11 Dog Food Bowl Options Your Pup Will Love
Dog bowls for every style 🐶
Are you on the hunt for the perfect dog food bowl?
Since it can be overwhelming sifting through all of the different options out there, it’s useful to know what to consider when shopping for a dog bowl for your pup.
To help you go about it, we’ve created a guide and rounded up 11 dog bowls that can meet a variety of needs, whether you need a dog bowl for a fast eater, a bowl for your giant breed or a portable option to take on your next trip.
- Best overall: Peggy11 Deep Stainless Steel Non-Slip Dog Bowls
- Best splurge: Yeti Boomer
- Best for large dogs: Frisco Stainless Steel 17-cup Bowl
- Best for traveling: Ruffwear Quencher Dog Bowl
- Best for a crate: Midwest Home Snap’y Bowl
- Best spill-proof water bowl: Upsky Dog Bowl
- Best ceramic: Frisco Tribal Aztec Ceramic Bowl
- Best slow feeder: Frisco Non-Skid Slow Feeder Bowl
- Best cooling: The Coldest Water Dog Bowl
- Best elevated: Super Design Elevated Dog Bowl
- Best heavy bowl: Max & Neo Heavyweight Dog Bowl
How to find the best dog food bowl for your pup
When shopping for the best dog bowl, there are a few things you’ll want to consider:
Material
The most common materials dog bowls are made out of include stainless steel, ceramic and plastic.
Before purchasing a bowl for your dog, it’s important to think about the pros and cons of each material and how it can fit into your own needs.
Stainless steel dog bowls are widely known as being the best material for dog bowls. They’re durable, which is perfect for rambunctious pups, and typically lighter than other options. They’re also super easy to clean. Generally, all stainless steel bowls are dishwasher safe, and they don’t hold on to germs since they aren’t porous or easily scratched.
Ceramic dog bowls are also popular, but they aren’t as widely used as stainless steel. Ceramic bowls can be heavier, and they’re easier to chip, crack or break. On the plus side, ceramic dog bowls tend to be more stylish, so if you’re looking to add a cute bowl to your collection, these are for you. Keep in mind, though, that most need to be hand washed, so they can’t be conveniently thrown into a dishwasher.
Plastic dog bowls can usually be put into a dishwasher, but they’re also prone to getting scratched, which can trap bacteria and germs. You may find that most slow-feeder bowls are made of plastic over other materials.
Capacity
How much food or water will the bowl hold? Depending on the size of your pup, you’ll want to make sure you’re getting a bowl that fits her needs. For your big dog, for example, you want to make sure you aren’t getting a bowl that’s too small to fit her food.
If you have a small pup, avoid dog bowls that might be too big for her since it could get hard for her to reach her food or water. Plus, lugging around a huge bowl with water can get heavy, so you’d probably want to avoid doing that unless you have to.
Other considerations
Since some dogs have different needs, there are tons of dog bowls designed with those special considerations in mind.
If your dog tends to inhale her food, for example, getting a slow-feeder dog bowl will help her slow down and digest her food better.
If your dog’s a messy eater, maybe a weighted bowl would be best because your pup won’t be able to knock it over.
Elevated dog bowls can make eating more comfortable, especially for taller dogs who might not love having to bend down to the floor.
Also, consider your dog’s breed. For example flat-faced breeds (aka brachycephalic breeds like pugs and bulldogs) can benefit from slanted bowls so that they don’t have to smoosh their noses on the side of a bowl (these bowls also help them breathe better while eating).
You can chat with your veterinarian to see if your specific dog needs a bowl that will let her eat or drink more comfortably.
Also consider how you plan to use this bowl to decide which type you should get. For example, if you plan to keep this dog bowl outside with water, you might want something insulated to keep the water cold. Or, if you want to take your pup traveling or hiking, a collapsible dog bowl might be best.
Cost
Always consider your personal budget when shopping for dog essentials.
Since you’ll likely want two bowls (one for food and one for water), buying a set might be more economical than getting individual bowls.
Best dog food bowls
Capacity: Small (3 cups), Medium (6 cups), Large (8 cups), Extra large (16 cups)
Material: Stainless steel
Special attributes: Non-slip bottom. Dishwasher safe.
These bowls are deep, so it’ll help prevent food or water from spilling out. The silicone bottom helps keep them from slipping, and we really love that you get two bowls here instead of one.
Capacity: 8 cups
Material: Stainless steel
Special attributes: Non-slip bottom. Dishwasher safe.
The YETI dog bowl is trusted by both dogs and dog parents for its durability and insulation. It has a sleek design that comes in tons of different colors, and if you need a smaller version, this bowl is also available in a 4-cup capacity. (Also, if you’re looking for a personalized dog bowl, you can customize this on the YETI website.) It can be a little heavy (empty, it's already about 2 pounds), so it’s definitely not the kind of bowl you’d pack for a hike despite having the YETI name.
Capacity: 17 cups
Material: Stainless steel
Special attributes: Dishwasher safe
In addition to the extra-large capacity, this bowl is super affordable, so getting the bundle of two costs less than some of the single bowls on this list. These bowls are simple and sleek, but they get the job done if you have a large dog who needs a lot of water or food.
Capacity: Medium (4.2 cups), Large (10.6 cups)
Material: Polyester, nylon and a waterproof finish
Special attributes: Collapsible
This collapsible dog bowl is perfect for taking your dog out on adventures, like camping, road trips or whatever else you dream up. Some reviewers found it to be too small for their dogs, so make sure to triple-check the sizing when you’re ordering.
Capacity: Extra small (1.25 cups), Small (2.5 cups), Medium (4 cups), Large (8 cups)
Material: Stainless steel
Special attributes: Dishwasher safe
This bowl is easy to assemble and will ensure your pup has her food and water needs met while in her crate. It snaps on easily with a patented design that’s sturdy yet easy to remove so your pup won’t lose her food all over the crate or your floor. The bracket’s also rust-resistant, but if you have a different style of crate that isn’t a wire mesh, this bowl won’t snap in for you.
Capacity: 4.37 cups
Material: Plastic and silicone
Special attributes: Anti-spill and non-slip design
This bowl is perfect for messy drinkers and dogs who get water all over their mouths after drinking. It has a floating disk that controls how much water your dog is getting at one time, which works by using the pressure from your dog’s tongue to sink the disc and release water — which means there’s no extra water to spill on the floor! Since it only comes in one size, you may have to refill it more often if you have a larger dog.
Capacity: Small (1.5 cups), Medium (4.75 cups), Large (8 cups)
Material: Ceramic
Special attributes: Microwave safe and top-rack dishwasher safe
This bowl’s stylish, so it can fit perfectly into the rest of your decor. It also has a non-slip bottom, which means it won’t be scooting all over your kitchen tiles. We really couldn’t find anything we didn’t love about these easy-to-clean, stylish bowls.
Capacity: 4 cups
Material: 100% BPA-free plastic
Special attributes: Slow feeder. Dishwasher safe.
This bowl’s perfect for dogs who scarf down their food. The puzzle-like ridges help to slow down mealtime, allowing her to digest her food better. Since it only comes in one size, it might not work for larger dogs who eat more than 4 cups of food at a time. If you need a larger one, this slow feeder holds 8 cups of food.
Capacity: Small (5.25 cups), Large (8 cups)
Material: Stainless steel
Special attributes: Double insulated. Non-slip bottom. Dishwasher safe.
Built with a triple layer of stainless steel and double insulation, this bowl is made to keep water or wet food cold — perfect for those hot summer days or for dogs who love to eat wet or fresh food. It also comes in tons of different colors, and we love that for you.
Capacity: Small (1 cup), Medium (2.5 cups), Large (4 cups)
Material: Stainless steel, melamine
Special attributes: Elevated dog bowl. Non-slip bottom. Dishwasher safe.
Elevated dog bowls are great to make sure your pup’s eating or drinking comfortably. The higher edge on the back of this bowl helps reduce food spilling, which is always a plus. Since it only goes up to 4 cups, this bowl probably won’t work for larger or taller dogs. Luckily, we also found this Hi-rise dog bowl built specifically for the tall dogs of the world.
Capacity: Small (4 cups), Medium (6.25 cups), Large (10 cups)
Material: Stainless steel
Special attributes: Non-slip bottom
This heavyweight bowl ensures sloppy eaters can’t spill their food all over the place. But what we really love is that for every dog bowl purchased, another one is being donated to a rescue dog in need.
While finding the perfect dog food bowl for your pup might take some trial and error, we hope this list helps you find one that works for your needs.