Homemade Peanut Butter Dog Treats
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The easiest homemade dog treats ever – simply mix, roll and cut. Easy peasy, and so much healthier than store-bought!
Featured Comment
I know. Dog treats on Damn Delicious? I never thought I’d see the day. But I’ve been spending a lot of time and money shopping for good-quality dog treats for Butters here, but then I thought, why not just make them at home?
reasons to make homemade peanut butter dog treats
- So stinking easy to make
- Short 4 ingredient list, most of which you probably have on hand
- Healthier ingredients – no added preservatives, fats or chemicals
- Economical and cost-effective
- Freezer-friendly to extend shelf-life
- Guaranteed favorite with your pups
- Makes for great gifts for pup friends, birthdays and holidays
Ingredients
Pumpkin puree
Pumpkin puree is great for digestive health for your pup. Always use pure pumpkin puree with no added sugar, salt, fat or spices.
Peanut butter
A hero ingredient here! Always opt for natural, unsalted peanut butter without added sugar or artificial sweeteners such as xylitol.
Eggs
Not only are eggs a nutritious source of protein, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals, but they also serve as a binding agent to hold the dog treats together.
Whole wheat flour
We prefer whole wheat flour as it contains more nutritional value than all-purpose flour. Rice flour can also be used as a gluten-free option.
tips and tricks for success
- Use your favorite cookie cutters. Bone-shaped cookie cutters are so much fun to work with but you can really use any kind of cookie cutter on hand – hearts, stars, dog houses, paws, etc.
- Adjust baking time as needed. The longer they bake, the crunchier they are.
- Shorter shelf life. Homemade peanut butter dog treats have a shorter shelf life as they lack preservatives compared to store-bought treats, making them susceptible to spoil relatively quickly.
- Feed in moderation. As always, give treats in moderation to avoid potential health problems such as diabetes and obesity.
- Consult with a vet. Please consult with your pet’s veterinarian regarding possible allergies, dietary restrictions and health concerns your pup may have.
freezing and storage
Storage
Homemade dog treats can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 weeks.
Freeze after baking
Let the dog treats cool completely. Transfer the dog treats to an airtight, resealable freezer bag, thawing overnight. Label, date and freeze up to 3 months.
pro tip
Use dog safe peanut butter.
Use peanut butter without added sugar or artificial sweeteners such as xylitol. Xylitol is added to peanut butter as a low-calorie sweetener. While safe for humans, xylitol is toxic to dogs, causing hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), seizures, liver failure or even death.
more homemade dog food recipes
Homemade Peanut Butter Dog Treats: Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, but all-purpose flour is high in carbs and does not offer much nutritional value.
Rice flour is often times used as a gluten-free option. It is easier to digest and can help with stomach issues.
These can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 weeks, or in the freezer for 2-3 months.
Homemade Peanut Butter Dog Treats
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup pumpkin puree
- ¼ cup peanut butter
- 2 large eggs
- 2 ½ cups whole wheat flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat; set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat pumpkin puree, peanut butter and eggs on medium-high until well combined, about 1-2 minutes.
- Gradually add 2 1/2 cups flour at low speed, beating just until incorporated. Add an additional 1/4 cup flour at a time just until the dough is no longer sticky.
- Working on a lightly floured surface, knead the dough 3-4 times until it comes together. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Using cookie cutters, cut out desired shapes and place onto the prepared baking sheet.
- Place into oven and bake until the edges are golden brown, about 20-25 minutes.*
- Let cool completely.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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I have a question….i can’t remark on them because i never made them…but i want to know can all purpose flour be used?
Wondering if I can use regular un bleached flour instead of whole wheat?
You can substitute all-purpose flour but it is not as healthy as whole wheat flour. I would also check with your pet’s veterinarian to check for any possible allergies.
I like to concept, but I used canned pumpkin (not pie filling) and at 2 cups of wheat flour, the dough was way too dry. Is there an alternative to fresh pumpkin puree or something to add to the recipe (water?) to make it more manageable?
chicken broth, add teaspoons as needed
Make sure any broth is free from garlic and onion, bone broth would be best.
Not sure what I did wrong but I followed the recipe as written and could not bring the ingredients together. It was just a crumbly mess, I added more pumpkin and another egg and still could not roll them out. Any suggestions? I hate to throw all of these ingredients out,
Easy to make but do they need to be refridgerated
Made these for my six month old cockapoo puppy and she can’t eat them quickly enough. I also gave some to my neighbours for their dogs and again a great success. These will most definitely be a forever feature in my doggy treat recipe book.
I ended up not needing any more than 2 1/2 cups of flour, the dough came out perfect! I baked for 20 minutes which ended up being a bit too long… but the dogs didn’t mind, they chewed them down! 🙂
My dogs loved it they both chowed down on the treat and we gave the treat to them on one of their birthdays they loved it and it turned out pretty good
Wondering if these could be made and frozen.
Just came across this recipe this morning before I went shopping. Had everything but pumpkin purée, but managed to get some. Just made them, my beagle was with me every step of the way! She loves them! Brilliant recipe and so easy to make. Dough consistency was perfect with 2 and a quarter cup of flour. I used gluten free flour. Next time i will freeze the extra dough as there are too many treats for her to get through in a week. Thanks for the great recipe .
Can you make these biscuits without pumpkin. caroline.hawley2@yahoo.com
Unfortunately, without having tried this myself, I cannot answer with certainty. But if you get a chance to try it, please let me know how it turns out! Good luck! 🙂
My dogs absolutely love these!!! And it is so easy and affordable to make! My 2 year old pug has never wanted to go in his crate before without a fight and a chase down to get him in. But since I’ve been giving him these he goes in without any argument! Thank you so much for posting this recipe! Your a life save and a money saver!! And my pug is a super picky eater but my boxer will ear anything! And an added bonus I’d that my boxer can stomach eating these without any problems at all! Every other test thet I’ve given her has made her stomach upset and made her go potty alot. Are there any other recipes that I could try out? I am new to the whole trying to find recipes online, lol! And do you have any recipes that I could make for me and my husband maybe?
Made 2nd and 3rd batch. Dogs love them and the treats keep well for a week in cookie jar. 3rd batch I flash froze to baked off next week.
My dog is allergic to pumpkin so I ended up using a can of tuna in its place (it’s all I had my cabinet at the time and just was being too lazy to go to the store and get applesauce or bananas) but it worked out tremendously! Although it does smell kind of odd while baking, they love love loved them!
Nan and I made these doggie treats for Nan’s dog, Maisy. She absolutely LOVED them. They were so much fun to make. We added some grated carrot and flaxseed oil. We tried them too. They tasted like hard scones. Yay. Thanks for this recipe.
How long will these keep if stored in an airtight container? Can these be frozen after baking to keep for longer periods of time?
BTW: I LOVE your blog and your pups!
These can be kept at room temperature for a few days but I recommend storing them in the fridge (or freezer) to extend shelf life. But methods for optimal food storage and shelf life should be based on good judgment and what you are personally comfortable with. Hope that helps, Virginia!
My two love the plain I made for testing, today we will make above Peanut butter treats and I will try to make them neater.
Thanks
Christina…
Can you add Beet juice to naturally color them pink? Would that alter the texture?
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without having tried this myself, I cannot answer with certainty. But if you get a chance to try it, please let me know how it turns out! 🙂
Baked these for dog event in my neighborhood. My dog and other dogs there lived them? Even picky eaters.
Hi there, I was just wondering if you could add some bacon grease to this to maybe give it a little flavor? or would that be overdoing it? Thank you for your help!
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without having tried this myself, I cannot answer with certainty. But if you get a chance to try it, please let me know how it turns out! 🙂
I definitely think you could add bacon grease, as the only fat is from the egg yolk and the peanut butter. You may want to cut back the peanut butter in order to add the bacon grease though. Do let us know how it worked!
Please help!
I put together all of the ingredients as stated but it took a wrong turn somewhere, my dough is very sticky. I can’t knead it to use cookie cutters. What would you suggest? Thanks.
Shanda, you can add an additional 1/4 cup flour at a time just until the dough is no longer sticky. 🙂
Very very good pups love them