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There’s an overwhelming amount of stainless steel dog bowls available out there, running the gamut of sizes, shapes and prices.
If you want a sturdy bowl that just works without too much fuss, you’ve come to the right place — we looked at dozens & dozens of bowls, comparing designs, features and prices, and below we present to you our picks.
Our picks at a glance
Best overall stainless steel dog bowl
Our pick for best overall stainless steel bowl is the Max & Neo heavyweight, non-skid stainless steel dog bowl. This bowl ticked all our requirements: non-slip, good quality stainless steel, and not too expensive.
Many of the most popular stainless steel dog bowls don’t have a rubber base — we were shocked to learn this, and immediate disqualified those from our list. The non-slip rubber base is an essential feature in our opinion. It greatly improves the quality of mealtimes for dogs — getting those last bits of food or last drops of water is so much easier with a bowl that doesn’t slip & slide.
This bowl is also heavyweight, making it difficult to tip over. Yet it’s relatively inexpensive considering the quality of the steel and overall build. All Max & Neo bowls are checked for heavy metals, and the dimensions of each size are clearly indicated.
It’s a lot of bang for the buck, plus a bowl is donated to a rescue dog with each purchase! That’s a deal that’s pretty hard to beat.
Best budget bowl
The OurPets Durapet stainless steel dog bowl is our pick for best budget bowl. It’s a basic bowl that lasts years, has a non-slip base and retails at a competitive price — very competitive price when it’s on sale.
It’s a no-frills bowl and it’s easy to clean — toss it in the dishwasher and you’re good to go. This is a bowl we keep coming back to; it’s perfect to have around as a spare one, to bring along while traveling, or as the communal water bowl in a multi-dog household.
Best splurge
The Yeti Boomer 8 dog bowl is just a really good-looking bowl. It’s also very sturdy, made of high-grade, steel and other BPA-free materials. It comes in 2 sizes and 6-10 other aesthetic colors (with seasonal releases of even more colors). This bowl is heavy, with a rubber bottom that prevents slipping, so your dog can eat like a king.
The Yet Boomer 8 is an extremely popular dog bowl, despite its hefty price tag, and one that will last you a lifetime. Also see the smaller Yeti Boomer 4 dog bowl, and read our full review of this bowl via the link below.
Best for extra large dogs
As with most supplies for large dogs, you often have to find one that’s specifically made with them in mind — and dog bowls are no different. We were glad to find one that came in multiple extra-large sizes, ranging from 10 cups all the way to 24 cups! And they come in some eye-catching colors, too.
You’ll have to purchase them as a pack of 2, but considering the price, it’s not a bad deal at all. The only gripe we have with this bowl is that it doesn’t have a non-slip base.
Best for messy eaters
The HeavyBowl weighted bowl does one thing, and it does it well. It’s weighed down by a 2.5 pound steel plate welded into the base, making it really quite difficult for dogs of any size to tip it over, and nearly impossible for smaller dogs.
You want clean floors? This is your guy. Worth the purchase.
Best slow feeder
Most of the slow feeder bowls on the market are made of plastic, which isn’t very hygienic for eating. It’s nice to have an option made completely of stainless steel — Peggy11’s Stainless Steel Slow Feeder.
An excellent choice for furbabies that scarf their food down in seconds. The medium-sized variant will work well for smaller dogs and puppies (holds about 1 cup of food).
Best drinking bowl
While the Coldest Dog Bowl doesn’t make any official claims about how long water stays cool, there are dozens of customer reviews on Amazon and on their own website attesting that this bowl does indeed do that. We like that they have a range of sizes, all the way up to a huge bowl that can hold 200 oz (we recommend the 64 oz bowl).
Triple-walled and insulated, the company that makes this claims their bowls are over-engineered and they guarantee a full refund if you don’t absolutely love it. That’s quite a lofty promise, but they’re delivering on it.
Why we like stainless steel dog bowls
Stainless steel dog bowls are much easier to clean and therefore more hygienic for dogs to eat out of. Because they are non-porous they don’t absorb any liquids or small particles, which makes it an unfavorable environment for bacteria to grow in.
Stainless steel bowls are extremely durable. They won’t crack when dropped like ceramic bowls would, and they don’t get scratched and develop micro-tears like plastic bowls would. You won’t have to buy a new bowl quite as often.
These are just a couple of reasons we recommend stainless steel bowls over other types of bowls. If you’d like to learn more about the basic types of dog bowls, plus some advanced functions newer bowls have, check out our article on it linked below!