5 mouth-watering homemade pumpkin dog treats

We know how much you love your canine companion and these tasty pumpkin dog treats are the perfect way to show it! Winter, spring, summer or fall, it’s always the right time for delicious and nutritious pumpkin and the recipes below contain a mix of sweet and savory options to suit every foodie fur baby.

There’s nothing wrong with sticking to the best dog food when it comes to what you feed your pooch, but sometimes it can be nice to mix things up a bit and add a little dash of variety to their daily diet. 

Treats are great as a reward for good behavior and they’re also a really helpful training tool - nothing gets a dog to follow orders quite like knowing something yummy awaits them at the end! While the best dog treats lining the supermarket shelves are more than adequate for this, there’s something about the taste of homemade snacks that makes them extra special. 

With that in mind, we’ve rounded up the most mouth-watering and packed-full-of-goodness recipes we could find with homemade pumpkin dog treats that tick all the boxes. 

• DIY vegan dog treats
• DIY peanut butter dog treats

Banana and pumpkin dog treats

Ingredients:

• 1 very ripe banana
• ½ can pumpkin purée
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1½ cups whole wheat flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. In a large bowl, mix banana, pumpkin, and honey. I find using my hands works best.
3. Add flour and baking powder and work into the mixture. If it’s too wet, add more flour. It should be a dry dough.
4. Roll it out in a little flour and cut out shapes with a cookie cutter.
5. Place on a baking tray covered with parchment paper and bake for 10–12 minutes. They should be lightly golden.
6. Cool on a wire rack.
7. Store in a jar with a closed lid.

Recipe courtesy of sweetpaulmag.com

Pumpkin and spinach dog treats

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup fresh baby spinach (finely chopped)
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley (finely chopped)
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp wheat germ
• 1/4 tsp pink Himalayan salt

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Line baking tray with parchment or silicone baking mat
3. Put flour into a small bowl and add salt, stir to mix 
4. Finely chop spinach and parsley
5. Put spinach, parsley, pumpkin puree and eggs into a large bowl
6. Use a wooden spoon to mix ingredients together well
7. Add wheat germ and stir into mixture
8. Add flour, a bit at a time, stirring well to mix between additions

Recipe courtesy of wiggleworthy.com

Healthy pumpkin and coconut dog treats

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of pureed pumpkin (canned or fresh)
• 2 tablespoons of coconut oil, softened
• 4 tablespoons of water, plus more if needed
• 2 cups of whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1 egg

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degree F.
2. Mix the pumpkin, softened coconut oil, and water together in a large bowl.
3. Then mix in the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and baking powder
4. Mix it a bit and then stir in the egg.
5. Continue to stir until it’s ALL combined. This might take a good few minutes and feel free to add a touch more water in order to get all of the mixture into one solid, slightly sticky ball.
6. Once done, roll the dough out on a floured surface to ~1/4 inch thick.
7. Using a cookie cutter, cut out treats. These can be as small or as large as you want them (depending on the size of your dogs. I realize not everyone has giant dogs like me)
8. Place prepared dough treats on a lined/ greased baking sheet and bake for ~30 minutes (depending on size) or until dough has hardened.
9. Let cool and enjoy your pups excitement!

Note:

If you don’t cook these treats until they’re totally dry and hard (like a traditional dog biscuit) then you need to store these in the refrigerator. Either way, it wouldn’t hurt to put them in the fridge to store them.

Recipe courtesy of foodwithfeeling.com

Vegetable dog biscuits

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup ground dog dry food pieces
• 2 cups carrot, grated
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yoghurt
• 4 oz (114g) cooked and mashed sweet potato, pumpkin, apple
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking powder

Method:

1. Line cookie trays with baking paper.
2. Grind the dry dog food into flour consistency in a food processor or blender.
3. Mix dog food, carrots, yogurt, and vegetables / fruit in a medium size bowl.
4. Add the flour and the baking powder, mix well.
5. Take a ball of dough and place on a flat, floured surface. Roll the dough out to approximately ¼ inch thick. TIP - Roll dough out on parchment paper for easier clean up.
6. Use cookie/fondant cutters to cut out shapes. Place on prepared cookie trays.
7. Bake at 350˚F or 180˚C for 15 minutes, flip over and bake for another 15 minutes.
8. Place on a cooling rack to cool.
9. Store in an airtight container. 

Recipe courtesy of simplelivingcreativelearning.com

Pumpkin and peanut butter dog treats

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 2 large eggs
• 2 1/2 – 3 cups whole wheat flour

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat; set aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat pumpkin puree, peanut butter and eggs on medium-high until well combined, about 1-2 minutes. Gradually add 2 1/2 cups flour at low speed, beating just until incorporated. Add an additional 1/4 cup flour at a time just until the dough is no longer sticky.
3. Working on a lightly floured surface, knead the dough 3-4 times until it comes together. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Using cookie cutters, cut out desired shapes and place them onto the prepared baking sheet.
4. Place into the oven and bake until the edges are golden brown, about 20-25 minutes depending on the size and thickness of the treats.
5. Let cool completely.

Recipe courtesy of damndelicious.net