“Natural” has no regulated definition on pet food packaging, the same issue that applies to marketing language on commercial brands. See How to Choose a Healthy Dog Food Brand for that same point applied to store-bought food. For homemade cooking, here’s what a genuinely defensible version of “natural” actually looks like.
What “Natural” Can Honestly Mean Here
Whole, recognizable ingredients rather than processed substitutes: real chopped vegetables instead of a vegetable powder, a named cut of meat instead of a generic protein blend.
No synthetic preservatives, artificial colors, or flavor additives, which is naturally the case with any homemade recipe cooked fresh in small batches rather than shelf-stabilized.
Minimal processing beyond what’s needed to cook the ingredients safely, avoiding pre-seasoned, cured, or heavily packaged versions of the same ingredient.
Chicken and Garden Vegetable Recipe
Ingredients: 900g boneless, skinless chicken thigh; 225g carrots, chopped; 225g green beans, chopped; 2 teaspoons ground eggshell (or 2,000mg calcium carbonate supplement); 1 tablespoon fish oil; 1 serving of a complete vitamin and mineral supplement formulated for homemade dog food.
Boil or bake the chicken thoroughly until fully cooked, then chop or shred once cooled.
Steam or boil the carrots and green beans until tender, keeping them separate from any pre-packaged frozen vegetable blends with added seasoning.
Combine everything, mix in the calcium source, then stir in the fish oil and supplement once cooled to a safe serving temperature.
Beef and Root Vegetable Recipe
Ingredients: 900g lean ground beef, excess fat drained after cooking; 225g sweet potato, peeled and cubed; 225g parsnip, peeled and cubed; 2 teaspoons ground eggshell (or 2,000mg calcium carbonate supplement); 1 tablespoon fish oil; 1 serving of a complete vitamin and mineral supplement formulated for homemade dog food.
Brown the beef thoroughly, then drain off excess fat.
Boil the sweet potato and parsnip until soft, then mash lightly.
Combine the beef and vegetables, mix in the calcium source, then stir in the fish oil and supplement once cooled.
How Much to Feed
See the full weight-based feeding table in Homemade Dog Food: The Complete Guide to find your dog’s starting amount by weight.
Storage
Refrigerate for up to four days in an airtight container, or freeze individual portions for longer storage.
Common Mistakes
Assuming “natural” means the calcium and supplement steps can be skipped. Whole ingredients alone still aren’t nutritionally complete without these additions.
Using pre-seasoned or marinated meat. These often contain onion, garlic, or excess sodium, none of which belong in a dog’s food regardless of how “natural” the base ingredient is.
Treating “natural” as a claim rather than a description. The value here is in the actual ingredients used, not the word itself.
FAQ
Is a “natural” homemade recipe healthier than a standard one?
Not inherently. Every recipe on this site already uses whole, named ingredients. This is more about avoiding processed shortcuts than a different nutritional standard.
Can I use organic ingredients to make this even more “natural”?
You can if you prefer, though organic certification is about farming practices, not nutritional completeness, so it doesn’t change the recipe’s balance either way.
Is canned pumpkin still “natural” if it’s processed into a can?
Plain, single-ingredient canned pumpkin with nothing added is a reasonable, minimally processed option, distinct from a pumpkin pie filling with sugar and spices added.
The Bottom Line
A genuinely natural homemade recipe comes down to whole ingredients and no synthetic additives, not a word on a label. For the broader fundamentals of homemade cooking, head back to Homemade Dog Food: The Complete Guide.
