15 Homemade Dog Treat Recipes

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Serena Faber-Nelson Updated 1 September 2026 · 8 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.

I have been making homemade dog treats for fifteen years, long enough to have written two books about it and to know which recipes people come back to. These are those recipes: all Pretty Fluffy originals, tested in my own kitchen.

Homemade dog treats are baked or frozen snacks you make yourself from whole ingredients such as oats, peanut butter, pumpkin, sweet potato or lean meat, instead of buying commercial biscuits. Most take under 30 minutes of hands-on work, cost a fraction of store-bought treats, and let you skip the salt, sugar and preservatives that pad out packaged snacks. Like any treat, they should stay within about 10% of your dog's daily calories.

They are grouped by what you need on the day: something quick with no oven, a batch of biscuits, a meaty chew, or something gentle for a puppy. Sensitive to grains? Start with our grain free dog treat recipes or our sugar free dog treats.

Easy No Bake Dog Treats

These are the ones I reach for when the oven is busy or it is too hot to turn it on. Fifteen minutes in a bowl, then the fridge. Our frozen dog treat recipes work the same way.

1. No Bake Peanut Butter Balls

The recipe that started it all, and still the one I recommend to first-time bakers. Under five ingredients, five steps, no oven. Human-friendly too, which I mention only because you will end up eating one.

Get the recipe: DIY No Bake Peanut Butter Dog Treats

2. No Bake Coconut Dog Treats

One of the most-made recipes we have ever published. Four ingredients, four steps, and a texture dogs go slightly silly for. Coconut brings the richness, so nothing sweet needs adding.

Get the recipe: No Bake Coconut Dog Treats

3. No Bake Peanut Butter and Carob Treats

Carob is the dog-safe answer to chocolate, and with peanut butter it looks straight off a bakery shelf. The one for a birthday or a gift jar.

Get the recipe: No Bake Peanut Butter and Carob Treats

Healthy Dog Biscuits and Cookies to Bake

The proper batch recipes: roll the dough, cut your shapes, fill a jar. Most use oat or whole wheat flour with a fruit or vegetable base, and they gift well, which is why several reappear in our Christmas dog treat recipes and Easter dog treats.

4. Spinach and Green Apple Dog Biscuits

Spinach brings iron, fiber and a gorgeous natural green, so these need no food dye at all. Grain free, vegan, and an easy way to slip vegetables past a fussy dog.

Get the recipe: Spinach and Green Apple Dog Biscuits

5. Sweet Potato Pretzel Dog Treats

The original, and still the recipe most copied off this site. Sweet potato is one of the best vegetables you can put in front of a dog: fiber, beta carotene, and a flavor they take to instantly.

Get the recipe: The Original Sweet Potato Pretzels

6. Easy Peanut Butter Dog Cookies, Four Ways

One base dough, four finishes. Learn this one and you can take it wherever your dog's preferences lead. Peanut butter is the most reliable flavor in dog baking.

Get the recipe: Easy Peanut Butter Dog Cookies (Done 4 Ways)

7. Peanut Butter and Ginger Snaps

A little ginger turns a standard peanut butter biscuit into something with real warmth. Most dogs tolerate it well in small amounts, but check with your vet if your dog has a sensitive gut.

Get the recipe: Dog-Friendly Ginger Snaps

8. Gingerbread Dog Cookies

Nothing makes a kitchen smell better. Molasses and warm spice, and they hold a cookie-cutter shape beautifully. Human-friendly too, so the little gingerbread men do double duty at a party.

Get the recipe: The Best Gingerbread Dog Treat Recipe

9. Pumpkin and Ginger Dog Treats

About as close to autumn in a biscuit as a dog will get. Plain canned pumpkin is gentle on digestion and adds moisture without fat. Check the can says pumpkin, not pie filling.

Get the recipe: Pumpkin and Ginger Dog Treat Recipe

10. Grain Free Cranberry Heart Dog Treats

Cranberries are packed with antioxidants and vitamins C, E and K, and they color these little hearts naturally. Grain free, quick, and asked for every February without fail.

Get the recipe: Cranberry Hearts Dog Treats

Meaty Dog Treats and Homemade Chews

Sometimes a biscuit will not cut it. Both of these are single-ingredient, high-value, and keep far longer than anything baked, which makes them my go-to for training.

11. Homemade Chicken Jerky for Dogs

One ingredient, and that is the whole recipe. Slice chicken breast thin, dry it low and slow, and you get more pulling power than anything in a packet.

Get the recipe: Homemade Chicken Jerky for Dogs

12. Oven-Baked Beef Jerky for Dogs

The same idea with beef, no dehydrator required. About as high-value as a homemade dog treat gets, so save it for recall practice. Feed sparingly, as red meat treats are calorie dense.

Get the recipe: Oven-Baked Beef Jerky for Dogs

Homemade Puppy Treats and Calming Snacks

Puppies need something softer than a crunchy biscuit, and an anxious dog needs a little more than good flavor. These three are the gentlest on the list.

13. Banana and Almond Puppy Treats

Soft, chewy and easy on little teeth, which is what you want for a puppy still teething or a senior whose mouth is not what it was. They taste like tiny banana bread cookies, and I say that from experience.

Get the recipe: Banana Almond Dog Biscuit Recipe for Puppies

14. Calming Chamomile Cookies for Dogs

Oats, almonds, honey and chamomile, from Master Bowie. Lovely before a car trip or a thunderstorm. A comfort, not a treatment: if anxiety is affecting your dog's life, that is a conversation for your vet.

Get the recipe: Calming Cookies for Dogs

15. Homemade Breath Mints for Dogs

Fresh mint and parsley, frozen into little discs. No substitute for tooth brushing, but after a dog has eaten something unspeakable they take the edge off. Four minutes of effort.

Get the recipe: Homemade Dog Treats for Fresh Breath

How Many Homemade Treats Can a Dog Have a Day?

Treats of any kind, homemade included, should make up no more than about 10% of your dog's daily calories, with the other 90% coming from a complete and balanced diet. For a 10 kg dog eating roughly 550 calories a day, that is a budget of around 55 calories for treats, which is far less than most of us imagine. VCA Animal Hospitals puts it plainly: a single large commercial biscuit can run to 85 calories on its own.

The homemade advantage is that you control the size. Roll thinner, use a smaller cutter, break biscuits in half for training. Daily needs vary with age, breed and activity, so use the table below as a starting point and ask your vet for a figure specific to your dog.

On a heavy training day, take the treats out of the dinner bowl rather than adding them on top.

Are Homemade Dog Treats Vet Approved?

This is the question I get asked most, and it deserves an honest answer rather than a badge. "Vet approved" is not a certification anyone can issue over a recipe on the internet. In practice it should mean a recipe uses only dog-safe whole ingredients, contains nothing toxic, and is fed within that 10% allowance.

Every recipe here meets that description. What none can do is account for your individual dog. Allergies, pancreatitis, kidney disease and weight problems all change what belongs in the treat jar, so if your dog has a diagnosed condition or is on a prescription diet, run any new recipe past your vet first.

Ingredients That Are Never Safe for Dogs

Most homemade dog treat recipes are naturally safe, but a few human baking staples are not. Keep all of these out of the bowl entirely: chocolate and cocoa, xylitol, grapes and raisins, onion, garlic, chives, macadamia nuts, raw yeast dough, and anything alcoholic.

Xylitol is the one worth a second look, because it hides. This sugar substitute can cause a life-threatening drop in blood sugar in dogs, and the FDA notes it may appear on a label as birch sugar or wood sugar. It turns up in some nut butters, so check every jar, even a brand you have used for years. If your dog eats anything containing xylitol, call your vet or an emergency clinic straight away rather than waiting for symptoms.

How to Store Homemade Dog Treats

Homemade treats have no preservatives, which is the point and also the catch. Crisp baked biscuits keep about a week in an airtight container at room temperature, or two to three weeks in the fridge. Anything soft, chewy, or made with fresh meat, egg or dairy belongs in the fridge and is best used within five days.

For longer storage, freeze: most baked treats hold for around three months in a sealed bag. Cool everything completely first, or trapped steam will turn a beautiful batch moldy in days.

More Dog Treat Recipes to Try

Our 52 Weeks of Treats eBook has over 30 seasonal recipes plus an allergies guide, and my book Healthy Homemade Dog Treats covers the same ground in hardback.

For something specific, try our dog birthday cake recipe, the two-ingredient black bean dog treats, or our probiotic dog treats for a tricky tummy. The full dog treat recipe archive is worth a browse. Keep the portions small, and let your dog tell you which one wins.