All dogs love treats, but not all treats are the same. Many commercial doggy treats are filled with ingredients that are either unpronounceable or questionable.
And while there are healthy commercial treats available, even the best on the market undergo a manufacturing process that reduces their nutritional punch and increases the potential for contamination.
The solution? Put on your chef’s hat and make your own healthy, organic homemade dog treat recipes. But before you put on your apron, be aware that the following treat-friendly ingredients are toxic to dogs:
Coffee
Grapes
Macadamia nuts
Raw yeast dough
Sultanas
Xylitol (sometimes known as Birch Sugar)
Zante currants
This isn't a complete list, so do your research beforehand.
Here, we discuss how to make homemade healthy dog treats that pass the canine taste test and are easy to make with healthy ingredients.
Easy, healthy homemade dog treat recipes
Peanut butter and banana biscuits
Filled with good-for-you ingredients, these dog-approved biscuits provide enough protein and carbohydrates to power your pup through his or her next trip to the dog park.
Xylitol-free peanut butter is an excellent source of protein and good fats, while the egg adds more protein and healthy fat along with a powerhouse punch of iron, folate, Riboflavin, Selenium, and Vitamins A and B12, and the banana provides potassium, fibre and biotin.
Ingredients
1 egg
½ cup mashed banana
1/3 cup xylitol-free peanut butter (no Xylitol or birch sugar)
1 tablespoon honey
½ cup wheat germ
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 egg white lightly whipped
By the way, it's perfectly fine in many dog-treat recipes to substitute gluten-free flour like oat flour, rice flour, or coconut flour.
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 300°.
Lightly grease a baking sheet.
In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the egg, banana, peanut butter, and honey, and blend until smooth. Add the wheat germ and cup of flour, and mix until it becomes doughy.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board, and roll out into a ¼” thick sheet. Cut out shapes using cookie cutters, then put them on a baking sheet and brush them with the egg white.
Bake for around 30 minutes until golden brown. Let cool on a wire cooling rack.
Pumpkin and peanut butter bites
These are easy to make and require no baking. Pumpkin is a dog’s superfood, with tons of fibre, vitamins A, C, K, and E, and minerals including iron, copper, magnesium and potassium.
According to the AKC, plain, canned pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling) contains a higher amount of nutrients and fibre than fresh pumpkin. Pumpkin is also good for your dog’s digestion.
Ingredients
1 cup canned, organic pumpkin
½ cup organic xylitol-free peanut butter
3 tablespoons honey
1 tsp. cinnamon
2½ cups rolled oats
Preparation
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Mix together the pumpkin, peanut butter, honey and cinnamon until fully blended.
Slowly add the oats. If the mix is too wet, add a pinch of oats until thoroughly combined.
Take small amounts, shape them into bite-sized balls, and place them on a cookie sheet. Then pop the cookie sheet in the refrigerator.
Once the bites have hardened slightly, you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge for around 3 weeks or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Sweet potato dog biscuits
With only four ingredients, this recipe is an easy recipe for homemade healthy dog treats. The sweet potato is a fat-free superfood of fibre, potassium, vitamins A, C, and B6, and the minerals iron, calcium, and magnesium. Sweet potato also helps regulate digestion.
This recipe uses a cookie cutter, so you can choose the best size for your dog (little dogs might get small hearts while bone-shaped biscuits are perfect for gentle giants).
Ingredients
1 sweet potato
¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
2 ½ cups whole wheat flour
2 eggs
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 350°.
Use a fork to puncture the sweet potato and microwave for around 6 minutes until tender or pre-bake the sweet potato on a foil-lined baking sheet in the oven at 425° until tender, around 40 to 50 minutes.
Cut in half and scoop out the insides into a bowl. Mash the potato until smooth.
Using one cup of the mashed sweet potato, mix in flour, applesauce, and eggs and work until it forms a dough.
Turn out onto a hard, well-floured surface and roll out until around ½-inch thick.
Cut out shapes with cookie cutters and place on a dry baking sheet. Bake until crisp, around 35 to 40 minutes.
Let cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes, and then transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Strawberry and banana popsicles
Frozen treats are perfect for hot summer days or relaxing in the afternoons in warm climates. You can use a popsicle mould or just plain ice cube trays, but skip the stick, which is a potential choking hazard.
If you’re making popsicle-shaped treats for larger dogs, use a dog biscuit instead of a stick; for small breeds, get some paw print or bone-shaped silicone moulds. Always supervise your dog when they're snacking on these frozen treats.
Pick a recipe based on what your dog craves. This one is for dogs that favour sweet, fruity treats. You can swap out fruit but only use fruit that is dog-friendly (no cherries, for example). Both strawberries and bananas are healthy choices.
Ingredients
2 cups strawberries, sliced (either fresh or frozen)
1 banana
1 cup plain or Greek yoghurt (if yoghurt upsets your dog’s tummy, use a non-dairy one)
2 tablespoons honey
¼ cup water
Preparation
Blend all the ingredients together in a food processor or blender.
Put paper towels or a baking sheet under the silicone moulds, and pour the mixture in.
For larger treats in popsicle shape, use a dog bone instead of a stick.
Freeze for around 30 minutes or until hard. Empty treats into a freezer-safe container or bag.
Beef liver treats for diabetic dogs
Even if your dog has been diagnosed with diabetes, they can still enjoy special treats. In this case, though, be careful you don’t overdo it. Dogs with diabetes often experience increased thirst, a ravenous appetite while losing weight, and lethargy.
By giving your dog daily insulin injections under the skin (which sounds scarier than it is once you get used to it), their body will be able to convert insulin to energy, so they can live a fairly normal life.
Besides insulin treatment, managing your dog’s diet and providing sufficient exercise play an important role in your dog’s well-being. Liver is an excellent source of lower-fat protein and nutrients including vitamins A and D, folic acid, iron, and other minerals. (Just FYI, beef liver is lower in fat than chicken liver.)
Whole wheat flour has a low Glycemic Index of 51 (stick to foods that have a GI of 0-55), and stone-ground flour is less processed. These treats are healthy for the diabetic dog, and your dog will love them (and you).
Ingredients
1½ pounds beef liver, cut into small pieces
½ cup stone-ground whole wheat flour
2 eggs
Preparation
You’ll need a 10x15 inch jellyroll pan or a baking sheet, lined with parchment paper.
Preheat oven to 350°.
Put the liver pieces in a food processor and pulse until chopped finely.
Add the flour and eggs and process until smooth, or if your food processor is too small, empty the processed liver into a bowl, add the flour and eggs, and using a wooden spoon, mix thoroughly.
Spread the mixture out evenly in the pan. Bake for about 15 minutes or until the centre is firm.
When cooled, the consistency should be spongy. Let cool, cut out shapes or squares using a pizza cutter.
These treats can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator. You can freeze any treats that won’t be eaten within a week in a ziplock bag.
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