Slow Cooker Beef Dog Food
Treat your dog right with this Slow Cooker Beef Dog Food recipe! This insanely easy recipe makes fresh food quick and easy for you, while giving your pup the best organic food!
If your fur-baby is more than just a pet and you love cooking for your dog as much as I do, be sure to check out some of John John’s other favorite recipes like Chicken Dinner Recipe for Dogs, Turkey Dog Food Recipe or Salmon Dinner Recipe for Dogs.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Recipe Name: Slow Cooker Beef Dog Food
- Ready In: 2 hours 10 minutes
- Makes: 10 servings (depending on your dog's size)
- Main Ingredients: ground beef, sweet potato, carrot
- Flavor Profile: beef and veggies
- Dietary Info: gluten free, eggless, no seed oils
- Difficulty: Easy!
- Why You’ll Love It: homemade dog food that takes 10 minutes to prep!
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Quick and Easy: If you’re new to making homemade dog food, this homemade dog food recipe is a great place to start because it’s so easy! Literally dump ingredients into your cooker, set it, and your dog has homemade dog food in 2 hours! The prep for this is literally less time that it would take to go to the store.
- Better Than Kibble: Any homemade food is going to be better than kibble. Feeding your dog kibble is the equivalent of processed junk food for your dog. Most kibble has added carbs and not enough protein, very similar to human processed junk food!
- Flexible Recipe: This is a super flexible recipe. You can use any kind of ground meat, depending on your needs. Switch it up with ground chicken, turkey, or lamb. You can also switch up the veggies to satisfy your dog’s preferences, but these are John John’s favorites!
- Nutrient Dense: This is a complete meal for your dog, providing protein, healthy carbs, and veggies.
I use organic grassfed ground beef along with sweet potatoes, carrots, and bell peppers for a simple yet nutritious dinner. But, you can use other dog safe vegetables if you prefer. If you’ve been timid to cook for your dog, just know that anything you cook for them is going to be so much better than processed kibble!
So, don’t be shy, this recipe is a great way for dog owners to start their own dog food! And, if you are serious about learning more about homemade dog food for your dog's health, make sure to check out our course How to Cook Homemade Dog Food (Vet-Approved, Balanced and Simple).
Check out more homemade dog food recipes like Homemade Turkey Meatloaf for Dogs, Thanksgiving Dinner for Dogs, or Dog Burger Bowl (Homemade Beef Dog Food). And, you can even meal prep with tutorials like How to Cook Ground Turkey For Dogs, How to Cook Sweet Potatoes for Dogs, and How to Cook a Whole Chicken for Dog Food.
Ingredients
- Ground Beef: I use organic grassfed ground beef.
- Sweet Potato: Organic sweet potato is John John's favorite carb. I love this for carbohydrates for dogs as it's a great daily veggie!
- Bell Peppers: John John's favorite color is red, so we always use red. You can use any color bell peppers you have.
*For a full list of ingredients and measurements, visit the recipe card below.
Easy Substitutions
- Feel free to swap out other dog friendly veggies if your dog likes them more. Other great options include zucchini, Brussels sprouts, butternut squash, beets, or broccoli.
- You can use another kind of protein. Ground turkey, ground chicken, ground pork, or ground lamb would all work for this. Feel free to choose what is best for your dog.
- If you don't want to use sweet potato, you can cook the meat and veggies in the slow cooker and serve this with How to Cook Rice For Dogs for the carb.
- If you don't have a slow cooker or crockpot, feel free to use a Dutch oven or large pot on your stovetop burner. You can simmer it just the same way.
Tips & Important Notes
- You want to cut potatoes and veggies small so they cook, but not too small that they become mush.
- If you have a smaller dog (like John John) I like to cut up the potatoes and veggies mixture a bit more after they cook. This will allow you to get small pieces for a smaller dog without having them just become mush in the slow cooker.
- Feel free to serve this over rice as well.
How to Make Slow Cooker Beef Dog Food
- Peel the sweet potato. Make sure to peel the potato completely as the skin can be toxic for dogs. Chop the potato into 1 to 2-inch cubes.
- Slice the carrots. Chop the bell pepper into 1 to 2 inch pieces.
- Add the ground beef to a slow cooker.
- Add the potatoes and veggies on top. Pour the water over the top.
- Slow cooker on low for 2 hours. Stir half way through to mix up meat and veggies and ensure even cooking.
- Serve to your dog as is. But, if you have a smaller dog (like John John) you may need to chop up a bit more after cooked.
Food Topper Ideas
You can add some of our favorite fresh ingredients onto this meal for even more variety! Always be sure to introduce new foods slowly to your dog and talk to your veterinarian if you have any issues.
- Apples: Leave skins on, cut into small pieces. Don't give your dog the seeds or the core.
- Nutritional Yeast: Sprinkle a teaspoon or so on top of meals.
- Blueberries: Add a few onto food!
- Eggs: Scrambled eggs make a great food topper, John John gets these every morning on this food. You can cook eggs in a little coconut oil or olive oil.
How to Serve & Store
I just warm this up in the microwave for 20 seconds (you’ll need longer for a larger serving). Test it with your hand to ensure it’s not hot! I add organic beef liver for dogs on top along with Better Bones Powder as John John gets both of these additions to all his meals to make them as complete as possible. You could also try How to Cook Turkey Giblets for Dogs as a food topper around the holidays if you are making your dog a special meal!
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze this in freezer safe bag or tupperware. Just thaw in the fridge for 24 hours before serving to your dog.
Slow Cooker Beef Dog Food FAQ’s
Yes! Homemade dog food is always better choice than kibble. Think of kibble as processed food for your dog. This would be the equivalent of you eating cereal or frozen dinners for every meal! So, anytime you can give your dog fresh food is wonderful!
Beef is a great source of protein for dogs. It also has essential nutrients like iron, zinc, and B vitamins.
Always buy organic and grass-fed ground beef. Just like when you choose beef for you, the same certifications that you prioritize also matter for your dog. I recommend sticking to 85/15 or even 90/10 as lean meat is better for dogs. I wouldn't recommend 80/20 as it's pretty high in fat.
They can, but some dogs are more sensitive to fats than others. So, beef may not be the best choice for daily protein if your dog is more sensitive to fat. John John is more sensitive to fat, so we do beef every couple weeks for variety, but not daily.
Absolutely, you can use ground chicken, ground turkey, or ground lamb. All of these would work. So, if one is better for your dog, go with that!
Yes, this is a great healthy carb that dogs can eat daily. John John loves these and we feed him these every day.
This is not totally complete, but it is if you add organ meats like How to Make Beef Liver for Dogs or How to Cook a Whole Chicken for Dog Food and bone powder. I talk about how to balance meals in my course, How to Cook Homemade Dog Food (Vet-Approved, Balanced and Simple).
If you're new to homemade dog food, check out my article How Much Homemade Dog Food Should I Feed My Dog?
Yes, you can definitely do this. Just ensure that the total amount of food is not more than your dog should get in a day to avoid weight gain.
Yes, puppies can eat this too!
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. You can also portion it out and freeze it in meal sized portions for ease too!
Yes, you can freeze portions for easy feeding. Prep, cool, and sore in freezer safe containers for up to 3 months.
More Homemade Dog Food Recipes
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Slow Cooker Beef Dog Food
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
- Cutting Board
- Sharp Knife
Ingredients
- 1 large sweet potato
- 2 large carrots
- 1 large bell pepper
- 1 pound grassfed ground beef
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- Peel the sweet potato. Make sure to peel the potato completely as the skin can be toxic for dogs. Chop the potato into 1 to 2-inch cubes. Set aside.
- Slice the carrots. Chop the bell pepper into 1 to 2 inch pieces. Set aside.
- Add the ground beef to a slow cooker. Add the potatoes and veggies on top. Pour the water over the top.
- Slow cooker on low for 2 hours. Stir half way through to mix up meat and veggies and ensure even cooking.
- Serve to your dog as is. But, if you have a smaller dog (like John John) you may need to chop up a bit more after cooked.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You could also portion this out and freeze as well.
Video
Notes
- Feel free to swap out other dog friendly veggies if your dog likes them more. Other great options include zucchini, Brussels sprouts, butternut squash, beets, broccoli, or green beans.
- You can use another kind of protein. Ground turkey, ground chicken, ground pork, or ground lamb would all work for this. Feel free to choose what is best for your dog.
- If you don't have a slow cooker or crockpot, feel free to use a Dutch oven or large pot on your stovetop burner. You can simmer it just the same way.
- You want to cut potatoes and veggies small so they cook, but not too small that they become mush.
- If you don't want to use sweet potato, you can cook the meat and veggies in the slow cooker and serve this with How to Cook Rice For Dogs for the carb.
- If you have a smaller dog (like John John) I like to cut up the potatoes and veggies mixture a bit more after they cook. This will allow you to get small pieces for a smaller dog without having them just become mush in the slow cooker.
- Feel free to serve this over rice as well.
- Serving Size – This makes about 10 meals for John John, about a week's worth of food. If you have a larger dog you can double or triple this recipe. If you have a smaller dog, you can half it as you shouldn't keep food for more than 5 days in the fridge. Use my chart How Much Homemade Food Should I Feed My Dog? for reference on how much to feed.
- High Altitude — Follow the recipe as noted.
Nutrition
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This recipe is so quick and easy to make and John John loves getting beef as a treat meal!