie Protein Blast
- Prep time: 15 minutes
- Cook time: 12 hours
Ingredients:
- 3 pounds of chicken thighs
- 3 pounds of ground turkey
- 2 small, diced potatoes
- 2 small, diced sweet potatoes
- 8 ounces of frozen peas
- 8 ounces of chopped carrots
- 1 cup of frozen blueberries
Directions:
The ground turkey and the chicken thighs are to be placed first in the crockpot. Pour just enough water to cover them completely.
After that, add the rest of the ingredients and cover the slow cooker. Cook your slow cooker dog food meal like this on low heat for 12 hours.
I do not recommend cooking on a higher heat because it will require constant stirring, and it will still take several hours.
Once the crockpot dog food meal is ready, let it cool off. Remove the bones from the chicken to prevent choking (before or after).
Once thats done, the dish is ready to be served or frozen in portions for later use.
Once again, remember that if you're not using any commercial dog foods, then ask your veterinarian about this specific recipe and any supplements you must add.
5. SimpleChicken Breast & Rice
- Prep time: 15 minutes
- Cook time: 5 to 8 hours
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of brown rice
- 2 cups of water
- Half a pound of green beans, broken into segments
- 1 medium-sized, raw sweet potato (cut it into chunks, but leave the skin on)
- 3 sliced carrots
- 2 deboned chicken breasts with or without skin
Directions:
Layer all the ingredients in a crockpot in the above-listed order. Chicken breasts should be on top. Cover all of them with water and start cooking.
On low heat, around 8 hours should be enough. With higher heat, you can cook for just 5 hours or possibly even less, but with frequent stirring.
Once your slow cooker dog food meal is cooked, mix and stir the ingredients once again. Break the chicken into small pieces and make sure that everything is soft.
After that, let the dish cool off completely, and it will be ready to serve or put in the freezer for later use.
Side note: You can substitute some of the ingredients (see Samantha's article/video for homemade dog food substitutions explanation). Broccoli florets, zucchini, spinach, or squash can work quite well in this slow-cooker dog food recipe.
You can also swap the chicken breasts with turkey, beef, or lamb, but be careful not to increase the dish's fat content too much.
As with all above mentioned homemade dog food crockpot recipes, remember to add the vitamins, minerals, and calcium supplements recommended by your veterinarian if you plan on making this dish a major part of your dogs diet.
Otherwise, mix with commercial dog food for a well-balanced diet.
READ NEXT:50 Best Homemade Dog Food Recipes
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