How to Make Homemade Dog Treats

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: November 3, 2022 References

Everyone loves a tasty treat now and then, and this includes Fido! Homemade dog cookies and treats are fun and inexpensive to make, and let you keep an eye one what goes into your furry friend’s tummy. When you make homemade dog treats, you control the ingredients and can customize cookies for overweight pooches, underweight pups, or pets with sensitive stomachs, allergies, or medical problems. Next time you’re in the kitchen and itching to do some baking, try whipping up a batch of treats for your dog, but be sure to avoid common ingredients that can be toxic for canines, including onion, coconut, and milk products.

Ingredients

Peanut Butter Pumpkin Cookies

2/3 cup pure pumpkin puree
1/4 cup sugar-free peanut butter
2 large eggs
2 ½ - 3 cups flour

Savory Biscuits

2 cups flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup sugar-free tomato paste
2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup sodium-free beef broth

Doggy Meatballs

1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 cup cooked brown rice
1 shredded carrot
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped spinach
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 large egg
2 teaspoons ground turmeric

Part 1

Part 1 of 4:

Baking Peanut Butter Pumpkin Cookies

You will need a large, flat surface to work with later to knead and roll out your cookie dough. Clear the area, sanitize it with your favorite food-safe cleanser and clean cloth, and let the area dry.
2
Preheat your oven to 350 F (177 C). As it heats up, gather what you’ll need to make your cookies. Along with your ingredients, you’ll also need a:^{[1]
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- Medium-sized mixing bowl
- Wooden spoon or beaters
- Baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat
- Bone-shaped cookie cutter (or any other shapes you desire)
- Cooling rack
- Rolling pin
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3
Place the pumpkin and peanut butter in a bowl. Crack the eggs into the mixture and beat for one to two minutes until fully combined. It’s important to use sugar-free ingredients, because too much sugar in a dog’s diet can lead to the same health issues it would for a human, including obesity and diabetes.^{[2]
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- Substitute sweet potato puree for some or all of the pumpkin.
- Substitute a quarter of the pumpkin or sweet potato puree with apple sauce.
4
Gradually add the flour. Add one-half cup of flour at a time and mix to incorporate. When you have added 2 ½ cups of flour, only add more if the dough is still sticky. Add flour in one-quarter cup increments until the dough isn’t sticky.
- For a dog with wheat sensitivities or allergies, try rice, chickpea, oat, quinoa, or amaranth flour. Avoid corn or soy flour, as many dogs cannot properly digest these ingredients either.^{[4]
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5
Flour your clean counter space. Sprinkle the flour on the table or countertop space that you cleared and sanitized earlier. Knead the dough for one to two minutes, until it comes together in a ball.
- For an extra-special treat for Fido, dice up one-half cup of cooked bacon and knead it into the cookie dough.
You want the dough to be one-quarter inch thick. Use a glass bottle, like an old wine bottle, if you don’t have a rolling pin. Flour the rolling pin if necessary.
7
Cut out your cookie shapes with your cookie cutter. Place the cookies on the baking sheet. When you run out of dough to punch cookies out of, collect the remaining dough, knead it back into a ball, and roll it out again so you can punch out more cookies. If you don’t have cookie cutters, you can:
- Make regular cookies. Take tablespoon-sized balls of dough and flatten them into quarter-inch thick patties.
- Mold shapes with your hands. For traditional bone-shaped cookies, roll a tablespoon-sized dough ball into a cylinder. Mold the ends of the cylinder so each end has two protruding ball joints. Flatten the bone so it's about one-quarter inch thick.
When you don’t have enough dough left to punch out any more shapes, form tablespoon-sized balls of dough into patties.
When the edges of the cookies are golden brown, remove them from the oven. Place the cookies on a cooling rack and allow to cool before serving to your pup.

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Part 2

Part 2 of 4:

Making Savory Biscuits

In the meantime, grab what you’ll need, including your ingredients, one medium mixing bowl, one small mixing bowl, a whisk and large spoon, a greased (or parchment lined) cookie sheet, a rolling pin, cookie cutters, and a cooling rack.^{[5]
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In the medium bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, and wheat germ. Use wheat flour or a wheat-free flour of your choice.
4
Combine your wet ingredients. In a small bowl, stir together the tomato paste, applesauce, and broth. You can also use chicken, turkey, or any other sodium-free broth.
- Instead of tomato paste, you can use barbecue sauce, but make sure it's sugar-free, salt-free, and doesn’t have any spices that are unsafe for dogs (most spices should be avoided).
Stir to combine, and continue stirring until the mixture forms into dough.
6
Flour your clean surface and roll out your dough. You want this dough to be a quarter- to half-inch thick. Cut out your cookies with the cookie cutter shapes of your choice and place them on your greased baking sheet. Re-roll your dough until you can't punch out any more cookies, and form the remaining dough into patties.
- You can also form these cookies into patties, or mold them into bones or other shapes.
When they are golden brown, remove them from the oven. Allow to cool completely on a cooling rack before serving.

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Part 3

Part 3 of 4:

Preparing Doggy Meatballs

Gather your ingredients, a greased (or parchment lined) baking sheet, a medium mixing bowl, and a large spoon.
2
Combine all your ingredients. In the bowl, mix the ground beef, cooked rice, carrot, celery, spinach, parsley, egg, and turmeric.^{[6]
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- You can add two tablespoons of cheddar or Parmesan cheese, but be warned that milk products are not recommended for dogs because the lactose they contain can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and gas.
For a larger dog, this mixture should make about 10 meatballs. For a smaller dog, make about 15 smaller meatballs. Use your hands to form them into balls and place them on the baking sheet.
Be sure they are cooked through. Allow to cool completely before serving.

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Part 4

Part 4 of 4:

Storing Homemade Dog Treats

Sealing away warm food in a container will allow bacteria to flourish, and the condensation that will form can cause mold to grow.
Some of the best air-tight containers are ones with snapping or locking lids, or ones that are specifically designed to create a seal with the lid and the container. You can also use re-sealable plastic bags.
The fridge will help preserve any treat for longer, but anything containing meat, meat juice, or dairy must be kept in the fridge. In an air-tight container, treats can last up to two months in the refrigerator.^{[7]
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You can make larger batches of dog treats and store the majority in air-tight containers in the freezer for up to eight months!^{[8]
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Some treats can stay out on the counter for one to two weeks. Make sure they are kept out of the sun: store them somewhere cool, dark, and dry.^{[9]
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Question

Could I use alternate ingredients?

Community Answer

Yes, but make sure the ingredients you use are not harmful to dogs.

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Can I remove the spinach and parsley?

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I suppose it depends on what your dog prefers, but it won't hurt the recipe.

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How do I store my homemade dog treats (wheat flour, oatmeal, honey, and peanut butter) for a few months?

Abigail Edwards

Community Answer

Freeze them.

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Tips

For a frozen treat, fill ice cube trays with beef or chicken broth and freeze them. When you give them to your pup, make sure they aren’t so frozen that they’ll stick to his or her tongue.

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Homemade dog treats also make an excellent gift for all the dog lovers in your life.

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Watch out for recipes that call for ingredients that aren’t good for dogs, such as chocolate, milk products, or baby food that contains onions. For a more complete list, have a look at the ASPCA website.

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