A lot of folks asked me to make an Instant Pot dog food recipe for their pooches. At first I thought it was a crazy idea…
…and then I got a dog and suddenly it seemed like a brilliant one.
Not only does my Banjo (a Norwich Terrier) LOVE this dog food, it is healthy and loaded with great nutrients! The best part is how bow-wow simple it is to make 🐶
IMPORTANT!: I am NOT a veterinarian or canine nutritionist. That said, while you can alter the veggies added (some like spinach and beans), here are some things you should NEVER feed dogs: onions, garlic, mushrooms, raisins, grapes and chocolate. This recipe is also meant as a supplement to kibble or as a snack/treat. Also, every dog reacts to food differently due to various reasons. If your dog’s poop color changes after feeding, it may be because of the dietary change and the colors in the food such as carrots. In general, it is usually suggested to slowly incorporate new foods with current foods for a smoother transition. You know your dog best, so as with any dietary change, be sure to monitor their behavior. Feed them at your own discretion with common sense employed and always take them to a licensed veterinarian should there be a shift in behavior in terms of what they eat.
Instant Pot Dog Food
Not only does my Banjo (a Norwich Terrier) LOVE this dog food, it is completely healthy and loaded with great nutrients! The best part is how bow wow simple it is to make 🐶
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound ground chicken, turkey or beef (the more lean the better)
- 1 cup brown rice, rinsed for about 90 seconds
- 1 cup water
- 3 cups of a frozen vegetable medley. I used cauliflower florets, broccoli florets, carrots and peas (just make sure the pieces are small enough so your dog won't have any trouble chewing).
Instructions
- Add the oil to the Instant Pot, hit Sauté and adjust do it's on the More or High setting. After 3 minutes of heating, add the ground meat. Sauté for 3-5 minutes until crumbled and just light browned.
- Add the rinsed brown rice and water and stir until combined. Secure the lid, hit Keep Warm/Cancel and then hit Manual or Pressure Cook for 20 minutes at high pressure. Quick release when done.
- Stir in the veggies until well combined and let the heat of the pot thaw them for about 2 minutes. In turn, this will also cool the pot's contents which is great because we generally serve dog food chilled or at room temperature.
- Serve to your dog who will love you extra hard after eating this! (see Jeff's Tips for serving size and leftovers)
Jeffrey's Tips
This is optional, but as the chicken and rice are cooking in Step 2, feel free to take the veggies out of the freezer to give them a slight thawing head start.
You can place any leftovers in an air-tight container and either pop in the fridge for the rest of the week (about 5-7 days) OR in the freezer!
Obviously serving size will greatly vary based on the dog's size and diet. Banjo is a Norwich Terrier and considered "small" at around 15 pounds and I feed him about 1/3 - 1/2 cup twice a day (solid kibble in the morning and this in the evening). So you can double, triple or quadruple this recipe if you have, say, a Great Dane or 10 Norwich Terriers 😉
IMPORTANT!: I am NOT a veterinarian or canine nutritionist. That said, while you can alter the veggies added (some like spinach and beans), here are some things you should NEVER feed dogs: onions, garlic, mushrooms, raisins, grapes and chocolate. This recipe is also meant as a supplement to kibble or as a snack/treat. Also, every dog reacts to food differently due to various reasons. If your dog's poop color changes after feeding, it may be because of the dietary change and the colors in the food such as carrots. It is usually suggested to slowly incorporate new foods with current foods for a smoother transition. You know your dog best, so as with any dietary change, be sure to monitor their behavior. Feed them at your own discretion with common sense employed and always take them to a licensed veterinarian should there be a shift in behavior in terms of what they eat.
Mina
I’ve been making my dog food for years. Cook ppbunch of chicken thighs in the instant pot, make some rice in my other pot, let it cool and put in the food processor. Make one or two dozen hard-boiled eggs, depending on how much chicken I had, and mix it all together with canned string beans and pumpkin. Then I put it in Tupperware in the freezer
Mary
I often make my dogs food too. Instead of water I use LOW SALT beef or chicken broth for extra flavor. I also add pumpkin and green beans. Also add carrots and peas. Check with your vet. Homemade food doesn’t always have all of the vitamins and minerals that dogs need.
Janice Binford
Jeffrey,
I have 3 shih tzus.. one will eat anything, the other two are so picky. Meals are always a pain..
Your recipe looked so good and easy, that I just had to give it a try.. Can I just say SUCCESS!!
I and my 3 furbies.. Hailey Claire, Brodacious and Tazman thank you sooooo much!
~~Janice Binford
msSally
This looks like a great idea. I just got a Teddy Bear dog yesterday and will have to try this for him.
Cathy
This looks so easy and delicious that I am going to make this for myself, maybe with chicken tenders instead of ground chicken.
Sandy
I’m so happy for you. I too want a Teddy Bear pupppy. Can you share with me where you got yours. Thanks so much! Merry Christmas!
Leslie R Berro
In the pot as I write. Afraid my 90# GSDs are going to expect it with every meal! 😆
Marilyn
Jeffery
Thank you.. I quickly made a small portion of this recipe.. Gave it to my Chihuahua Gizmo… He loves it.. I will be making this recipe for him as a part of his diet routine.. Thank you for posting a recipe that many fur babies will enjoy..
Sarah Aikman
I have two Pomeranians and a Papi-huahua (Papillon-chihuahua mix). One of my poms is 13 and a character. He normally will stand about until the other two finish so he can torment them by eating his food last. I am making my second batch of this recipe today. I mix it with their kibble. All three dive into their bowls when it is meal time now. No one waits around.
Steve
So we are making a big deal about feeding a DOG better food than tens of thousands of people in the US have available. Boy do we have an arrogant attitude.
Teri Silvey
Why are you so hateful? One does not exclude the other. Go someplace else with your nasty attitude.
Tracy
What an ugly thing to say. It must feel awful to have such a nasty heart. I really hope that you seek the help that you obviously so desperately need and that you’re able to find and express joy in your life.
Kristy
You can FEED yourself anything you like, and I will feed my dog, who has a kinder heart than you, premium everything, as is my right.
,
LR 24
Steve, WE don’t have an arrogant attitude. Dogs must eat if we adopt them into our homes. What is the problem with giving them either a treat or another type of food? Even poor people have pets and this is not an expensive option. Perhaps putting your negative energy to use helping those unfortunate souls would translate to action that would keep you busy.
Lexi
Steve, Steve, Steve. I’m not sure why you bothered to read a dog food recipe if you have no intention of making it. We all feel sorry if you actually own a dog. Get some therapy to work on your anger. You deserve joy in your life, not bitterness. And Jeffrey? We all love you!!
Janet
Steve, I don’t know why you bothered reviewing a dog food recipe if you feel that way. These aren’t expensive ingredients, and about 60% of dogs will develop cancer in their lifetime so if one can decrease that chance by 40% just by adding wholesome cooked human food to kibble, then it’s worth it, and I’ve had 2 dogs pass away from cancer.
Km2015
That’s mean! Stop being so spiteful
Gloria
Oh my – I am taking care of MY dog. MY family MY way. I donate and also help homeless people all the time. It doesn’t mean I am not going to feed MY dogs less well. I do my part for others AND my dogs.
It is called an AND as well as MY choice of what I can AFFORD to feed my own dogs.
It is not my responsibility to feed tens of thousands of people.
Cathy
We could love animals and keep them healthy and also help people.
Flo
Flo
I have a poodle and he is 4. Not eating his dry food so much. Cooking it now and yes it does smell good.
SonjaSG
My dog loves this! I also found a bone broth topper on Chewy and used that instead of water.
If we want to double this recipe, would we increase cooking time?
Karol J OSteen
I’m anxious to try this for my 3 pups. They love broccoli and green beans as treats. My vet told me not to feed them carrots too often because of the sugar in them but, they do love them 🙂
Iris
Have been making dogfood since before instapot. You know what you’re getting. After cooking add pure pumpkin puree settled the stomach and keeps them regular. Some dogs have trouble with broccoli and cauliflower. Little gasy. The pumpkin helps that.
rose
Thank you for that tip Iris. I used to make it for my dog Raina and also added eggshells with that one along with the pumpkin and wheat germ. I lost the recipe and can’t find it. I may try this one.
Susan Fishman
I’ve been making my pups food for long while, same recipe. However, often add chicken breasts and use ground turkey. often use my emulsifier to make it less chunky then I take a portion of that and spoon it out on parchment paper and dehydrate it and use it as treats. The DH treats also comes in handy when I realize that I had no more frozen food left so I just rehydrated what I had previously dehydrated
Debbie
I was waiting to see if someone emulsified this as my dogs would have eaten around all the veggies. I’ve tried making my own before but they just turned theirs noses up at it.
Victoria Luthro
We had to come up with a recipe for our Bichon 16 years ago because of his food allergies. He couldn’t have beef, dairy, corn or even rice! At that time there were no ready to eat dog food choices available with those restrictions. After researching I found dogs should get a ratio of 1/3 meat, 1/3 veggies and 1/3 grain. So we cook a whole chicken (now in IP instead of oven!) and after deboning throw the bones back into the IP with water to make broth. No seasonings added. Then reduce broth to equal amount of meat. Example: 6 cups chicken, 6 cups veggies (cooked), 6 cups oatmeal, 6 cups broth. We use a mix of veggies: sweet potatoes, carrots, green beans, soy beans. Sometimes add hard boiled eggs, bacon or fish to the chicken portion. Freeze up in small containers for two day portions. He also got a daily fish oil supplement. He just passed away at 16.5 years old. He lived a long and healthy life. We sure miss him.
Cathy L.
You should add nuts, specifically almonds and Macadamia nuts to your “never feed” list.
Margaret Higgs
Thank goodness I found the dog food recipe! My dog just loves it. He is a picky eater , now he loves it with a small amount of his vet dog food on it. He’s had stomach problems as long as we have had him. Now it a joy to feed him. Thanks so much.
Tracey
I cooked this for our boy last week. We tried to give him his old dog food yesterday. He refused to eat the shop bought.
Dana
Far too many carbs in this recipe. Where is the organ meat? Omega 3? Fat? Calcium? Probably needs a whole food vitamin mineral supplement. Fresh is better than kibble almost always. But this will fall short of nutrient long term:
Kat
Noted as Important (under the recipe): “This recipe is also meant as a supplement to kibble or as a snack/treat”.
Kristin Mineah
My dog loves broccoli but I read somewhere that you should go easy on it, especially the florets. Since my husband won’t eat the stems (I know, right? An 81 year old five year old…), When I steam a head of broccoli, we get the florets and my dog gets the stems….works for everyone!
James
Thanks for the recipe, man! Making it now and see how the pup likes it. And sorry you have to deal with all the unappreciative and “know it all’s” on this thread. lol
C
Just made this for my 12.5 yo poodles. Smell delicious- they may have to share with me. I used chicken bone broth powder to add some nutrients. They really like it. Thanks!
Cat M.
love this recipe idea but since I have a 200lb English Mastiff I would need to increase the measurements or make it daily if that was his only food! lol
Seriously I’ll try this out to add to his regular food.
Jacki
How would I cook raw carrots with this? I have some baby carrots I want to use up.
Linda
Can this recipe be doubled?
Thanks!