Crockpot Dog Food is an easy homemade dog food recipe made with chuck roast, sweet potatoes, carrots, green beans, peas, and an optional apple. Everything slow cooks together until the beef is tender and the vegetables are soft for an easy meal you can portion for your dog.
I like using the slow cooker for homemade dog food because I can add everything to the Crockpot and let it cook while I do other things. Once it’s finished, I can shred the tender beef, mash the vegetables to the texture I want, and portion the food for later.
Why I Love Crockpot Dog Food
About the Ingredients ⭐
- Chuck Roast: Cut the beef into similar bite-sized pieces so it cooks evenly and becomes tender in the slow cooker.
- Sweet Potatoes: Peel and dice them into small pieces so they soften completely while cooking.
- Carrots: Chop the carrots into small, even pieces.
- Green Beans & Peas: Add vegetables that are easy to mix throughout the finished dog food.
- Apple: Optional. Remove the core and all seeds before peeling and dicing the apple.
- Water or Bone Broth: Water works perfectly. If using bone broth, choose a plain, dog-safe broth without onion, garlic, or added seasonings that aren’t appropriate for dogs.
Be sure to check out the full recipe and ingredient list below
How to Make Crockpot Dog Food
- Prepare the chuck roast by trimming off any excess fat. Cut it into small, bite-sized pieces to make it easier for your dog to eat.
- Peel and dice the sweet potatoes. Chop the carrots into small pieces, and do the same with the green beans. If using an apple, make sure it’s cored, peeled, and diced as well. (make sure all apple seeds are removed, see notes)
- Add the chuck roast pieces to the slow cooker first. Then, layer in the sweet potatoes, carrots, green beans, and peas on top. If using the apple, add it last.
- Pour the water over the ingredients in the slow cooker. Make sure everything is submerged, but the amount of liquid should not exceed the pot’s fill line to avoid spilling as it cooks.
- Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or until the meat is tender and the vegetables are soft. You can also cook on high for 4-5 hours if you’re short on time.
- Once cooked, use a fork or spoon to mash the vegetables slightly, creating a thick stew-like consistency, or remove most of the cooking liquid just leavin the meat and vegetables. You can leave the meat in chunks or shred it, depending on your dog’s preference and size.
- Allow the mixture to cool completely before serving it to your dog.
- Portion out the cooled food into your dog’s regular serving sizes.
Tips I Found Helpful. 💙⭐
- Cut everything evenly: Keep the beef and vegetables similar in size so they cook evenly.
- Use plain ingredients: Don’t add salt, garlic, onion, or other seasonings you would normally use when cooking beef for people.
- Check your broth: If using bone broth instead of water, make sure it’s plain and does not contain onion, garlic, or seasonings that aren’t appropriate for dogs.
- Remove the apple seeds: If adding the optional apple, remove the entire core and all seeds before dicing it.
- Cook until very tender: The beef should shred easily and the vegetables should be soft when the Crockpot Dog Food is finished.
- Cool before portioning: Let everything cool completely before dividing it into containers for the refrigerator or freezer.
- Portion for your individual dog: The appropriate amount varies depending on your dog’s size, age, activity level, and overall diet, so I wouldn’t give a universal serving recommendation in the post. 🐶💙
Frequently Asked Questions
Crockpot Dog Food
Crockpot Dog Food is an easy homemade recipe made with tender chuck roast, sweet potatoes, carrots, green beans, peas, and an optional apple. Everything slow cooks together for an easy batch you can portion for your dog.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chuck roast, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
- 2 medium carrots, chopped
- 1 cup green beans, chopped
- 1/2 cup peas
- 1 apple, cored, peeled, and diced (optional)
- 3 1/2 cups water or bone broth
Instructions
- Prepare the chuck roast by trimming off any excess fat. Cut it into small, bite-sized pieces to make it easier for your dog to eat.
- Peel and dice the sweet potatoes. Chop the carrots into small pieces, and do the same with the green beans. If using an apple, make sure it's cored, peeled, and diced as well. (make sure all apple seeds are removed, see notes)
- Add the chuck roast pieces to the slow cooker first. Then, layer in the sweet potatoes, carrots, green beans, and peas on top. If using the apple, add it last.
- Pour the water over the ingredients in the slow cooker. Make sure everything is submerged, but the amount of liquid should not exceed the pot's fill line to avoid spilling as it cooks.
- Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or until the meat is tender and the vegetables are soft. You can also cook on high for 4-5 hours if you’re short on time.
- Once cooked, use a fork or spoon to mash the vegetables slightly, creating a thick stew-like consistency, or remove most of the cooking liquid just leaving the meat and vegetables. You can leave the meat in chunks or shred it, depending on your dog's preference and size.
- Allow the mixture to cool completely before serving it to your dog.
- Portion out the cooled food into your dog’s regular serving sizes. Store any leftovers as needed (see notes).
Notes
Use plain, unseasoned ingredients with no added onion or garlic. If using bone broth, choose a dog-safe, unseasoned variety. Remove the apple core and all seeds before adding the apple. Cook until the beef and vegetables are very tender, then cool completely before portioning.
If you plan to use homemade food as your dog’s primary diet, talk with your veterinarian or a board-certified veterinary nutritionist to make sure your dog’s individual nutritional needs are being met.
