Last updated on By Puppy Leaks 212 Comments
I’m not gonna lie — when it comes to making dinner I’m a terrible cook. But there is one kind of cooking that always goes over well in my home — making homemade dog treats.
Every month I pick out a new dog treat recipe to try, and my dog loves the process from start to finish. My cooking might freak out my friends, but to my dog I’m the world’s greatest chef.
And since I’ve made so many different dog treat recipes over the years I decided to put together a list of my favorites. Here’s 25 simple dog treat recipes, all made with 5 ingredients or less.
25 Simple Dog Treat Recipes: Made With 5 Ingredients or Less
If you’ve never made your own dog treats before I suggest starting with one of the dog treat recipes from the list below. In fact I’d recommend these recipes to anyone, regardless of baking skill. No need to get extra complicated, your dog will love any of these simple recipes.
What I really love about making my own dog treats is that I control not only what goes in them, but the portion size. And often times making your own treats is a lot less expensive than buying them from the store — especially with these simple recipes because so many of them are made with things many of us already have at home.
With five ingredients or less these simple dog treat recipes are easy to make, even for novice cooks like myself. And if your treats don’t turn out as pretty as they do in their photos don’t worry — to your dog they’ll still be the world’s best dog treats.
Here’s 25 simple dog treat recipes, all made with 5 ingredients or less. From grain free dog treats to frozen options, there’s a dog treat recipe that’s right for everyone.
Please share with your friends 🙂
1. Quick & Easy Peanut Butter Treats / Puppy Leaks
Does your dog love peanut butter as much as mine does? If so you can’t go wrong with this simple dog treat recipe — it’s a staple in my house. You’ll need 2 cups of flour, 1/2 cup peanut butter and 2 eggs. Mix the ingredients together until combined, and then add water until it becomes wet enough to roll out as dough. This is my go to recipe; my dog goes absolutely nuts for them.
3 ingredients + water, 20 minute cook time
2. Chicken Dog Treats / Kol’s Notes
Laika loves chicken, and these homemade dog treats make her go insane — just a fair warning. You’ll need a cup of diced chicken, half cup of cooked rice, 3 tablespoons of rice flour, tablespoon of parsley, and one egg. If you don’t have chicken on hand you can dice up your pups favorite meat for this simple recipe as a substitute.
Five ingredients, 20-30 minute cook time.
3. Easy Two-Ingredient Dog Treats / Dog-Milk
This homemade dog treat recipe is perfect for novice cooks (myself included). If you’re interested in making some super simple dog treats I’d recommend starting out with this easy recipe. The only ingredients you need are 2 cups of organic whole wheat flour and 2 jars of pureed baby food. For the baby food I’ve found Laika loves blueberry, beef and sweet potato.
Two ingredient dog treats: 20-25 minute cook time.
4. Homemade Dog Biscuits / Kitchen Confidante
These homemade dog biscuits made with five ingredients are one of my favorites. You’ll need whole wheat flour, oats, flaxseed, beef broth, and peanut butter. If you don’t have any fun cookie cutters you can use my living like a bachelor method; use the tops of your shot glasses.
Five ingredients dog treats, 20 minute cook time.
5. Sweet Potato Fries for Dogs / Beagles and Bargains
We all need our veggies, and luckily sweet potato seems to be quite popular with our canine friends. For this homemade dog treat recipe you’ll need a sweet potato, coconut oil, cinnamon, and turmeric. These are a great way for both you and your pup to get in some of your daily vegetable servings – they’re delicious.
Four ingredients, 30 minute cook time.
6. Frozen Apple Dog Treats / Irresistible Pets
This dog treat recipe is so simple it doesn’t even involve any cooking. If you’ve got two apples, a cup of nonfat plain yogurt, and some ice cube trays you’ve got yourself a yummy treat your dog will love. My dog Laika absolutely loves these treats.
Two ingredients (plus water), freeze for a couple hours.
7. Cheesy Bone Treats / Sugar The Golden Retriever
These homemade dog treats will make your kitchen smell awesome; good lucking keeping your dog out of the kitchen while making these. You’ll need four cups of flour, two cups of shredded cheese, some oil, and water – just that simple.
Four ingredients, 3 hour cook time.
8. Apple Cinnamon Dog Treats / Two Little Cavaliers
If you want to impress your dog try out this simple dog treat treat recipe. It’s another one that smells awesome so expect some excitement in the kitchen while you’re cooking these. You’ll need one cup of dry quick cook oatmeal, half cup of apple sauce, and one egg.
Three ingredients, 22 minute cook time.
9. Vegan Pumpkin Dog Treats / Okonomi Kitchen
Looking for a vegan dog treat recipe? This recipe uses 4 ingredients and is super easy to make.
Four ingredient dog treats: vegan, 30 minute cook time.
10. Ginger Apple Dog Treats / Lola The Pitty
This homemade dog treat recipe is another great option for our canine companions that have grain allergies. You’ll need one cup of brown rice flour, one cup of diced apple, two thirds cup plain yogurt, half teaspoon ginger, and one tablespoon of coconut oil. These ones are not only simply but they’re quick – cooking time is only 25 minutes.
Five ingredients, 25 minute cook time.
11. Apple Carrot Dog Treats / My Baking Addiction
Laika loves carrots and apples, so these simple dog treats are one of her favorites. As soon as I grab a few carrots she starts licking her lips. For this recipe you’ll need a cup of whole wheat flour, one cup of grated carrots, one egg, and a half cup of apple sauce.
Four ingredients, 30-40 minute bake time.
12. Diabetic Dog Treats Recipe / All Recipes
When you’ve got a diabetic dog it can be hard to find suitable dog treat recipes. This one is super easy to prepare takes only 15 minutes to cook. You’ll need a half cup of whole wheat flour (watch for gluten levels), two eggs, and one a half pounds of beef liver cut into small pieces.
Three ingredients, 15 minute bake time.
13. Best of Breed Dog Biscuits / King Arthur Flour
This dog biscuit recipe with peanut butter gets Laika drooling. Anything with peanut butter is pretty much guaranteed to be a big hit around here. You’ll need two cups of flour, one cup of rolled oats, a tablespoon of parsley, half cup of dry milk, and a half teaspoon of salt.
Five ingredients, 40-60 minute bake time.
14. Easy DIY Dog Treats / She Knows
This homemade dog treat recipe is extremely simple. If your dog does fine with wheat and milk I’d recommend trying this out if it’s your first time baking dog treats. For this simple recipe you’ll need two cups of whole wheat flour, one cup of peanut butter, one cup of skim milk, and a tablespoon of baking powder.
Four ingredients, 15-20 minute bake time.
15. Banana Almond Puppy Treats Recipe / Pretty Fluffy
This a great soft dog treat recipe for puppies and grown dogs alike. And just so you know the smells in your kitchen will be amazing when making these. You’ll need one egg, three fourths cup unsalted almond butter, one third of a banana, and a teaspoon of cinnamon.
Four ingredients, 10 minute bake time.
16. Pumpkin Carrot Bites / Pawsitively Pets
This simple dog treat recipe is one of my favorites — it yields a bunch of great smelling, bite sized treats that are perfect for training rewards. For this simple recipe you’ll need three fourths cup canned pumpkin, one egg, one fourth cup shredded carrots, and a cup of whole wheat flour.
Four ingredients, 30-35 minute bake time.
17. Simple Pumpkin Cookies / My GBGV Life
If you’ve never made pumpkin dogs treats before this is a great recipe to start with. These treats are delicious and easy to prepare. You’ll need one egg, 2/3 cup pure canned pumpkin, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, and 1 & 1/2 cups of flour.
Four ingredients, 4o minute bake time.
18. Salmon & Sweet Potato Dog Treats / Kol’s Notes
These homemade dog treats are perfect for training because they’re soft, making them easy to break into small bite sized pieces. They’re also great for older dogs who don’t love super crunchy treats. You’ll need one can of salmon, one medium sweet potato, two eggs, one third cup coconut flour, and coconut oil for greasing the pan.
Five ingredients, 60-70 minute bake time.
19. Frozen Fall Pumpkin Treats / Spencer the Goldendoodle
This easy dog treat recipe is perfect for anyone — it only uses three ingredients and takes less than 15 minutes to make and clean up (not including freeze time). You’re going to need one can of 100% pumpkin puree, one cup plain yogurt, an a half cup peanut butter.
Three ingredients, freeze time 12 hours.
20. Easy Dog Cookie Recipe / M. K. Clinton
This dog treat recipe is delicious and simple. If you want to make some good looking dog cookies the icing (yogurt) will give them a nice personalized touch. For this easy recipe you’ll need a half cup cornmeal, six tablespoons of oil, two cups whole wheat flour, four ounces plain yogurt, and and two thirds cut water or broth.
Five ingredients, 35-40 minutes bake time.
21. Heart Shaped Cranberry Cookies / The Lazy Pitbull
These dog cookies are super cute (especially with heart shaped cookie cutters) and they’re easy to make. For this recipe you’ll need 2 eggs, 1.5 cups wheat flour, 1 tbsp. coconut oil, 3 tbsp. coconut flour and a 1/2 cup of dried cranberries.
Five ingredients, 15-20 minute bake time.
22. Fruity Frosty Hearts / Talent Hounds
If your dog loves fruit this dog treat recipe is perfect, and they’re great for novices since there’s no cooking involved. The ingredients you need are watermelon, raspberries & yogurt. You mix those three ingredients together and place them in an ice tray and just wait for them to freeze.
Three ingredients, ready when they’re frozen.
23. Pumpkin-Blueberry-Bacon Pupsicles / Daisy the French Bulldog
This easy dog treat recipe is the perfect summer treat for your pooch. and they’re super cute. Oh yeah, and the best part is there’s no baking involved –they just need a couple of hours to freeze. You’ll need 1 can of pumpkin, 1 strip of bacon, 1 cup water, blueberries, and a package of rawhide sticks (for the “handle”).
Four ingredients + water, ready when frozen in a couple hours.
24. Birthday Bones/ All Recipes
This dog treat recipe is perfect if you’ve got some fun cookie cutters on hand. And since it’s peanut butter based it’s pretty much guaranteed to be a hit with your dog. I have yet to meet a dog who doesn’t go bonkers for PB. For this recipe you’ll need 2 cups of whole wheat flout, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1 cup unsalted natural peanut butter and 1 cup skim milk.
Four ingredients, 20 minute bake time at 375 F.
25. Peanut Butter Holiday Dog Treats / Dogvills
This simple dog treat recipe only uses 3 ingredients, making it a great one for beginners to try out. For this recipe you’ll need 1 cup of mashed sweet potatoes, 1 cup whole wheat flour, and a 1/2 cup of peanut butter.
Three ingredients, 10 minute bake time at 350 F.
The Benefits of Making Homemade Dog Treats
When it comes to making dog treats at home you might be asking yourself if it’s worth the effort. I love making treats, but the benefits go beyond just making my dog happy.
When it comes to dog treats I prefer making my own rather than buying them. It’s nice knowing exactly what’s going into your dog’s treats, and I love being able to control the portion size. Some of the other benefits of making homemade dog treats include:
- You know all the ingredients included in your dog’s treats
- You can easily adjust the portion size
- They’ll make your kitchen smell awesome
- They’re a great way to practice your baking skills
- Your dog will getting an extra special treat made by you
- You’ll have a nice supply of training treats on hand
- Baking can be relaxing (well it is to weirdos like me at least)
- Making dog treats (and baking in general) fosters creative expression
And if you’re interested in more dog treat recipes be sure to check out our list of 39 Healthy Snacks You Can Stuff in a Kong & 20 Frozen Dog Treat Recipes.
Anyone Can Make Homemade Dog Treats
So there they are my friends — 25 of my favorite homemade dog treat recipes, each using five ingredients or less. Be sure to bookmark this page for future reference — your dog will be quite grateful.
Even if you’ve never baked a thing in your life you can make these simple dog treat recipes. It’s hard to go wrong with five ingredients or less, and there’s comfort to be found in knowing exactly what’s going into your dog’s food. I make homemade dog treats when we’re working on any new training behaviors – the extra focus they bring is priceless.
Give your dog a little extra gift this weekend by making him some homemade dog treats. I guarantee he’ll be impressed by your cooking skills; even if your human friends aren’t. To my friends my cooking is a nightmare, but to my dog I’m the world’s best chef.
Please share with your friends 🙂
Recommended Reading:
- 10 Ways to Give Your Dog More Mental Stimulation
- 39 Healthy Treats You Can Stuff in a Kong
