We all love treats — including our four-legged best friends. But since a healthy dog will devour many things without knowing if it’s good for them, it’s up to us to make sure they get the good stuff. Using these easy and inexpensive recipes and hacks to make wholesome dog treats is a smart way to do it. Just stick to whole foods in the recipes and avoid using ingredients such as salt, sugars, and corn syrup, artificial colorants, vegetable oil, nitrates, and even brewer’s rice or white rice that can play havoc with their blood sugar levels.
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Peanut Butter Treats
Peanut butter biscuits are always a winner. “From the moment the peanut butter scent comes out of the kitchen, they know they’re in for a treat,” says co-founder and editor-in-chief of Animalso Alexandra Seagal. “I also use brown rice flour because it’s more nutritious and a good alternative for wheat-based products.”
Recipe: Fountain Avenue Kitchen
Related: 18 Things You Didn’t Know About Peanut Butter and Jelly
Liver Cake
While starting from a recipe for a traditional liver cake treat, Meg Marrs, founder of Safer Senior Care, substitutes “flax eggs” for real eggs and rice flour for normal flour. “After many trials, I found a recipe that works well, is healthy, and is pretty simple,” Marrs says.
Recipe: Liana’s Kitchen
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Sweet Ginger Apple Dog Treats
The go-to gluten-free recipe for Sweet Ginger Apple Dog Treats used by Emma Williams of Our Fit Pets “contains pumpkin, rich in vitamin A and potassium, which will help regulate your pup’s blood pressure and improve their muscle health. Your dog won’t be able to resist the sweet goodness.”
Recipe: Our Fit Pets
Related: 13 Things to Do With Pumpkin Guts
Training Treats
Training treats are usually smaller, easy-to-carry nuggets. “Dog treats can be crazy expensive, and dogs have definite preferences about what foods they find rewarding, so we were so excited that a member of our community shared this DIY training treat recipe with us,” says Jessica Yergin, co-founder of the online dog training community Tails of Connection.
Recipe: Tails of Connection
Related: The Easiest and Hardest Dog Breeds to Train
Chicken Soup
CBD hemp oil is an approved supplement for a dog’s diet, and collagen-rich chicken combined with the healthy oil nets a flavorful “soup” for a dog featuring chicken bone broth and fresh broccoli.
Recipe: Pet Releaf
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Goat Milk Yogurt & Banana Parfait
A smashing “dessert” for a dog? Better than sugary ice cream, this recipe is a three-ingredient creamy frozen treat loaded with vitamins, potassium, and fiber — just what the vet ordered on a hot day.
Recipe: Pet Releaf
Apple Mint Dog Bones
These Apple Mint Dog Bones were created as a healthy treat for the holidays and beyond. The mint aids digestion and helps control bad breath, while the broth supports bone and joint health. Give it to dogs who can tolerate wheat and a tiny bit of dry milk.
Recipe: Brutus Broth
Related: 32 Facts You Didn’t Know About Dogs
Cottage Cheese Dog Biscuit
A favorite of Kiki Kane, dog chef and Rover blogger, this treat combines five ingredients including cottage cheese and oatmeal: “I like to make this with coconut oil as a swap for the flaxseed oil for its creamy smooth flavor,” Kane says.
Recipe: Rover
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Egg and Oyster Delight
Oysters and eggs give a double protein punch with loads of trace minerals “This recipe provides something new and delicious to train my dogs. It’s great for rewarding behavior because it’s aromatic and delicious and it cuts nicely into small squares and doesn’t crumble,” Canadian pro dog trainer Kristi Benson says.
Recipe: Kristi Benson
Beef Jerky
These treats store for weeks in an airtight container, modern homesteader Katy Willis says. Want to boost their tooth-cleaning power? Sprinkle on some seaweed powder before you dry them.
Recipe: Real Self Sufficiency
Chicken Dog Treats
Real chicken, broth, parmesan cheese, and shredded carrots accompany wheat flour and egg — for dogs who have no dietary issues with the ingredients — for a savory treat by Sues Anderson, a Boston-based lifestyle blogger.
Recipe: We Are Not Martha
Sweet Potato and Leftover Turkey Homemade Dog Treats
You can do a lot with holiday leftovers, but Shelley used it to treat her dogs. She calls them “the perfect way to use up leftover Thanksgiving turkey, or any time of year with leftover chicken.”
Recipe: Two Healthy Kitchens
Gluten-Free Vegan Biscuits
Evan Moyle, owner of doggiefetch.com caters to dogs with more stringent dietary needs. “We also wanted to make sure dogs with health issues have treat options,” he says.
Recipe: Doggie Fetch
Turkey Pumpkin Gelatin Dog Treat
Melissa and Donna Gundersen, the mother and daughter founders of Proud Dog Mom, incorporate unflavored gelatin with either turkey or chicken to make chewy “bones” for dogs who need a softer treat.
Recipe: Proud Dog Mom
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Baked Pumpkin Dog Treats
Pumpkin, egg, and peanut butter is whipped and baked in a standout recipe from Alex Willen, founder of Cooper’s Treats.
Recipe: Cooper’s Dog Treats
Peanut Butter and Yogurt Frozen Dog Treats
This treat is a bit messy for a dog to consume, especially in hot weather when they’ll melt fast. But in storage, “since they’re frozen, they’ll last longer than baked treats,” says Sadie Cornelius of Canine Journal.
Recipe: Canine Journal
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Peanut Butter Pupcakes
Peanut butter and apple pupcakes will use that mini muffin tin in the back of the pantry. Hannah Stember of Best Friends Animal Society shares a recipe that combines quick oats, unsweetened applesauce, cinnamon, and a bit of agave syrup.
Recipe: Best Friends
Cheddar-Bacon Dog Treats
The smell of these baking might tempt humans, since bacon and cheddar cheese are half the ingredients in a recipe from Good Housekeeping writer Stephanie Eckelkamp. The biscuits keep well at room temperature, too.
Recipe: Good Housekeeping
Grain-Free Salmon Pumpkin Dog Treats
There are loads of nutrients in a treat created with surplus salmon. This recipe makes well over 60 per batch for around $8 or $9, says Beth Manos Brickey of Tasty Yummies.
Recipe: Tasty Yummy
A Fruit or Vegetable a Day
A fresh fruit or vegetable can also be a dog treat. “Obesity is a huge problem in dogs,” and overfeeding of treats is often a culprit, says Rachel Barrack of Animal Acupuncture in New York. “Try something different, like apples, bananas, carrots, cucumbers, peppers, pumpkin — no canned pumpkin pie filling — and watermelons.”
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