If you’ve ever looked at the high price tag and looooong list of ingredients on a box of dog treats and felt skeptical, this homemade rendition is your solution. They’re easy to toss together rom everyday items—including peanut butter, natch—and store incredibly well. Just wait’ll you see how your dog looks at you now…–Angie Zoobkoff
Homemade Dog Treats
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup canned pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (make sure it is xylitol-free)
- 1 large egg
- 2 cups whole-wheat flour, plus more for the work surface and rolling
- 1 to 2 tablespoons milk, as needed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- In a large bowl, whisk the pumpkin purée, peanut butter, and egg together until combined. Stir in the flour. If the dough isn’t coming together, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk. The dough will be very thick and a little sandy.
- On a lightly floured surface or on a sheet of parchment paper, roll the dough out to about 1/4-inch (6-mm) thickness. The rolled-out dough can be any shape, as long as it is evenly 1/4 inch (6 mm) thick. Using a cookie cutter, cut the dough into shapes. Reroll the remaining dough and continue cutting until all is used.
- Place the treats about 2 inches (5 cm) apart on the baking sheets.
- Bake until the treats are lightly browned on the sides, 13 to 20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let the treats to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Biscuits will stay fresh, covered, at room temperature for 1 week or in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Baked biscuits freeze well up to 3 months; thaw overnight in the refrigerator before feeding to your pup.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
These treats received 10 out of 10 stars from all 4 subjects, including an old cranky broad that won’t eat anything I put in front of her! Definitely a success!
These homemade doggie biscuits are so easy to make. Also very inexpensive when you think about it, as we have 4 dogs and buy a lot of treats for our furry children.
I consider myself a baker, but I’m a baker that steers clear of working with dough. I did okay with this dough and I know that it will go faster after making this a few times. This made 2 dozen using a small heart-shaped cookie cutter. I did not use any milk.
Judging from the reaction, I’d say these were a total hit. I’ve had a guest dog in the house for the past month and these biscuits make a reasonably well-behaved pet unable to contain herself so I’m guessing she must really, really like them.
The dough comes together quickly and it’s definitely thick and a little sandy textured. I did need to add a couple of tablespoons of milk to encourage the ingredients to blend, but it’s very easy to work with, rolls out smoothly, and cuts easily. The biscuits don’t spread, which allowed for using 2 sheet pans and 1 stint in the oven for the entire batch.
So, if you have a little peanut butter, some pumpkin puree, and whole-wheat flour in the pantry, your dog will be in for a big treat.
With 2 dogs who visit my house regularly and would be willing testers, I decided to try this recipe. It sounded healthier than store-bought biscuits. The dogs have really enjoyed these treats and have asked for more.
The dough was easy to prepare with only a few ingredients, but was dry and would not come together until I added the optional milk. I used a whisk to combine the pumpkin, peanut butter and egg and then switched to a wooden spoon to stir in the flour. The dough did not come together until I added the optional milk. It still did not come together well until I used my hands to mix and knead it.
I felt the dough was dry enough so I did not roll out using additional flour to dust the surface. Instead I rolled the dough out on parchment paper.
I cut the dough using a 3 1/2-inch dog bone cutter and placed them 2 inches apart on silicone mat=lined baking sheets. They baked for 16 minutes and came out slightly golden in color. The recipe gave me 38 biscuits.
We have two dogs (a 13-year-old and an eleven- month-old) and YES! they like peanut butter, so I figured they would like these biscuits. I tried a small corner of a biscuit and it tasted okay but was too dry for my liking.
This was an easy recipe to make. What I liked is that it has ingredients that are easy to get (and you likely have them on hand). Lastly, you know exactly what is in the biscuits!
I have read that there are certain peanut butters that are NOT okay for dogs. The following is from the AKC (American Kennel Club). Most peanut butter is safe, but some can be deadly. Recently, some peanut butter manufacturers switched to using the sweetener xylitol. Xylitol is a sugar substitute often found in sugar-free products like chewing gum, toothpaste, breath mints, chewable vitamins and baked goods. It is safe for people but toxic to dogs.
The dough was like a nice bread dough (soft, pliable, holding together well, peanut butter made it a little oily, no sticking to surfaces). I did not flour the surface as it wasn’t needed. I cut the dough like I was making a lattice top for a pie into long strips—then I cut the strips into rectangles.
Please let me introduce my dog, Cooper. He will be reviewing this recipe.
These treats are worthy to be made again. My mom said they were super simple to make because there were just a handful of ingredients and the dough was easy to roll. Only took her 20 minutes to get them on the trays and in the oven. Then, it turned out I only had to wait 13 minutes until they were done baking!
She was able to make more than 30 biscuits because I’m a smaller dog and only eat small bites. She was so happy I liked them (because I am a picky eater) that she tried them, too. She could really taste the peanut butter and liked the texture. I can’t wait to eat more.
My dogs were huge fans. They wouldn’t leave me alone after a biscuit fresh from the oven! We froze most of the biscuits for my husband to take to work, when he goes back, for the office dogs. This recipe was easy, fast, used ingredients people would have on hand, and I can tell it’s one I’ll be returning to again and again. I think it would also make amazing presents for my dog-loving friends. I just have to get a bone cookie cutter now!
Full disclosure: I didn’t make the recipe exactly as written. I had trouble sourcing enough whole wheat flour but I had enough oat to make up the difference. I thought it made an excellent biscuit, however. I ended up using 1 cup of each flour and it made a really tender and luxurious dough.
I was worried it would be really crumbly with the decreased gluten content, but it rolled out beautifully.
This recipe was outstanding from beginning to end! I didn’t add any milk at all – worked perfectly almost like my gingerbread cookies do! I’m excited to send them to my grand dogs and neighbors too! I found a dog friendly icing too to make it a bit more festive.
Fantastic, Joanne! We’re delighted that these turned out so well and I’m sure you will have some very happy pets in your neighborhood.