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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Butters says
Can you make this in a silicone mold?
Jolie says
Do you give your dog the treats straight from the freeze or do you let them sit out a bit? Thank you!
Karen Harrah says
how thick do you roll the dough?
ivan mayer says
my dog immediately spit it out on the floor
Momma’s Baby Girls says
I made these not that long ago and my two very spoiled little chihuahuas ABSOLUTELY LOVE them. I added unsweetened all natural applesauce, but that was it and they too would eat them all if I were to let them as well. These are by far their favorite treats. I do put them in the freezer and they have no problem with eating them right away, because they don’t get frozen solid due to the apple sauce. Thank you Sam for an excellent , healthy , homemade treat recipe for the fur babies.
Trish says
I admittedly seldom follow recipes exactly as they are published because I guess I'm a recipe rebel. That being said, I MOSTLY followed your recipe and it turned out fantastic. Both my Pit Bull and chihuahua love them. The changes I made were actually not that big of a deal. I used only half the amount of the oatmeal and the other half of the oatmeal part of the recipe, I added oat bran instead. I didn't roll them out, but rolled them into little balls, then flattened them slightly with a spoon. Otherwise, I behaved myself and followed the rest of recipe judiciously!
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
Thanks for sharing your experience!
Jenny Taylor says
My dog as well as my nieces were a saving grace on their final days. This was the only thing they would eat. I know this sounds a tad sad but it helped and that’s all that mattered!!
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
Sad indeed, we're sorry to hear about your loss. We're glad this recipe provided some comfort.
Alicia says
how thick should i roll the dough ?
Margaret says
Will be trying these!
Christina K says
How did you calculate the nutritional facts - or what size are the finished treats you made?
Stephanie says
I made these for Lilly, my goldendoodle, and she loves them! She would eat all of them at one time if I let her. Thank you for the recipe!
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
Lucky Lilly!