Hepper is reader-supported. When you buy via links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no cost to you. Learn more.

11 Homemade Dog Food Recipes for Small Dogs

Nicole Cosgrove Profile Picture

By Nicole Cosgrove

West Highland White Terrier dog at home eating_alejandro rodriguez_shutterstock

Many dog food recipes make enough food for a whole pack of dogs. If you have a small dog, you probably only need 1 or 2 cups of food per day. You don’t want to spend too much time cooking, but you also don’t want your freshly cooked dog food to go bad or take up all of your freezer space.

That’s where these homemade dog food recipes for small dogs come in! All of these recipes can be made in small batches, enough to feed your small dog for a week or two, without overwhelming you with dog food. Scroll down to find our very own Hepper homemade recipe (our personal favorite, of course), along with 10 other easy-to-make recipes.

Divider 1-Dog bone- New

How Much Dog Food Should You Make at Once?

When you’re learning how to make dog food for small dogs, you’ll want to calculate how much your dog eats every day. Small dogs typically eat less than a cup of food per meal, so you might need significantly less food each week.

Think about how much your dog eats every day and decide whether you want to freeze or refrigerate your homemade dog food. Refrigerated dog food, much like human food, stays good for about 5 days. Frozen dog food lasts much longer, though you will need to defrost it.

For example, if your dog eats 1 cup of food per day, you’ll want to learn how to make dog food for small dogs that accounts for 5 cups to keep in the refrigerator for the week. If you’re planning to freeze your dog food, you can make a larger batch and freeze it into individual portions. Now let’s get cooking!

Divider-Dog bone- New

 

11 Homemade Dog Food Recipes for Small Dogs:

1. Easy Small Dog Treat Recipe

Sweet Potato Dog Treats Recipe

Homemade Sweet Potato Dog Treats (For Small Dogs)

You don’t have to be a wizard in the kitchen to pull these off with style. Here's our favorite easy sweet potato dog treat recipe perfect for your small dog.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes

Equipment

  • oven
  • Microwave
  • Large bowl
  • Cookie cutter or knife
  • Baking sheet

Ingredients
  

  • 1 sweet potato, mid-size
  • 2 ½ cups of whole wheat flour
  • ¼ cup applesauce, unsweetened
  • 2 eggs

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350°F
  • Heat the sweet potato in the microwave for roughly 6 minutes, or until tender. Cut it, remove the skin, and mash the potato. You need 1 cup of mashed sweet potato, the rest can be used elsewhere.
  • Mix eggs, applesauce, mashed sweet potato and flour in a big bowl, mixing until it forms a dough. Cut the dough with a cutter to get the desired shape or form like cookies. In any case, it should be about ½” thick.
  • Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until crisp. Remove from the oven and let them stand for 10 minutes.

Notes

Image Credit: pakornkrit, Shutterstock
Keyword dog food recipes for small dogs, dog treat recipes, small dogs, sweet potato, sweet potato dog treats

2. Easy Dog Food Recipe for Small Dogs

non allergenic dog food
Image Credit: Wheresthefrenchie

The woman behind Where’s the Frenchie? owns two French bulldogs, and this dog food recipe is specially crafted for small appetites.


3. Crock-Pot Homemade Dog Food

Chicken slow cooker dog food
Image Credit: Aforkstale

What could be easier than tossing ingredients in a Crock-Pot for a few hours? This recipe is especially great for small dogs because it’s very scalable — adjust the servings and you can make any batch size!


4. Pumpkin Yogurt Bowl

Pumpkin and yogurt dog food
Image Credit: Thismessisours

It might sound like something you could order at a fancy breakfast place, but this pumpkin yogurt bowl is designed for dogs! This easy recipe from This Mess is Ours even marks out the quantities you’ll need for small dogs.


5. Beef Dog Food

Homemade dog food
Image Credit: Delicioustable

Beef, rice, and vegetables make for tasty and simple homemade dog food. Adjust the serving size to suit your small dog and you’ll have just the right amount of food!


6. Easy Instant Pot Dog Food

Instant pot dog food
Image Credit: Southern-bytes

Your dog deserves a great meal, but that doesn’t mean you have to spend a lot of time cooking it! If you have an Instant Pot, you’ll love this dog food recipe, which comes together in just 20 minutes


7. Dog Stew

Homemade Dog Stew
Image Credit: Thewildest

This dog-friendly stew from The Bark uses chicken, brown rice, and vegetables like sweet potatoes, carrots, and cooked tomatoes. Cut this recipe down for your small dog’s smaller appetite and you’ll have plenty of dog food for a week.


8. 3-Meat Dog Food

3 meat dog food
Image Credit: Food

This simple dog food recipe adds eggs to the usual meat, vegetables, and rice. It’s easy to freeze and will last your small dog quite a while!


9. Turmeric-Seasoned Dog Food

Turmeric seasoned dog food
Image Credit: Gardenbetty

This recipe, inspired by an adorable Pug with degenerative joint disease, combines meat, vegetables, and turmeric with crushed eggshells for extra calcium. Gourmet and simple!


10. Gourmet Dog Food

Gourmet dog-food
Image Credit: Cookpad

This recipe has a lot of ingredients, including some unusual ones like salmon, red peppers, and cranberries. But don’t let that put you off! It’s a gourmet meal that comes together surprisingly quickly


11. Simple Chicken Dog Food

Looking for a dog food recipe that’s tasty, healthy, and hands-off? Look no further than this recipe from Top Dog Tips, which uses simple ingredients like chicken breast, green beans, and brown rice. Throw it all in the Crock-Pot for a few hours and your dog will have a feast!

If you want to feed your dog human-grade food without the hassle of having to prepare the meals yourself, you need to try Spot & Tango.

Their pre-packaged meals full of human-grade ingredients get delivered right to your door, so all you need to do is pop them into your dog’s dish!

Ready to get started? Right now, you can save 50% on Spot & Tango HUMAN-GRADE premium dog food by clicking here!

Divider 4

Conclusion

There you have it: 10 tasty homemade dog food recipes for small dogs. Small dog breeds don’t have the same dietary needs as larger dogs, so you’ll want a recipe that suits your little pup. We hope these recipes help you start cooking for your dog!

Looking for more dog food recipes?


Featured image credit: alejandro-rodriguez, Shutterstock

Related Articles

Further Reading

Vet Articles

Latest Vet Answers

The latest veterinarians' answers to questions from our database