Thanksgiving Dinner for Dogs
Your dog deserves to indulge this Thanksgiving too! Try this recipe for Thanksgiving Dinner for Dogs and treat your dog to a homemade feast they will love.
If 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 for Dogs, Pumpkin Peanut Butter Dog Cookies, Beef Liver Dinner Recipe for Dogs, or Apple Crisp for Dogs.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Recipe Name: Thanksgiving Dinner for Dogs
- Ready In: 45 minutes
- Makes: 10 servings (depending on the size of your dog)
- Main Ingredients: turkey breast, apple, green beans, sweet potato
- Flavor Profile: turkey, apple, sweet potato
- Dietary Info: eggless, dairy free, gluten free
- Difficulty: Easy!
- Why You’ll Love It: dog friendly Thanksgiving meal
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Easy: This easy recipe for Thanksgiving Dinner for Dogs combines dog friendly ingredients with traditional Thanksgiving foods to give your dog a homemade special dinner.
- Share Ingredients: You can share all of these ingredients with your dog, making it simple to shop for during the holiday!
- Fresh Food: Whether you cook your dog fresh food daily or just on occasion, this Thanksgiving Dinner for dogs is a turkey dog food recipe that is healthy and delicious! If you cook homemade dog food frequently, check out my post How to Cook a Whole Chicken for Dog Food, How to Cook Ground Turkey For Dogs or Turkey Dog Food Recipe for more meal prep ideas.
Ingredients
- Turkey: I use organic turkey breast, as it's small and easy to cook. You can also
- Sweet Potato: This is John John's favorite carb! And it's Thanksgiving inspired! They have vitamin A, C and more! Check out How to Cook Sweet Potatoes for Dogs for more info on this amazing ingredient!
- Pumpkin: If you're making pumpkin pie, you can save a little plain pumpkin puree for your dog! This dog friendly food has fiber, vitamins, and minerals. If you have leftover pumpkin try our Pumpkin Granola for Dogs too!
*For a full list of ingredients and measurements, visit the recipe card below.
Tips From a Dog Chef
- If you have a larger dog that you cook for regularly, think about getting them a whole turkey! Cook it without seasoning and it's a great way to meal prep and save money.
- If you are cooking a whole turkey for yourself, save the giblets and cook them up for your dog! You can boil them or cook in a small skillet with a little bit of coconut oil for about 10 minutes. Just chop up and add on top of meals and your dog will benefit from these organ meats! Check out How to Cook Turkey Giblets for Dogs.
- You can swap out veggies for other dog safe veggies you may also be cooking for yourself. Other options include: carrots, bell peppers, yellow squash, zucchini, peas, broccoli, and beets.
- Your dog can also have Russet potatoes if that's what you're making, just be sure to peel the skins. I don't recommend this as a daily carb, like I do sweet potatoes though.
- Store leftover in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- If you're looking for a dessert for your dog's thanksgiving meal, try our Pumpkin Peanut Butter Dog Cookies or Pumpkin Donuts for Dogs!
How to Make Thanksgiving Dinner for Dogs
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a shallow baking dish, add the turkey breast and brush the top with coconut oil. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes, then uncover and cook for an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until the internal temperature is 165°F.
- Peel the sweet potato, it’s very important to peel it well, as dogs cannot have the skin. Slice into medallions that are about ½-inch thick.
- Add the sweet potatoes to a small pot and fill three-quarters with water. Put over medium/high heat and bring to a boil. Allow the potatoes to boil until they are soft when poked with a fork, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat, and strain the water. Cut potatoes into small cubes, depending on the size of your dog.
- Trim the ends off the green beans. Fill a small pot three-quarters full with water and add the green beans. Bring to a boil and allow green beans to boil until cooked, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and drain the water. Cut the green beans into small cubes, depending on the size of your dog.
- Slice the apple into small cubes, depending on the size of your dog. Slice the turkey into small cubes, depending on the size of your dog.
- Add turkey, sweet potatoes, green beans, and apples to your dogs bowl and serve immediately. If you want to mix in 1 to 2 tablespoons of pumpkin (depending on the size of your dog) you can mix it into this meal!
Recipe FAQ's
This all depends on your dog’s size, current weight, and activity level. Always check with your vet to make sure you are feeding your dog the appropriate amount of food for their size and age.
But a general rule is you should be feeding your dog 2% to 5% of their body weight in fresh food. And small dogs weighing about 20 pounds or less can even get up to 10%! I have an entire article dedicated to How Much Homemade Dog Food Should I Feed My Dog? with a formula you can use for your dog's weight.
Yes, other veggies that are safe for dogs include carrots, bell peppers, yellow squash, zucchini, peas, broccoli, and beets to name a few more that may be on your Thanksgiving menu! Feel free to change it up to accommodate your dogs likes.
Dogs can have both fresh or dried cranberries. But they may not like them as they may be too tart! So, see if your dog likes them before adding into foods. Also, beware of dried cranberries that contain added sugars, as you should avoid those for your dog.
Yes! Dogs can have pumpkin. If you want mix in 1 to 2 tablespoon of pumpkin to this meal, your dog will love that.
To make all John John's meals complete, I always add two additional things — organ meat and bone powder. I also make our recipe, How to Make Beef Liver for Dogs and John John will gets this on top of every meal. But, if it's around Thanksgiving, then I cook up the turkey giblets from our turkey for him! Just be sure organ meat is organic and does not make up more than 10% of the meal.
If you want to learn more about homemade dog food, and how to make this recipe a complete meal, then check out our course How to Cook Homemade Dog Food (Vet-Approved, Balanced and Simple). In this course I take the fear out of homemade dog food, show you how to make simple and easy meals with ingredients you already buy, and how to ensure your dog is getting a balanced diet.
More Homemade Dog Food Recipes
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Thanksgiving Dinner for Dogs
Equipment
- Small Pot
- Baking Dish
Ingredients
- 2 pound turkey breast
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 sweet potato
- 1 cup green beans
- 1 apple
- 1 cup pumpkin puree (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- In a shallow baking dish, add the turkey breast and brush the top with coconut oil. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes, then uncover and cook for an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until the internal temperature is 165°F.
- Peel the sweet potato, it’s very important to peel it well, as dogs cannot have the skin. Slice into medallions that are about ½-inch thick.
- Add to a small pot and fill three-quarters with water. Put over medium/high heat and bring to a boil. Allow the potatoes to boil until they are soft when poked with a fork, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat, and strain the water.
- Cut potatoes into small cubes, depending on the size of your dog.
- Trim the ends off the green beans. Fill a small pot three-quarters full with water and add the green beans. Bring to a boil and allow green beans to boil until cooked, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and drain the water.
- Cut the green beans into small cubes, depending on the size of your dog.
- Slice the apple into small cubes, depending on the size of your dog.
- Slice the turkey into small cubes, depending on the size of your dog.
- Add turkey, sweet potatoes, green beans, and apples to your dogs bowl and serve immediately. If you want to mix in 1 to 2 tablespoons of pumpkin (depending on the size of your dog) you can mix it into this meal!
- Store extra food in the fridge for up to 5 days and reheat for your dogs meals.
Video
Notes
- If you have a larger dog that you cook for regularly, think about getting them a whole turkey! Cook it without seasoning and it's a great way to meal prep and save money.
- If you are cooking a whole turkey for yourself, save the giblets and cook them up for your dog! You can boil them or cook in a small skillet with a little bit of coconut oil for about 10 minutes. Just chop up and add on top of meals and your dog will benefit from these organ meats! Check out How to Cook Turkey Giblets for Dogs.
- You can swap out veggies for other dog safe veggies you may also be cooking for yourself. Other options include: carrots, bell peppers, yellow squash, zucchini, peas, broccoli, and beets.
- Your dog can also have Russet potatoes if that's what you're making, just be sure to peel the skins. I don't recommend this as a daily carb, like I do sweet potatoes though.
- Store leftover in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
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I love making this for John John for Thanksgiving!
We had two “guests” over for thanksgiving this year and this dish was a huge hit! It made enough for my doggie to have leftovers for the next couple of days. We made it with ground turkey and steamed some mixed veggies. We may add this into our normal rotation!
hi Kalen, that’s amazing! So glad all your four legged guests were fed well today. This is a great meal to make year round, John John has this on heavy rotation! Happy Thanksgiving!