Crockpot Dog Food

This is our easy homemade Crockpot dog food with chicken recipe. Made with no rice it is a grain free dump and go easy Crockpot recipe meal for puppies with vegetables in it too. Healthy and protein packed.

We have a german shepherd, she is adorable. I was never really a puppy lover as an adult and it took a long time before I’d agree to getting one but….. One Christmas eve I gave in and she was and is a great addition to our family. Seriously the cutest thing ever. I am sure you feel the same way about your buddy too.

Feeding your pup a variety of nutritious foods is important, that includes your choice of bagged “stuff”. Supplementing their diet with lean meats such as chicken thighs (used here) and other whole ingredients can make them extra happy. They love homemade dog treats too, we will share those later.

Copycat Fresh Pet Recipe

If you have bought this brand you know how much your pups love it, but you can make it very similarly at home. Yes you can use the same slow cooker as you would to make slow cooker boneless skinless chicken thighs for yourselves. I mean you could eat the recipe below if you really wanted to together. It uses fresh ingredients without any “extras” per say. It’s just blander than something you’d make for humans.

It is not necessary to make Boiled Chicken for Dogs for their health. Commercial foods are balanced and contain all the nutrients they need. Offering them something of this sort will definitely lend more flavor and make them probably happier to eat in general but shouldn’t necessarily replace their regular feedings.

What ingredients should be in homemade dog food?

Protein is the main item that should be #1. A grain or vegetable is important, some like including both. If you could include an essential fatty acid that is ideal. You want to make sure it does include vitamins and minerals important for pets and seasonings are not necessary.

Remember, this shouldn’t be all inclusive, rather a small addition or substitute for some of their bagged food.

Homemade Dog Food with Chicken no Vegetables

If you only wanted to make plain poultry for them to meat without anything else you could just follow our boiled shredded chicken instructions. Or you could just add a cup of water in your slow cooker with the meat and cook on high for about 6-8 hours or until it falls apart. Shred, allow to cool completely and then share with a pup.

This is an easy homemade dog food recipe with some vegetables like squash that they like, great for their coats too. It is grain free, though some like to cook white or brown rice on the side and fold everything together.

How Long to Cook Homemade Dog Food in Slow Cooker

You could make this in a large pot on your stovetop too but this is easier and more hands off. If you are in a hurry in a pot over medium high heat would take about 20 minutes, once proteins can be shredded with forks it is ready to remove from the heat. Slow cooked you set it in and forget it for 6-8 hours.

Instant Pot Dog Food (Option)

For dog food in a pressure cooker I would use the same ingredients and cook on high for 12 minutes with a 5 minute natural release. This will give you the same fall apart easily to shred texture as the recipe card below.

Can you double this recipe?

If you wanted to double or triple what’s listed here you would need to put into a big Crockpot, cool and store in ziplocs measured out for a days feeding. In that case you would likely need closer to 8 hours to get so tender it shreds without any effort.

When done make sure to turn pot off and allow to cool completely before saving extras for later in freezer bags. Serve this and dehydrated dog treats in moderation.

Remember that if your fur baby (dogs and cats) has any food allergies it’s a good idea to always consult your vet before buying any ingredients for any home cooked dog recipe. Other alternatives to these veggies would be sweet potato and/or green beans. Corn is not a good choice as it is hard to digest.

Substitutions

Instead of chicken you could use ground turkey instead, I would lightly brown that before adding and decrease timing to 4 hours on low for that. Our dogs love 1/2 cup of this every now and then. Have an older pet? Use a food processor to grind up the meat a bit finer for them.

Want to spoil them a bit more? We started cooking / baking homemade dog biscuits in the oven or air fryer dog treats last year. My girls loved mixing these up for our picky eater of a pooch and they were a real hit with a peanut butter flavor to them.

We are working on making other treats that are safe for our Paige and will share them once they have been tested tried and written up. If you have something you’d been cooking or baking up for your pets that they love share with us below, we’d love to try yours too.

How long does homemade dog food last?

Once cooled you can store in freezer bags in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. If you love batch cooking for dogs you could definitely do that. Store those smaller bags inside a large freezer bag and lay flat in your freezer. Take one out at a time, allow to defrost to room temperature and then they can enjoy that bit of supplement for the day.