How to Cook Ground Turkey For Dogs
Learn how to cook ground turkey for dogs with this step by step tutorial (including a video). Whether you are looking for a bland dog food, homemade dog food, high reward treat, or food topper, ground turkey is a great choice.
If you're looking for more dog recipes, be sure to check out other favorites like Chicken Dinner Recipe for Dogs, Dog Food Recipe for Upset Stomach, Thanksgiving Dinner for Dogs, Slow Cooker Beef Dog Food, How to Cook Rice For Dogs, or Beef Liver Dinner Recipe for Dogs.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Recipe Name: How to Cook Ground Turkey For Dogs
- Ready In: 10 minutes
- Makes: 1 pound
- Main Ingredients: ground turkey, extra virgin olive oil, salt
- Flavor Profile: bland
- Dietary Info: gluten free, dairy free, no seed oils, eggless
- Difficulty: Easy!
- Why You’ll Love It: how to meal prep ground turkey safely for your dog
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Made Just for Dogs: No seasoning, no additives, and nothing dogs shouldn’t eat. Just simple, safe preparation.
- Quick and Beginner-Friendly: If you can brown meat, you can make this. It’s perfect if you’re new to cooking for your dog.
- Great Lean Protein Option: Ground turkey is easy to digest and a popular choice for dogs needing a lighter protein.
- Works as a Food Topper or Base: Use it to boost kibble, mix into fresh meals, or pair with dog-safe veggies and grains.
- Gentle on Sensitive Stomachs: Plain, cooked turkey is often recommended for dogs with digestive issues.
- Easy to Batch Cook: Make it once and store it in the fridge or freezer for stress-free feeding later.
- No Guesswork: This recipe shows exactly how to cook ground turkey for dogs the right way, including what to avoid.
- Supports Fresh, Homemade Feeding: A simple step toward adding real food to your dog’s diet without overcomplicating things.
- Flexible for Different Dogs: Easily adjust portions and pairings based on your dog’s size, age, and needs.
- Built on Experience: Created for real dog parents who want practical, reliable guidance—not trends.
If you want to learn how to cook homemade, balanced dog meals, check out our course How to Cook Homemade Dog Food (Vet-Approved, Balanced and Simple). And, you can find homemade dog food meals like Dog Burger Bowl (Homemade Beef Dog Food), Chicken and Pumpkin Dinner for Dogs, Homemade Turkey Meatloaf for Dogs and resources like How Much Homemade Food Should I Feed My Dog?.
Plus, check out other dog food tutorials like How to Cook Sweet Potatoes for Dogs, How to Cook Turkey Giblets for Dogs, How to Make Beef Liver for Dogs, or How to Cook a Whole Chicken for Dog Food.
Ingredients
- Ground Turkey: I use organic ground turkey that's 93% lean, 7% fat. This is the most common kind of ground turkey you'll see at grocery stores. But, some companies will make an extra lean turkey, which is also okay too. I always recommend organic as the benefits of organic also transfer to your dog!
- Oil: We use either extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil. Both are dog safe oils and I like to rotate between the two. Avoid seed oils (canola, sunflower, safflower), vegetable oils, peanut oil, sesame oil, and avocado oil.
- Salt: If you are doing all homemade food, you'll need a little salt. Contrary to popular belief, dogs do need salt for their bodies to function, they just can't have too much salt. So, if you are cooking all your dog's food, you definitely need some salt. If you're doing a mix of dog food and using this as a topper or treat, you could leave it off if you prefer.
*For a full list of ingredients and measurements, visit the recipe card below.
Dog Parent Tips
- Use a high quality organic turkey. The benefits of organic foods also apply to dogs, so always buy organic for your dog.
- You can use either coconut oil or extra virgin olive oil. I like to switch between the two as it gives John John more variety every couple weeks.
- Use a medium heat so you don't brown the turkey. Gently cooked food is best for dogs and you want to avoid browning and burning.
- You can cook this in the slow cooker if you prefer. This is a great option if you are making a lot more than 1 pound.
- Store cooked ground turkey in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. If you have more than your dog will eat in a week, simply store in a freezer safe container. Just thaw for 24 hours in the fridge and it's ready to use.
- You can share this with your dog if you want! You can also eat this ground turkey in tacos, Baked Lemon Pasta With Feta, Simple Green Salad with Homemade Dressing, or add into your morning Fluffy Scrambled Eggs With Sour Cream.
- This makes about 10 meals for John John, who's 20 pounds, you may need to cook more or less, depending on your dog's size.
How to Cook Ground Turkey for Dogs
- Add the olive oil (or coconut oil) into a large skillet over medium heat.
- Once the skillet is warm, add in the ground turkey. Add a few shakes of salt.
- Continue to cook until the meat is light brown (no longer pink) about 10 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and transfer to an airtight container.
How to Serve
This ground turkey can be served to your dog a few different ways.
- Homemade Dog Food: Make homemade dog food and use this as the main protein. Add in dog safe veggies and carbs like sweet potatoes, pumpkin, butternut squash, carrots, broccoli, and more. You can boil veggies or even serve them raw occasionally!
- Use as a Food Topper: This makes a great food topper if you are feeding dog food as it can add real food benefits and added protein.
- High Reward Treats: Use as high reward training treats. The lean meat makes a great option for this kind of training treat as it's so much better than processed store bought treats. And, your dog will love it even more (which makes training easier!). Another great option is also Beef Dog Treats.
How to Cook Ground Turkey for Dogs FAQ's
Yes, ground turkey is a lean meat and most dogs do very well with lean meats. All dogs are different though, so always introduce new foods slowly.
Ground turkey has omega-3 fatty acids and lean protein for dogs. It also has taurine, a vital nutrient that plays a key role in your pet’s health. Ground turkey contains one of the highest naturally occurring taurine levels among all ground meats. Because ground turkey is a lean meat, if your dog is watching their weight, it also makes it a great choice!
Yes, as long as it's plain ground turkey. You can buy 93/7 or even an extra lean, both work. I always recommend buying organic ground turkey as organic matters just as much for your dog as it does for you.
Yes, they can!
Yes, if you prefer you can do this. But, it's so much faster in a skillet. If you are doing a lot of ground turkey turkey (multiple pounds) for meal prep, then I would recommend the slow cooker as a better option. Cook on low for at least 4 hours and check doneness.
Yes, they can. But, it is ideal to rotate proteins with your dog and add in different kinds such as beef, chicken, salmon, lamb and more to ensure they get a variety of nutrients. Just like you don't eat the same meat every single day, dogs need variety just like us. But, it is okay to have a main protein, such as turkey, that your dog does well with and feed it to them often, which is what we do with John John as he loves turkey!
Ground turkey is a protein, so it shouldn't make up more than 40% of your dog's daily diet. If want an easy homemade dog food calculator based on your dog's weight, just check out How Much Homemade Food Should I Feed My Dog?.
No, you can't just feed your dog ground turkey. They need variety in their diet and a mix of vegetables, fruits and carbs along with protein for a balanced diet.
You need to add a mix of healthy veggies, fruits and carbs. If you want to learn more about how to make a balanced dog food meal, check out our course How to Cook Homemade Dog Food (Vet-Approved, Balanced and Simple).
No, I don't recommend feeding your dog ground turkey. Gently cooked food is best for dogs to digest.
While dogs evolved from wolves, who ate a raw diet, the ground turkey at the grocery store is not the same as a kill in the wild. So, this is why you should always cook meat for your dog. Gently cooked food is best for your dog absorb nutrients and easily digest.
If you are doing homemade dog food, then you should season your turkey with a few shakes of salt as dog's need salt. But, dog's don't need any other seasonings.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. You can also freeze this in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. Just thaw for 24 hours in the fridge and it's ready to serve.
Yes, this is human safe turkey too. It just may be a little bland. But, if you want to share with your dog this makes a great addition to salads, egg scrambles, or pasta where there's already lots of flavor happening.
More Dog Food Recipes
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How to Cook Ground Turkey For Dogs
Equipment
- Large Skillet
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (or coconut oil)
- salt
Instructions
- Add the olive oil (or coconut oil) into a large skillet over medium heat.
- Once the skillet is warm, add in the ground turkey.
- Add a few shakes of salt.
- Continue to cook until the meat is light brown (no longer pink) about 10 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and transfer to an airtight container.
- Store in the fridge for up to a week or freeze for up to 3 months.
Video
Notes
- Use a high quality organic turkey. The benefits of organic foods also apply to dogs, so always buy organic for your dog.
- You can use either coconut oil or extra virgin olive oil. I like to switch between the two as it gives John John more variety every couple weeks.
- Use a medium heat so you don't brown the turkey. Gently cooked food is best for dogs and you want to avoid browning and burning.
- You can cook this in the slow cooker if you prefer. This is a great option if you are making a lot more than 1 pound.
- Store cooked ground turkey in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. If you have more than your dog will eat in a week, simply store in a freezer safe container. Just thaw for 24 hours in the fridge and it's ready to use.
- You can share this with your dog if you want! You can also eat this ground turkey in tacos, Baked Lemon Pasta With Feta, Simple Green Salad with Homemade Dressing, or add into your morning Fluffy Scrambled Eggs With Sour Cream.
- This makes about 10 meals for John John, who's 20 pounds, you may need to cook more or less, depending on your dog's size.
Nutrition
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John John loves ground turkey for meals and treats!
Who knew making fresh food for your dog was just like making food for yourself 🤯