How to Make Homemade Treats for Your Dog or Cat

With more and more recalls on dog food, we have to be cautious with what we feed our fur babies. If you make your own dog treats instead, you know every ingredient used and you can prevent feeding your pets artificial food or preservatives. When you make these homemade dog treats recipes, you know every ingredient that goes in. This is great when you want to keep your pet in good shape - healthy and happy! Plus, for all the bakers and chefs out there, making dog treats is fun with these easy recipes!

Additional benefits:

• You can ensure that your pooch is getting a healthy dog treats with homemade dog biscuits
• If your dog has allergies or dietary restrictions, you can tailor your dog treat recipes by removing those ingredients
• You can easily adjust the portion size with homemade healthy dog treats
• You can create festive treats that they will love for any occasion (like a doggy stocking stuffer or for halloween!)

We've found eight of the best recipes for many different preferences and dietary restrictions. Try one or all of them! My personal favorite recipe is the "Classy Homemade Dog Bones" for my corgi, Ella. She’s a Queen and requires the finest of treats, so these bones are perfect for her! Let's get started with some homemade and wholesome recipes for your furry friend!

Classic Homemade Dog Bones Recipe

Ingredients

Dog Cookie Biscuits

• 1 cup pumpkin
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup canola or coconut oil
• 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

Glaze

• 2 tablespoons bacon grease, coconut oil, chicken fat, or any other fat that will solidify at room temperature, melted
• 1/4 cup smooth peanut butter

Yields: 30 large peanut butter treats

NOTE: Trace amounts of bacon grease will not harm your dog, but in large quantities, could cause damage to your dog’s stomach and intestines. 2 tablespoons for 30 biscuits equates to less than 1 gram per serving, which is fine for canine consumption. You can always forego the glaze for a simple, tasty homemade bone!

For a no-bake classic treat option, check out this Peanut Butter and Carob Dog Treat Recipe from Pretty Fluffy, an online resource for pet-friendly living. These treats have the same classic dog bone shape but are simpler to put together with only three ingredients. 

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 ℉.
2. Combine pumpkin, peanut butter, eggs, and oil in a bowl. Add in baking soda and whole wheat flour. Stir until a stiff dough forms. Knead dough or mix just until flour is incorporated.
3. Roll out the pumpkin dog treats dough of the doggie treats with a rolling pin and use a cookie cutter to cut out dog bone shapes, or just bake into little circles like cookies. Bake for 15 minutes.
4. Whisk the bacon grease and peanut butter until very smooth. Drizzle over the treats and cool till glaze hardens by placing the treats in the fridge or freezer.
5. Total time for these yummy peanut butter dog treats will be about 40 minutes including the prep time, baking, and cooling the treats afterward.

Source: https://pinchofyum.com

Banana “Mutt” Cookies

Bananas can be dog food and people food. I feed my dogs pieces of banana whenever I am eating one, and they love it! Bananas are full of vitamin K, potassium and other good nutrients. Since dogs are omnivores like us, they benefit from a balanced diet with dog safe fruits and veggies. If your dog loves bananas, this is the perfect vegan recipe for you!

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups mashed bananas
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• ½ cup chopped peanuts (you can chop your own!)
• ¼ cup apple sauce
• 1.3 cups oats

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 ℉.
2. Mix all the ingredients thoroughly. If you are chopping your own peanuts, do this step before mixing.
3. Drop mixture in desired size on a lined baking sheet and flatten with a fork. Pinch the edges to clean up any oats that may be sticking out to ensure they stay together while baking.
4. Bake for 15 minutes, or until firm. They should be soft and chewy when done.
5. Cool on a rack and store in airtight container. Refrigerate if you don’t plan on feeding them within a couple of days!

When it comes to their "shelf life", they seem like they would do well in the freezer as well, but I honestly didn’t have any leftovers to test it out with this batch! Remember to feed treats sparingly. One dog should definitely not consume all of these treats in one day!

Below is photo summary for this easy homemade dog treat recipe.

DIY Designer Valentine Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 ½  cups oats
• 1 ½  cups whole wheat flour
• 1 egg
• 1 5 oz cup of plain yogurt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 banana

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 ℉.
2. Blend all ingredients together in a food processor or blender. Add more flour or water if dough is too moist or too dry.
3. Roll out dough on your prepared surface, and cut in desired shapes.
4. Place on a cookie sheet so they are not touching
5. Bake for 15 minutes or until they reach the desired consistency.
6. Cool on a rack and then decorate or feed plain! Keep in airtight container, and feed responsibly.

The trick is keeping the moisture level of a sticky dough that forms a ball. This version uses yogurt and bananas, and no added sugar (well, until the decorations). So healthy! You will need a blender or food processor to achieve the uniform texture, making it possible to cut into shapes. Alternatively, you could omit the oats and replace them with more flour if you do not have an appliance available.

These are a great idea for pet birthday parties, holiday gift bags, or just for fun! Try experimenting with your own variations, your dogs will appreciate your efforts! If you have a dog with special dietary needs, be sure to only use ingredients that are safe for them to consume. Other types of flour are available for wheat intolerant pups. These homemade treats are better than any dog treats you could find on Amazon.

Chicken Sticks

If your pet is craving some meaty goodness, this recipe for chicken dog treats will surely satisfy them!

Ingredients

• 3 & 1/2 ounce jar of chicken baby food
• 3/4 cup powdered skim milk
• 1/2 cup wheat germ

NOTE: Make sure the baby food contains no onions because that ingredient can upset your pet’s stomach.

Instructions

1. Coat a cookie sheet or baking mat with nonfat cooking spray and preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Blend powdered milk and wheat germ together in a mixing bowl and then stir in the baby food. Dough may be stiff after fully blended.
3. Drop tablespoon sized dough balls onto the cookie sheet.
4. Bake for 10 to 14 minutes.
5. Let the chicken sticks cool and store them in an airtight container.

NOTE: Make sure the baby food contains no onions because that ingredient can upset your pet’s stomach.

Fish Squares

Ingredients

• 1 12-oz can of tuna fish
• 1/2 to 1 cup whole grain flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mash up the tuna in a mixing bowl.
3. Blend in the baking powder and as much flour as needed to make a thick dough.
4. Roll out the dough on a greased cookie sheet until it is 1/4 inch thick.
5. Using a pizza cutter, slice the dough into small squares and bake for 30 minutes.
6. Once cooked, break into squares, and store in an airtight container.

Cooking tip: Substitute other varieties of canned fish in place of tuna, depending on the preferences of your cat or dog

Classic, Simple Homemade Dog Biscuit

Who doesn’t love a classic?

Ingredients

• 3 cups whole grain flour
• 1/3 cup olive oil, butter, or meat drippings
• 1 egg
• 1 cup water or milk

Instructions

1. Grease two cookie sheets and preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Add extra flour or water as needed to make the dough less sticky.
3. On a lightly floured cutting board, roll out the dough until it is 1/4 inch thick.
4. Cut into desired shapes and place on cookie sheets. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the biscuits are brown and firm. Cool and store the biscuits in an airtight cookie jar.

Cooking tip: If you want to create a feline friendly version, add 1 cup of minced fresh catnip to the dough. You can use 1/2 cup of dry catnip instead if fresh catnip is not available. Roll the dough out to 1/8 inch thickness and cook for same amount of time as the dog biscuits.

Diabetic Dog Treats

For diabetic dogs, the treats they can consume are very limited. To ensure that your dog gets a fun homemade snack that abides by their dietary restrictions, bake this yummy treat and watch their tail wag!

Ingredients

• ½ cup whole wheat flour
• 2 eggs
• 1 ½ pounds beef liver

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 ℉.
2. Line a 10 inch x 15 inch pan with parchment paper.
3. Place the liver into a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped.
4. If you have room, add the flour and eggs, and process until smooth. Otherwise, transfer to a bowl, and stir in the flour and eggs using a wooden spoon. Spread evenly in the prepared pan.
5. Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the center is firm. Cool, and cut into squares using a pizza cutter. The treats will have a consistency similar to a sponge.
6. Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

Source: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/88806/diabetic-dog-treats/?evt19=1

Frozen Apple Treats

On a hot day, these frozen apple treats are perfect for cooling your pup down! This refreshing and nutritious treat are made almost entirely with apples. Apples are a healthy and natural dog treat that are packed with fiber, vitamin A and vitamin C.

Ingredients

• Apples
• 1 cup Greek Nonfat Plain yogurt
• Water

Instructions

1. Slice 2 apples into small pieces but remove the seeds and the core.
2. Mix the apple slices, yogurt, and a splash of water in a blender and blend until you get a liquid consistency.
3. Pour the mixture into an ice cube tray and freeze for a few hours or until hard.

I recommend only feeding your dog one “cube” of these yogurt dog treats at a time. You can put the leftover treats into a Tupperware container and store them in the freezer.

Yields: 16 treats (if using a standard ice cube tray)

These are just a few ways in which you can craft treats for your pet. Have fun creating treats for your furry friend, but be aware of things your pet should NOT eat. Have any addition recipes? Share them with us!