Easy Homemade Dog Treats are made with just 3 ingredients! All it takes is banana, peanut butter, and oats and you can make these cute cookies for your pup, or for a doggy friend of yours. Not only are these easy to make, but they are so much more affordable than store-bought treats and dogs LOVE them!
Every now and then on this blog I like to share a doggy treat recipe that my rescue pup Chickpea loves. Over the years, these recipes have actually become some of my most popular recipes of all time! Clearly, Chickpea is a very good recipe critic.
I came up with this recipe when I wanted to make Chickpea her favorite pumpkin treats, but I didn't have any canned pumpkin in my cupboard. What I did have on hand were two bananas that were getting a bit too spotty. Chickpea also loves bananas and they are very for healthy dogs so I tried the swap and it worked beautifully! In fact, I think Chickpea likes them even more than the pumpkin treats. Just look how happy she is!!
Not only are these homemade dog treats super easy to make but you likely already have the ingredients on hand, and it's a great way to use up old bananas. (Other than making my famous banana bread recipe from Fuss-Free Vegan cookbook).
Feel free to half this recipe if you only have one banana on hand (or if you want to do a trial run). You can also double or triple this recipe if your dog loves them as much as Chickpea does. I have a huge bag of them in the freezer so I can give one to her whenever she deserves a little cookie. Now she always gets super excited when I open to the freezer... and super disappointed when she discovers that I was just reaching for the coffee beans. Haha. Oh alright, you can have on more...
Ingredients needed:
To make these dog treats all you need are three ingredients- peanut butter, banana, and oats!
Peanut Butter: make sure that the peanut butter you use is natural peanut butter. The only ingredient should be peanuts. Do not use processed peanut butter that contains added oils, sugars, and salt. That stuff is basically frosting and is bad for our pups. Peanut butter is a great source of protein and healthy fats for our dogs as well as vitamins B and E, and niacin.
Banana: this is the perfect recipe to use up those bananas that are getting a bit old. Bananas have potassium, vitamin C, vitamin B6, fiber, and magnesium which are all healthy nutrients for dogs.
Oats: you can use whole oats, 1- minute oats, or instant oats, as long as there aren't any added sugars or other ingredients. In this recipe, I grind the oats into a powder to make homemade oat flour. If you have a food processor or blender, this takes just a few seconds to do and is usually more affordable than buying premade oat flour. I also always have oats on hand so it's nice that I don't have to go out to get anything special. Oats are very healthy for our pooches as they are high in fiber, contain vitamin B, and omega-6 fatty acid among other good nutrients.
How to make dog treats:
Preheat your oven to 300F (150C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Add the oats to a food processor and grind until they reach a fine powder. (If you do not have a food processor, see the recipe notes for other options).
Add the bananas and peanut butter...
...and blend until a sticky dough is formed.
Remove from the food processor and roll out on a lightly floured surface. (Use whole wheat flour, more ground oats, or another dog-safe flour that you have on hand). I used a heart cookie cutter to cut out these homeade dog treats but you could use any cookie cutter, or just cut them into squares with a knife or pizza cutter.
Lay the treats on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the treats are puffed up a bit, dry and dark brown on the bottoms, (they will still feel soft when first removed from the oven). The treats will get a bit more firm once they are cool but will still be a slightly softer dog treat. Let cool before giving one to your pup.
Store in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 1 week, in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, or I like to store them in my freezer which makes them firmer and makes them stay fresh a long time.
These easy homemade dog treats are:
- Easy to make
- Use 3 ingredients you likely already have on hand
- Super affordable
- Always a hit with dogs- they love them!
More dog treat recipes:
Easy DIY Sweet Potato Chews
Pumpkin & Peanut Butter Dog Treats
Healthy Dog Treats
If you try this recipe let us know by leaving a comment, rating it, and don't forget to tag @itdoesnttastelikechicken on Instagram.
Bon appetegan!
Sam Turnbull and Chickpea Dog
Easy Homemade Dog Treats!
Ingredients
- 2 cups oats (old fashioned, 1-minute oats, or instant) plus more if needed- see step 3
- 2 medium ripe bananas
- ½ cup natural peanut butter
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 300F (150C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add the oats to a food processor and grind until they reach a fine powder. (If you do not have a food processor, see the recipe notes for other options). Add the bananas and peanut butter and blend until a sticky dough is formed.
- Remove from the food processor and roll out on a lightly floured surface. (Use whole wheat flour, more ground oats, or another dog-safe flour that you have on hand). I used a heart cookie cutter to cut out the treats but you could use any cookie cutter, or just cut them into squares with a knife or pizza cutter.
- Lay the treats on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the treats are puffed up a bit, dry and dark brown on the bottoms, (they will still feel soft when first removed from the oven). The treats will get a bit more firm once they are cool but will still be a slightly softer dog treat. Let cool before giving one to your pup. Store in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 1 week, in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, or I like to store them in my freezer which makes them firmer and makes them stay fresh a long time.
Notes
Nutrition
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Pamela says
Great little treats ! I halved the recipe and used an apple slicer for the cut outs. Perfect size !
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
That sounds so cute Pamela!
Cynthia Smith says
The pups I made these for loved them!
I didn’t have bananas on hand so I used 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce as mentioned in a previous comment.
I also did my best to blend the oats into a flour/powder. The oats were still a little chunky.
My “dough” was very dry though and difficult to roll out, cut, and keep together. It ultimately worked out for me! However, I am wondering what I could alter for future batches. Has anyone else’s dough been very dry?
Natalie Napier says
Made these myself tonight. Turned out great. I used oat flour. I think the faster you use the dough the less dry it’ll get as I learned.
Terry says
I'm wanting to make these for my dog but want to add some flax seed and some tumeric.
Kay says
Made these treats for a friend’s dog who was recovering from injuries. I used a small squirrel shaped cookie cutter and they were a big hit! Planning to make more for all the dogs on my Christmas list. Great, simple recipe. Thanks!
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
Awww that's very sweet, Kay!
Courtney says
Hi! I'm baking these for Christmas for a few dogs I know and I was wondering how long it takes for them to go bad or if I wouldn't have to really worry about that?
Eve says
Hello! Planning on making these treats tonight! I thought making them in a cute heart-shaped silicone mold would be nice, as it would form smaller treats. Does this recipe rise excessively while baking?
Davida says
I just made these yesterday and they do not rise at all. I think they would need something like baking soda or powder to rise...
Sam Turnbull says
No they do not rise much. Enjoy!!
Heather B says
Hi Sam
By chance do you recall where you got the pink heart-shaped cookie cutter? The size and shape are ideal for my pups!
Thank you
Heather
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Heather, it was from this kit on amazon.
Leigh says
I doubled the oats and bananas, used 2/3 cup peanut butter, and added 2/3 cup flaxseed meal. It was yummy. I actually ate one before giving to my dogs lol. Thank you for the simple and delicious recipe!
Sam Turnbull says
Haha, you're welcome!
Teresa says
I didn't have any bananas so I used a half cup of unsweetened apple sauce and they turned out great! My dog has so many allergies and these are perfect! Thanks for the recipe!
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful!
Jo Jelly says
I measured the ingredients out per the instructions, and when mixed, it did not form into a dough. It is a wet gooey mixture and can't be rolled out.. What should I do now? Add more oat flour?
Sam Turnbull says
It sounds like your bananas were a little larger than mine. No worries, just add more oat flour until it forms a dough. Enjoy!
Jo Jelly says
Thank you Sam! I added more oat flour, and that did the trick. The dog biscuits are great and everybody loves them!
Sam Turnbull says
Perfect!
Rita S says
Could you put the weight of oats in the recipe? I usually have whole oats on hand that I can grind into a flour with my Mockmill but I am not sure how this will equal to cups.. I think 2 cups of whole oats might be more than 2 cups of flakes. I love all of your recipes and am excited to make this for our pups.
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Rita, just below the ingredient list, if you click "metric" it will change to weight. Enjoy!
Linda says
Would like to make the doggie treats at home, however where can I find the oats and natural peanut butter without the extra ingredients. I purchased a natural but it has sugar and added oil. My one minute oats have 1g sugar?
thank you
Linda
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Linda, my local grocery store carries both. Just check the ingredient list on the product. Enjoy!
Michèle says
Glad you emailed your vegan dog treat round up to remind me to make these!! My only question: does Chickpea have her own instagram account??
Sam Turnbull says
Haha, she does! You can follow her at @chickpeadog 🙂
Shantel says
Can puppies eat these treats?
Elle says
Definitely!
Dina says
Freya says WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF! That's dog for Thanks, Sam! More, mom?
Sam Turnbull says
Hahaha! Cute 🙂
Anonymous says
I was just wondering if we can eat these treats too
Elle says
You can eat them too! They are all ingredients that people eat regularly.
Lea says
Hi Sam, Chickpea is adorable, I love that sweet little face. Thanks for this recipe. I'm pinning it.
Sam Turnbull says
Thank you Lea! I hope your furry friend enjoys it!
Barry Eisenberg says
We don't have peanut butter in the house due to allergies. Can you use Almond butter or sunflower seed butter?
Sam Turnbull says
Yes, either will work well for this recipe and are safe for dogs in small amounts. Enjoy!
Dan says
Make sure the peanut butter you use does not have Xylitol (aka birch sugar) in it. It is becoming a more commonly used sweetener in peanut butter but it is toxic to dogs.
Sam Turnbull says
Good tip! I recommend natural peanut butter with only peanuts as the ingredient.
Rowdy's MOM says
I love Chickpea. So cute I could cry! Can't wait to make some treats for my big boy.
Sam Turnbull says
Thank you! Enjoy the treats!