Turkey meatballs for dogs with oats and vegetables
Turkey meatballs for dogs with oats, carrot and zucchini, baked, not fried. Makes about 50, and they freeze in portions for the whole week.
- Time
- 47 min + 15 min resting
- Makes
- Just over 1 kg / 2.2 lb, about 50 meatballs (3 days for a 10 kg / 22 lb dog)
- Type
- Main meal
- Difficulty
- Easy
- 61 % lean ground turkey
- 11 % carrot
- 11 % zucchini
- 8 % egg
Follows THE RULE. All 8 ingredients are on our safe list: nothing that could harm your dog.
These turkey meatballs for dogs, made with oats and vegetables, are the most practical way to have homemade food ready for the whole week: they're baked, not fried, and frozen individually so you can take out exactly the ones you need each day. The batch makes about 50 meatballs of 25 g (1 oz) raw, the size of a ping-pong ball.
You work the mixture with damp hands and in ten minutes the sheet pan is full. In the oven they brown on the outside and stay juicy inside thanks to the grated vegetables. Cut into quarters, they also make high-value rewards for training sessions, as long as you subtract them from the daily portion.
Why it works
Ground turkey is the main protein, lean and gentle on the stomach. Oat flour and egg act as binders and provide energy and soluble fiber. Grated carrot and zucchini keep them moist and add fiber, and a pinch of parsley adds freshness. The ground eggshell goes into the mixture to balance the phosphorus in the meat, and salmon oil is added at serving time for omega-3.
Step by step
Squeeze out the vegetables
Grate the carrot and zucchini, put them in a clean kitchen towel and wring them out well to remove excess water: otherwise the meatballs fall apart.
Make the mixture
In a large bowl, combine the turkey, vegetables, beaten eggs, oat flour, parsley and ground eggshell. Mix with your hands until everything is incorporated: you want a soft mixture that holds its shape. If it's too sticky, add another tablespoon of oat flour.
Shape the meatballs
With damp hands, roll balls of about 25 g (1 oz, a heaping tablespoon); for small dogs, 10-15 g (⅓-½ oz) is better. Place them spaced apart on a parchment-lined sheet pan.
Bake them
Bake at 190 °C / 375 °F for 18-22 minutes, turning them halfway, until golden and, when you cut one open, the center is white with no pink juices.
Let them cool
Leave them on the pan for 15 minutes before moving them: straight out of the oven they break.
Freeze in portions
Put the sheet pan in the freezer for 1 hour so they firm up separately, then transfer them to bags. That way you take out only the ones you need each day.
How much should I feed?
Approximate daily portion for a "spayed or neutered adult" profile. Split it into two meals (three or four for puppies).
— g a day
| Weight | 3 kg | 5 kg | 10 kg | 15 kg | 20 kg | 30 kg | 40 kg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grams/day | 145 | 215 | 360 | 485 | 605 | 820 | 1,015 |
Puppy, senior, very active or on a diet? Calculate the exact portion.
- Energy
- 175 kcal/100 g
- Protein
- 47 % dry matter
- Fat
- 24 % dry matter
- Calcium:phosphorus
- 1.3 : 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: 3 days. Freezer: up to 3 months; freeze them loose on a sheet pan first and then bag them so they don't stick together. Each night, move the next day's meatballs to the fridge. Serve them cold or warmed for 15-20 seconds in the microwave, with the salmon oil drizzled on top at serving time.
If you don't have…
- Your dog doesn't tolerate turkey
- Boneless, skinless chicken thigh, ground, in the same amount
- You want a grain-free version
- Chickpea flour instead of oat flour, in the same amount
- You don't have zucchini
- Grated pumpkin, well squeezed, in the same amount
Cooking tips
- Weigh one baked meatball and write it down: divide the daily grams from the portion table by that weight and you'll know how many your dog gets.
- Use a cookie scoop or melon baller so they all come out the same size and cook evenly.
- If you use them as treats, subtract them from the daily portion.
- To feed it every day as the only meal, add a vitamin and mineral supplement made for homemade diets: the recipe covers protein, energy, calcium and omega-3, but not every vitamin and trace mineral.
Safety
- No salt, onion or garlic, and no store-bought breadcrumbs: almost all contain salt and some contain garlic.
- Bake them until the center is fully cooked: raw turkey can carry salmonella.
- For small dogs or gulpers, make them small or cut them up: a whole meatball swallowed in one go can cause choking.
Frequently asked questions
Can dogs eat meatballs?
Yes, if they're made for them. Regular meatballs almost always contain garlic, onion, salt, bread and sauce, ingredients that upset a dog's stomach or are toxic. These only have turkey, oats, egg and vegetables, so your dog can eat them every day as part of their portion. The ones on your own plate, on the other hand, are best kept to yourself.
How many meatballs should I give my dog a day?
It depends on your dog's weight and the size of the meatballs. Weigh one after baking (25 g of raw mixture comes out at about 20 g) and divide the daily grams from this recipe's portion table by that weight. As a guide, an adult 10 kg (22 lb) dog with normal activity gets about 18 a day, split into two meals.
Can you freeze meatballs for dogs?
Yes, and it's the most practical way to do it. Freeze them baked and cooled, first loose on a sheet pan for an hour and then in freezer bags, and they keep well for up to three months. Every night, move the next day's meatballs to the fridge: by morning they'll be ready to serve, cold or warmed for a few seconds in the microwave.
Are oats good for dogs?
Yes, cooked oats are a good grain for dogs: they provide energy, soluble fiber that helps digestion, and some protein. Most dogs do well on them, although a dog sensitive to gluten may react if they're not certified gluten-free oats. In these meatballs they're ground, as flour, to bind the mixture, and they cook inside the meatballs in the oven.
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.