Can Dogs Eat Anzac Biscuits?

Written by

Serena Faber-NelsonUpdated 23 September 2026 · 6 Min Read

Pet lifestyle expert Serena Faber-Nelson is the founder of Pretty Fluffy. A contributor to Everyday with Rachael Ray, Modern Dog Magazine, Cesars Way and more; her modern, stylized take on DIY dog treats has seen her recipes viewed millions of times over. Serena is the author of the go-to dog mom bible, Dog Mama, and the popular dog treat recipe book, Healthy Homemade Dog Treats.

Not the ones cooling on your bench. Traditional Anzac biscuits are built on butter, sugar and golden syrup, which is precisely what makes them so good with a cup of tea and a poor idea for a dog. Nothing in the classic recipe is outright toxic, but the combination is rich enough to cause trouble, and modern versions often add ingredients that genuinely are dangerous.

The good news is that the two ingredients doing the actual work, oats and coconut, are both fine for dogs. Swap the rest and you get a biscuit your dog can share on the day. That recipe is further down, along with what to do if a biscuit has already gone missing off the coffee table.

The Short Answer on Anzac Biscuits and Dogs

Dogs should not eat traditional Anzac biscuits. They are not poisonous, and a healthy medium-sized dog who steals one is very unlikely to come to harm, but they are high in sugar and saturated fat, which can cause stomach upset and contribute to weight gain, dental problems and, in sensitive dogs, pancreatitis. The real risk sits in the variations: chocolate, raisins, sultanas, macadamias and sugar-free sweeteners are all toxic to dogs and all turn up in modern Anzac recipes.

So it is a no for the human version, and a yes for a dog-safe batch made without the butter and sugar, which is the same swap behind most of the dog treat recipes here.

What Goes Into a Traditional Anzac Biscuit

The classic recipe is short: rolled oats, flour, shredded coconut (desiccated, in Australian recipes), butter, sugar, golden syrup and bicarbonate of soda. It was designed to survive a sea voyage to soldiers serving in the First World War, which is why it contains no egg and no milk, and why it keeps so well in a tin.

Looked at one ingredient at a time, most of that list is harmless for dogs. Oats are a genuinely good source of fiber. Plain unsweetened coconut is fine in small amounts, and turns up in plenty of dog baking, including these no-bake coconut dog treats. Flour is a filler rather than a risk. The problems are butter, sugar and syrup, and whatever has been stirred in on top.

Why Anzac Biscuits Are Not Ok for Dogs

Sugar and golden syrup

A traditional batch carries a lot of both. Dogs have no dietary need for added sugar, and a regular habit contributes to weight gain, dental disease and blood sugar problems in dogs already prone to them. One stolen biscuit is not a crisis. A biscuit a day for a fortnight is a different matter. If you want something sweet-tasting to hand out instead, the dental and treat options in this guide to the best dog treats are built for the purpose.

Butter and saturated fat

This is the one most owners underestimate. A sudden load of fat is a recognized trigger for pancreatitis, which is painful, sometimes serious, and more likely in small breeds, overweight dogs and dogs who have had it before. Signs to watch for after a rich raid include repeated vomiting, a hunched posture, refusing food and obvious abdominal discomfort.

The add-ins that are genuinely toxic

Plain Anzac biscuits are one thing. The versions people actually bake now often include chocolate chips, raisins or sultanas, or macadamias, and all three are toxic to dogs. Grapes and their dried forms can cause acute kidney failure in some dogs at unpredictable doses. Macadamias cause weakness, tremors and vomiting. Chocolate is dose-dependent and dangerous. Sugar-free or "healthy" versions can contain xylitol, which is the most dangerous of the lot, and which is covered in more detail alongside these homemade dog breath mints.

Coconut in quantity

Coconut is not toxic, but it is oily, and a large amount at once can cause loose stools. In biscuit-sized portions it is a non-issue.

What to Do If Your Dog Ate an Anzac Biscuit

Check the ingredients first, because that determines everything. If the biscuit was plain, the usual advice is to feed something bland at the next meal, offer water, and watch for vomiting or diarrhea over the next day.

Call your vet promptly, without waiting for symptoms, if the biscuit contained chocolate, raisins, sultanas or macadamias, if anything was sugar-free, if your dog is very small, diabetic or has a history of pancreatitis, or if your dog worked through most of a batch. Take the packet or recipe with you, since quantity and ingredients are the first things you will be asked. If you want to hand over something safe instead of the tin, these peanut butter dog cookies take about ten minutes.

Dog-Friendly Anzac Biscuits: The Recipe

Same shape, same smell, none of the butter or refined sugar. Applesauce does the binding work that butter usually does, which keeps the fat down without turning the biscuit into a rock. It makes 16, and it is one of the simplest recipes in the Healthy Homemade Dog Treats collection to get right first time.

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour (wholemeal)
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 3/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut (desiccated)
• 3 tablespoons golden syrup
• 250g applesauce, about 1 cup

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350F (175C) and line a flat baking tray with baking paper.
2. Combine the flour, oats and coconut in a bowl.
3. Mix the applesauce and golden syrup in a separate bowl, then add to the dry ingredients and mix until fully combined.
4. Scoop out bite-sized pieces with a spoon, roll into small balls and place on the lined tray. Flatten each one with the back of a fork.
5. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown.
6. Cool completely on a rack before serving.

Swaps and storage

Golden syrup can be swapped for treacle. For a lower-sugar batch, leave the syrup out altogether and add an extra two tablespoons of applesauce or half a mashed banana, which gives you sweetness from fruit instead. The dough will be slightly wetter, so allow an extra minute or two in the oven.

Store the cooled biscuits in an airtight container for up to five days, or freeze for up to three months and thaw at room temperature. If your kitchen is humid, the fridge keeps them crisper. For another batch in the same spirit, Master Bowie's calming cookies are made to be shared between dog and human.

How Many to Give, by Dog Size

Homemade or not, these are treats, and treats belong at roughly a tenth of a dog's daily calories. The biscuits are small, so use this as a starting point and scale it to the size you rolled.

Cut back on meals a little on baking days, introduce the first biscuit on its own and wait a day before making it a habit, and check with your vet first if your dog is diabetic, overweight or on a prescription diet. For a crunchier option to alternate with, the peanut butter ginger snaps keep just as well.

Baking for Anzac Day With Your Dog

Keep the human tin on a high shelf and hand your dog one of theirs. The recipe doubles well if you are baking for the neighborhood dogs too.

For a recipe a week, including a whole section for special occasions, there is the 52 Weeks of Treats ebook, now in its second edition with more than thirty recipes and an allergies guide.