Are you up for a little baking this season for your furry friends? If so then we’ve compiled some scrumptious and tasty treats for cats and dogs that we dare you to try (send us photos and videos, we love ‘em!).
We surfed the web for some of the most well-known pet-food bloggers and have found a great list, but we’d love to know just whose recipes you prefer? We were tempted to taste them for ourselves.
If your pet is a much tinier furry friend (hamster, gerbil, rat…), stay tuned, we’ll be sending along some of the coolest gerbil treat ideas out there for you to catch up on!
Now, before we begin it is super important to remember that before you prepare for your furry one, be sure to ensure the ingredients are clean – meaning that there are no added artificial sweeteners, and the ingredients are practically the name of the foods listed below, only!* You can always check with a vet on Kuddly about the ingredients you have first, or your regular vet if it is convenient!
We hope your furry ones enjoy the treats!
Our first treat comes from the owner of Sugar the Golden Retriever, who was featured in Dog Fancy magazine for her tasty recipes. You can find more recipes from Sugar’s owner through their website!
Why did we choose TPDTs? nutrition, nutrition, nutrition!
What did we love about these treats? you can shape them into cute cut-outs and then bake!
Baking Time: 20-30 minutes
Yields: 48 dog treats
Ingredients
- Turkey Pumpkin Dog Treats
- Ingredients:
- 1 cup of cooked ground turkey
- 1 cup of flour
- 1/2 cup of pumpkin
- 1/2 cup of coconut flour
- 1/4 cup of homemade apple sauce
- 1 egg
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Place turkey, pumpkin, apple sauce, and egg in a food processor. Blend until smooth
- Add the flour and coconut flour. Blend until a dough forms
- Place dough on a plastic saran wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.
- Roll out the dough and cut it into fun, bite-sized shapes (using a cookie cutter).
- Bake for about 20 minutes to get a nice, crisp dog biscuit. (cooking time may differ and according to your oven.
#2 Homemade No-Bake Dog Treats with Pumpkin and Oats
Well, our second treat comes from Two Little Cavaliers and pumpkin is an on-going theme! Be sure to check them out for their other tasty treats like (Cheese-Kale Sticks!).
Why did we choose HNBDTWPOs? no baking involved!
What did we love about these treats? they really are so easy and you can add to the ingredients depending on your pet’s taste!
Baking time: 0 minutes
Yields: depends on the size of your pet, and how large you roll the treats
Ingredients
- ¾ cup pumpkin puree
- ¼ cup water
- 2½ cups oats (additional oats as needed for rolling
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin puree and water. Stir well to combine.
- Add the 2½ cups of oats to the pumpkin mixture and stir well to fully mix the ingredients.
- Using your hands, roll the mixture into small spheres and set them aside.
- After you’ve rolled the mixture into spheres, spread the additional oats on a plate, and roll the spheres in these oats to create a “coating” on the outside.
- Refrigerate the finished treats for 24 hours before serving to firm the pumpkin puree.
#3 Spinach Carrot and Zucchini Dog Treats
Well, we were heart-warmed about this little dog named “Butters” who ran into a bee and collapsed! After a trip to the ER, and coming to full recovery, Butters’ owner whipped up these treats that were devoured in under a second! Why don’t you give this veggie treat a try? The owner, Chungah, is behind the foodie-blog, Damn Delicious, but she occasionally whips up treats for her dog Butters.
Why did we choose SCZDTs? after reading how quickly Butters gobbled up the treats, we knew!
What did we love about these treats? well, it’s a bit vain, but we loved the photos, they made it mouthwatering!
Baking time: 20-25 minutes
Yields: varies (depending on the shapes of cut-outs)
Ingredients
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/4 cup peanut butter (*make sure peanuts are the only ingredients)
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
- 3 cups whole wheat flour, or more, as needed
- 1 carrot, peeled and shredded
- 1 zucchini, shredded
- 1 cup baby spinach, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat; set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat pumpkin puree, peanut butter and eggs on medium-high until well combined, about 1-2 minutes.
- Gradually add old fashioned oats and 2 1/2 cups flour at low speed, beating just until incorporated. Add an additional 1/4 cup flour at a time just until the dough is no longer sticky. Add carrot, zucchini and spinach, beating just until incorporated.
- Working on a lightly floured surface, knead the dough 3-4 times until it comes together. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Using cookie cutters, cut out desired shapes and place onto the prepared baking sheet.
- Place into oven and bake until the edges are golden brown, about 20-25 minutes.*
- Let cool completely.
#4 Homemade Chicken and Cranberry Cat Treats
For cat lovers, I’ve learned something incredibly interesting, the size of the treat matters to some cats – in that they may confuse your homemade treat for a toy rather than food. Girlchief.com pet owner Heather shared with readers that her cat actually ate the goodies once she made them half the size she intended! Woah!
Why did we choose HCCCTs? we saw cranberry
What did we love about these treats? Look how curious her cat is!
Baking Time: 15-17 minutes
Yields: vary
Ingredients
- 1 heaping cup rolled oats
- 3 tablespoons Unsweetened, low-moisture, dried cranberries
- 4 ounces cooked, plain chicken (no salt or seasoning added), chopped small
- 2 tablespoons + 1/2 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 heaping tablespoon dried catnip
- 1 large egg
Instructions
- Place the oats in a food processor and whiz until you have a flour. Add the dried cranberries and whiz again until they are ground fine. Add remaining ingredients to the food processor and pulse until well combined. Turn out into a bowl.
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Measure out 1/4 teaspoon-sized portions. Roll each portion into a ball and press flat using your finger. Line up evenly on the prepared baking sheets.
- Slide into preheated oven and bake for 15-17 minutes, or until golden and dried out on the top. Allow to cool completely.
- Once cool, treat your kitty! Store completely cooled treats in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
#5 Homemade Salmon & Oat Cat Treats
Right off the bat you have to love Joy, a baker (she’s got her own baking books for sale!) turned pet-chef who spent quite a bit of time researching how to make the best dish for her cat! For that, we became super stoked! The ingredients are wholesome and on nearly every cat’s menu of food preference!
Why did we choose HSOCTs? the chef did her research, well, in her own way, and we love that!
What did we love about these treats? the ingredients call for catnip – that’s a real person who understands a cat right there!
Baking time: 12-15 minutes
Yields: vary
Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- 1 4-oz jar chicken and brown rice baby food (or something meaty which may include canned wet cat food)
- 1/4 cup parsley, coarsely chopped
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 cup brown rice flour
- 1/2 cup cooked white (or brown) rice
- other things you might add other treats like : 1 tablespoon of catnip or a hearty tablespoon of extra wet cat food.
Instructions
- Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together egg, baby food (or wet cat food), parsley, olive oil, and water. Add brown rice flour and cooked rice. Stir to incorporate. The mixture will be thick but spreadable.
- Spread mixture onto prepared baking sheet creating a rectangle that is about 1/3 of an inch thick. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven. Let rest until cool enough to handle, then slice soft dough into bite-sized pieces. Return pieces to the oven to bake for another 8 minutes. Remove from the oven. Allow to cool completely. Store in an airtight container in the fridge. I store my treats in the fridge just to be safe.
So what are your favorite pet treats on the web? Or what have you whipped up all on your own? We’d love to know!
