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This Pumpkin Dog Biscuits Recipe is easy to make and provides a safe and yummy treat for your dogs! They will gobble them up!
Looking for more recipes to make for your dog? Give our bone broth for dogs a try, dog ice cream and this dog birthday cake to celebrate your fur baby!
These homemade pumpkin dog biscuits are going to be your pup’s new obsession. They’re super easy to throw together and full of healthy ingredients!
One of my simple guilty pleasures in life is giving treats to my dogs. The excitement they get over one small biscuit brings me an odd kind of joy.
I’m also entertained by the things that I can get them to do for one small biscuit. Zorro knows he has to be sitting to get a treat, so as soon as he catches on that treats are being disbursed, he plops his butt on the ground and scoots it to where I am in order to ensure that he gets his treat ASAP.
Over the years that I’ve had my dogs, I’ve many a times found myself googling “can dogs eat (insert random food item)?”. This led me to not only learn what they shouldn’t eat but it also taught me what is GOOD for them to eat such as pumpkin, coconut oil, and cinnamon. Pumpkin is good for dogs digestive systems and is commonly recommended by vets for the fiber to keep dogs regular. Cinnamon and coconut oil also have health benefits for dogs and, in moderation, are a great addition to their diet.
Ingredients you’ll need
Unfortunately, so many prepackaged treats are loaded with fillers and preservatives. However, this pumpkin dog biscuits recipe is made with just a handful of simple, wholesome ingredients. Here is the lineup:
- Pureed pumpkin: Use either canned pumpkin or fresh pureed pumpkin to make these treats great for digestion. It also contains important vitamins and minerals, such as vitamins A, E, and C, and potassium and iron. Make sure that you DO NOT get ‘pumpkin pie filling’. You just want pure pureed pumpkin.
- Coconut oil: Contains healthy fats that may reduce skin inflammation, decrease infection, support brain health, and lower cholesterol.
- Water: To help bind the ingredients together.
- Whole wheat flour: I like to use whole wheat flour for the extra nutritional benefit. Other types of flour will work, such as all purpose flour, as long as your pup isn’t allergic.
- Baking staples: A small amount of baking soda and baking powder for proper baking.
- Egg: Ensures these bake up with the right texture, so they’re almost like cookies.
Health information is from American Kennel Club.
Variations and substitutions
- Cookie cutters: You can use any shape of cookie cutter you’d like! And make these bigger for larger dogs or really small for miniature breeds.
- Add spices: You can add in about 1 tsp ground cinnamon and 1/2 tsp of turmeric, as both have anti-inflammatory properties that can be great for dogs. Do NOT add nutmeg or pumpkin pie spice because nutmeg even in small doses is toxic to dogs.
- Peanut butter: Dogs love peanut butter, so feel free to add in a spoonful or two of peanut butter. You could also just add a peanut butter drizzle over the baked treats. Use a natural peanut butter that only contains nuts.
How to make these dog treats
Step 1: Pre-heat oven to 350 degree F. Mix the pumpkin, softened coconut oil, and water together in a large bowl. Then mix in the flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Mix it a bit and then stir in the egg.
Step 2: Continue to stir until all ingredients are combined. This might take a 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.
Step 3: Once done, roll the dough out with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface to about 1/4-inch thickness. 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).
Step 4: Place prepared dough treats on a lined or greased baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes (depending on size) or until dough has hardened. Let cool and enjoy your pups excitement!
My dogs LOVE these and I feel better knowing what is in them and that they’re actually pretty good for them!
Helpful tips
- Human safe: Since these are made with ingredients that are human-grade, it’s totally fine if you or your child wants to take a bite. They will taste quite plain to humans, though, since they don’t contain added salt or sugar.
- Dog allergies: Dogs can have allergies. Keep a close eye on your pet when offing any new treats or foods. According to the American Kennel Club, a true food allergy will result in an immune response, which can range in symptoms from hives, facial swelling, and itchiness to gastrointestinal signs like vomiting and diarrhea – or a combination of both.
Frequently asked questions
With this step-by-step guide for pumpkin dog biscuits, it’s super easy to make homemade treats for your pup! In this simple recipe, you’ll be stirring all of the ingredients together in a large bowl to create a dough. Then, roll the dough out on a floured surface and use cookie cutters to cut out the treats. Bake the treats on a cookie sheet, cool and then allow your dog to enjoy 1 to 2 per day.
Some potentially toxic ingredients to dogs that you would not want them to ingest are chocolate, xylitol, avocado, grapes, raisins, onions, garlic, and macadamia nuts.
Yes! Place these on a pan and then flash freeze them in the freezer for about an hour. Next, transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or container. You can thaw a few at a time in the fridge or at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
Storage recommendations
Once fully cooled, store the dog biscuits in an airtight container in the refrigerator, for up to 1 month.
If you cook the treats until they’re totally dry and hard (like a traditional dog biscuit) you could store them in a ziplock bag at room temperature for about a week.
As usual, PLEASE let me know if you make this recipe and how you like it! You can come back here and leave a comment and/or tag me on instagram (@foodwithfeeling).
More dog treat recipes you’ll love:
Pumpkin Dog Biscuits Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup pureed pumpkin, canned or fresh
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil, softened
- 4 tablespoons water, plus more if needed
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 egg
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degree F.
- Mix the pumpkin, softened coconut oil, and water together in a large bowl.1/2 cup pureed pumpkin, 2 tablespoons coconut oil, 4 tablespoons water
- Then mix in the flour, baking soda, and baking powder.2 cups whole wheat flour, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- Mix it a bit and then stir in the egg.1 egg
- Continue to stir until it’s ALL combined. This might take a 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.
- Once done, roll the dough out on a floured surface to ~1/4 inch thick.
- 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)
- Place prepared dough treats on a lined or greased baking sheet and bake for ~30 minutes (depending on size) or until dough has hardened.
- Let cool and enjoy your pups excitement!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Pumpkin is my fur babies’ favorite. I will give them this treat.
dogs cant eat a box of backing soda and backing powder that would be bad, but you can bake there treats with them. the amount they get in treats will not harm them after all its a treat not a daily meal. many articles are out of date still some times I make recipes with out baking powder or soda i just make the cookies bigger its not a problem they just don’t rise. I think we should individually deiced whats best for are furbabies. I have a min pin that eats every thing and a picky pug not every recipe has what i need so i tweek it to mu furbabies wants and needs.
Loved the recipe and my furry babies did as well!! No upset tummies and happy doggies. Do you have more recipes you can share?
Can you use regular all purpose flour?
yes that will work!
I made these the other day for my neighbor’s dog and was a little concerned that you put baking soda and baking powder in them, but figured that you had most likely done your research before posting the recipe so it must be okay. Then I came upon an article about what NOT to feed your dog and why today and here is what it said:
Kitchen Pantry: No Dogs Allowed
Many other things often found on kitchen shelves can hurt your dog. Baking powder and baking soda are both highly toxic. So are nutmeg and other spices. Keep food high enough to be out of your dog’s reach and keep pantry doors closed.
Having read that, I will be throwing the treats out and going back to my original recipes that have no baking powder or baking soda in them. I hope I haven’t made my neighbor’s dog sick! Ugh.
You can read the full article – or, watch the entire slideshow, rather here: http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/ss/slideshow-foods-your-dog-should-never-eat
Hi Vanessa! Thanks so much for your comment. That article looks very off to me. THREE of the items on that list are items that my vet has specifically told me are totally fine for dogs. But yes, I did lots of research before posting this recipe. And for what it’s worth, my dogs have eaten these many times and are fine :)
Yea that article is not true. It says raw meat, fish and eggs are dangerous too tell that to the 1,000’s of people who raw feed their dogs. Garlic is also great for dogs, keeps fleas and ticks away. Fear mongering by a website that caters to processed pet foods. As for the baking powder and baking soda, there is 1/4 tsp of each, divide that up by each individual treat and it amounts to nothing. I bet your neighbors dog was fine, there is nothing wrong with the ingredients in this recipe.
I agree with Deb. The point of that article is to make sure your dog doesn’t have unsupervised access to your kitchen pantry because many items when consumed in large quantities in a single sitting could be quite harmful.
I’ve fed these treats to my golden retriever and our friends’ chocolate labrador retriever and german shepherd-mix mutt. All three dogs enjoyed them very much and ate several over the course of a weekend trip. I will be making these again, and again. Thanks Brita!!
Baking soda/ powder is only toxic in large quantities!!!
I make cookies/treats and cook for my picky chihuahua. I do not use wheat flour as it is not good for them but instead replace it with oats which I powder in the food processor. Does the trick.
My dog AJ loves these!! Thanks for sharing!!
How long do these last?
I’ve made these a few times and it depends. The first time I left them out on the counter in a cookie jar and they only lasted ~4-5 days. After that I started storing them in the fridge and they lasted ~2 weeks.
It’s a good thing Chloe cannot read blogs otherwise she would have me in the kitchen immediately!
Captain. Will. Love. These. —so will chichi and roxy too ha!
These are so cute!
Lauren,
http://www.atouchofsoutherngrace.com/