Homemade Instant Pot Dog Food

This Homemade Instant Pot Dog Food recipe is easy to make with ground turkey, chicken or ground beef, rice and vegetables in the pressure cooker. You can easily customize this basic homemade dog food recipe to suit your dog’s tastes!

We have been making our own dog food for a long time. My Instant Pot dog food recipe is super easy, and our two fur babies absolutely love it!

We have always used high quality kibble, but one picky eater started turning her nose up at her usual food. So, I started adding cooked chicken breasts to supplement the kibble.

Our other dog developed food allergies, and it was getting harder to find a commercial dog food with minimal ingredients to suit his needs.

With our vet’s approval, I started making homemade food using ground turkey as the base. We also add rice and vegetables.

It’s best to always introduce new food gradually. I started giving the dogs a little bit of the homemade food. Gradually, we increased the amount and reduced the amount of dry food.

Note, that you can use this Instant Pot recipe as a supplement to your dog’s food as is. You will have to add vitamins, calcium and other necessary nutrients to ensure your dog is getting the nutrition he needs in lieu of using commercial dog food.

As always, speak with your veterinarian before changing your dog’s food.

Ingredients

You only need a few simple ingredients for this homemade dog food recipe. You can find them in grocery stores or online:

• Coconut oil — or olive oil
• Ground turkey— or ground meat of your choosing
• White rice— jasmine or long grain, rinsed
• Water
• Frozen carrots
• Frozen green beans
• Canned pumpkin puree— optional

Instead of water, you can use bone broth or chicken broth, as long as it’s homemade and does not include any ingredients that are harmful to dogs, such as garlic or onions.

How to Make Homemade Dog Food in the Instant Pot

First, set your Instant Pot to sauté mode. Add coconut oil and the ground turkey. Break up the turkey as it cooks, using a spatula or wooden spoon.

When the turkey is cooked, turn the pot off. If there are any brown bits at the bottom of the pot, deglaze it with some of the water.

Next, add your rinsed rice, and the remaining water. You can pat the rice down with the spatula to make sure it’s covered by the water.

Then, add the carrots and green beans on top of the rice. Don’t stir everything together.

Cooking Time

Place the cover on the pressure cooker, and set the cook time to 4 minutes on high pressure. After 4 minutes, allow a 10 minute natural pressure release.

Then, do a quick release to release any remaining pressure. Remove the lid, and give the food a good stir.

The veggies should break up easily as you stir the mixture together. I usually stir in some canned pumpkin puree at this point, but this is optional.

As soon as the turkey mixture cools down, you can serve it to your dogs. Note that this Instant Pot dog food recipe makes a ton of food!

You can break the mixture into smaller amounts if you only have one pup to feed. Or, you can easily cut the amount down to suit your own needs!

Folks, this is human grade dog food. It just has no seasoning! But, it’s similar to my Instant Pot Chicken and Rice recipe!

Variations

There are a few simple ways to customize this easy homemade dog food recipe.

Use whatever type of ground meat is best for your pets health goals. I use ground turkey, but ground beef and ground chicken can also work in a dog’s diet.

Or, vary the vegetables you add. Frozen veggies are easiest to work with, but you can use fresh vegetables if you’d like, though the cooking time might be different. Some veggies to choose from are: green beans, carrots, butternut squash, peas, beets, and sweet potatoes.

If adding yams or sweet potatoes to the Instant Pot with the rest of the ingredients, opt for pre-cooked mashed sweet potatoes, to keep cook time consistent.

Pumpkin is a great option to include the first time you feed your dog homemade food, as it helps calm the stomach. I prefer to add refrigerated canned mashed pumpkin on top of the DIY food and dry kibble, as it’s just simpler.

Of course, always make sure that you are not adding any veggies that are harmful for dogs–they can’t eat all human food! As most pet owners know, onions, garlic, and grapes are off the table!

Here is a list from the Humane Society of the United States’ site with a run down of unsafe foods for dogs.

Instead of coconut oil, use olive oil. I also add some fish oil approved for dogs to my pet’s meals, to help with allergies.

I prefer to use white rice when making my own dog food. If you want to use brown rice, know that it will take longer to cook.

You can also make this dog food in the slow cooker, after browning the ground meat.

And again, this Instant Pot dog food is not intended to be a complete meal replacement. You will need to add vitamins and nutrient supplements into your dog’s diet, to ensure that you fur baby is enjoying a healthy, complete diet! It’s always a good idea to speak with your vet before introducing non-traditional dog food into their diets!

How to Store

This recipe makes a lot of food. It lasts our 2 medium-large dogs a whole week. Depending on how many dogs you need to feed, and how large they are, you may need to use more or less ingredients than this recipe calls for.

Store your DIY dog food in an airtight container in the refrigerator, for up to a week. If you want, you can freeze any excess food in a freezer safe container or in smaller baggies or airtight containers intended for individual portions.

I serve homemade dog food by microwaving it for 30 seconds, and then adding it on top of a little traditional dog food.

Disclaimer

I am not a pet health expert. This dog food recipe is one that works for my dogs, and was introduced into their diet with the approval of a veterinarian. Make sure to consult with your veterinarian before starting your dogs on homemade food. This food is also not a complete meal replacement, as it lacks some of the vitamins and nutrients dogs need in a healthy, full diet. Switching your dogs to only eating homemade food will likely require feeding them additional nutrient supplements. Speak with your veterinarian to determine what foods and supplements your dogs need, keeping in mind their build, breed, weight, age, and desired health benefits.

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I hope you–and your four-legged friends–enjoy this super simple recipe for healthy dog food as much as we do in my home!

The best part of making homemade healthy food has definitely been seeing how my dogs’ health has improved. My tubby dog has already shed a few pounds, and her energy level has notably increased!

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