These super healthy 4 ingredient Pumpkin & Peanut Flavored Homemade Dog Treats will have your pups wagging in no time. Packed with healthy fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals, these tasty treats are everything your good buddies could ever want.
If you thought I was kidding about wanting pumpkin spice everything, you were wrong. After cracking a large can of pumpkin for my homemade pumpkin spice lattes and pumpkin pie baked oatmeal, I still had a cup leftover. I knew exactly who needed to benefit from the extra yumminess: Mikey and Ozzy!
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The Taste Testers
Joe and I love to spoil our pups with tasty treats all the time. In fact, Mikey has become such a food snob that he'll often refuse to eat his kibble unless we dress it up with yummies. A glug of olive oil, a shake of nutritional yeast, and even a squirt of whipped cream all make their way onto doggie dinner every night at our house.
While Ozzy will happily hoover anything and everything you put in front of him (or accidentally drop), Mikey has a far more discerning palate. He was my first taste tester for these homemade pumpkin dog treats, and the results are in. My good boys give them four paws up.
Joe, who tries all the dog treats, also said they were good. That's right, folks. These are human quality dog treats!
Why these pumpkin dog treats are good for pups
Let's do a breakdown of the ingredients, shall we?
Pumpkin is filled with all kinds of vitamins and minerals that are good for dogs. Carotenoids are great for their skin and eyes. Vitamin E is good for their hearts and has anti-inflamatory properties. Iron helps create hemoglobin in their blood, and potassium is good for their muscles.
While peanut butter is often used in dog treats, I opted for powdered peanut butter instead. Not only is the powdered version lower in fat (which can be hard on doggie digestive tracks), it also works as a great alternative to flour in these yummy treats.
Oats are also a healthy ingredient for your four legged friends. They're high in fiber and are great for doggos that have wheat or grain sensitivities. Oats are also high in vitamin B6, which helps keep their coats nice and shiny, and linoleic acid which helps their skin.
The fourth and final ingredient in these seasonal dog treats is eggs. Eggs are high in protein and fatty acids that are good for your pooch.
Oh, and don't forget to feed Fido those shells while you whip up these homemade dog treats. While it may sound weird, egg shells mimic the calcium and phosphorous they would get from eating animal bones in the wild. These minerals are essential to supporting healthy teeth and bones.
How to make homemade dog treats
Y'all, these are not complicated in the least. If you have a food processor, pull it out now. First up, you'll blitz the oatmeal into a fine powder. Next up, whisk together the pumpkin and eggs until smooth. Using a spatula, stir the oats and peanut powder in the wet ingredients. It's going to be pretty thick dough and should be a little hard to stir.
Next up, line two cookie sheets with parchment. Using a small disher, scoop out the dough by about the tablespoonful leaving a bit of space between them. With slightly dampened fingers, smoosh the balls down into more of a cookie shape as they will not spread during baking.
When I did this, I noticed my fingers made the treats look sorta like pumpkins, so I went full Martha and decided to turn them into Jack O'Lanterns. Clearly, this step is completely optional. I used a toothpick to bore out the eyes and a spork to give them their smiles, in case you want to follow suit.
Next up you'll bake them at 350F for 30 minutes, then drop to 300F and bake another 15-20 minutes. Turn the oven off and allow the dog treats to dry out completely in the closed oven. They will keep in an airtight container for up to a month.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if my dog can't eat hard treats?
You can remove the treats after the initial bake for softer, chewier dog treats. This is a good option for very young or older pups who may not have the jaw strength to cut through a hard treat. Please note that these treats should be kept in the refrigerator after the first day or two to prevent molding.
What if I don't have a food processor or blender?
Not to worry! Instead of using whole rolled oats, simply substitute oat flour or oat bran.
What if I don't have pumpkin on hand?
You can easily swap butternut squash or sweet potato purée in this homemade dog treats recipe.
Want more recipe inspiration? Check these out:
While this is my first post on homemade dog treats, I'm sure I'll write more in the future. In the meantime, check out these delicious human treats (just don't feed them to your dog):
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie
- Easy 5 Minute Ginger Lemon Blueberry Trifles
- Julia Child's Favorite Brownies
If you tried this pumpkin dog treats recipe and your pups loved them, please be sure to rate and review below! If you want more cute recipe ideas on your feed, be sure to follow me on Pinterest, Instagram or Facebook. And if you want a weekly dose of fun cooking ideas, sign up for my email!
Pumpkin Peanut Dog Treats
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 C Pumpkin Puree not Pumpkin Pie Filling; can also substitute mashed banana, mashed sweet potato, or mashed winter squash (e.g. acorn, butternut)
- 2 Eggs
- 1.5 C Peanut Powder
- 1.5 C Old Fashioned Oats blitzed into flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. Using your food processor (or high speed blender), blitz your oats into a flour.
- Whisk together pumpkin and egg till smooth.
- Using a spatula, stir in peanut powder. Finally stir in oats. This will be a very thick dough.
- Using a small disher, scoop onto parchment lined sheets. Flatten with slightly wet fingers.
- Bake for 30 minutes, then reduce heat to 300. Bake an additional 15 minutes, then turn off oven and allow treats to fully dry out. (Alternately, you can keep them as soft, chewy treats for older doggies by pulling them out after the initial 30 minutes. Just know that these soft treats will need to be refrigerated for freshness.)
Notes
- Can be made into soft treats for older dogs by removing after initial 30 minute bake. Please note that these will need to be refrigerated for freshness. They will last up to a week in a sealed container in the fridge
- Dry dog treats should be stored in an airtight container (preferably with a leftover packet of silica from a box of shoes or a bag of beef jerky) in a cool, dry spot. They'll last indefinitely if they are baked until fully dry and protected from humidity and pests.
- OPTIONAL DECORATING: Feeling extra? To make these seasonal treats look like pumpkins, you can create Jack o' Lantern faces using a toothpick (for the eyes) and a spork (for the smile).
- These are not intended to replace your dog's normal meals! Please use them responsibly.
