Nothing says love quite like a batch of homemade dog treats baked fresh in your own kitchen. Whether you're looking for easy dog treat recipes to reward good behaviour or simply want to spoil your best mate, making treats at home lets you control every ingredient. Below, you'll find a handful of healthy dog treat ideas that are simple, budget-friendly, and tail-wag approved.
Why Make Dog Treats at Home?
Whipping up treats in your own kitchen gives you full visibility over what goes into your dog's snacks. You can skip artificial colours, excess salt, and preservatives that sometimes sneak into mass-produced options.
Homemade treats are also a great way to cater to dogs with food sensitivities. If your pup can't tolerate grain or certain proteins, you simply swap in ingredients that suit them. Plus, baking a batch on a rainy Sunday arvo is genuinely enjoyable — your dog will park themselves at the oven door in anticipation.
Pantry Staples for Healthy Dog Treats
You don't need specialty ingredients to bake quality dog treats. Most recipes call for items you probably already have on hand.
- Rolled oats — a gentle source of fibre and energy.
- Peanut butter — choose a brand with no xylitol (this sugar substitute is toxic to dogs).
- Pumpkin purée — packed with vitamins A and C, and great for digestion.
- Eggs — an inexpensive protein binder.
- Sweet potato — naturally sweet, rich in beta-carotene, and easy to dehydrate.
- Coconut oil — adds moisture and can support skin and coat health.
Steer clear of onion, garlic, grapes, macadamia nuts, chocolate, and anything containing xylitol. When in doubt, a quick search before adding a new ingredient keeps your pup safe.
Easy Recipes Your Dog Will Love
These three recipes are deliberately simple — no fancy equipment, no hard-to-find ingredients. Each makes enough for roughly a week's worth of training rewards or after-walk snacks.
Peanut Butter and Oat Biscuits
Combine 1 cup rolled oats, ½ cup natural peanut butter, 1 mashed banana, and 1 egg. Mix until a dough forms, roll out to about 1 cm thick, and cut into shapes. Bake at 170 °C for 15–18 minutes until golden. Let them cool completely before serving.
Pumpkin and Coconut Bites
Stir together 1 cup wholemeal flour, ½ cup pumpkin purée, 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil, and 1 egg. Drop teaspoon-sized portions onto a lined baking tray and press flat with a fork. Bake at 180 °C for 12–15 minutes. These are soft, so they're ideal for older dogs or puppies still working on their adult teeth.
Sweet Potato Chews
Slice a large sweet potato lengthways into strips about 5 mm thick. Arrange in a single layer on a baking tray and bake at 120 °C for around 2.5–3 hours, flipping halfway. The low temperature slowly dehydrates the slices into chewy strips — a perfect alternative to rawhide. During an Australian summer, you can even use a food dehydrator on the verandah to avoid heating up the house.
Quick tip: Treats — homemade or otherwise — should make up no more than 10% of your dog's daily calorie intake. Adjust meal portions on days you're handing out extra rewards to keep their diet balanced.
Storage and Serving Tips
Because homemade treats lack commercial preservatives, storage matters. Dry, crunchy biscuits will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week — or in the fridge for two weeks.
Softer treats and anything with fresh fruit or purée should go straight into the fridge and be used within five days. For longer storage, freeze treats in single-serve portions. Frozen pumpkin bites also double as a cooling snack during those sweltering January days.
Always let treats cool completely before storing. Trapping steam in a sealed container creates moisture, which leads to mould — something that's especially relevant in humid climates along the Queensland and northern NSW coasts.
When Shop-Bought Treats Make Sense
Baking at home is rewarding, but there are times when a quality commercial treat is the smarter choice. Long-lasting dental chews, for instance, are engineered to reduce plaque build-up in ways a biscuit simply can't. Browse our range of health treats and chews for options that support dental hygiene and joint health.
Training-specific treats also benefit from being uniform in size and low in calories so you can deliver rapid-fire rewards without overfeeding. Our dog food and treats collection includes plenty of small, single-ingredient options that complement your homemade batches perfectly.
A good approach is to rotate between homemade and premium shop-bought treats. Your dog gets variety, and you get the convenience of having something ready on busy weeknights when the oven stays off.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do homemade dog treats last?
Dry, fully baked treats last about a week at room temperature or up to two weeks refrigerated. Softer treats should be refrigerated and used within five days. Freezing extends shelf life to around three months.
Can I use plain flour instead of wholemeal?
Yes. Plain flour works fine as a substitute in most recipes. If your dog is sensitive to wheat, try oat flour or rice flour instead — both are easy to find in Australian supermarkets and produce a similar texture.
Are these recipes safe for puppies?
Generally, yes — provided you use dog-safe ingredients and break treats into smaller, age-appropriate pieces. Puppies under six months have sensitive stomachs, so introduce any new food gradually and keep portions small.
Ready to round out your pup's snack rotation with some premium options? Explore our full dog food and treats range for high-quality picks that pair perfectly with your kitchen creations — and have a quick chat with your vet if your dog has specific dietary needs.