The best DIY dog treats! These super easy homemade peanut butter dog treats are healthier and way cheaper than what you could buy in any store. You know exactly what goes into them.
My dog, Dexter loves the super simple dog treats. But, seriously what's not to love? They are basically peanut butter cookies for dogs.
I usually make my homemade treats with whole wheat flour, pumpkin, and peanut butter.
Of all the recipes I tried these healthy homemade dog treats were the easiest and seemed to be universally loved by all of the dogs that have ever snacked on them.
Once you make these, I think you'll agree that they are the best homemade dog treats.
What I love about these homemade dog biscuits.
- Knowing exactly what's in them: When you make your own dog biscuit recipe at home you know exactly what you are feeding your pets.
- Allergy-free: Because these are homemade pet treats you can swap out the ingredients if your dog has any allergies.
- Dexter loves these: My dog and all the dogs in my family, love these homemade dog treats.
Foodology Geek Recipe Notes
Ingredients
- Dry Ingredients: This recipe calls for whole wheat flour. However, if your dog is sensitive to grains you can swap out another type of flour. Almond flour is a good choice. Oat flour also works well in this recipe. You may have to adjust the amount to get the right consistency for rolling.
- Peanut Butter: I use creamy peanut butter when I make these dog cookies. You can use any nut butter as a substitution. But, dogs LOVE peanut butter so much!
- Pumpkin: Canned pumpkin puree is used in this recipe but you can use sweet potato or even apple sauce here if you don't have pumpkin on hand.
- Broth: Any kind of broth works in this recipe. I like to use my homemade bone broth to make these even more healthy!
- Cinnamon: I am not sure if the cinnamon adds a lot to this recipe. But I include anyways. The last time I made these, I was out of cinnamon and use pumpkin pie spice instead. Dexter didn't complain at all.
Special Equipment
- Rolling Pin: A small rolling pin works fine for rolling out these cookies.
- Cookie Cutter: I have a cute bone and fire hydrant cookie cutter that I use in this recipe. Last year at Christmas I bought a pineapple cookie cutter! I made a batch of this healthy dog treat recipe shaped like little 🍍pineapples.
You can also find the cutest personalized dog bones on Etsy!
Roll out the peanut butter dough. 
Use a cookie cutter to out the treats before baking.
How to Make Homemade Dog Treats
This healthy homemade dog treat recipe is so easy to make you hardly need any instructions. Just remember if you are swapping out the whole wheat flour for a grain-free option, you may have to adjust the amount that you are using.
- Mix: Add all of the ingredients to a large bowl, mix with a wooden spoon.
- Dump: Once the mixture has come together, flour your work surface and dump out your dough.
- Make a Ball: Use your hands to knead the dough and form a ball.
- Roll: Roll out the dough. It should be about as thick and a standard size pencil. About a quarter-inch.
- Cut: Cut out whatever shape you have decided to use and place the dog biscuits on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake: Bake the biscuits for about 18 minutes. Adjust the timing depending on the size of your dog treats.
FAQs and Expert Tips
Probably the most common question I get on this post is about the spices in this recipe.
By all means, if you're not comfortable with the spices please leave them out. I'm sure your pooch will not complain one bit.
However, rest assured that cinnamon is not toxic to dogs. According to this article released by the Pet MD, some spices contained in pumpkin spice, such as nutmeg can be toxic to dog in large quantities.
In this article by Your Dog Advisor, you can learn how to shop for and buy the healthiest dog food for your canine best friend. The Healthiest Dog Food.
More Homemade Dog Treat Recipes
- Homemade Dog Food - Delicious Table
- DIY Dog Food Recipe - Damn Delicious
- Peanut Butter and Bacon Dog Treat Recipe - Sally's Baking Addiction
- Homemade Dog Treats - Cesar Milan
- What Can Dogs Eat? - Breed Advisor
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Homemade Peanut Butter Dog Treats
Ingredients
- 2 cups Whole wheat flour
- 1 cup Peanut butter
- ½ cup Pumpkin puree, canned or fresh
- ½ cup Broth chicken, beef, or vegetable broth
- 2 teaspoon Cinnamon optional: please see tips below
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl.
- Stir with a woden spoon or spatula. Once the dough is combined use your hands to make a large ball.
- Cut the dough in half. LIghtly flour your counter top and roll the dough out to about ¼-inch thick.
- Use your cookie cutter to cut out the dog treats and place them on the parchment lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 18 minutes. You may need to cook your dog treats more or less time depending on the size. Keep an eye on them and check about halfway through baking.
Kelly
Love the recipe my dogs really enjoy these treats!
Can you make recipe ahead and freeze? Have you tried?
Laura Reigel
Kelly, you definitely can make the dough ahead of time and freeze it. If you haven't tried them out, Souper Cubes makes these really cool portioning trays perfect for freezing a portion of a recipe. I usually freeze the dough and then once it's frozen solid, I pop it out and put it in a freezer bag. Then you can thaw the dough out when you are ready to bake a batch. So convenient.
Joann Perez
My grandson deebo absolutely loved them!!! I gave some to my dear friend for her 🐕 and they devoured them great recipe and so easy to make a definite keeper 😉 thanks so much 🙏 😊
Laura Reigel
I'm so happy to hear that these dog treats were a hit! Thank you for sharing your feedback.❤️
Shaye
Hi! Can I use all purpose flour instead of whole wheat?
Laura Reigel
Yes, absolutely. Just keep in mind you might need to adjust the amount of flour. If the dough feels too sticky you can add a few more tablespoons.
Donna Turner
What is the texture of these supposed to be in the middle argh never used wheat flour before and they seem a little they look kind a wet still in the middle.. I'm wondering if this is normal.
Laura Reigel
Donna, these should be pretty dry...if they are done you will see them puff up just ever so lightly. You can easily toss them back in the oven if they aren't done. Oven temps vary so sometimes it's hard to say exactly.
If you have a probe thermometer. the internal temp should be 200℉.
I hope that helps.
Karen
These look great! How long do they last?
Laura
Karen,
These dog biscuits keep quite well. Once they are baked in the oven, they're pretty dry, like crackers. They will keep for at least 6 months in an airtight container. You're dog will love them.
Karen
Awesome! They turned out great! Thanks for sharing!
Laura
Thank you! I'm so happy to hear that they came out great!!!
Angela
Recipe sounds good! Definitely going to try it!
NOTE: You might not want to use pumpkin spice! Nutmeg is toxic to dogs. It can cause some problems.😞
Laura
Thank you Angela! Toxicity from pumpkin spice is usually only an issue when it's ingested in large amounts are ingested. Here's an article covering the safety of pumpkin spice and pets. 💜
https://www.petpoisonhelpline.com/uncategorized/pumpkin-spice-naughty-nice/#:~:text=Pumpkin%20is%20not%20toxic%20to,nutmeg%2C%20cloves%2C%20and%20allspice.&text=The%20other%20ingredients%20in%20pumpkin,usually%20the%20greatest%20toxic%20concern.
Joe Connolly
We just made these treats for the first time and our dog loved it. Came back wanting seconds right away. How do you store them and how long do they last? Kitchen smelled like fresh baked cookies.
Laura
So happy to hear that Joe! I store my dog bones in a glass jar with a screw top or a zip lock bag. In our house the dog biscuits don't last very long becasue Dexter munches them all. Esentially they are dehydrated and the have an extremely long shelp life. They should keep no problem for several months as long as they are completely dried out in the oven.
I'll add that to the recipe. Thanks for sharing.
Omy
Hi!
How you write the word “woof”?
Laura
The dog bone cookie cutter that I bought has the word WOOF in it.
On Etsy you can order a personalized dog biscuit cutter. These are so cute!
https://www.etsy.com/listing/293481943/dog-bone-woof-cookie-cutter-puppy-pup
Julie
Don't forget to read the labels on your peanut butter. Some brands contain xylitol which is toxic to dogs
Laura
Thanks, Julie for that reminder!