quick homemade dog treats

By Isabella Storyclaire

last updated September 16, 2024

Contributions sourced from

How to Make Homemade Dog Treats

When your dog is a picky eater or has a restrictive diet,it can be tough finding yummy treats that are inexpensive. Thankfully, almost anyone can make homemade dog treats from the comforts of their kitchens, including the popular pyramid dog treats that make lots of tiny treats in one batch.

Homemade dog treats have benefits beyond being budget-friendly. With DIY treats, you know exactly what foods your dog is eating. Along with being free from harmful ingredients, homemade dog snacks can make great training treats, especially when made in smaller sizes.But before whipping out your cookie sheet and mixer, be sure to check with your veterinarian to make sure your dog has no allergies to any ingredients.

For owners interested in making homemade dog treats, weve put together some of our favorite baking accessories, tips, and must-try recipes.

Homemade Pyramid Dog Treats

Pyramid dog treats are homemade dog treats that are made with asilicone pyramid baking sheet. While these easy-to-clean silicone baking sheets werent originally made for dog treats, theyve become popular among dog lovers because they can make big batches of small treats appropriate for training sessions. The recipes for these kinds of treats usually call for tapioca flour, which helps the treats stay together without crumbling. Tapioca flour is an ingredient that agrees with most dogs.

When you flip over the baking sheet, you can fill it with a range of recipes that will easily pop out from the silicone sheet once youre finished. Some molds can make up to 500 treats in one batch! Along with the basic pyramid mold, there are also a lot of fun different shapes of silicone sheet molds to try. Here are some baking sheets to try out.

This simple, pyramid-shaped mat will make treats that pop out easily and clean up quickly.

If youre looking for something a little more traditional, these mini dog bones are perfect for DIY dog treats.

These paw molds are safe to use in the oven, refrigerator, freezer, and dishwasher. Plus, the silicone material means wet ingredients wont stick to the mold.

Want to have a lot of fun shapes and sizes? This pack comes with a range of molds, including hearts, bears, stars, and shells.

Key Ingredients for Homemade Dog Treats

Another great thing about making homemade dog treats is that you probably already have most of the key ingredients in your house. Many recipes require things such as oatmeal, eggs, flour, water, or broth. Add some flavor as well as vitamins, protein, and fiber with peanut butter (free of artificial sweeteners likexylitol), pureed pumpkin, apples, carrots, sweet potato, and cheese to create delicious cookies any dog would love.

Homemade Dog Treat Recipes

Once you order a pan, try out some of these popular recipes. From bacon treats to peanut butter, here are some popular pyramid dog treat recipes for beginners to try.

Bacon Pyramid Pan Treats

Does your dog love bacon? Try this simple bacon dog treats recipe by Michelle Taylor. With just four ingredients, this is a great homemade treat for beginners, one that your dog is sure to love.

Ingredients:

package of bacon
2 eggs
150 grams ofgluten-free flour
Water (to thin)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F.
Blend the bacon and eggs.
Add flour. Stir in water if the batter needs to thin.
Smooth the batter over the baking mat and bake for 8 minutes.
Once cooled, cut the treats into bite-sized pieces or dump out.

Baked Chicken Treats

For an easy, no-fuss recipe, try these baked chicken homemade dog treats from Eileen Anderson. Once baked, you can refrigerate or freeze the treats.

Ingredients:

110-ounce can of chicken, including liquid
2 eggs
1 cuptapioca flour
cup of white flour
1 tablespoon of coconut oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F.
Blend chicken and eggs in a food processor.
Pour the mixture into a bowl, and stir in flour and oil. This batter should be a little thicker than pancake batter but still pourable.
Spread the batter onto the silicone mold on a cookie sheet, making sure its in the holes, and then scrape it off the dividers.
Bake for 12 minutes.
Once cooled, turn over the mold and dump the treats out.
You can bag up the treats and refrigerate or freeze.

Peanut Butter Treats

Peanut butter is a favorite for many dogs, and a common, tasty ingredient in homemade dog treats. If your dog loves that nutty flavor, give these peanut butter treats from Eileen Anderson a try.

Ingredients:

2 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons canola oil
cup peanut butter powder
cup white flour
cup tapioca flour
cup water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F.
Mix the ingredients until smooth.
Pour the mixture into the pan.
Bake for 12 minutes or until the treats are soft but still drawing away from the side of the pan.
Once cooled, stretch the pan and dump the treats out.

Apple-Cheddar Dog Biscuits

To make something a little different and mix in some unique ingredients, take a look at this recipe for apple-cheddar dog biscuits from Martha Stewart.

Ingredients:

2 cups barley flour
cup old-fashioned oatmeal
cup shredded cheddar cheese
cup grated Parmesan cheese
cup unsweetened applesauce
2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with a nonstick baking mat or parchment paper. Set aside.
In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients and about 3 tablespoons water to form a dough. Roll out mixture between two sheets of plastic wrap to -inch thick. Remove plastic wrap and cut out biscuits with a 3-inch bone-shaped cookie cutter. Re-roll scraps and continue cutting out biscuits.
Space biscuits 1 inch apart on a prepared baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes until nicely browned and firm.
Transfer biscuits to a wire rack. Turn off the oven and place biscuits on a wire rack in the oven overnight. Remove from oven and store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.

Cheese and Sardine Pyramid Pan Dog Treats

These tasty dog treats by Michelle Taylor only have a handful of ingredients and are easy to make. Sardines are a great single-ingredient source of protein, and many dogs cant resist cheese. Its a win-win.

Ingredients:

1 can of sardines 2 eggs 150 grams of grated Parmesan cheese Handful of roasted vegetables 75 grams of tapioca flour (or plain flour) Water

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 320F.2. Blend all the ingredients in a blender to make a thick batter. Add water as needed to make thicker.3. Smooth the mixture over the baking mat and bake for about 15 minutes or until crispy.4. Once cooled, cut into small pieces.

Remember, you should always check with your vet before giving your dog anything other than dog food, commercial dog treats, and prescribed medication. Once youre in the clear, purchase a fun baking sheet, try a recipe, and rest easy knowing exactly what youre feeding your dog.

3 Ingredient Dog Treats

These homemade 3 ingredient dog treats are made with sweet potato, peanut butter, and oatmeal.

They are so easy to make and good for your dog too! Get the recipe here.

FYI This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Why These 3 Ingredient Dog Treats are the Best

There is a time and place for complicated recipes. When you really dont have time for all that, these 3-ingredient dog treats are a sanity-saver.

In fact, you probably already have all of the ingredients in your pantry or refrigerator.

These DIY sweet potato dog treats are made with whole, vegan ingredients so they are actually good for your dog. Your pup will think they are eating a treat, but you will know they are eating their vitamins.

Want to know what is so healthy about them? Ill tell you the nutrition information about these all-natural dog treats here in this post.

Dog treats with sweet potato and oats are some of the best healthy dog treats you can make.

If you enjoy baking healthy dog treats, then this recipe is just for you!

The crunchy homemade dog treats recipe is just a little further below. First, heres more about the ingredients and why I chose to use them.

Benefits of Sweet Potato

These are the best dog treats because of the nutrient-dense sweet potatoes. My favorite thing about them is that they are packed with disease-fighting antioxidants. These antioxidants help your dogs body fight common healthy issues related to aging.

Since they have lots of fiber, sweet potatoes are also good for your dogs gut. It will help them stay regular.

Sweet potatoes are also really good for your dogs blood pressure. Since they have lots of potassium, they help your dogs body regular fluid balance and keep their blood pressure at a healthy level.

Benefits of Oatmeal

Did you know that oats have a bunch of healthy nutrients too? Thats why oatmeal treats for dogs are a great thing to make for them!

The most obvious benefit is that oatmeal is a safe alternative to wheat for dogs that are intolerant or sensitive to gluten. Yes, my treats are naturally gluten-free.

Oats have vitamin B which helps your pet maintain a healthy coat. Its also a good source of omega-6 fatty acids that helps keep a dogs skin strong and healthy.

Just like sweet potatoes, oats have soluble fiber in them too this will help them regulate glucose levels and give them relief if they are having irregular bowel movements.

3 Ingredient Dog Treats Recipe Ingredients

The quantity of the 3 ingredients and the step-by-step directions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this article. First, I want to share some additional information about the ingredients I used in these cookie dog treats.

Heres a list of what you need to make easy dog treats. Use organic ingredients if you want to make organic dog treats.

Oatmeal Use old-fashioned or rolled oats. If you use quick-cooking oats, the treats wont be as crunchy.
Sweet Potato Its best to use a raw sweet potato and dont peel it before you bake it.
Peanut Butter Whether you use crunchy or creamy peanut butter is up to you. Always use unsweetened peanut butter.

Ingredient Notes

When you make this 3 ingredient peanut butter dog treats recipe, there are a few things to keep in mind.

Use natural or unsweetened peanut butter. Most regular peanut butter is sweetened. Dogs dont need sugar in their treats.

Do not use peanut butter that contains xylitol, a sweetener that is toxic to dogs.

Old fashioned oats and rolled oats are the same. So you can use either type of oatmeal to make the treats.

You can use quick-cooking oats but the treats will be moister and softer.

Do not use instant or steel-cut oats for this recipe.

Serving Size

How many homemade dog treats should you give your dog at once? That depends on what else they ate that day. This might be a healthier treat, but it is still a treat.

Treats should not be a dogs main source of calories they should be something they eat on rare occasions.

Dogs shouldnt overeat too many carbs even healthy ones from sweet potatoes and oatmeal. For this reason, I suggest only giving your spoiled hound one treat per day.

Equipment Needed

You probably have most of the kitchen items you need to make these homemade dog treats. You can use any regular silicone candy mold but a dog paw print mold gives these treats a fun look.

How to Make 3 Ingredient Dog Treats

These are the recipe steps and some photos of the process for making the treats. I hope they help you make this healthy dog treats recipe!

You can scroll down to the bottom of this article for a printable recipe card.

Bake a large sweet potato. Let it cool, then peel it and mash the flesh. Discard the skin.

Place a third of the oats in a blender or food processor and blend until it is like flour.

Place mashed sweet potato, oatmeal, oat flour, and peanut butter in a bowl.

Mix it with your hands until a dough forms.

Press the dough into silicone candy molds. Place the molds on a baking sheet.

Bake at 250 degrees for 2 hours.

Transfer the baked treats to a wire rack to cool.

Note that instead of using candy molds, you can roll out the dough and use cookie cutters to cut the dough.

If the dough seems dry or crumbly you can add more sweet potato, applesauce, or plain yogurt to give the dough moister.

How to Store Baked Dog Treats

Store the DIY dog treats in a container for dog treats. A dog treat jar is best so they are not mistaken for human treats. Here are some cute ones on Amazon:

Can you eat dog treats?

Yep, you sure can eat these treats! All three ingredients are safe for human consumption. Since they are not sweet, you probably wont like them. I suggest making Sweet Potato Cookies to enjoy and share with family and friends.

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More Homemade Dog Treat Recipes

Want to make more treats for your dog? Here are some different types of dog treats to make:

Want to get the best store-bought dog treats instead of making homemade ones? Check out these favorite dog treats on my Amazon dog treats ideas list.

3 Ingredient Dog Treats

Make crunchy homemade dog treats with three simple ingredients.

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes Total Time 3 hours hours 15 minutes minutes

Ingredients

1 large Sweet Potato big enough to yield cup mashed
3 cups Rolled Oats
cup Creamy Natural Peanut Butter

Instructions

Bake the sweet potato at 400F for 45 to 60 minutes or until done (you can easily insert a fork into the middle).
Cool the sweet potato to room temperature.
Remove and discard sweet potato skin. Mash the flesh.
Measure cup of the mashed sweet potato to use in the treats.
Preheat oven to 250F.
Add 2 cups of the rolled oats to a blender or food processor and blend until it is the consistency of flour.
In a medium bowl, combine the rolled oats with the oat flour.
Add the peanut butter and cup mashed sweet potato to the oat blend and combine using your hands until a dough forms.
If you are using a candy mold, simply press the dough into the mold making sure to fill in all the space.
If you are using cookie cutters, turn the dough out onto a smooth surface. Using your hands, squeeze and combine the ingredients until you have a flat, smooth dough. Flatten evenly with your hands or a rolling pin to about to inch thickness. Place the cutout pieces on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
Bake the treat at 250F for 2 hours.
Transfer baked treats to a wire rack to cool.

Notes

Be sure to use natural, unsweetened peanut butter. Do not use peanut butter with xylitol, a sweetener that is toxic to dogs.If the dough seems crumbly or dry, you can add more sweet potato or some water, applesauce, or plain yogurt.Store the baked dog treats in an airtight container.