These super healthy 4-ingredient Pumpkin Peanut Butter Dog Treats will have your pups wagging their tails in no time. Packed with healthy fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals, these pumpkin oatmeal dog 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 Starbucks Pumpkin sauce 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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Why Your Pups Will Love These Pumpkin Peanut Butter Dog Treats
While Ozzy (my younger pup) 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. Both of 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!
Aside from being adorable and delicious, the ingredients we’re using in these peanut butter and pumpkin dog treats are so good for your little four-legged buddies! Let’s break it down:
- 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 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.
- 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.
Ingredients & Substitutions
This peanut butter pumpkin dog treats recipe requires just a handful of simple ingredients. Here’s what to grab:
- Canned Pumpkin Purée - Make sure you’re reaching for pure pumpkin, NOT canned pumpkin pie filling which has spices that are toxic to dogs. You can also use pure sweet potato purée or pure butternut squash purée instead.
- Powdered Peanut Butter - I wanted to make these homemade pumpkin dog treats without flour, so I figured powdered peanuts would be a great alternative. If you don’t have any on hand, you’re welcome to swap in whole wheat flour or ground flax meal.
- Rolled Oats - I used old-fashioned rolled oats, but you’re welcome to use quick-cooking oats or pre-ground oat flour instead.
- Eggs - For binding the batter together. If your doggies can’t handle it, try using aquafaba (the liquid from a can of chickpeas) instead.
How To Make Pumpkin Peanut Butter Oatmeal Dog Treats
These easy pumpkin dog treats come together in a flash. Here’s how:
Step 1: Prep. Preheat oven to 350. Line two sheet pans with parchment. Using your food processor (or high-speed blender), blitz your oats into a flour.
Step 2: Whisk Wet Ingredients (pumpkin and egg) till smooth.
Step 3: Add Dry Ingredients. Using a spatula, stir in peanut powder, then stir in oats. This will be a very thick dough.
Step 4: Shape. Using a small disher, scoop onto parchment-lined sheets. Flatten with slightly wet fingers. If you want to make little jack-o-lanterns like I did, use a toothpick to draw holes in the face and use a pinch of dough to make the stem.Step 5: Bake for 30 minutes, then reduce heat to 300. Bake an additional 15 minutes, then turn off oven and allow the pumpkin oat dog treats to fully dry out.
Optional Variations
Just because my boys love this peanut butter pumpkin dog treat recipe doesn’t mean they’re perfect for your pups. Here are some easy variations to try:
- Soft Pumpkin Oat Dog Treats - Pull the pumpkin dog cookies out of the oven after just 25 minutes in the oven at 350F. Just note that these soft and chewy treats will need to be refrigerated to maintain freshness and they’ll only last for about 7-10 days.
- Pumpkin Dog Treats Without Peanut Butter - If your pups can’t do peanuts, swap in whole wheat flour or ground flaxseed instead.
- Other Fruit Peanut Butter Dog Treats - Bake or steam a sweet potato until super soft, then blitz into a purée. Use this purée in place of pumpkin. You can also use a mashed banana if you like!
- Grain-Free Pumpkin Dog Treats - Use ground flaxseed in place of ground oats.
Expert Tips
- Store your pumpkin peanut butter dog biscuits in an airtight container, preferably with a leftover silica packet to keep them dry and crunchy.
- No food processor? No problem. Just buy pre-ground oat flour to make these pumpkin and oatmeal dog treats instead!
- Make sure you only serve these as treats, not as a full meal replacement. Doggies have specific nutritional needs, and while these pumpkin peanut butter dog treats have things that are good for dogs, they’re not built to fully sustain them.
Frequently Asked Questions
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.
According to my doggies, the answer is an enthusiastic YES.
Peanut butter is a little high in fat for doggies to have a lot of, which is why I opted to use powdered peanut butter instead. Pumpkin, on the other hand, is a great source of vitamins and nutrients, plus it can help settle upset dog tummies.
The individual components in these dog treats are all safe for dogs, and they have some great vitamins and nutrients. That said, every dog is different. Be sure to consult with your vet to make sure that this recipe is a good fit for your fur babies.
Not to worry! Instead of using whole rolled oats, simply substitute oat flour or oat bran.
You can easily swap butternut squash or sweet potato purée in this homemade dog treats recipe.
More Tasty Treats
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):
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 Butter Dog Treats
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.
wabs says
Can i use regular peanut butter instead of peanut powder? I know not to use peanut butter that has xilotyl in it.
Ash, The Grocery Addict says
Hi Wabs! I think that should work out well, but you'll probably need to add a bit more oats to the mix since regular PB has more moisture and fat. Try and get the dough to look like the pictures—it should be on the drier side, sort of like a rough sugar cookie dough. I also recommend using natural PB instead of stuff with hydrogenated fats to make sure your pups get the good stuff and none of the inflammatory stuff!