Homemade Dog Gravy is a tasty dog food topper. This healthy dog gravy is made with chicken or beef, vegetables, and stock. DIY dog gravy is great for picky eaters and dogs with low appetite.
This is the perfect thing to add to your dog’s dry food so they eat it up. Your furry friend will love how it tastes and you’ll enjoy how easy it is to make this simple recipe.
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Making Gravy for Dogs
Dog owners are always looking for ways to improve their dog’s food and make it tastier. We love them, so of course, we want them to enjoy their food! Plus, let’s face it, dry kibble isn’t the tastiest thing in the world for our canine companions.
Thankfully, this is one of the easiest and healthiest gravy recipes that you can share with your dog. This homemade gravy is a great way to make their dog food taste better (and be healthier for them).
Why This is the Best Dog Gravy Recipe
This is the best gravy for dogs because it makes every dinner feel like one of those special occasions! Easy recipes like this are great for you because they take no time at all. Plus, you can change this recipe and use other dog-friendly veggies (like green beans).
This is a flavorful gravy that only takes small amounts to improve your dog’s dry food. Use it as a special treat or as daily dog food toppers. Commercial foods are low on taste, and wet food is pricy, but this gravy is a good idea because it’s low-cost and good for your pet.
If your furry family members don’t eat their dry dog food, try to cover it in homemade dog food sauce. These tasty toppers are made with lean meats and are fantastic for dogs with sensitive stomachs.
Dog Gravy Ingredients
The entire ingredient list, quantities of each, and the step-by-step directions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post. First, I want to share some additional information about the ingredients I used in this dog gravy:
- Coconut Oil is a healthy fat for cooking meat.
- Ground Chicken is a great source of protein.
- Carrots are a healthy vegetable loaded with beta-carotene.
- Green Peas are protein-rich and have fiber and essential vitamins.
- Chicken Stock without salt, onions, and garlic.
- Corn Starch or Arrowroot Powder is the thickener for the gravy.
- Water for a liquid to mix with cornstarch to thicken the gravy.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- You can substitute olive oil for coconut oil.
- You can use ground turkey, extra lean ground beef (95/5 or 90/10), or chicken liver instead of ground chicken.
- You can use turkey or beef stock instead of chicken broth stock. Be sure to use stock without salt, onions, or garlic. Homemade bone broth stock is great!
- You can substitute any dog-safe fresh vegetables for carrots and peas.
Equipment Needed
You probably have all the equipment needed for making this dog gravy recipe. Just in case, here are a few of the important ones:
How to Make Dog Gravy
These are the recipe steps and photos of the process of making the gravy. I hope they help you make this healthy dog gravy recipe!
You can scroll down to the bottom of this article for a printable recipe card.
- Melt oil in a large frying pan or skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add ground chicken to the skillet and cook, stirring to break up the meat, until it is fully cooked and crumbled.
- Add stock and vegetables to the skillet. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes over low heat.
- For chunky gravy, use a slotted spoon to take out a cup of cooked meat and vegetables.
- Mix cornstarch with cold water to make a slurry.
- Slowly add the slurry to the gravy mixture stirring while adding it.
- Remove the gravy from the heat and let it cool to room temperature.
- Transfer the mixture to a blender or food processor and blend it until smooth.
- Add the reserved meat and vegetables back to the blended gravy.
- Serve over your dog’s food.
Serving Size
How much gravy to pour over dog food? A general serving would be 1/4 cup but that can vary. You may just need to put a little bit of gravy on your dog’s food or enough gravy to soften dry dog food.
It also depends on your dog’s size. Small pets require fewer calories than larger ones. Maintaining a dog’s healthy weight is very important. Keep that in mind when feeding dogs and adding any topper to their food.
How to Store
Store this meaty gravy in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will last up to 7 days.
You can freeze it for longer storage. Put it in a freezer-safe container or portion it out in small containers or freezer bags. You can also pour it into an ice cube tray, freeze it, then transfer the frozen cubes to a plastic freezer bag. Frozen gravy will last up to 3 months.
When ready to use, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight. Dog gravy can be served cold, at room temperature, or slightly warmed on the stove or in the microwave. Be careful and not heat it too much because hot gravy can burn your dog’s mouth.
Can humans eat this gravy for dogs?
Yes, absolutely! It would be yummy on mashed potatoes. Folks would want it seasoned a bit with salt and pepper.
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More Dog Treat Recipes
Want to make more goodies for your dog? Check these out:
- Bacon Dog Treats
- Chicken Dog Treats
- Cupcakes for Dogs
- Pizza for Dogs
- Peanut Butter Dog Biscuits
- Pumpkin Dog Cookies
Find lots of easy dog treats recipes here on Spoiled Hounds!
Homemade Dog Gravy
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Coconut Oil
- 1 pound Ground Chicken
- ¼ cup Chopped Carrots
- ¼ cup Frozen Green Peas
- 3 cups Chicken Stock without onions, garlic, or salt
- 2 tablespoons Cornstarch or Arrowroot Powder
- ½ cup Cold Water
Instructions
- Melt coconut oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add ground chicken to the skillet and cook, stirring to break up the meat, until it is browned and crumbled.
- Add stock, carrots, and peas to the skillet. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes.
- If you want the gravy to be chunky, take out about a cup of the meat and vegetables and set aside.
- Mix together the cornstarch (or arrowroot) with the cold water.
- Slowly add the cornstarch slurry to the gravy mixture stirring while adding it.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and allow the gravy to cool to room temperature.
- Transfer the mixture to a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth.
- Add the saved meat and vegetables back to the blended gravy.
- Serve over your dog’s food.
ty for this resipe for the dogs we have 4 dogs we want all our dogs healthy god bless you the again
ty renee for careing about your hounds and all dogs ours are small And one tea cup size. there names are zero Goldie
chicks ally they ty you for your great resipes. june vitale
I’m so confused all chicken stock I have looked at has onion in it usually so am I missing something
I add a little “Unsalted Swanson Chicken Stock” to my senior puggle’s food for flavor. There is no onion listed in the ingredients like the others. I’m going to give this recipe a shot and see how it goes.
I bought beef and chicken bone stock off of Chewy.
If we have a roast chicken I boil the carcass then strain and that’s my stock 😊
I use 2 fresh chickens and boil them for my dog. I cut all the meat up and make a huge batch with brown rice, carrots, green beans and lean ground Truckey. No peas. Then I put one cup of mix in sandwich freezer bags. Then in the freezer. That makes a two-month feed. The broth is then made to gravy and frozen in freezer cups for each feeding. I will never use a rotisserie chicken for they have hidden salt, sugar, garlic and onion. The best Brown rice I have found is Brown Basmati Rice from India. Never feed your dogs or other pet’s white rice. I make many different kinds of treats and freeze them. He loves to chew the hard treats, now if he could just stop chewing the beds we buy him I would be very happy.
Rachel,..I love this idea!!!! We tend to always have giant breed dogs..just love em..but good nutritional food is ridiculously expensive..we do it anyway…but I’ve always believed that they need more than just blah crunchies, so I mess around with ingredients..this one sounds perfect! Ty!
Make your own stck from chicken carcess and water – that way you’ll have perfect stcok everytime as you know whats in it
Boil your own chicken with the bone. Don’t add the other said ingredients
You can buy dog friendly chicken stock at pet Smart. So it can be bought! Or just make it yourself. Without the garlic salt or onions for flavoring that’s added for the humans.
Joshua, u probably have this covered already seeing u commented in 2023, but just in case u r still searching……Swanson unsalted chicken stock is 100% natural. I found it at Food Lion. Could not find it at Walmart.
I made the gravy recipe yesterday, I added a sweet potato to the mix. I ran out of time so I didn’t run it through the food processor. Long story short, my husband had it for breakfast this morning…it’s that good! 🐕🐕
Oh my goodness, how great! Thank you so much for the awesome review.
Hi again,
I’ve been making this gravy for Osa for three months and I’m very pleased with the results for my picky eater. She has perfect poos and she hasn’t had indigestion which used to cause her to vomit sometimes.
Thank you again!
Regards & belly rubs,
Patricia
I just made this recipe. It is cooling as I am writing. The recipe says 16 srv. What is a measured serving? Thank you, Tina K
The recipe yields about 4 cups. One serving is 1/4 cup, but that can vary depending on the size of your dog.
How long can you store the gravy. I have a gold doodle and a shitzu
You can store the gravy in the fridge for up to 7 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
😂😂👏👏👏👏
🤣🤣🤣🤣
This had me chuckling. Thanks for sharing.
Could this be made to go on cat food as well?
I honestly don’t know anything about cats or what’s safe for them to eat. You would need to check with your veterinarian to see if the ingredients are safe for your cat to eat. If they are, then give it a try and see if your cat likes it.
Where is everyone finding salt, onion and garlic free stock? Every stock I’m finding had onion in it. Did anyone use dog bone broth from the pet store instead?
Swanson Unsalted Chicken Stock is a good one. It’s widely available so it may be in your local store.
Thank you! I’ll look for it!
I was also thinking of using me pre bought dog broth.
that was my question as well. Could only find Swanson low sodium…not salt free.
Does it need to be salt free? My understanding is that dogs can have some salt, just not a ton.
Salt-free broth is best but if you can’t find it or don’t want to make some, then use low-sodium.
Boil your chicken and save the juices you can add more water if added.
That’s what I do because most broths I found have onion flavor in them.
I made my own by just boiling chicken with water. Then I used that chicken instead of the ground to make it with. That way I know for sure nothing other than the chicken and water were added.
I boil my dogs chicken,do will use the unsalted stock from that when trying out this recipe. 😁
Thanks for recipe – I have been making this with chicken legs boiled in plain water. After removing chicken from the bones I put them back in pot to simmer for an hour and use that as my plain unsalted broth! Both my dog and my cat love it!
This is a great idea! Thank you for posting it.
I’m sure my dog would love this! How long is the completed gravy good for? Can I just sure in my refrigerator? Or should I/can I freeze?
The gravy is good for up to 7 days in the refrigerator. You can freeze it for up to 3 months.
First you say it’s good for 4months. Then in another comment you say 3 months. So which one is it
Sorry about that, it’s 3 months and I corrected it in the other comment.
Me encanta la receta y mis perros están enamorados de su gravy. Gracias por compartirla
The chicken stock concerns me, is that the chicken stock from the stores? I would think that had too much sodium and additives, couldn’t boiling the chicken and using that water instead be healthier? Also what spices or herbs are safe for dogs?
You can use store-bought chicken broth or stock without onions or garlic. Swanson unsalted chicken stock is a good choice and available at most grocery stores.
You can easily make chicken stock for dogs. Here’s a link to my recipe for bone broth which will work nicely for the gravy:
https://spoiledhounds.com/bone-broth-for-dogs/
A link to my article on herbs dogs can and can’t eat:
https://spoiledhounds.com/can-dogs-eat-herbs/
A link to my article on spices dogs can and can’t eat:
https://spoiledhounds.com/spices-dogs-can-eat/
How can I store and how long will it stay healthy
Store the gravy in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
You can freeze it for longer storage. Put it in a freezer-safe container or portion it out in small containers or freezer bags. You can also pour it into an ice cube tray, freeze it, then transfer the frozen cubes to a plastic freezer bag. Frozen gravy will last up to 3 months. When ready to use, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight.
Target has good and gather organic free range chicken broth no salt added. Only organic chicken stock, and organic chicken flavor under the ingredients.
I use Sam’s Choice Bone Broth zero sugar organic.
32% less sodium
No onion or garlic
I make all my dog treats. It has pumpkin, eggs, peanut butter and whole wheat flour. They stand next to me when I am making them and do not move until they have cooled off and can have one or two or!!!!!!!!! I am going to make this gravy, but am going to add pumpkin. Pumpkin is great for their digestive system, and they love it.
Great idea! I have some chicken that I’ll cook up to make the broth and for the meat (as per another person’s comments here). Thank you for posting this. I’m sure my dogs will be happy!
I made this for our 1 year old puppy. Instead of store bought broth, I boiled chicken and veggies and used the broth from this. I used an emulsifier at the end and left it a little chunky. Our dog loved it!
Hi there ♥
Thanks for the amazing post.
My dogs have been on natural food for some time, but I’m always looking for more information and your article has helped me a lot. 🙂
Superb!
Elderly and very fussy labrador-dalmatian crossbreed needs medicine mixed with her dry-feed breakfast. Always refused it until mixed with small portion of this gravy.
Now clean plate every time!
Many thanks
I see that it has 16 servings but, what is the serving size? I have a large dog and I don’t think I would get 16 servings from about 4 (?) cups of gravy! Lol
One serving is 1/4 cup which is a general guide. It can be less or more depending on the size of your dog.
Unless you make your own chicken stock, store-bought, chicken stock has garlic and onions in it, which are not good for dogs. They also add other spices, which they don’t say what they are.
swanson unsalted chicken broth does not have onion in it, as has been stated in the comments many times.
Can I use all purpose flour if I don’t have corn starch? Thanks
Yes, you can use all-purpose flour instead of cornstarch.
Will definitely try this, with salt free stock.
Wow this is a really good way to save money and cut out buying canned dog food for the dry dog food. Never thought of this, I can just make this gravy for the dry dog food. So much cheaper and I think actually healthier to get in veggies for your dog. I am totally going to do thi from now on. Thanks!
Going to make this for my fur baby. After reading the instructions, wouldn’t it be easier to put the cooked chicken, veggies, and broth in the blender, then pour it back out into the skillet to thicken? Seems like it would make clean-up easier. Any one try it this way?
I haven’t tried it that way, but it is a good way to have a smooth gravy.
I have made this three times now because my dog loves it so much! I even gave some to my in-law’s dog for Christmas and she also loved it! Simple to make and makes my dog happy! Thanks for a great recipe!
Wonderful! I’m so glad your dog and your in-law’s dog enjoys the gravy!
I wonder if you can use a polyunsaturated oil such as canola rather than saturated oil like coconut? Thanks
Canola oil is highly processed and can lead to inflammation in dogs.
Hello, I just made this recipe and it certainly isn’t as thick as yours appears to be in the picture. I did everything right, but now I’m wondering if the 1/2 cup water for the 2 Tbsp of cornstarch was a bit too much liquid..? I don’t know, but hopefully he’ll still devour it
You could try reducing the amount of water to ¼ cup and see if that helps.
Thank you Renee,
Just made this for my two american staffy girls, the older girl is 10 and has become a massive fuss pot but she just smashed her dry food which she hasnt done in months !
I blended as fine as could and put in a 1 litre ketchup bottle and the best part was i didnt even need 1/4 of a cup i just squeezed a liberal amount on top and then mixed in and “wallah” all gone in coupke minutes !!!
Very happy !!!
Just made this for my pup, and he LOVES it! He is not a big fan of kibble, so we are hoping this will make it more palatable for him. It was so easy to make, and he gets so excited when I get it out of the fridge! Thank you for this recipe!
I’m concerned about this recipe. Store bought stock contains onions and garlic. Which are toxic to dogs in any form. I would hope this recipe is updated to say homemade stock which can be made with poultry or beef bones, carrots,
celery, parsley which is healthy and adds flavor and bone broth.
There are some store-bought stocks that do not have onions and garlic. I did add a note in the recipe card that homemade stock without garlic, onions, and salt is best.
Thank you thank you thank you for this recipe! My furbaby Jaxxy absolutely loves it and devours it whenever we make it for him!
How wonderful! I’m so glad Jaxxy loves the gravy!
Hello,
My littler 14 years old dog is a very picky eater, I will try this recipe, sounds amazing.
Can I substitute ground turkey to ground lamb?
Thanks.
Yes, you can use ground turkey or lamb instead of chicken.
Thank you!
Hello Renee,
Can I use homemade beef broth instead chicken broth?
Thanks
Mai
Yes, you can use homemade beef broth.
Made this for my picky puppy that hates her dry dog food. She loved it! Even my cat came over and cleaned the little bit that was left in the bowl. This will save me soo much money in buying $2-3/can of wet dog food. Thank you for sharing!
Awesome! I’m so glad your pup loves the gravy (and your cat too!).