5 Easy Homemade Dog Treat Recipes

Making your own dog treats is one of the easier kitchen projects, and most of the ingredients are already in your pantry. You control what goes in, you skip the preservatives and mystery fillers, and you can make small batches sized for your dog. The trade-off is that homemade treats have no preservatives, so they don't last as long as shop-bought ones, and a few common kitchen ingredients are genuinely dangerous to dogs.

This guide covers the ingredients to avoid first, then five recipes: baked pumpkin biscuits, oven-dried sweet potato chews, chicken jerky strips, frozen peanut butter and banana bites, and frozen broth cubes for hot days. All measurements are metric, and a cup means 250 mL.

Ingredients to Keep Out of Every Dog Treat

Check this list before you start, and check the label of anything from a packet.

• Xylitol. A sweetener found in some peanut butters, sugar-free products and baking goods. It is highly toxic to dogs and can cause a rapid drop in blood sugar and liver damage. Always read the peanut butter label, and see VCA's guide to xylitol toxicity for signs and what to do.
• Chocolate and cocoa. Carob is the dog-safe alternative.
• Macadamia nuts. Common in Australian kitchens and toxic to dogs.
• Grapes, sultanas, raisins and currants.
• Onion and garlic. This includes powders, and stocks or broths made with them.
• Added salt and sugar. Not toxic in small amounts, but there is no reason to add either.
• Cooked bones. They can splinter.

If your dog has a known food allergy or is on a vet-prescribed diet, check any new ingredient with your vet first.

Recipe 1: Baked Pumpkin Biscuits

A soft, mild biscuit that suits most dogs and freezes well.

Makes: about 30 small biscuits | Prep: 15 minutes | Cook: 25 to 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 250 g plain cooked pumpkin, mashed (no salt, butter or spices)
• 1 egg
• 250 g wholemeal plain flour, plus extra for rolling
• 1 to 2 tablespoons of water, only if the dough is dry

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced) and line a tray with baking paper.
2. Mix the pumpkin and egg, then stir in the flour until a stiff dough forms. Add water a little at a time if it won't come together.
3. Roll out to about 5 mm thick on a floured surface and cut into bite-sized pieces. Smaller is better for training.
4. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until firm and lightly golden. Cool completely on a rack.

Storage: airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 3 months.

Recipe 2: Oven-Dried Sweet Potato Chews

One ingredient, and a chewy texture dogs tend to love.

Makes: varies with the size of the sweet potato | Prep: 10 minutes | Cook: 2.5 to 3 hours

Ingredients

• 1 large sweet potato, scrubbed (skin on is fine)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 120°C (100°C fan-forced) and line a tray with baking paper.
2. Slice the sweet potato lengthways into strips 6 to 8 mm thick.
3. Bake for 2.5 to 3 hours, flipping halfway. Around 2.5 hours gives a chewy strip, and closer to 3 hours gives a firmer one.
4. Cool completely before serving.

Storage: airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 2 months. Chewy strips can be tough for very small dogs, so cut them into short pieces.

Recipe 3: Chicken Jerky Strips

A high-value reward for training, where a dog needs something more exciting than a biscuit.

Makes: about 20 strips | Prep: 15 minutes | Cook: 2.5 to 3 hours

Ingredients

• 500 g skinless chicken breast, trimmed of fat

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 100°C (fan-forced) and line a tray with baking paper.
2. Freeze the chicken for 30 minutes to firm it up, then slice into strips about 5 mm thick.
3. Bake for 2.5 to 3 hours until the strips are dry and leathery with no pink inside. The meat must be cooked through to a safe internal temperature (74°C).
4. Cool completely.

Storage: airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 2 months. Because these are meat-based and unpreserved, take them from the fridge only as needed. Lean red meats work the same way if your dog does better away from chicken, cooked through in the same way.

Recipe 4: Frozen Peanut Butter and Banana Bites

A summer favourite. Check the peanut butter label for xylitol before you buy.

Makes: about 20 small bites | Prep: 10 minutes | Freeze: 4 hours

Ingredients

• 130 g natural peanut butter (peanuts only, no xylitol, no added salt or sugar)
• 1 ripe banana
• 120 g plain unsweetened yoghurt (no sweetener)
• 60 mL water

Method

1. Blend everything until smooth.
2. Pour into small silicone moulds or an ice cube tray.
3. Freeze for at least 4 hours, then pop out and serve.

Storage: freezer for up to 2 months. Yoghurt contains lactose, which some dogs handle poorly, so start with one bite. If your dog struggles with dairy, replace the yoghurt with extra banana and water.

Recipe 5: Frozen Broth Cubes

The simplest recipe here, and a good way to cool a dog down on a hot day.

Makes: 1 tray | Prep: 5 minutes | Freeze: 4 hours

Ingredients

• 500 mL salt-free chicken or beef stock, with no onion or garlic (check the label, or simmer chicken with carrot and water yourself)

Method

1. Pour the cooled stock into an ice cube tray.
2. Freeze for at least 4 hours.
3. Serve one or two cubes on a hot day.

Storage: freezer for up to 3 months.

How Many Homemade Treats Is Too Many?

Homemade or shop-bought, treats should stay under 10 percent of your dog's daily calories, and these recipes are not nutritionally complete on their own. A small dog might get one or two biscuits or strips a day, and a large dog a handful of small pieces. For a full breakdown of portion sizes during training sessions, see how many treats to give a dog.

Homemade or Shop-Bought?

Homemade treats give you full control of the ingredients, which suits dogs with sensitivities. Shop-bought treats win on shelf life, consistency and convenience, especially for training, where you need a small, reliable, high-value reward in your pocket. Many owners use both: homemade for at-home rewards, and a dependable packet for walks and classes. If you want a shop-bought option, the natural dog treats collection covers the range.