Cooking Dog Food at Home – Benefits and What to Look Out For

Which dog food is right for your dog? In the big LuckyChef Dog Food Check, we compare the most important feeding options and show you what to look out for when making your choice. In this article, you'll learn everything you need to know about home-cooked dog food.

You can find the complete overview of all feeding options on our Dog Food Check topic page.

Fresh ingredients, individually prepared, easy to digest and delicious. That's what makes home-cooked food so special. Hardly any other feeding option is as well received by many dogs, because fresh ingredients develop particularly intense, natural flavors when cooked.

Cooking at home means preparing the dog's meals entirely yourself. Typical ingredients include:

• Meat as a source of protein
• Carbohydrates as a source of energy
• Vegetables for vitamins, minerals and fiber
• Oils for essential fatty acids

Unlike BARF, the ingredients are not fed raw but cooked. This makes them easier to digest and utilize.

To ensure that your dog receives all the nutrients they need from home-cooked food, the right composition and supplementation are essential.

Balanced dog meals follow a clear principle. Different ingredient groups serve different purposes:

• Protein from meat, fish or plant-based sources supports strong muscles, healthy cells and a well-functioning immune system.
• Carbohydrates such as rice, potatoes or oats provide energy and help keep your dog feeling full.
• Vegetables and fruit such as carrots, zucchini or apples add vitamins and flavor to the bowl.
• Oils and fats such as salmon oil or flaxseed oil can support, among other things, a shiny coat and a well-functioning nervous system.

Not every food is suitable for dogs. When cooking, for example, you should avoid onions, grapes and avocado. If you're unsure about an ingredient, our ingredient list can help.

Even with the best ingredients, some essential nutrients are missing when cooking at home. Meat, vegetables, fruit and herbs do not automatically provide everything a dog needs on a daily basis.

That's why home-cooked dog food needs to be specifically supplemented, meaning additional nutrients need to be added:

• Calcium: important for bones and muscles
• Iodine: supports the thyroid and metabolism
• Zinc, copper, manganese and iron: important for the skin, immune system, enzymes, blood circulation and oxygen transport
• Vitamins A, D, E and B complex: support metabolism, the nervous system and cell protection
• Essential fatty acids: for example from salmon oil or flaxseed oil

• Taste: Fresh ingredients and natural flavors are more appealing to many dogs and appeal to their natural instincts.
• Digestibility: With home-cooked food, you can decide exactly which ingredients are included and which are left out. This is a major advantage, especially in cases of food intolerances or allergies.
• Free from additives: No artificial preservatives, flavor enhancers or unnecessary fillers.
• Transparency: You know exactly what ends up in your dog's bowl. There is no need to decipher a product declaration.
• Freshness instead of industrial processing: Fresh ingredients instead of highly processed raw materials that are often used in commercially produced dog food.
• Individual: Every dog has different needs. Home-cooked food can be tailored accordingly – whether for a senior dog, an active four-legged friend or a dog that reacts allergically to certain types of meat.
• Variety: Feeding the same food every day can become unappealing for some dogs, causing them to eventually refuse it altogether. With home cooking, well-tolerated recipes can be varied without completely changing the diet.

• Effort: Preparation, planning and shopping for ingredients take time. Dog owners also need to consider supplementation.
• Shorter shelf life: Unlike commercially produced food, home-cooked food spoils more quickly and needs to be refrigerated or frozen.

“When done correctly, home-cooked food is the gold standard of dog nutrition for me. Fresh ingredients, plenty of moisture, traceable raw materials and the ability to tailor every ration to the individual dog – it is hard to get closer to a truly customized diet.

The biggest advantage is obvious: I know exactly what goes into the bowl. No guessing about vague collective terms, no attractive packaging that tells you more than the actual contents. Meat, vegetables, carbohydrates, oils, minerals and vitamins can be selected specifically and adapted to the dog's age, activity level, health conditions or intolerances.

The small catch: Cooking alone does not make a balanced diet. A pot full of good ingredients is not yet a nutritional master plan. Calcium, trace elements, essential fatty acids and vitamins in particular need to be supplemented appropriately. If you rely on guesswork here, you can get things wrong despite the best intentions.

When properly calculated and carefully prepared, however, home-cooked food can combine almost everything: naturalness, freshness, digestibility, transparency and genuine individuality. It takes more effort than opening a can or bag – but premium is rarely the most convenient shortcut.

My conclusion: Of all high-quality feeding options, home cooking is the king for me. Provided the diet is not only prepared with love, but is also nutritionally complete.”

Most dogs really enjoy home-cooked food. To keep it healthy in the long term, the ingredients and the right preparation are key.

Would you like to cook fresh meals for your dog? Here are a few tips.

Simply expand the section below.

Here we answer important questions about cooking for your dog at home.  

Is something missing? 

Feel free to contact our editorial team! 

etrieba@luckychef.com

Yes, you can. Many dogs actually enjoy home-cooked dog food especially well. The important thing is to ensure that the meals are nutritionally balanced and appropriately supplemented so that they contain all the essential nutrients.

Home-cooked food is suitable for most dogs. It can be particularly beneficial for dogs with food intolerances, allergies or specific health conditions, as dog owners have full control over the ingredients. And even very picky eaters often enjoy home-cooked meals.

Home-cooked food is healthy when the meal is nutritionally balanced and contains all the essential nutrients. Without appropriate supplementation, there is a risk of nutrient deficiencies, imbalances, under-supply or over-supply.

In principle, home-cooked food can be combined with commercial dog food when it is not possible to prepare every meal fresh. Instead of mixing both within a single meal, it is recommended to split the meals, for example serving home-cooked food in the morning and commercial dog food in the evening. It is important that the overall diet remains balanced and that your dog's nutritional needs are fully covered.

Depending on the recipe, important supplements include calcium, iodine, zinc, copper, manganese, iron, as well as vitamins A, D, E and the B complex. These nutrients cannot be fully covered by meat-and-vegetable recipes alone and therefore need to be added in a targeted way.

Cooking at home is just one of many options for your dog's bowl. If you want to get a complete overview of all feeding options, take a look at our comprehensive Dog Food Check.

• In our Dog Food Check: Dry Food for Dogs, for example, we explain the different types of dry food and what you should consider when feeding it.
• Find out what a natural, raw diet for your dog can look like in our Dog Food Check: BARF for Dogs.
• If you want to know how to feed your dog fresh and naturally without cooking yourself, take a look at our Dog Food Check: Fresh Food for Dogs.