This homemade dog food recipe is gluten-free, grain-free, and protein-rich. Our dogs always looking forward to their next meal. Scroll down to check how to make dog food in Instant Pot with detailed step-by-step photos and tips.
Key Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
Frozen vegetables and meat. I am getting vegetables and meat in bulk at Costco or Aldi.
Buckwheat groats. Buckwheat is a gluten-free seed; it’s not wheat and not a grain. Therefore, buckwheat has more nutrients and is easily digestible. I like to use it since it’s also allergy-friendly and personally like eating it as breakfast kasha or as a side dish.
Step-by-step Instructions
Step 1. Place boneless chicken thighs in the instant pot. Add a cup of water. Cover, set your Instant Pot to “pressure cook” for 20 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally.
Step 2. At the same time, measure and rinse the buckwheat groats.
Step 3. Place in the large pot, add the double amount of water, bring to boil on high heat. Once boiling skim the foam once, reduce the heat to the lowest setting, cover the pot so the groats will finish cooking and all the water evaporates.
Step 4. Once the chicken is cooked, safely release the pressure. Open the instant pot and using two large forks, shred the chicken into smaller pieces.
Step 5. Add all the vegetables to the pot while the chicken is still hot, mix well, and let it stand open while cooling. Once buckwheat groats are cooked, combine with the chicken and veggies mixture. Add oil, mix well. Store in the fridge or freeze in the portioned zip locks.
Recipe Tips
As always, before changing your dog’s diet, consult your pet’s veterinarian.
When making food for our dogs, I occasionally change it up, making it with different proteins or veggies. They love this and always excitedly waiting for their next meal.
This recipe makes a large amount of food, enough to feed for 5 days, two dogs, the combined weight of 100 pounds. Reduce the amounts to make it work for your needs.
The recipe takes less than an hour to make; the cooling time is extra.
I used the largest pressure cooker, a 10-quart size.
It saves time to buy meat on the same day as making this recipe. I usually do it on the regular weekend grocery shopping day. Making it on a day off (aka weekend) helps to leave enough time to cool.
Buying the biggest pot for mixing and cooling helps. If you are making enough amount to last the whole week, get the largest stockpot you can find, it will help mix everything evenly.
Use pre-sliced veggies. It will reduce the prep time.
Tips on Storing
Store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
If you need to freeze, measure the portions and store them in the ziplock bags. When you need to use it, place the ziplock night before in the fridge, and before serving, add a little bit of warm water.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What grains are best to use in this recipe?
I like to use buckwheat since it’s a grain-like seed that is more allergy-friendly and gluten-free.
Place boneless chicken thighs in the instant pot. Add a cup of water. Cover, set your Instant Pot to “pressure cook” for 20 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally.
At the same time, measure and rinse the buckwheat groats.
Place in the large pot, add the double amount of water, and bring to boil on high heat. Once boiling skim the foam once, reduce the heat to the lowest setting, cover the pot so the groats will finish cooking and all the water evaporates.
Once the chicken is cooked, safely release the pressure. Open the instant pot and using two large forks, shred the chicken into smaller pieces.
Add all the vegetables to the pot while the chicken is still hot, mix well, and let it stand open while cooling. Once buckwheat groats are cooked, combine with the chicken and veggies mixture. Add oil, mix well. Store in the fridge or freeze in the portioned zip locks.
Notes
This recipe makes a large amount of food; reduce the amounts to make it work for your needs.The recipe takes less than an hour to make; the cooling time is extra.I used the largest pressure cooker, a 10-quart size.Store in the fridge for up to 5 days.If you need to freeze, measure the portions and store them in the ziplock bags. When you need to use it, place the ziplock night before in the fridge, and before serving, add a little bit of warm water.
Natalia is a recipe developer, food photographer, and home cook. She started Flavorful Home to document her recipes and share home cooking tips. She loves creating flavorful and nutritious meals while keeping the cooking process simple and joyful!
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2 Comments to
Instant Pot Dog Food
Sarah Louisell
Thank you so very much for this recipe. I’ve been searching for a simple dog food recipe for a long time and this one is perfect! I will be trying (and possibly tweeking) this one pot stop this weekend. Hopefully my little girl will love it just as much as I love to make it for her. She’s allergic to chicken so I will most likely change it to turkey and probably add some salmon oil and a couple other things, but this recipe is a perfect base to start with. Again I thank you very much for this wonderful find! My baby girl “Unique” says thank you as well. ☺️🧑🍳🐾
Hi there, I’m Natalia. I’m so glad you stopped by! Here you’ll find the most useful cooking tips and answers to food questions. I focus on creating simple recipes and making sure they are extra flavorful and worthy of your time! Browse our step-by-step recipes and explore new flavors!
Thank you so very much for this recipe. I’ve been searching for a simple dog food recipe for a long time and this one is perfect! I will be trying (and possibly tweeking) this one pot stop this weekend. Hopefully my little girl will love it just as much as I love to make it for her. She’s allergic to chicken so I will most likely change it to turkey and probably add some salmon oil and a couple other things, but this recipe is a perfect base to start with. Again I thank you very much for this wonderful find! My baby girl “Unique” says thank you as well. ☺️🧑🍳🐾
My dogs love lamb and liver. Is it good to use these products with maybe mixing one or the other of above with chicken