How to Make Your Own Freeze Dried Dog Food Recipe

Freeze dried dog food is expensive! Commercial dog food is full of low-quality ingredients, contaminants and all sorts of things that are bad for your dog. Today, I'm sharing my new and improved homemade freeze dried dog food recipe. It can be a lot of work putting this together, but isn't your four-legged friend worth it?
I am not affiliated with balance it, but it's a great site for dog nutrition and figuring out your pooch's food needs! balance.it/
❄️❄️Harvestright Freeze Dryers! ❄️❄️ affiliates.har...
👌👌Freeze Dryer Accessories👌👌 you see in our videos: www.freezedryin...
🍽️🍽️Freeze Drying Cookbook: 🍽️🍽️ www.freezedryin...
AVID ARMOR chamber vacuum sealers: www.avidarmor....
💲💲 get 10% off! Use Promo Code LIVELIFESIMPLE 💲💲💲💲💲
🔥🔥favorite products🔥🔥: www.amazon.com/...
/ @thefreezedryingcommunity
/ thefreezedryingcommunity
/ thefreezedryingcommunity
x.com/TheFDCom...
/ thefreezedryingcommunity
Contact us: [e-mail]
#freezedrieddogfood #freezedriedhomemadedogfood #freezedrieddogfoodrecipe #freezedryingrecipes #harvestrightfreezedryer #freezedryingcookbook #livelifesimple #retiredat40 #thefreezedryingcommunity #harvestrightcommunity #harvestright #freezedryers #freezedried #freezedriedfood #harvestrightfreezedryer #freezedryingsupplies #freezedrying #freezedryingrecipes #freezedryingcookbook

[@RudyRay01]

My lab mix dog died and my white shepherd got very sick after eating contaminated IAMS dog food. A few years later my shepherd got brain cancer. The first time I contacted IAMS they admitted that the same thing happened to many dogs in our area. The second time I called them they said they were not responsible after the package has been opened. I will never feed my dogs or cats commercial dog food again. Thank you for making this video. Yes, it takes time and effort to make your own pet food and you need to research your pet's needs but it is so worth it.

[@marvona3531]

My dogs are getting fresh meat👍🌺👍🌺👍🌺

[@debrawallace4542]

I'm so sorry you went through that. It sucks!!

[@renitameares3838]

My dogs get raw foods. I freeze dry the following separately: raw beef liver (I get it in individually frozen slices), raw salmon, broccoli, pumpkin purée, sweet potatoes, kale, blueberries, green peas, green beans, egg powder, brown rice. I put each meal serving in pint jars and add turmeric & ginger powders, flax & chia seeds. When serving, I dump the jar contents into their bowls and add water. It’s chunky, not mush and raw. I top it off with a 1/4 c of Blue Buffalo for some crunch. They LOVE it. The overweight dog lost weight and the underweight dog recovering from surgery after a catastrophic injury has gained weight and is running and jumping! The vet is extremely pleased with their health.

[@marcodeoliveira9933]

Sounds like a great recipe. I would look into a good meat grinder to incorporate bones into their diet and leave out the rice. Not doing any harm like grains, but not adding much benefits. In nature they eat meat, bones, organs and stomach contents, that's were the veggies and fruits come in.

[@renitameares3838]

@@marcodeoliveira9933 actually a small amount of whole grain brown rice supplies protein, fiber, folate, magnesium, manganese, selenium, & Niacin/Vit B3. I only use about 2 tbsp per meal. We have been discussing adding bone broth but just got a heavy duty (and I mean HEAVY DUTY) Cabbalas grinder. Will look into the bone addition. Thanks.

[@dvdgalutube]

@@renitameares3838 I think egg shell also provides plenty of calcium for dogs.

[@Jozehaze]

Finally!! A good receipe for dog food. Thank you. Your parchment sheets and dividers have been a game changer for me! Love all your products but those two I have to have, parchment sheets especially, at all times 😊.

[@thefreezedryingcommunity]

Glad you enjoy them. It's hard to imagine freeze drying without dividers or parchment for me too.

[@thefreezedryingcommunity]

@@JanuaryLisa there is nothing wrong with lentils that are not processed.

[@tsdogsdragonfliesfarm2307]

This is an awesome idea. I have been trying to get my husband to get a freeze dryer for years. And with two vary lg Great Danes and Australian Shepherd. This is such a good idea. We would eliminate the legumes because with the lg dogs it can cause heart problems. But other than that great job!

[@OvcharkaShepherd]

Shared with my big dog group. I’ll be working on a recipe for HUGE dogs … hence my handle. Love how Max gave you the stink eye

[@thefreezedryingcommunity]

Ha. He sure did. I would love to hear some feedback when you get your big dog recipe dialed in.

[@fairrider3346]

YOUR OVCHARKA IS A CORNAVORE.ALL DOGS ARE. YOU WONT ITS HEALTH TO GO DOWN HILL? FEED IT THIS CONCOCTION!

[@RudyRay01]

@@fairrider3346 Dogs are not strictly carnivores. They also need carbohydrates, fat and fiber. Also vitamins and minerals not found in meat. There are a lot of good recipes on the internet. Check with your veterinarian.

[@fairrider3346]

LOL, NO@@RudyRay01

[@ellensturm2248]

Thanks for the information. 😊

[@KatMa664]

When I make my dog food, I start out with two pots. One is for the vegetables. One is for the meat while the meat is cooking. I begin adding the vegetables to a pot with a little bit of oil in it. You could just use water if you want to. You could either sauté these like I do or you could steam them. I start with the vegetables that take the longest to cook like carrots, and string beans, I slowly start adding other things like the broccoli the cauliflower, the zucchini, the squash, which go in closer to the end because they cook very quickly. The spinach is last I throw the frozen peas on top. I keep mixing it until they all cook down and then I add the meat on top and then I mix in my eggs. When it’s all done cooking, I chopped up my apple and blueberry and mix that in and after it cools, I mix in a little bit of calcium phosphorus. Then I’ve been taking and putting it into bowls and freezing it in my freezer in like three day portions, I have two dogs. So enough for each of them for three or four days. That way I can take it out defrost it put it in the fridge. But I don’t cook everything individually. I don’t usually use rice because in place of rice I give them a scoop of the dry dog food because it has more nutrition than just rice does. But it’s not necessary. It’s just the way I do it. I just got a freeze dryer so I’m gonna try freeze drying it and we’ll see how it does.

[@HighlanderMikeGolf]

Thanks for the link to the Balance It site. Great video. Thanks and all the best to you and your family.

[@conishkee]

I do not have, nor can I afford a Freeze-Dried machine, although it seems like a pretty cool tool to have. I love the recipe and all the ingredients (strawberries, too, Yum!) you used in yours, but I used ground turkey and ground beef. I plan to dehydrate it using my jerky gun. I also ordered and received from Amazon the Balance-It supplemental powder. I just have to figure out how much to put in since I made a big batch. Additionally, I made the chicken treats and after 14 hours of dehydrating them, they came out wonderful and my pups LOVED them! I would never have thought to include black beans, lentils and broccoli; but I also included pureed carrots and, of course, the sweet potatoes. This will be packed with flavor and my pups will be getting the best of the best! Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful recipe and have a good day! (Dang, this was long, WHEW!!) 😅

[@roxannem.wallrn3873]

On another note… I love love love you kitchen floor!!!

[@lindajam8202]

Im still learning here. But can you feed this to them in the dried form to replace kibble? Have you tried adding probiotics?. Fish oil?. Or a multivitamin/mineral blend? Yogurt?

[@ZasheanDove]

Roasted cauliflower and spaghetti squash is my favourite you also need to add calcium so dried egg shell is good i use peas as my dog can not eat lentils and only use green not yellow they are harmful. Try to limit kale can cause urinary issues

[@harrietpeabody2118]

Thank you!🐕

[@DebVelezOID]

Thank you so much 👌🏽💕

[@kadiusvain1102]

Man thank you I don’t know about corn doe or even oats I was told it’s not good for digestive system please reply?

[@lindajam8202]

I wouldn't use corn. Causes hot spots on skin for many dogs.

[@freddking4389]

This is a great video. I was wo dering what to do for them. Awesome.

[@thefreezedryingcommunity]

Glad it was helpful!

[@robingirven4570]

Thank you Brian! Once again, great video!

[@thefreezedryingcommunity]

My pleasure!

[@anysep3361]

This was great and informative! I laughed a little at the precision of water added to the FD food😂. Don't feel that's necessary, I'm sure dogs don't mind if it's a little too wet without weighing the water. Great video, and your little pup is adorable😍

[@lindajam8202]

I wondered about using water at all. Use a good stock/broth.

[@gingermorgan9551]

Great video...I saw the link for the dividers and was curious what size for the medium freeze dryer?

[@thefreezedryingcommunity]

All sizes on www.freezedryingsupplies.com are the same as your freeze dryer size

[@carpoolcaterer1714]

Great video!

[@KatMa664]

Will you make the covers for the Stay Fresh trays? I’m desperate for some.

[@thefreezedryingcommunity]

Hi there. Stayfresh trays do not have any way for a lid to snap onto it. The walls are flat with no lip. At this time, I don't see a possible way to make one.

[@KatMa664]

@@thefreezedryingcommunity can you make a lid similar to the way the seal fits on the freeze dryer? Like a slit between two pieces of plastic that just slipped down over the flat wall? I know you can do it. Just think hard. I need it. Lol.

[@vitatek]

Can’t wait for you to make the cat food recipe. Thank you!

[@ginnyrush7937]

Me too.❤

[@ladystarfire1284]

My dog has EPI and I have to add enzymes to her food that takes forever to sit. Do you know ifvi can mix the powder with the food and the put in my Freeze Drier, that I just ordered, and then rehydrate and feed? What isctge lowest heat temp i can use? TIA

[@debbiejessup3784]

Very excited and can't wait for the cat food recipe! 🐈🐱

[@thefreezedryingcommunity]

Coming soon!

[@이두나-r4n]

I'm on my way back from ordering a lid and a partition tray Thank you for the good video

[@thefreezedryingcommunity]

You got it! Thanks for your support

[@carterhowell1570]

I make my dogs food an freeze dry batches whenever we plan a camping trip or when we'll plan on using it. My recipe is ever changing but its about 40% meat (mostly chicken), 40% fruits and veggies (whatever we can get from our garden or buy if needed), and 20% rice. I cook it all in one big pot and blend it up. When I freeze dry it I cook the meat first and then let it completely cool to then remove any rendered fat and then cook everything together like normal.

[@carterhowell1570]

I also weighed everything before and after so I can mash up the freeze dried side so I can mass store it.

[@judyblaise1639]

Just found out that one of our dogs is allergic to chicken. So we have to be careful. I have 2 standard poodles so I would have to make quite a bit for them lol. I’m going to try making it though because it will be good for them. Thank you

[@OvcharkaShepherd]

Maybe try another protein like lamb. I’m working a set of HUGE dog recipes. My little dog is 65 pounds and the puppy is heading toward 150.

[@elmeralbeluhn2087]

Have a miniature poodle and the same thing she is allergic to chicken

[@BobPaddock]

It may be what the chicken was feed rather than the chicken itself.

[@philw7174]

Did you try this yourself and if not, why not? Thank you for this video, looking forward to making this myself. Happy trails!

[@thefreezedryingcommunity]

Yes, I have tried it. It's fit for human consumption as well 😃

[@ki4858]

What was the name of the supplement co you mentioned

[@RudyRay01]

My "Training Treats" recipe is - 1 lb chicken livers, 2 eggs, 1 cup soy flour, and sometimes a little cheese. Blend the liver and eggs in a food processor, stir in the soy flour (sometimes I use cornmeal). Spread out thinly in a pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Cut into small pieces and freeze dry. My dogs will do just about anything for their treats.

[@lindajam8202]

Dogs are allergic to soy. Don't use it. Corn is equally bad. Causes skin hot spots don't use it.

[@chrispacheco3938]

What settings did you put the freezer at??

[@thefreezedryingcommunity]

99% of foods do not need settings changed. The software will adjust as needed

[@barbstcyr304]

Lol, I’ve I feed my dog canned corn it just ends up all over the yard! 😂

[@Phokenlaomouth]

I’m sorry, you cooked the broccoli first then blend right? Sorry i missed that

[@danielpuig9476]

Hi somebody can help me 🙏, I just bought a freeze dryer but is from China (Im in Chile and shipping from the US is to high) the thing is that I have hear that in harvest right you can take the rack out of the machine, In my machine you can not and it is connected to heaters, so the cicle is not automatic and you can customize, but it goes from default from -40F to 135F so its worm! But from i have watch in some videos the harvest right machine the trais are freezing when the drying cicle ands! 🤷🏻‍♂️ and that is one question, why the differenc? Thank you

[@ryany6288]

Feeding your dog uncooked salmon can make them very sick. Raw and undercooked salmon can contain a parasite known to cause salmon poisoning disease, which can be fatal for dogs if left untreated. - from PetMD ---so good on you for cooking.

[@dianeturley9452]

Question if you already cooked all the ingredients why freeze dry? Thank you!

[@TheMadisonReport]

So it is shelf-stable.

[@sherryjeffer62]

I have an added benefit of making dog because I juice. I have an endless supply of ground vegetables.

[@KatMa664]

I’m sure anything that you make fresh is better than the stuff that we buy. But when I was looking up dog food recipe recipes it did say not to use any kind of smoked meat or fish. There’s always contradicting information out there one place says there’s nothing wrong with feeding avocado to dogs. Oprah‘s vet said it’s fine other people say it’s toxic years ago they used to say give your dog garlic and EE toward all fleas. Everybody did it now they say garlic is toxic. There’s so many things they say are toxic today that you become afraid to even feed your dog. There are at least 10 dog foods out there that use garlic and they say it’s because it’s good for their digestive health. So it’s really confusing to know what to do. But I cook my dog dog food. It takes me a couple of hours and I’m thinking about trying to freeze dry a load of it just in case in Florida when we have our hurricanes, I wouldn’t have to worry about if the freezer went bad I would have the ability to just rehydrate it for them. So thanks for the video. It’s very encouraging. I watched your other one from four years ago as well And that was took you a long time to do. So hoping you have streamlined your process to make your life a little easier.

[@stephaniejackson8555]

Doesn't that chicken boullion have a bunch of salt?

[@thefreezedryingcommunity]

Use stock or good quality Boullion. Unless you use your own grown meat, most of it is also loaded with added salt

[@ATL_Transparency_News]

My dog watches me fake prepare his food on the stove before I give it to him. He won't eat it otherwise

[@thefreezedryingcommunity]

😂😂😂

[@cathynavarrette6568]

What about pumpkin

[@JanuaryLisa]

That's good for doggies!

[@cathynavarrette6568]

@@JanuaryLisa actually it's great for most animals. We put out pumpkins we used for Halloween in the woods crushed so they can eat it. Supposed to help with worms and other stomach issues.

[@JanuaryLisa]

@@cathynavarrette6568 I've heard that! The farmers around us always want pumpkins for their pigs and cows!

[@janabarton8511]

why CORN?

[@garethbirch5459]

Why peel the sweet potatoes-dogs love the skins!

[@tiffanyharris185]

I thought the FD didn’t like peanut butter🤔

[@eileenc6540]

IMHO Need to add more meat, the recipe is lacking protein. I have been making a mix for over 20 yrs without the meat added then add a large scoop of the mix to the bowl. (Feed raw) I just started to FB dry which take a lot of hours but worth not having to freeze the mix. Agree if purchasing your meat from a grocery store I too would cook it to be safe.

[@thefreezedryingcommunity]

Protein comes from many sources, not just meat. 👍

[@eileenc6540]

No argument there!!

[@markhadley1545]

Your dog eats better then I do

[@resourcefulgirl]

There's an advertisement on YT about feeding processed food to your dog for its entire life. Definitely not healthy. I add some extras to my cats food and would love to make something like this for her. I'll definitely watch the vid for kitties.

[@spacepathfinder1]

since I saw so many people thriving on lion or carnivore diet I dont doubt anymore that dogs need no vegetable.

[@Thecarcissist12]

The potatoes could probably go in with the rice if you cut it small enough

[@donnaorcutt1290]

It's not raw if your cooking everything

[@mikenotta7079]

Dogs do not need vegetables or grains. The bulk of their diet should be meat/entrails with a treat of other goodies such as vegetables and berries on occasion. Jmho but we all have one. Lol

[@thefreezedryingcommunity]

I'll be working on it soon. Thanks for watching

[@vfromid2186]

Except that's not actually true. Prey animals in the wild provide a certain level of predigested plant matter to the canid diet. They don't need much, but it is part of their diet. Vets are terrified of the potatoes.

[@gorillamotors]

Where is the home made freeze dried cat food video?

[@thefreezedryingcommunity]

I'm working on it. It may be after the new year

[@maltipoosoffgrid6868]

Smoking does not kill parisites and salmon is loaded

[@southerncrossfarm994]

You are correct if it is cold smoked. If it is hot smoked, it only needs to be brought to 145 degrees to be safe according to the FDA (foodsafety.gov)