homemade dog food with ground beef

By Isabella Storyclaire

last updated September 16, 2024

Contributions sourced from

10 Vet-Approved Beef Dog Food Recipes (Homemade Options)

If your dog loves beef, you may want to learn how to make beef dog food at home. Its easy and affordable, and your pup will appreciate the nutrition and flavor. But youll need the right recipe to get started.

Thats where this list comes in: 10 delicious, easy beef dog food recipes. Whether you want a classic dog-friendly stew, a hands-off slow cooker recipe, or an incredibly quick pressure cooker option, youll find what youre looking for on this list! Scroll down to start cooking.

Is Beef Good for Your Dog?

Beef is high in protein, iron, and healthy fats, making it a great ingredient for dog food. It also contains amino acids and vitamins B3, B6, and B12 all important elements of your dogs diet.

Dont hesitate to talk to your veterinarian if you have concerns about your dogs diet. Some dogs may have beef allergies, so keep an eye out for signs like ear inflammation, itchy skin, or diarrhea.

Overall, beef is a healthy homemade dog food ingredient and one that your pup is likely to love. So lets get started!

The Top 10 Beef Dog Food Recipes:

1. Healthy Sirloin Dog Food

Healthy Sirloin Dog Food

This Mess is Ours

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Servings 13 cups

Calories 288 kcal

6 cups cupscooked organic brown rice (3 cupsuncooked rice)
2 lbs ground lean beef, cooked through, fat drained
4 hard boiled eggs, peeled and diced small
3 medium sized carrots, shredded or thinly sliced
1/4 cup minced curly parsley
3 tbsp olive or safflower oil

Serving: -1cupCalories: 288kcalCarbohydrates: 24gProtein: 22.9gFat: 10.5gCholesterol: 197.8mgSodium: 119.7mg

2. Beef & Vegetable Dog Food

This beef recipe features nutrient-packed vegetables like broccoli, sweet potatoes, spinach, and carrots. It comes together quickly and wont break your budget.

3. Easy Pressure Cooker Dog Food Recipe

If you dont already have a pressure cooker, this recipe will have you reaching for your credit card! Add ground beef, vegetables, broth/soup, and rice to the pot and less than 10 minutes later, youll have a doggy feast.

4. Roast Beef Dog Food

This easy recipe features roast beef and beef liver, making dog food your furry friends wont be able to resist.

5. Simple Slow Cooker Dog Food

Kidney beans and butternut squash make for an unusual but delicious homemade beef dog food. Throw them in a slow cooker for 6 hours and youll have your dogs new favorite food!

6. Pumpkin & Beef Dog Food

Pumpkin and beef may sound like an odd combination, but trust us, your dog will love it! Simmered beef bones and rosemary put this recipe over the top.

7. Simple Beef Stew

It doesnt get much simpler than this: a classic beef stew with sweet potatoes, carrots, and peas. Your dog will be licking the bowl clean!

8. Vitamin-Enriched Beef Dog Food

This recipe only has a few ingredients: beef, sweet potatoes, peas, and dog-friendly vitamins. Its healthy, tasty, and surprisingly easy to pull together.

9. Hamburger & Egg Dog Food

Add ground eggshells to this simple ground beef dog food recipe to give your pup some extra calcium.Get the recipe here.

10. Ground Beef & Chicken Liver Dog Food

This healthy dog food recipe was inspired by a rescue dog from Bali. It incorporates ground beef, chicken liver, green beans, and eggs to form a tasty, dog-friendly meal.

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Their pre-packaged meals full of human-grade ingredients get delivered right to your door, so all you need to do is pop them into your dogs dish!

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Conclusion

Have you found the perfect recipe to teach you how to make beef dog food for your pup? We hope this list helps you cook healthy, easy, and affordable meals for your furry friends. Beef is a nutritious and inexpensive dog food ingredient, so what are you waiting for? Time to start cooking!

Looking for more dog food recipes?

Featured Image Credit: Miriam Doerr Martin Frommherz, Shutterstock

Recipe: Healthiest Homemade Dog Food with Ground Beef

Ground beef is often used as the protein source in homemade dog food recipes. It is affordable and very easy to find in any grocery store. It's also simple to prepare, and most dogs find it appetizing. Thishealthiest homemade dog food with ground beef recipe is formulated for adult dogs.

Keep in mind that most homemade dog food diets will not be nutritionally balanced for your dog. Your dog's nutritional needs are unique to him, and they will vary throughout his life based on his age, weight, activity level and overall health condition.

Only your veterinarian or a trained canine nutritionist can tell you if this healthiest homemade dog food with ground beef will make an appropriate diet for your dog. They will likely recommend adding additional supplements to the recipe to ensure that it meets all of your pup's nutritional needs.

You don't need to use this recipe as your dog's main source of nutrients. You could use it as a food topper to entice a picky eater or to add more nutrients to your pet's commercial kibble.

MORE RECIPES HERE:Homemade Dog Food & Treats Recipes

Healthiest Homemade Dog Food with Ground Beef Recipe

Ingredients

8-ounces lean ground beef
3-ounces liver (chopped)
4 cups brown rice (uncooked)
2 eggs (beaten)
1/2 cup carrots
1/2 cup green beans
1 cup peas
9 cups water
1/2 cup rolled oats
2 tsp. dried parsley
1/2 cup milk
3 tbsp. olive oil

Directions

I know that looks like a lot of ingredients, but this recipe is actually very easy to prepare. The first step is to put the water in a large pot and place it on the stove on medium heat. Add the rice and oats and bring to a boil.

Stir in all of the other ingredients and reduce the heat to low. I used carrots, green beans, and peas in this recipe, but you can substitute any other dog-friendly vegetables of your choosing. You can also substitute 2 tablespoons of fresh parsley if you have it on hand.

Allow this healthiest homemade dog food with ground beef to simmer for about 20 minutes. You'll need to stir it occasionally. You will know when it is finished because all of the water will be absorbed.

When the food has cooled, you can feed it to your pet. Therecommended serving size is 1/2 cup for every 20-25 pounds of body weight. Not only should you check with your veterinarian or a canine nutritionist about possible supplements to ad to this food, you should also ask them about the appropriate serving size for your canine companion.

Store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 5-7 days. You can also make this recipe in bulk and store the leftovers in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.

READ NEXT: 5 Nutritious Homemade Wet Dog Food Recipes

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Recipe: Homemade Ground Beef Dog Food

Protein is one of the most important parts of your dog's diet. The protein in your pet's food helps his body to build muscle tissue, create new cells and perform many other necessary tasks. It also helps to keep the immune system strong and provides Fido with the energy he needs. Thishomemade ground beef dog food recipe provides plenty of protein along with other essential nutrients that your dog needs.

If you're using ground beef in your homemade dog food, you need to be sure that it is lean. Ground beef with more fat is much cheaper per pound than lean ground beef, but it will add too much fat into your pup's diet. You should use ground beef that isat least93% lean.

Ground beef is a great choice for the protein source in your homemade dog food, as it is affordable and extremely easy to find in any store. It is rich in vitamins, minerals and amino acids. Ground beef is also very easy to prepare.

This is one of my favorite homemade ground beef dog food recipe options. There are only 4 ingredients, and it's simple to prepare. Not to mention, my dogs go crazy for these healthy meatballs. They're great to serve as a full meal or to mix with kibble in order to add some additional nutrients to your pup's food.

MORE RECIPES HERE: Homemade Dog Food & Treats Recipes

Homemade Ground Beef Dog Food Recipe

Ingredients

2 lbs. lean ground beef
2 eggs
1 cup brown rice
1/2 cup mixed vegetables

Directions

First, cook the rice according to the instructions on the box. You'll also need to steam or boil the vegetables. I used peas, carrots and butternut squash. You can use any type of dog-friendly vegetable of your choosing.

Preheat your oven to 400.

When the rice and veggies are cooked, mix them with the beef and eggs in a large mixing bowl. If you've ever made homemade meatballs before, you'll know what to do from here.

When the ingredients are sufficiently combined, it's time to put this homemade ground beef dog food recipe together. First, grease a cookie sheet. Next, roll your meatballs as I demonstrate in the video guide above.

I love this recipe because you can make the meatballs bite-sized for your dog. If you have a teacup breed, just roll really small meatballs. For an extra-large breed you can make meatballs that are his size. The best part of making homemade dog food is that you can cater to your pup's individual needs.

Place the meatballs on the well-greased cookie sheet. They shouldn't be touching each other or they will stick together while cooking. Bake the meatballs in the 400 oven for 45 minutes.

Once the meatballs are cool you can immediately serve them to your dog. Store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 7 days. You can also freeze the meatballs (cooked or raw) for storage of up to 3 months.

READ NEXT:11 Best Superfoods for Dogs That May Improve Their Health

Recipe: Balanced Homemade Dog Food with Ground Beef

It's no secret that a homemade dog food diet can offer the best nutrition when it is prepared the right way. Most veterinarians and canine nutrition experts won't recommend this diet, because they know that pet owners won't put the work into ensuring the homemade meals provide 100% balanced nutrition.

With that said, this balanced homemade dog foodmay offer the proper nutrition for some dogs, but it will not provide balanced nutrition for every canine.

The term balanced is used by veterinarians, canine nutritionists, pet food companies and other experts in the field to refer to a diet that is nutritionally balanced and can be used as a dog's sole source of nutrition.

The next time you're in the pet store, check out the label of the dog foods that are labeled balanced.

They specifically state the type of dog that the food is formulated for. For example, food for puppies, senior dogs, dogs in all life stages, overweight dogs, dogs with special health conditionsthe list goes on and on.

Now you know what I mean when I say that this food may be balanced for some dogs, but not every dog.

Before you begin feeding this recipe, discuss the change in diet with your vet or a trained canine nutritionist.

They will be able to tell you if this food will provide adequate nutrition to meet your pet's unique needs.

It's likely that the expert you consult will recommend adding supplements to this recipe.

In fact,a recent study performed on 200 homemade dog food recipes showed that many recipes (even the ones that come from veterinarians) do not have all the adequate nutrients that the average dog needs.

Balanced Homemade Dog Food

Balance refers to the type and amount of nutrients contained in a recipe. Prolonged feeding of unbalanced meals exposes a dog to many health risks.

This is why it is crucial that you discuss this recipe with your veterinarian or a canine nutrition expert before you begin feeding it to your dog.

Recipe: Balanced Homemade Dog Food with Ground Beef

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The ingredients in this recipe could be substituted if necessary. You could use a different protein source or any dog-friendly vegetables that are a good choice for your pup. Brown rice, chia seeds or quinoa could be substituted for the oats. Your veterinarian will have substitution suggestions if your dog has special dietary needs.

Author: Samantha Randall
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: about 4 cups 1x
Category: Cooked Food
Method: Stovetop
Cuisine: Dog Food

1/2 cup lean ground beef
1/3 cup sweet potato (chopped)
1 cup dog-friendly vegetables
1 egg with shell
2 tbsp. ground flaxseed
1/8 cup quick oats
1/2 cup water

Add the water, sweet potato, vegetables and beef to a large stock pot. Cook on medium heat for 20 minutes. Stir the recipe occasionally.

Add the egg and oats. Cook for an additional 5 minutes. Stir frequently.

Remove from the heat and add the flaxseed. Stir until thoroughly combined.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1/2 cup
Calories: 71
Sugar: .9 g
Sodium: 33 mg
Fat: 2.7 g
Carbohydrates: 3.9 g
Fiber: 1.2 g
Protein: 7.4 g
Cholesterol: 40 mg

How to store:You can store the leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days or freeze them, and theyll keep for up to 3 months.

Remember that this recipe includes no preservatives, so it won't last nearly as long as commercial dog food.

Balanced Homemade Dog Food FAQs

How do I make sure my homemade dog food is balanced?

You need to make sure you cover all of your bases. Your dog needs protein, fat, carbohydrates (not as much as you think), vegetables (important but not mandatory), and essential fatty acids.

Usually your protein base should cover the protein, fat, and fatty acids. You can also throw it a calcium supplement like crushed eggshells.

Why are vets against homemade food?

Vet's aren't completely against homemade dog food if you know how to prep the food.

The only reason they don't recommend it is because of bacterial food contamination and making sure you don't cause a health risk to yourself prepping your dog's food.

For More Information

We publish many homemade dog food and treat recipes every month.

For more recipes, pet food cooking tips, and advice, see our Recipes section.

If you're new to the home-cooked dog food subject, I recommend you read more about How Much To Feed to understand serving sizes, What Supplements To Use to create well-balanced meals, and How To Store for tips on simple and easy homemade dog food storing in a fridge or a freezer.