November 5, 2023. Easy homemade dog treat recipes.
Walk down the pet care aisle at any major retailer and you’ll find dozens of varieties of dog treats. There’s seemingly something for everyone—whether your dog prefers a hard biscuit or soft puff, or you want a treat that helps with joints, teeth, or coat—there’s an option out there for you and your beloved canine.
But for the pet owners who want more control over what, exactly, goes in their pup’s bodies, whether due to allergies or health reasons, the options are certainly more limited.
Enter homemade dog treats. Making your own snacks allows you to pick only ingredients that follow your dog's dietary boundaries without restricting your four-legged friend’s taste buds.
Check with your veterinarian to ensure these homemade treats are safe for your furry friends.
Carrot Zucchini pupcakes.
Whole wheat flour, oats, zucchini, carrots, and cheddar cheese are the primary ingredients in these carrot zucchini pupcakes from Wiggleworthy. The recipe, which makes 36 mini muffins, is nutrient-dense, and a perfect balance of savory and sweet. Even better, the treats can be made from start to finish in under 40 minutes, making these pupcakes the perfect thing for those short on time.
Pumpkin dog treats.
The list of ingredients required for this Love from the Oven recipe is super simple and probably already in your pantry: whole wheat flour, eggs, peanut butter, pumpkin purée, and water. Given the fact that each batch of 25 treats requires only half of a can of pumpkin purée, these nibbles are perfect to make in the fall when you have extra pumpkin from the half-dozen other seasonal recipes you just had to try out.
While the recipe requires rolling out the dough to form biscuit-shaped treats, many reviewers report simply dropping dollops of it onto their baking sheets instead, citing easier storage and less prep work as reasons why this option is better.
Beef treats for diabetic dogs.
Most dogs love the sweetness that a bit of pumpkin purée or applesauce adds to these homemade treats, but for some dogs—like those with diabetes—the addition of a sweetener can be detrimental. This is why these three-ingredient beef treats from Allrecipes are the perfect option for dogs who struggle with their blood sugar levels. There’s no added sugar, just whole wheat flour, eggs, and beef liver.
Chicken and wild rice savory treats.
Carrie’s Experimental Kitchen knocked it out of the park with these savory chicken and wild rice treats. A perfect alternative to the dozens of sweeter options out there, the biscuits are made with a cooked chicken breast, chicken stock, wild rice, flour, salt, and an egg. Each batch makes somewhere between 35–40 biscuits, which is ideal if you aren’t looking to whip up new treats for your pup every few days.
Air-fried puppy poppers.
Air fryers are arguably the trendiest kitchen appliance these days thanks to how easy they are to use and how quickly they cook our favorite meals. These countertop cookers can also be used to make dog treats. These air-fried puppy poppers from Blue Jean Chef come together with just five ingredients (applesauce, peanut butter, oats, flour, and baking soda) and eight minutes in the air fryer, making them the quickest treats on this list.