Homemade puppy food with beef, sweet potato and spinach

Homemade puppy food recipe with lean ground beef, sweet potato, spinach and egg. Iron and zinc for growth, measured calcium and how much spinach is safe.

Time
45 min + 10 min resting
Makes
About 1.05 kg / 2.3 lb (almost 2 days for a 10 kg / 22 lb puppy)
Type
Main meal
Difficulty
Easy
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Homemade puppy food with beef, sweet potato and spinach
The recipe at a glance
  • 51 % lean ground beef
  • 35 % sweet potato
  • 8 % egg
  • 5 % spinach

Follows THE RULE. All 6 ingredients are on our safe list: nothing that could harm your dog.

This homemade puppy food with beef is the red-meat recipe in the section: lean ground beef, sweet potato, a handful of spinach and egg, with no grains. Beef provides more iron and zinc than poultry, two minerals a puppy uses up quickly while building muscle, blood and coat, and it is a good one to rotate with the chicken and turkey recipes.

The sweet potato is boiled in cubes until it falls apart under a fork and acts as a creamy base; the spinach is blanched for a minute and chopped very fine, so you can barely see it. The result is a moist, dark mince that you can serve as it is to a large-breed puppy or mashed almost into a purée for a small one.

Why it works

Ground beef and egg cover the protein and fat a fast-growing body needs, with heme iron and zinc that are very well absorbed. Sweet potato provides energy in the form of starch, fiber and beta-carotene, and it is gluten-free. Spinach, in a small amount, adds folate, vitamin K and some magnesium. Eggshell balances the phosphorus in the meat, and salmon oil adds DHA, which beef barely has.

Talk to your vet first. This recipe does not, on its own, cover the calcium, phosphorus and some of the vitamins a growing puppy needs. As his only diet it needs the growth supplement your vet prescribes, especially for large and giant breeds, where a calcium imbalance affects bones and joints. Do not add more eggshell by eye and, without the supplement, use it as part of his daily food, not all of it.

Step by step

  1. Boil the sweet potato

    Put the sweet potato cubes in a pot with enough unsalted water to cover them and boil until they fall apart when pressed with a fork. Drain and set aside.

  2. Blanch the spinach

    Drop the spinach into boiling water for 1 minute, drain it, press it with a spoon to squeeze out the water and throw that water away: some of the oxalates go with it. Chop it very fine.

  3. Boil the eggs

    Boil the eggs for 10 minutes from when the water comes to a boil, cool them and peel them.

  4. Cook the beef

    In a nonstick pan with no oil, cook the beef over medium heat, breaking it up with the spatula, until no pink remains. If it releases a lot of fat, soak it up with paper towels.

  5. Mix in the calcium

    Mash the sweet potato and mix it with the meat, the spinach and the chopped eggs. Sprinkle in the eggshell while you stir so it is evenly distributed.

  6. Cool and portion

    Let it cool down, divide the day's portion into his meals and add the salmon oil to each one when serving.

How much should I feed?

Approximate daily portion for a "puppy (4-12 months)" profile. Split it into two meals (three or four for puppies).

— g a day

Weight3 kg5 kg10 kg15 kg20 kg30 kg40 kg
Grams/day2253305557559351,2701,575

Puppy, senior, very active or on a diet? Calculate the exact portion.

Energy
141 kcal/100 g
Protein
58 % dry matter
Fat
18 % dry matter
Calcium:phosphorus
1.4 : 1

Values estimated from the ingredients (BEDCA/USDA data). An everyday meal. To feed it daily as the only food, add a vitamin and mineral supplement for homemade diets.

Storage

Fridge: up to 3 days in an airtight container. Freezer: up to 2 months in single-meal portions. Thaw in the fridge overnight and serve lukewarm, never hot.

If you don't have…

Your puppy does not tolerate beef
Lean ground lamb in the same amount
You do not have sweet potato
Pumpkin in the same amount, plus 60 g (⅓ cup) uncooked white rice cooked separately to keep the energy up
Your puppy has or has had urinary stones
Zucchini instead of spinach, in the same amount

Cooking tips

  • For small breeds, put everything through a food mill or mash it well with a fork: a fine mince is easier to eat with baby teeth.
  • Rotate this recipe with a poultry or fish one over the week: varying the protein helps cover micronutrients better.
  • If you are switching from kibble, make the change over 7-10 days, mixing in a little more homemade food each time.
  • To use it as his only diet he needs the growth supplement your vet prescribes; without it, use this as part of his daily food.

Safety

  • Beef always fully cooked for puppies: their immune system is still maturing, and raw ground meat is where bacteria concentrate most.
  • Stick to the amount of spinach: in excess, its oxalates interfere with calcium absorption and encourage some kinds of stones.
  • Do not increase the eggshell beyond the amount given: in large breeds, too much calcium damages bone development.
  • Sweet potato always cooked, peeled and with no sprouts left on it.
  • Grain-free
  • Freezer-friendly

Frequently asked questions

Can puppies eat beef?

Yes, puppies can eat cooked lean beef from weaning onward. It is one of the meats richest in iron and zinc, two key minerals for growth. Trim the visible fat, cook it all the way through and cut or grind it to suit the size of his mouth. Introduce it gradually if so far he has only eaten kibble or chicken.

Can dogs eat spinach?

Yes, in small amounts and preferably blanched. Spinach provides folate, vitamin K and antioxidants, but also oxalates, which in excess reduce calcium absorption and can encourage stones. In this recipe it makes up just over 5 % of the batch. If your dog has had oxalate stones or kidney problems, it is better to avoid it.

Is sweet potato good for puppies?

Yes, cooked sweet potato is a good carbohydrate for puppies: it provides energy, gentle fiber and beta-carotene, and it is easy to digest when well mashed. Always give it cooked, peeled and without salt or butter. It should not be the base of the meal: in a puppy recipe, meat and egg have to outweigh the starchy vegetable.

Can you give a puppy raw ground beef?

It is not recommended. Ground meat has a lot of exposed surface and is where bacteria such as Salmonella or E. coli concentrate most, and a puppy's immune system is still maturing. On top of that, it is harder to get the calcium right with raw diets during growth. Cooked, as in this recipe, it is safer for him and for your household.

What's in it, in detail

If they liked it, try

The fridge list

The foods your dog can eat, can have in moderation and must never eat, on a single printable page.

Download the list (PDF)