Instant Pot Easy Homemade Dog Food Recipe

I made Melly a batch of homemade food for the first time a few years ago and have been making it for her ever since. It’s cheap, easy to make, and she loves it. I love knowing everything going into it, so I know she isn’t eating mystery meat.

Our vet compliments her constantly for her weight, clean teeth, and energy level – she’s almost 15 but acts like she’s still a puppy. (When I first published this post in 2019, she was 11!)

When I started making homemade food for her, I started making homemade treats (blueberry dog treats are her favorite) and smoothie pops for her as well. She loves eating her “human food,” and I am happy to make it for her.

(This post was originally posted in 2019 – I’ve made some updates to it to add some more information, and because it randomly disappeared from Google search – I figured it was time for an update!)

This is a basic homemade dog food recipe using an Instant Pot – I also have stovetop dog food directions.

🥘 Ingredients Needed

This recipe is pretty comparable to what you would get from the grocery store from Fresh Pet (I think Costco sells it in big tubes), except you can control what goes in it, and it’s fun to make it yourself!

The nice thing about making your own DIY dog food is that you can think about your dog’s needs and any food allergies that they might have. Instead of having to read a million labels, you are in control of what goes in the food. If your dog is a picky eater, you can also feed them what you know that they like:

• Meat – I alternate between ground beef, chicken (chicken breast, chicken thighs, or ground chicken – choose organic for ground chicken), turkey or ground turkey, venison, or even fish. We love to share our fish when we have fresh fish that we’ve recently caught. (You can also cook a whole chicken and shred it up if you are feeling really adventurous, but that’s a lot more work. If you cook a whole chicken, be sure that all bones are removed.) 
• Healthy Carbohydrates – There’s a lot of conflicting information about whether or not dogs should eat a grain-free diet. When we fed Melly a completely grain-free diet, it actually made her sick. We found that meeting her complex carbohydrate needs in the form of whole grain – rice, oats, rinsed quinoa, or barley – works really well for her. Do what works best for your dog! (See my notes below about bio-individuality.) We also add sweet potatoes, butternut squash, real corn (off the cob), or purple potatoes to her food. (I changed out the picture of this recipe because I was getting sick of explaining to people that corn IS safe for dogs to eat. It provides the same vitamins and minerals to dogs as it does to people – the confusion comes from people recommending against foods where corn is the main ingredient in the food. Corn should be used to supplement a diet, not be the main ingredient in the food, which is the problem with many commercial dog foods. If a human ate only corn, they would have nutritional deficiencies as well!)
• Frozen or Fresh Vegetables that are chopped into bite-size pieces – Our dog loves green beans, carrots, peas, broccoli, spinach, squash, corn, and potatoes.
• Chicken or Beef Bone Broth – I use homemade bone broth, but you can use any kind of none broth or stock that does not have onions in it. 
• Coconut Oil – Our dog LOVES the taste of coconut, so we use unrefined coconut oil. You can use whatever you have! You can also leave this out and squirt fish oil into the food when serving instead.

🥣 How to Make Instant Pot Dog Food

To make homemade dog food, I use my Instant Pot,  but you can use any pressure cooker. To make homemade dog food on the stove, you can check out my recipe for homemade dog food on the stove. You can also make this with a crockpot or slow cooker, just cook the meat first on the stove – then combine it all and let it cook on low for a few hours to let the flavors come together.

First, set the Instant Pot to “Saute” and cook the ground meat. (Pictures 1 – 3) Pour off any fat, and once cooled, discard it.

Add the drained meat back to the Instant Pot. (Picture 4) Dump in the leftover rice and mix well. (Picture 5) If you are using barley, quinoa, oats, or sweet potatoes instead of rice, skip to the next step. (I mix in the leftover rice early in the process because it is usually in a huge clump that needs to be broken up into smaller pieces. This is difficult to do once the Instant Pot is full.) I use Instant Pot rice that has been previously cooked.

Next, add the bone broth and coconut oil. Stir to combine and let the coconut oil melt. (Picture 6)

Then, add in the vegetables. I try to use around 24 ounces which would be two 12-ounce bags or one and a half 16-ounce bags. Mix well. (Picture 7)

If you are using barley, quinoa, oats, or sweet potatoes instead of rice, add them now and mix to combine everything.

Finally, put the lid on and close the vent so it is set to “Sealing.” Set your Instant Pot to “Pressure Cook” or “Manual” mode at “High Pressure” for 7 minutes. (Picture 8)

Allow all of the pressure to release naturally, which should take around 5 minutes. (This is called a “Natural Release.”) If it takes a little longer, that’s okay. Then carefully open your Instant Pot, pointing the lid away from you so you don’t get steamed. (Picture 9) 

Let the dog food cool completely before serving it or storing it.

You can divide the food into portions depending on your needs –  I usually split it in half and freeze one of the batches, reserving the other in the refrigerator to use right away. 

I use the “scoop when I serve” method, but you can portion yours into individual portions and store it that way if it is easier for you. You can also grind up the food in the food processor before serving to make it easier for smaller dogs or dogs with no teeth to eat. If your dog has trouble chewing, you can mix in a little extra broth when serving to make the food a little easier to slop up.

🧂Variations & Substitutions

🥬 What Vegetables Can You Add?

I usually get the bag of frozen vegetables from the store that is green beans and carrots and use that. Sometimes I get a bag that has corn or peas in it as well. (Corn is completely safe for dogs to eat as long as it is not the only food they are eating.)

I also save some of the broccoli stalks when cutting up a head of broccoli to roast broccoli, and I have been adding that lately as it is a good source of fiber, vitamins C and E, potassium, and folate for dogs. I also add some spinach to get her some iron, potassium, magnesium, vitamin A, and folate.

Once the food is cooked in the Instant Pot, it honestly all kind of just all mushes together and tastes like meat mush, so you can try adding different things and see if they notice. If your dog is a picky eater, add things like broccoli and spinach in small amounts because you know they will know there are vegetables in their food.

🍓 Can You Add Fruit?

Absolutely! Fruit has a lot of nutrients that are great for dogs. Just don’t go overboard with it. We often use what is in season or a little of what we have in the freezer.

We like to use some kind of berries – strawberries or blueberries are best. Apples are also really good for dogs, just be sure to avoid the seeds. Do NOT feed your dog grapes, as they are very bad for dogs.

You can add fruit before or after cooking, just beware that if you cook with blueberries, your dog food will turn purple.

🌾 What Grains Can Go in Homemade Dog Food?

The easiest grains to use are oats, barley, quinoa, and rice. If you use quinoa, it has to be rinsed with cold water before it is cooked or your dog will never trust you again. (If your dog has an allergy to grains, you can substitute diced sweet potatoes.)

🐕 What Else Can You Add?

Because we have been feeding our dog homemade food for a while now (and because she was a street dog before we got her), she tends to do well with eating all kinds of things.

We give our dog wild game, fresh fish, eggs, homemade stock (made without onions), fresh produce, kefir, goats milk kefir, pumpkin, squash, and organ meats – she loves it all. We also add the supplements listed above from Paramount Pet Health because she’s getting older, and we want her to live forever.

We supplement her homemade food with raw shank bones (frozen with marrow still in them) and raw pig’s feet. She loves to gobble them up, even though they are totally gross.

We also add canned sardines in water to her food or to top off a lick mat if she’s getting some kefir as an afternoon treat. (I’ve included some more about that at the bottom of the post.) Sardines are a nutrition powerhouse for dogs and are a great addition to a dog’s diet. Quoting greatpetcare.com, “Sardines are a great protein source for dogs and a good source of omega-3 fatty acids—such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Sardines are also rich in Vitamin B12, Vitamin D, calcium, and the antioxidant selenium.” Just be forewarned; sardines are awfully stinky.

🍲 Serving Size

The most important thing when feeding homemade food to your dog is to be sure to discuss serving sizes and ingredients with your vet before switching your dog to a new diet.

Here’s our personal experience – I give Melly 1 heaping cup of the food two times a day (with a small scoop of homemade yogurt or kefir on top), and she weighs somewhere between 40 and 45 pounds. She also gets some Paramount Pets Supplements (Fish Oil, Hip & Joint Supplement, and Multivitamin) now that she is older. She absolutely loves it!

If she has had an extremely active day, running around like the border collie she is and chasing squirrels up trees or patrolling the fence, I will give her a little extra at dinner time. Our vet likes that we rotate different meats, veggies, and fruits – it gives her a variety of nutrients like a dog would find if they were foraging for food in the wild.

⌛How to Transition Your Dog to Homemade Food

If your dog has spent their entire life eating kibble, make this transition slowly, as they could end up with diarrhea. For dogs that eat a lot of table scraps, you could get away with replacing about ¼ of their food with this food for 3 – 4 days, then switch to half and half for 3 – 4 days, then ¾ new food + ¼ old food for 3 – 4 days, then 100% new food! 

If your dog is really sensitive, I would do a week to two weeks at each stage. Melly has no problem with these transitions because I constantly add weird new things to her homemade food, but if your dog has eaten the same kibble their entire life, you should go slowly.

🐶 Homemade Dog Food Serving Suggestions

I serve Melly’s food both hot and cold, but she’s not picky. I often top it with ¼  cup of plain yogurt or a few tablespoons of plain kefir (with no sweeteners added) when serving. Yogurt is not necessary but provides probiotics and helps with healthy digestion. I like to make plain Greek yogurt in my Instant Pot as well.

🙋‍♀️ Frequently Asked Questions