Finding ready-made, raw, natural, and healthy dog treats might be time-consuming and challenging for pet owners. Many items on the market may not be the best for your dog’s health because they frequently contain artificial substances, preservatives, and other additives. Sometimes, even products labelled “natural” or “organic” do not meet the highest AAFCO criteria for nutrition and quality.
In this scenario, the best alternative is making homemade dog treats. It is quick and straightforward and gives you complete control over what goes into your dog’s treats, ensuring they are safe, wholesome, and made per their dietary requirements. Pet Life Expert has rounded up the top treat recipes that will surely improve your pup’s immunity and well-being.
Importance of Homemade Dog Treat Recipes for Pet
Treating your dog to healthy and nutritious food is the key to ensuring its well-being. Homemade recipes can also make it more affordable and practical for pets and their owners.
Ingredient Control
Homemade dog treat recipes to give you complete control over the quality and quantity of ingredients. Additionally, you can avoid allergic foods to prevent any kind of food sensitivities in dogs.
Avoiding Artificial Additives
Commercial foods often come with artificial preservatives, flavors, and dyes. Making your food can help you create well-balanced and grain-free dog treat recipes for your feline friend.
Perfect Bonding
Making dog treat recipes and serving on your own can help you strengthen the bond between pet parents, allowing you to have quality time to show affection and even train them to eat the food that is beneficial for their health.
Improved Health
When you prepare a meal on your own, considering the nutritional needs of your small, large, or senior dogs, you positively impact their health, adding to their life and improving their energy.
Vet-Verified Yet Simple Dog Treat Recipes | 5 Top Options
Organic dog treat recipes can help pet owners with cost-effective yet nutritious food options to feed their pups. Therefore, we’ve compiled a list of the best dog treat recipes ever. Let’s proceed with it.
1. Glazed Carob Heart Cookies
It is one of the simplest yet yummy recipes at home that requires baking and glazing. This recipe contains 62 calories per cookie, which can be served at least 2 times.
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/4 cup cornmeal
- 3 tbsp. carob powder
- 1/4 cup water (more may be needed)
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 tbsp unsalted peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon honey
Equipment
- Cookie trays
- 3 Bowls
- Whisk
- Rolling pin
- Piping bag or spatula
For the Glaze
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1/2 cup low-fat plain Greek yoghurt
- 1 tablespoon honey
Procedure
- Set the oven to 400°F. Line a few cookie baking trays with parchment paper and set them aside.
- Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, and carob powder in a bowl.
- Combine the egg, water, oil, peanut butter, and honey separately.
- To make the dough, combine the dry and wet components and stir.
- Roll out the dough until it is about 1/4″ thick.
- Cut out cookies using heart-shaped cookie cutters (or any other shape!).
- After 15 minutes of baking, let it cool in the oven for 10 minutes.
- In the third bowl, combine the glaze ingredients.
- The icing can be applied to the cookies using a spatula or piping bag.
- Before serving, place the glazed cookies in the refrigerator for at least four hours.
2. Marbled Pumpkin and Carob Dog Treats
If you are looking for dog treat recipes without peanut butter, this pumpkin and carob recipe is for you. This simple recipe contains 190 calories per cookie and can be served almost 10-12 times.
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons melted vegetable oil
- Half cup powdered roasted carob
- 5 tbsp + 1 tbsp canned 100% pure pumpkin puree
Equipment
- Baking sheets
- Bowl
- Rolling pin
- Cookie cutter
- Toothpicks
Procedure
- Turn the oven on to 350°F.
- Combine eggs, coconut oil, maple syrup or honey, and five tablespoons of pumpkin puree in a bowl.
- A little at a time, start stirring in the flour. You should be able to knead the dough until it is smooth but not sticky. You might not need to use all three cups of flour to do this.
- Divide the dough into three equal parts and reserve two of them.
- Keep the remaining amount in the bowl and knead the tablespoon of pumpkin puree and carob powder.
- After everything is done, refrigerate the dough for approximately half an hour.
- After the dough has cooled, remove it from the fridge and divide it into 1-inch balls.
- Knead all dough balls in arbitrary patterns to make the snacks appear marbled.
- Once finished, cut out forms for your snacks and roll the dough to 1/4″ thickness.
- To prevent the goodies from bubbling, cut tiny holes in each one with a toothpick several times before baking them.
- Bake for fifteen to eighteen minutes. After cooling, serve!
3. Carob Peanut Butter Balls
This is one of the most straightforward dog treat recipes. It doesn’t require baking and takes little time to prepare. This high-fat peanut butter recipe is safe for humans to eat.
Ingredients
- 1/8 cup plain quick oatmeal
- 1/2 cup smooth, natural peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup (optional)
- 2 tablespoons carob powder
Equipment
- A bowl
- Piping Bag (optional)
Procedure
- First, combine maple syrup, peanut butter, and oats in a bowl.
- Mix all these ingredients and make marble-sized balls by hand.
- Then, roll these balls in the carob powder completely.
- Put all the balls on a tray and keep them in a freezer for at least an hour.
- When done, take them out and simply give them to your dog in meals.
4. Carob, Peanut Butter, and Peanuts Dog Treats
When it comes to dog treats, peanut butter is the best combination together. It’s another easy dog treat that contains 237 calories per cookie and can be served 18 times.
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 6 ounces of carob chips
- 2/3 cup plain applesauce
- 1/2 cup unsalted peanut butter
- 1/2 cup unsalted, chopped peanuts
- 4 cups oat flour (more if necessary)
Equipment
- Rolling pin
- Large bowl
- Baking sheets
- 2 Shallow bowls
- Parchment paper
- Cookie or Bone-shaped cookie cutter
Procedure
- Turn on the oven and set the heat to 350°F.
- Align proper baking sheets using parchment paper.
- Mix oat flour, peanut butter, applesauce, and eggs in a large bowl.
- More flour can be added if the dough is sticky, and mix it thoroughly
- Roll the dough out until it becomes 1/4” thick.
- Cut the treats using cookie cutters and then place shapes on baking sheets.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes until they turn slightly dark from the edges.
- Set the cookies aside to cool down a little bit.
- Meanwhile, use a shallow bowl to melt carob chips.
- Then, stir until it gets smooth, and place chopped peanuts in a bowl.
- Next up, take cooled dog treats and dip the top of one half into the carob.
- Then, roll that half in the chopped peanuts quickly.
- Finally, you can serve the treats aside and serve when the carob hardens.
5. Peanut Butter and Carob Dog Treats
If you don’t want to serve peanut butter, your next option can be pumpkin dog treat recipes that can be an interesting combination. This recipe might contain 190 calories per cookie with almost 12 servings.
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoon water
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1/3 cup fine polenta
- 30 carob buttons
- 1/3 cup unsalted peanut butter
- 1/4 cup carob powder
Equipment
- Medium bowl
- Baking sheets
Procedure
- Set the oven for preheating to 350°F.
- Now, mix eggs and peanut butter in a bowl.
- Add polenta, rolled oats, and carob powder to the mixed paste.
- Add the tablespoons of water if the mixture is thick.
- Stir it thoroughly until the mixture is combined.
- Then, make balls of walnut size by rolling the mixture.
- Bake it for about 25 minutes and let them cool for at least 10 minutes.
- Serve the cookies to your dog once they cool down.
Final Thoughts
When serving delicious and equally healthy food to your pup, nothing compares to homemade dog treat recipes. You can serve the best dog treats to your furry pup by trying any healthy and nutritious recipes in this comprehensive guide. By reviewing these easy and budget-friendly dog food recipe options, every pet owner can serve the best meal to their pets. Make sure you follow the same quantity of ingredients to get the exact number of servings for your dog.
FAQs | Frequently Asked Questions
Are Homemade Dog Treat Recipes Worth It Instead of Store Purchases?
Yes! It’s worth it because it allows you to control the amount and quality of ingredients your pup gets per their dietary sensitivities. To ensure wholesome and nutritious food, you can avoid artificial additives, flavors, preservatives, and fillers in commercial treats.
Is It Safe to Serve Homemade Dog Treats to My Dog?
Of course! Home made dog food is the best choice for your dog because it uses hypoallergenic or high-quality ingredients, ensuring safe cooking practices. Ensure you research the ingredients properly to avoid giving toxic food to your dog.
What’s the Ideal Hack to Store Homemade Dog Treats?
Storing food for dogs entirely depends on the recipe, whether it’s dry or wet. Dry treats are suggested to be stored in an airtight container at room temperature, while wet food or fresh items like fruits or vegetables need to be consumed within a few days. Also, some foods can be frozen.
Do Homemade Treats Improve Dog’s Nutrition?
Yes! Homemade food allows you to add nutrient-rich ingredients safe for your dog’s health, like vegetables, fruits, healthy fats, and lean proteins. This step can supplement your pup’s diet with vital minerals, vitamins, carbs, and fibres to improve your dog’s health.
What Should Be the Time to Serve Dog Homemade Treats?
When it comes to healthy dog treats, you should include only a tiny portion of them for calorie intake. You can give this treat as a special reward and training without overfeeding rather than guaranteeing the primary food source.
