Homemade Dog Food Recipes for Large Dogs (Chicken-Free Slow Cooker Recipe)
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I am not a veterinarian. Everything here reflects what I personally do based on my own research and my dog’s specific needs. Always consult your veterinarian before changing your dog’s diet.
These homemade dog food recipes for large dogs are built for big, active dogs who can’t handle chicken or the fillers packed into a lot of store-bought food, using simple grocery-store ingredients you slow-cook together in an electric roaster. One batch makes close to 56 cups, enough to feed a 100+ pound dog for about two weeks, costs around the same as a bag of kibble, and takes about 20 minutes of hands-on prep once your ingredients are chopped and frozen ahead.
Ginger’s Thoughts
Eli is my 105-pound Belgian Malinois/Dutch Shepherd mix, way past the 65 to 75 pound max either breed is supposed to hit, but he’s pure muscle, not fat. He’s never been food motivated and spent years throwing up anything that didn’t agree with him, even on the best sensitive-stomach kibble I could find.
Since I started making his food myself, he’s never thrown up once, and if you’ve ever cleaned up after a 105-pound dog getting sick, you know exactly why that matters to me. This batch gives him about two weeks of food at 4 cups a day, takes around 20 minutes of hands-on time once everything’s prepped and frozen ahead, and 8 hours low and slow in the roaster.
Table of Contents
Ingredients
For the batch:
- 8.5 to 9 lbs ground meat (turkey, beef, or venison; never chicken)
- 70 oz fresh sweet potatoes, weighed after peeling
- 1 head cabbage, shredded (fresh or shredded and frozen ahead)
- 12 oz carrots
- 12 oz cauliflower
- 20 oz frozen butternut squash
- 20 oz frozen peas
- 3 cups water
- 2 cups dry red lentils, cooked in plain water 20 to 25 minutes and drained
- 3 to 4 cups frozen cooked rice, in 1-cup blocks (4 cups preferred)
- 6 cans green beans
- 2 cans pumpkin puree
- 1 can beans, kidney, black, or chickpeas, rinsed (rotates each batch)
- 2 cups oats
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- 2 cans sardines, packed in water, not oil
- 7 eggs
- 12 oz frozen chopped spinach
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tsp eggshell powder
Daily routine, separate from the batch itself:
- Morning: fish oil topper on his food
- Evening: 2 tbsp pumpkin plus 2 multivitamin soft chews
- Daily treat: 1 boiled egg, quartered and hand-fed, not mixed into his food
Equipment You Will Need
- NESCO 18-Quart Electric Roaster Oven – this is where the whole batch cooks, used as a slow cooker at 275 degrees
- SMARTAKE Electric Roaster Liners – makes cleanup instant, no scrubbing an 18-quart roaster
- SUSTEAS Rotary Cheese Grater – my holy grail tool, shreds the sweet potatoes and cabbage fast and evenly
- OXO Good Grips 11-Pound Digital Kitchen Food Scale – weighing the sweet potatoes is the step you do not want to skip
- Freshware 16 oz Deli Containers with Lids – what I portion the finished food into, 2 cups per container (also sold at Sam’s Club if you would rather buy local)
- Vacuum sealer or freezer bags – optional, I vacuum seal ingredients I am prepping weeks ahead, a regular ziplock bag works fine for shorter storage
- UltraCruz Pure Pollock Oil – his morning fish oil topper
- Pets Friend Eggshellent Calcium Powder – stirred in at the end for calcium
- VetriScience 27+ Active Health Multivitamin – his evening supplement chews
How to Make Homemade Dog Food Recipes for Large Dogs
Step 1: Prep and Freeze Your Ingredients Ahead
Every couple of months I set aside time to chop and freeze everything at once, so batch day only takes about 20 minutes. Peel your sweet potatoes and soak them while you work.
Shred the sweet potatoes with a rotary grater, then weigh the shredded amount to 70 oz. Do not count sweet potatoes by number, weigh them, it is the one step that changes how many days a batch lasts.
Portion the shredded sweet potatoes into freezer bags. Do the same with a head of cabbage, shredded and labeled, so it is ready to go straight into the roaster on batch day.
Keep frozen carrots, cauliflower, and butternut squash on hand, along with frozen peas, spinach, and rice.
Step 2: Cook Your Lentils Ahead
Cook 2 cups dry red lentils in plain water for 20 to 25 minutes, then drain and set aside. I cook my rice ahead of time too and freeze it in 1-cup blocks so it is ready to go on batch day, you will need 3 to 4 cups, I prefer 4.
Step 3: Load the Roaster
Line your roaster with a liner for instant cleanup. Add your ground meat, weighed sweet potatoes, shredded cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, butternut squash, peas, and 3 cups of water.
Step 4: Add Your Canned and Dry Goods
Rinse your canned green beans and your can of kidney, black, or chickpea beans well, then add them to the roaster along with the pumpkin puree, oats, turmeric, and sardines.
Step 5: Add the Cooked Lentils
Stir the cooked, drained lentils into the roaster with everything else.
Step 6: Cook Low and Slow
Set your roaster to 275 degrees and let everything cook for about 8 hours, essentially using it as a slow cooker.
Step 7: Add the Eggs and Spinach in the Last Hour
About an hour before it is done, crack in your eggs and stir in the frozen chopped spinach.
Step 8: Cool and Finish
Let the entire mixture cool to under 100 degrees, then stir in the olive oil and eggshell powder until they are evenly distributed throughout the batch.
Step 9: Portion and Freeze
Once cooled, portion the food into 2-cup containers, snap on the lids, and freeze.
Tips for Perfect Homemade Dog Food Every Time
Prep once, cook twice a month. Chop and freeze your sweet potatoes, cabbage, and rice every couple of months so batch day only takes about 20 minutes of hands-on time.
Protein is flexible. Turkey, beef, or venison all work, just never chicken if your dog has a poultry allergy like Eli. I buy ground turkey in bulk from Sam’s Club, which keeps the cost close to what a bag of kibble runs (if your fur-baby is not allergic to chicken, chicken is cheaper).
Rotate your beans. Kidney, black, and chickpeas all work in the mid-cook step, rotating keeps some variety in the batch.
Weigh the sweet potatoes, do not eyeball them. Using whole sweet potatoes by count instead of weighing to 70 oz is the single most common way a batch comes up short on days (for easy storing, I weigh 35 oz per bag and use two of those bags in the batch).
Let the batch cool before adding the olive oil and eggshell powder. Stirring them in while everything is still hot makes them harder to distribute evenly
Use sardines packed in water, not oil. Oil-packed sardines carry a lot more added fat and salt than a sensitive stomach needs.
Beyond the batch itself, Eli gets a fish oil topper in the morning and a pumpkin topper with a multivitamin chew in the evening. Neither is mixed into the food itself.
FAQ’s for Homemade Dog Food Recipes for Large Dogs (Chicken-Free Slow Cooker Recipe)
Why isn’t there any chicken in this recipe, and can I use chicken instead?
Eli is allergic to chicken. As a puppy he had redness in sensitive areas like his groin, and our vet traced it back to chicken. Keeping him strictly off it clears it up every time. If your dog does not have a poultry allergy, you can absolutely substitute chicken for the turkey, beef, or venison in this recipe, it is a more budget-friendly option and there is nothing else in the ingredient list that requires the swap.
How much does this cost to make?
These homemade dog food recipes for large dogs cost about $70 a batch using bulk prices from Sam’s Club and Walmart, which breaks down to about $1.25 a cup or roughly $5 a day to feed a 105-pound dog. That is close to what a bag of quality kibble costs and well below human-grade dog food.
How long does one batch last, and how much should I feed my dog?
One batch makes about 56 cups. Eli gets two 2-cup portions a day, 4 cups total, which stretches a batch to about two weeks. Your dog’s portion size depends on their weight and activity level, always check with your vet on the right amount for your dog.
Can I use dry, uncooked rice instead of pre-cooked frozen rice?
Yes, but you will need more water and a longer cook time. My rice is already cooked and frozen into 1-cup blocks before it goes in, and the cauliflower releases water as it cooks too, so 3 cups of water is plenty for me. If you are starting with raw rice, plan on adding more water so it has enough liquid to fully cook through during the 8 hours.
Do I have to use an electric roaster, or can I use a slow cooker or stovetop pot instead?
An electric roaster just gives you enough capacity for a batch this size. A large slow cooker can work if it is big enough to hold everything, you may need to adjust the cook time. A stockpot on the stove works too, but it needs more attention since it is not hands-off the way a roaster or slow cooker is.
What does the eggshell powder do, and can I leave it out?
Eggshell powder adds calcium, which homemade dog food needs since it is missing the bone content that would naturally provide it in a raw diet. I would not leave it out without replacing it with another calcium source your vet approves, calcium balance matters for a large dog’s joints and bones.
Do I have to use kidney beans, or can I rotate with something else?
Rotate freely between kidney beans, black beans, and chickpeas. I switch it up batch to batch just for variety, any one of the three works fine on its own if you would rather stick with just one.
How do I know this recipe is nutritionally balanced for my dog?
I built this recipe over years of adjustments with input from my veterinarian and my daughter-in-law, who is a vet tech, watching Eli’s bowel movements, weight, and energy the whole way. I am not a veterinarian myself, and every dog’s needs are different depending on size, age, and health history. Always consult your vet before changing your dog’s diet or feeding amounts.
What about organ meats in my dog’s food?
Yes! Organ meat is highly recommended for your homemade dog food. Organ meats like beef liver have the essential nutrients like copper and vitamins that your dog needs. Eli’s vet has recommended I not put that in his diet yet due to some complications with his liver last year. Ask your veterinarian for their recommendation on which organ meats could work for your dog.
How to Store
Room Temperature
This is a fresh, meat-based food, not something to leave out. Once it has cooled and been portioned, get it into the refrigerator or freezer within 2 hours.
Refrigerator
A thawed or freshly made portion keeps in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days in an airtight container. I only keep a portion or two in the fridge at a time and pull the rest from the freezer as needed.
Freezer
This recipe freezes beautifully in the 2-cup portions. I get a full 2 weeks of food out of one batch, and I have not had an issue keeping portions frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw a portion in the refrigerator overnight before feeding.
Homemade Dog Food Recipes for Large Dogs (Chicken-Free Slow Cooker Recipe)
Ingredients
Method
- Cook the lentils in plain water 20 to 25 minutes, drain, and set aside.
- Line the roaster with a liner. Add the ground meat, weighed sweet potatoes, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, butternut squash, peas, and water.
- Rinse and add the green beans and kidney/black/chickpea beans, along with the pumpkin, oats, and turmeric. Add the sardines.
- Stir in the cooked lentils.
- Set the roaster to 275 degrees F and cook for 8 hours.
- About 1 hour before done, crack in the eggs and stir in the frozen spinach.
- Let the mixture cool to under 100 degrees F, then stir in the olive oil and eggshell powder until evenly combined.
- Portion into 2-cup containers, seal, and freeze.
Notes
Closing
Eli will be 8 years old this December, and other than a little white showing up on his face, you would never guess it watching him move. Of all the homemade dog food recipes for large dogs I tried before landing here, this is the one that stuck, it’s the reason I do not dread cleaning up after him anymore, and the reason I feel good about what is actually going into his bowl every day. If fleas are also a battle at your house the way they are at mine, my post on natural flea treatment for pets covers everything I use on Eli that does not involve chemicals he cannot tolerate.
