Pet treats are like human food; they’re better and healthier when homemade. Store-bought treats can often be packed with preservatives and artificial ingredients, but homemade dog treats offer a healthier alternative. If you’re looking to change the diet of your dog but, at the same time, not limit them to delicious treats, then we’ve put together some easy-to-make dog treat recipes for you to try at home.
10. Grain-Free Cranberry Heart Dog Treats
Holidays are right around the corner, and what better way to spend the holiday than with cookies, right? But of course, our dogs need a little treat to fill their Christmas stockings. This Grain Free Cranberry treat is easy to make with just a few easy steps.
Ingredients:
- 2 eggs
- 1.5 cups of almond flour
- 1 Tablespoon of coconut oil
- 3-4 tablespoons of coconut flour
- ½ cup of dried
- Preheat the oven to 365 degrees
- Beat the eggs and chop the cranberries
- Add the chopped cranberries with flour and coconut oil
- Add the beaten eggs
- Knead the dough with your hand until wet and sticky
- Add coconut flour until the dough is easier to handle and roll out
- Roll out the dough on a clean surface and use a cookie cutter
Recipe from Dog Jogs
9. Homemade Chicken Jerky
Chicken Jerky is one of the most popular treats for dogs. When you look over at pet shops or grocery stores, you can see different meat varieties, such as pork and beef. This time, we’ll make an all-natural one at home and from scratch.
Ingredients:
- Chicken meat or any lean protein (lamb, pork, beef, salmon, lamb, or duck)
- Preheat oven to 250 F
- Place the meat on the baking pans
- You can prep the meat now by removing all visible fat
- Slice the meat into your desired shape and size (⅛ to ¼ inch thickness is the suggested best thick cut)
- Place the slices on the rack and make sure to keep the space between them to allow airflow
- Cook them for 1 hour
- Check them every 30-45 minutes until they are done cooking. The cooking time will be based on the thickness of the meat
Recipe from The Crazy Dog Mom
8. Pumpkin and Ginger Dog Treats
The fall season is here, and so are the fall-season-themed dog treats! We’re including our dogs in the pumpkin trend this fall with these Pumpkin and Ginger Dog treats in the form of bone-shaped biscuits.
Ingredients:
- 3 cups of whole wheat flour
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ cup pumpkin
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
- ¼ to ½ cup of water
- Preheat the oven to 275 degrees
- Combine the pumpkin, egg, and coconut oil in the mixer.
- Add the flour and mix it until it becomes crumbly
- While the mixer is on low, add 1tbsp. of water until the dough comes together
- Roll the dough to ¼ inches in thickness and cut it now in 3 inches with a cookie cutter
- Place the dough 2 inches apart on ungreased baking paper.
- Bake cookies until the top is slightly cracked and the bottoms are lightly brown
Recipe from Taste of Home
7. No Bake Coconut Dog Treats
These little No Bake Coconut treats are a huge hit among hoomans, especially those who are health conscious. Did you know that there’s a version for dogs, too? Only with fewer ingredients, of course! Make your pup something that you would also approve to keep both of you healthy!
Ingredients:
- ⅓ cup of coconut oil
- 2-3 tablespoons of peanut butter
- 2 ½ cups of rolled oats
- ⅓ cup of finely shredded coconut
- Combine the coconut oil, peanut butter, and rolled oats and mix well
- Using a spoon, scoop out bite-sized pieces and roll them into balls
- Smother each ball in finely shredded coconut until they’re well-coated
- Place the balls into a flat tray and line them with baking paper
- Refrigerate them for 30 minutes before serving
Recipe from Pretty Fluffy
6. Paw-Print Dog Treats
These Paw-Print Dog Treats are popular treats that are being sold at bakeshops and pet stores, but you can also create one at home! They say home is where the heart is so why don’t you gift your pups something that you made from scratch? (a-la Nara Smith style 😉)
Ingredients:
- 2 cups of flour
- ½ cup of hazelnut
- ¼ cup of butter
- ¼ to ½ cup of water
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees
- Put the hazelnuts in the food processor until they are finely ground
- Roll the dough and cut it into thick pieces ( ½ centimeters) with a knife
- Create one large and three small indentations using your finger
- Bake the treats for 10 to 15 minutes
Recipe from Sew Historically
5. The Best Gingerbread Dog Treats
Nothing beats the scent of freshly baked Gingerbread biscuits. Now imagine how amazing it must be for a dog with a sense of smell ten times stronger than ours! Treat your dog this weekend by baking them these gingerbread goodies. Save some for your friendly neighbor’s dog too!
Ingredients:
- 2.5 cups of oat flour or brown rice flour
- 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon of ground ginger
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup of squash
- 2 tablespoon of blackstrap molasses
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees
- Add the flour, cinnamon, and ginger in a bowl and mix them well
- Add the eggs, squash, and molasses and mix them until the dough turns into a ball form
- Separate the two balls and place one in a parchment paper with flour
- Use a rolling pin to flatten the dough in about ¼ inches
- Use a cookie cutter to cut the shapes of the cookie
- Bake the biscuits for 15 minutes and turn them over to bake for another 15 minutes
- Store them in a refrigerator or at room temperature for a month
Recipe from Comfy Belly
RELATED: 10 Fruits and Vegetables You Should Feed Your Dog this Summer
4. Spinach, Green Apple, and Carrot Dog Biscuits
Collect your greens (and oranges) as you create healthy snacks for your dogs, which are proudly made from scratch. These treats are fairly easy to make, and you can easily find the ingredients at your local stores or grow them out while gardening in your backyard.
Ingredients:
- 4 cups of chickpea flour
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup of baby carrots
- ½ cup of spinach
- ½ apple, cored
- ½ cup of water
- Heat the oven to 176 degrees
- Combine the flour, oil, and eggs in a bowl
- Using a blender or food processor, mix the carrots, spinach, apple, and water
- Stir the mixture into the bowl where the flour mixture is until it turns into a sticky dough
- Drop them on baking sheets using a tablespoon
- Bake them for 15 minutes until the edges and bottom are slightly brown
Recipe from Allison Gray
3. Homemade Dog Ice Cream
Has your dog ever asked you for a lick while eating ice cream? Looking at those sad little eyes, it takes everything in you not to give in, but of course, you can’t give it to them. Don’t worry; you can just make it up to them by making a dog-friendly ice cream at home featuring three ingredients.
Ingredients:
- 3 ripe bananas
- 32 ounces of plain yogurt
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- Blend all the ingredients using a food processor or mix them by hand until the ingredients are smooth enough
- Pour them into ice cubes and freeze them for two hours
Recipe from Ann Marie Patitucci
RELATED: 12 Everyday Foods That Could Poison Your Dog
2. Grain-Free Peanut Butter Ginger Snaps
Holidays are made even better when your dog has their own holiday treats made exclusively by you, of course! Most, if not all, dogs love peanut butter, so you better give them a treat featuring their favorite spread!
Ingredients:
- 2 cups of almond flour
- ½ cup of coconut flour
- ½-¾ cups of natural peanut butter
- 3 tablespoons of ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon of cinnamon
- ¼ cup of water
- Preheat the oven to 165 degrees
- Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl and form a ball
- Roll the dough and use a cookie cutter to cut out the treats
- Place the treats on the tray and bake them for 25 minutes
- Turn off the oven after 25 minutes, but leave the cookies inside for 45 minutes
Recipe from Pretty Fluffy
1. No Bake Peanut Butter Balls
Dogs love a good peanut butter treat and if they’ve been a good boy or girl, reward them with some peanut butter balls to let them know that they’ve done a good job. This treat is easy to make as it involves no baking, so you can easily create them in your free time.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- ¼ cup of peanut butter
- ¼ cup of milk
- 3 cups of oats
- Mix all of the ingredients except the oats using an electric mixer for about 1-2 minutes
- Add 2 and ½ cups of oats at low speed
- Scoop the batter using a cookie scoop
- Smother the balls into the oats
- Cover the balls and place them in the refrigerator for an hour
Recipe from Damn Delicious
From The Club
Sure, your dog will appreciate the treats you buy them from your local grocery store or pet shop, but wouldn’t it be great to make one for them? We all cook something for the people that’s important to us, so why don’t we try and do the same with dogs? This Christmas, I’m making my dogs one or two from these healthy recipe treats!