simple homemade dog treats that don t need to be refrigerated

Make snacks last: 3 great DIY dog treats that wont spoil quickly

Making your dogs treats from your own kitchen comes with a lot of benefits, from having control over your pets diet to saving a few dollars at the store. One of the downsides, however, is the short shelf life that most natural ingredients have. At some time or another, most pet parents have nearly given their pup a scratch-made treat before noticing the batch has gone bad. This inspires the question: What is the shelf life of homemade dog treats?

Freshly prepared dog treats last for about a week on average, though there are a few sneaky strategies you can use to your advantage in the kitchen. With just a little preparation, your pups snacks can stay fresh and yummy for twice as long at least! Here are a few ideas for preparing and storing homemade dog treats that will last a long time.

How to make dog treats last longer

When making and preserving dog treats, keep a few things in mind.

Step 1: The most common culprits of spoilage include heat, air, and light, so you wont want to leave these snacks sitting on the counter. Storing treats in an airtight container between layers of waxed paper or cloth will be your safest bet. For the biscuits, paper or cloth will not only keep these treats from sticking together but will also soak up any excess moisture that may develop in the container. Look for a secure, dark place to keep them until your pup is ready in your pantry or refrigerator works best.

Step 2: In general, the longer a treat is baked, the longer its shelf life will be. You can always add an extra minute or two to the baking time when preparing homemade treats. This will help them stay fresh and make them crunchy as well. Dehydrated snacks like jerky can last much longer than other snacks up to a month or so if refrigerated. That time will skyrocket to months without going bad if you splurge for a vacuum sealer, but this definitely isnt something most folks have in their kitchen.

Homemade dog jerky treats

Jerky is perhaps the easiest, longest-lasting treat to make for your pup, and its something you may want to make for yourself as well! All youll need is your meat of choice (pick the leanest cuts you can find, as they will keep even longer) and your method of cooking, whether you use a dehydrator or your oven. Remember not to prepare your meat you cant go wrong with beef, salmon, or chicken with any oils or spices, as these can do more harm than good for your pup.

Step 1: Slice your meat into thin strips.

Step 2: Lay pieces on a nonstick baking sheet. They should be in a single layer but don't need to be spread out.

Step 3: Cook your jerky. If using an oven, choose the lowest possible temperature and check your jerky after 3 hours. If you have a dehydrator, youll probably cook it a while longer.

Step 4: When the jerky is ready, it should be half its original size and dry all the way around.

Long-lasting DIY dog biscuits

Every pup will drool for these classic snacks. They dont take nearly as long to bake as the jerky-style treats, though storage is key for the longevity of these treats. Heres what youll need:* 1 beef or chicken bouillon cube* cup hot water* Up to 1 teaspoon salt* 1 egg* 2 cups whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, or oats

Step 1: To make these tasty treats, begin by heating your oven to 350 degrees.

Step 2: While it heats, dissolve the bouillon in a mixing bowl with the hot water.

Step 3: Then, mix/knead in the remaining ingredients one at a time (make sure to add the flour or oats last!) until you have a ball of dough.

Step 4: Roll out your dough with a rolling pin until its about inch thick.

Step 5: Use your favorite cookie cutters to make your favorite shapes.

Depending on the size of the cookie cutter, this recipe can give you a large number of treats, so plan carefully.

Step 6: Place your cookies on a greased baking sheet.

Step 7: Bake for half an hour. Easy as pie!

To keep them fresh as long as possible, freeze the treats as soon as theyre done cooling. This lets them stay fresh for up to six months, versus one month in the fridge and about a week on the counter.

Sweet potato dog chews

For a dehydrated treat with a lighter flavor, replace your meat with sweet potatoes instead.

Step 1: Thinly slice your sweet potatoes.

Step 2: Lie slices on a nonstick baking sheet.

Step 3: Bake them on a nonstick baking sheet for 3 hours at 250 degrees no salt or seasonings, please!

Youll want to flip the potatoes halfway through cooking for an even bake, but apart from that, these chews practically make themselves. Good luck keeping your pup out of the kitchen in the meantime!

With these nifty recipes and food storage hacks, you can keep your dogs treats fresh for longer than ever. Remember, not all ingredients stay their freshest in the same conditions, so read up on any produce or meats in your specific recipe. For example, some foods must be refrigerated to keep from spoiling, while others may turn faster due to the moisture in the fridge.

Dont fret if you cant figure out the best ways to preserve treats quite yet; sometimes trial and error are all you need. Besides, your four-legged sous-chef will happily help you sample a second batch. Bone appetit!

Editors' Recommendations

30 Super Easy Dog Treats Recipes Using 5 Ingredients or Less

Its no secret that dogs love treats. But if you buy your treats at the local pet food store, you often dont know whats in them what exactly is meat phosphoric acid? or how many calories it is, or if its safe for Fluffy or Fido to eat.

Theres a simple solution: bake your own treats. If youve never ventured into the canine culinary world, dont worry. Cooking for dogs is much less stressful than, say, putting together a four-course meal for an important client (or your mother-in-law). Dogs will love your treats, even if they look like, well, dog food. Just make sure to check your ingredients to avoid anything harmful to your dog, including artificial sweeteners like xylitol, raisins, chocolate, avocado, macadamia nuts and others that can be found here.

Related:Watch: Dog Catches Treats Tossed From Two-Story Balcony

Start simple. There are tons of recipes for yummy treats that have five ingredients or less, and the only skill you need is the ability to pre-heat your oven. Dont worry if you burn the first batch (and the second or the third), your dog will still love them.

Check out 30 dog treat recipes with five ingredients or less.

1. Quick and Easy Peanut Butter Treats

If your dog loves peanut butter, you cant go wrong with this simple recipe. All you need is flour, peanut butter, eggs and water. Mix it all together, add enough water to make dough, and roll it out. You can use cookie cutter shapes for a little professional pizazz. Bake for 20 minutes. These taste as good as they smell!

2.Super Simple Two-Ingredient Treats

This is a great starter recipe, and your dog will think youre a master baker. All you need is organic whole wheat flour and your choice (or your dogs) of pureed baby food. Mix together into a stiff dough, roll out and use a cookie cutter for a professional touch or a pizza cutter for cubes. Bake on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper (get the parchment paper at most grocery stores).

3.Frozen Peanut Butter Yogurt Treats

You come home after a long day, and all you want to do is veg in front of the TV with your friendly canine couch potato. He sits down to wait for his nightly treat, but you discover your cookie jar is empty. Youre way too tired to bake, so what do you do? Use this super simple two-ingredient recipe. Get some yogurt from the fridge, mix it together with peanut butter, dump into cupcake papers (you can use small paper or plastic cups if you dont have those on hand), and freeze. Nothing could be easier.

4.Banana-Almond Puppy Treats

These are soft and chewy, perfect for little puppy teeth. Youll need eggs, almond butter, bananas and cinnamon. Mash the banana, add the other ingredients, mix together using a fork, and spoon out small dollops onto a baking sheet. Bake, cool and release the puppy hounds.

5.Sweet Potato Fries

You wont be able to resist sharing these with your pooch. Theyre made with sweet potato, coconut oil, turmeric and cinnamon (both spices are safe and healthy for dogs). Wash and peel the potato, cut into strips, coat with oil and spices, spread out on a baking sheet and bake. Be sure to let these cool before letting your dog at them.

6.Chicken Wild Rice Treats

Wild rice is recommended, but any high-grade rice (just dont ever use feed rice) will do. Add diced or shredded chicken, a little rice flour (you can get Bobs Red Mill at many grocery stores), a little diced parsley and an egg. Pack the mixture into a mini muffin pan or silicon molds and bake.

7.Homemade (Bacon) Dog Treats

Easy to make and your dog will go crazy for these. Combine whole wheat flour, wheat germ, melted bacon fat (you get to eat the bacon!), 1 egg and water. Mix together into a dough, roll out and cut into small bars, poke little divots into them with a chopstick or something similar, place on a cookie sheet, and bake. Not only do they taste good, but they look beautiful, too.

8.Three-Ingredient Chicken Dog Biscuits

Whole wheat flour, oil, chicken stock thats it! Mix together into dough, roll out, cut into any shape and bake. These have a longer shelf life if you turn off the oven when theyre done and leave the biscuits in there until the oven cools. For softer biscuits, take them out of the oven to cool.

Related:Is This the Most Transparent Dog Food Company?

9.Yummy Gummy Treats

Bone broth is all the rage and now your pup can also reap the health benefits with This Dogs Life bone broth treats. Choose between beets, parsley or turmeric (or make them all!) and mix with water to puree. Combine your flavor with gelatin, before adding to hot bone broth. Put in gummy molds, freeze and enjoy!

10.Peanut Butter Banana Treats

If you use bone-shaped cookie cutters, these look much harder than they really are. All you need is uncooked oatmeal (the real stuff, not instant), a banana and peanut butter. Use a food processor or blender to grind the oats into a powder, mash the banana and peanut butter together and pour in the oats. Keep a tablespoon of oatmeal to dust the surface and roll out the mixture. Cut into shapes, place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet, and bake.

11.Pumpkin Carrot Bites

These are great for the holidays. (Why shouldnt dogs enjoy a little Thanksgiving goody?). Get canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filler), an egg, shredded carrot and whole wheat flour. Mix together into a batter, roll into small balls, place on baking sheet and bake. Youll get around four dozen. Store in refrigerator for longer shelf life.

12.Doggie Delights

Pumpkin puree, peanut butter, eggs and whole wheat flour: thats it. Youll need an electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or a food processor). First blend pumpkin puree, peanut butter, and eggs. Then gradually add flour until dough is no longer sticky. Knead the dough a little to smooth, roll out, cut into cute shapes, and bake. Your dog will swoon.

13.Frozen Pup Pops

All you need are some bananas, beets, blueberries, Greek yogurt and a carrot stick, and you got some yummy pup pops from This Dogs Life. Blend the bananas and yogurt, removing most of the mixture into cup. Then add the blueberries to the remaining banana/yogurt puree and blend. Scoop out. Finally return a little of the plain banana mixture to the blender and add beets. Layer the three separate mixtures into popsicle molds, put a carrot stick in and freeze.

14.Watermelon Dog Treats

This one has only three ingredients: watermelon (take out the seeds or get seedless), coconut milk or coconut water and honey. Put them in a blender and puree. Pour into ice cube tray (try this fruit-shaped one) and freeze. The best thing about these? You can eat them too.

15.Pumpkin-Blueberry-Bacon Pupsicles

All you need are five ingredients and a freezer. Get some canned pumpkin, fresh blueberries, bacon, water and rawhide chew sticks. (If you arent a fan of rawhides, you can use carrot sticks.) Blend together pumpkin, crumbled bacon and water until smooth, though leave or add some crumbled bacon bits. Get a popsicle mold, put three or four blueberries on the bottom, and pour the mixture on top. Use the rawhide chews for the popsicle sticks. Let freeze for a few hours. Serve with a tropical drink with an umbrella (only kidding).

16.Four-Ingedient Pumpkin Peanut Butter Treats

This only takes 5 minutes to make. Put pumpkin puree, chunky peanut butter and eggs into a bowl and beat. Add whole wheat flour and mix into dough. Roll out, cut out with cookie cutters and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake, cool and let your dog enjoy. Just make sure your dog doesnt react to grains as theres a lot of whole wheat in this recipe.

17.Salmon and Sweet Potato Brownies for Dogs

This may sound a little strange to humans, but dogs love them. Get a can of salmon, a (baked) sweet potato, eggs, coconut flour (you can get it here) and some coconut oil for greasing a pan. Stir together coconut flour, eggs, and salmon. Let sit for 10 minutes, then stir in the skinned sweet potato. Put into a pie or cake pan and bake. After it cools, cut into brownie squares.

18.Peanut Butter Oatmeal Dog Biscuits

Organic flour (unbleached), rolled or steel cut oats, peanut butter and hot water is all you need for this recipe. Mix flour, oats, peanut butter and hot water in that order. Knead the dough, roll out, cut into shapes and bake on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Allow to cool completely. Keeps for a week in an airtight container, up to three weeks in the fridge, and up to six months if frozen.

19.Sweet Potato Banana Dog Biscuits

Bake a sweet potato and scoop it out into a bowl. Mash it together with a banana. Add whole wheat flour, eggs, and whole oats. Knead the dough and shape into small squares, or use a cookie cutter. Bake on a parchment lined baking pan, and then leave in the oven to dry out. These look as good as they taste.

Related:Can Dogs Eat Bananas?

20.Cheesy Bone Treats

Note: These are not real bones (but your dog will love them). Theres only four ingredients: flour, cheddar cheese, oil and water, but you can add an egg for extra nutrition. Mix together the flour and cheese. Stir in the oil and water. Mix together until you have a stiff dough, and then roll out. Using a bone-shaped cookie cutter, cut into shapes. Load onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake.

21.Peanut Butter and Pumpkin Treats

It may not be a combo you would enjoy, but your dog will gobble these up. Combine whole wheat flour, pumpkin puree and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl. Add either chicken, beef or vegetable stock, and mix together into a thick dough. Roll out until inch thick, and use a cookie cutter of your choice. Place shapes onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake until golden brown.

22.Apple Carrot Treats

They make great gifts stored in a Mason jar for the dog in your dogs life. Choose either whole wheat, brown rice, or gluten-free flour. Mix in grated carrots, an egg and unsweetened apple sauce. Blend together until dough forms, roll into small balls about inch thick, and bake on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake until golden brown and let cool on a wire rack. You can mix up the design by using a variety of different cookie cutters.

23.Easy as Pumpkin Pie Cookies

Even the baking-challenged can make these. All you have to do is slowly blend an egg, 2/3 cup canned pumpkin, and a little cinnamon into 1 cup whole wheat flour and work together until you have dough. Roll it out, cut it out, and place on either a parchment paper lined sheet pan or a non-stick cookie pan. Bake until theyre crisp, and then let them cool. Thats it!

24.Carob Crunchers

We all know chocolate is a big no, no for dogs, which is why carob has been a godsend. These carob crunchers not only provide a little sweetness for our pups but are also gluten- and wheat-free. Combine rice flour, carob powder, cinnamon, vanilla extract and water into a bowl. Create a dough ball and then roll out on floured surface. Cut with a cookie cutter (these hearts are super cute), bake and then refrigerate.

25.Bacon Cheddar Dog Treats

All dogs love bacon and cheese. For these quick and easy treats, fry up some bacon until crispy (or pick some up from your local greasy spoon). Let it cool on a paper towel. Put the bacon into a mixer, blender, or food processor, add shredded cheddar cheese and milled oatmeal. When the ingredients are blended, add a couple of eggs, and work into a dough. Roll it out, cut into shapes, and pop in the oven. Your dog will love you forever.

26.Grain-Free Dog Treats

These are healthy, yummy and easy to make with only 5 ingredients: coconut flour, peanut butter (or any other nut butter), eggs, coconut oil and sweet potato (or pumpkin) puree. Mix them all together in bowl and form the dough into a ball. Roll out on parchment paper, cut into shapes and transfer to a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake only for 12 to 15 minutes until hard. If you want to be fancy, you can add in shredded carrots and parsley.

27.Fruity Frosty Frozen Hearts

This recipe is open to improvisation, depending on what you have on hand. Its really simple. Just put some seeded, peeled chunks of watermelon in a bowl, add raspberries (or blueberries, strawberries, melons, pears or pineapples) and blend with a fork into a pink mixture with a few chunks of fruit left for texture. If you want it smoother, pop in a blender. Pour into heart molds, cover the tray with plastic wrap, and freeze.

Related:Boris and Horton: New York Citys First Dog Caf Set to Open This Year

28.Vegan Grain-Free Dog Treats

This is good for dogs with grain allergies. You need only three ingredients: oat or rice flour, mashed banana and peanut butter. Mash the banana into the peanut butter. Add the flour, and mix into dough. Chill the dough for 20 minutes, then roll out on parchment paper and cut out shapes. Transfer to a parchment-lined cookie sheet, and poke holes in the center so steam can escape. Bake, cool and let the treating begin.

29.Frozen Apple Dog Treats

This is so easy, a toddler can make it. Take two apples and slice into small pieces after removing the seeds and core. Mix the slices into one cup of non-fat Greek plain yogurt. Put into a blender with a little water and blend into a liquid. Pour into an ice cube tray (trays with shapes makes them pretty) and freeze until hard.

30.Diabetic Dog Treats

If your dog has diabetes, its hard to find them treats they can enjoy safely. The solution? Make them yourself. This recipe has only three ingredients: whole wheat flour, beef liver and eggs. Put the liver in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add flour and eggs and blend until smooth. Line a jellyroll pan with parchment paper, and spread the mixture evenly in the pan. Bake for 15 minutes (or until center is firm with the consistency of sponge cake), and then cut into squares (a pizza cutter works best). Dogs without diabetes will love these, too.