3 Ingredient Dog Treats Recipe
These 3-Ingredient Dog Treats are easy to make with items you most likely have in your kitchen. The ingredients for these homemade dog treats are easily substituted, and suggestions for substitutions are included.
I haven’t purchased store-bought dog treats since, well…since …well…several months!
At first, I was trying to avoid going to the grocery store. Now, I am trying to use what I have in my kitchen to reduce kitchen waste.
When I realized that I could use up the assortment of flours that I had accumulated, I jumped right in with both paws feet. Additionally, this 3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Dog Treats recipe readily accommodates other soft fruit substitutions like bananas, cooked apples, pears, carrots, or sweet potatoes. I can put any of these ingredients to good use before they go bad, thereby really cutting back on food waste.
Table of Contents
Featured Comment
I can’t believe it’s that easy! Just 3 ingredients! My dogs loves them. so much healthier than store bought! Thanks for the recipe 😘 😋 🐕🐕🐶
Mary
About Peanut Butter
My sweet, sugar-faced girl prefers these three-ingredient Peanut Butter Dog Treats over the store-bought variety. It’s not a coincidence that dogs readily take their medicine if tucked into a spoonful of peanuts; dogs love peanut butter.
Flora says…”Just ensure that you avoid peanut butter with added sugar, xylitol, or salt; look for natural peanut butter.” Pups don’t need any of those additives!
3 Simple Ingredients
You’ll notice that this recipe calls for three simple ingredients: oats, peanut butter, and soft fruit or vegetables. I used some wrinkly apples and quickly cooked them in the microwave to make applesauce. I didn’t peel the apples but removed the cores and seeds. Apple seeds actually contain small amounts of cyanide!
But as I noted above, you could easily substitute any soft fruit or vegetable except avocado, onions, wild mushrooms, garlic, grapes, and raisins, which are harmful to dogs. Flora loves the peanut butter banana version of these dog treats.
And feel free to substitute another grain for the oats. Check out this Pumpkin Dog Treats post’s list of acceptable grains for dog treats.
Foods That Are Unsafe for Dogs and Should Be Avoided in Homemade Dog Treats
These foods can be toxic and unsafe for dogs. If you decide to substitute any of the ingredients in these dog treats, avoid these foods.
- Chocolate contains theobromine and caffeine, both of which can be toxic to dogs and can lead to symptoms like increased heart rate, vomiting, diarrhea, and even seizures or death.
- Grapes and raisins can cause kidney failure in dogs, leading to symptoms like vomiting, increased thirst, lethargy, and decreased appetite.
- Onions and garlic, whether raw, cooked, or powdered, contain compounds that can damage a dog’s red blood cells, leading to anemia. Symptoms may include weakness, vomiting, and difficulty breathing.
- Avocado contains persin, which can be toxic to dogs in large quantities. It can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and potential pancreatitis.
- Xylitol is an artificial sweetener commonly found in sugar-free gum, candies, some peanut butter, and baked goods. It can cause a rapid release of insulin in dogs, leading to a dangerous drop in blood sugar levels. Xylitol ingestion may result in symptoms such as vomiting, loss of coordination, seizures, and liver failure.
- Macadamia nuts can be toxic to dogs and may cause weakness, tremors, vomiting, increased body temperature, and difficulty walking.
- Raw meat and eggs can contain bacteria such as Salmonella or E. coli, which can lead to food poisoning in dogs, just as it can in humans. It’s generally recommended to cook meat and eggs thoroughly before feeding them to your dog.
- Too much salt is dangerous for dogs and can lead to salt toxicosis. Excess spices can upset your dog’s digestive system.
Please note that this is not an exhaustive list, and other foods may be unsafe for dogs. When in doubt, it’s always best to consult with your veterinarian before introducing new foods to your dog’s diet.
Dehydrate Dog Treats to Store Them at Room Temperature
Like these Pumpkin Dog Treats, these three-ingredient Peanut Butter dog treats are best if you completely dehydrate them to pull all the moisture out. The dehydration will allow you to store these tummy yummies at room temperature without the risk of mold. You will know your dog treats are fully dehydrated if they break with a ‘snap’!
Frequently Asked Questions About Homemade Dog Treats
Homemade dog treats are safe for your dog if you use dog-friendly ingredients and follow appropriate recipes. Avoid using ingredients that are toxic to dogs, such as chocolate, onions, garlic, and artificial sweeteners like xylitol.
Homemade dog treats should be stored in an airtight container to maintain freshness. They can be kept at room temperature for a few days, but if you want them to last longer, dehydrate them or store them in the refrigerator or freezer.
Yes, you can often make substitutions in homemade dog treat recipes. However, be cautious when substituting ingredients that might be toxic or harmful to dogs. I have included a list of common foods that can be toxic to dogs. Consult a veterinarian or do thorough research before making substitutions.
When stored correctly, dehydrated dog treats can last quite a while, usually around 6 months to a year. The key is to keep them in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight. An airtight container helps preserve their freshness and prevent spoilage due to moisture or pests.
Remember, the shelf life can vary depending on the ingredients used and the dehydration method. For example, treats made with lean meats without added preservatives tend to have a shorter shelf life. Always check the treats for signs of spoilage, like mold or an off smell, before giving them to your dog.
Without dehydrating, homemade dog treats typically last about 1-2 weeks when stored correctly in an airtight container. Refrigerating or freezing them can extend their shelf life to a few months.
Yes, homemade dog treats can be frozen to prolong their freshness. Place them in an airtight container or freezer bag and label them with the date. Thaw frozen treats in the refrigerator before serving.
The number of treats to give your dog daily depends on size, age, and overall diet. Generally, treats should make up no more than 10% of your dog’s daily caloric intake. It’s essential to balance treats with regular meals to avoid overfeeding.
Like anything, the ingredients you use determine how nutritious a food is. Homemade dog treats can be healthier than store-bought options, as you can control the ingredients used.
Some of these are affiliate links, and I will earn a small commission off the sale of these products, but the price you are charged is not affected. You can see my full disclosure policy here.
Using cookie cutters
You can cut these in any shape you choose. I’m partial to the heart or dog bone, but there are other cute dog-themed cookie cutters.
for your pup’s treats
- Stainless Steel
- 5 different sizes
- Sturdy and hold their shape
Looking for more dog treat recipes?
I’ve got you covered! Pumpkin (or other soft fruits or vegetables) shines in these Pumpkin Dog Treats; this post also discusses grain substitutions.
If your pups love cheese, they will love these Cheddar Cheese Dog Treats.
And these simple, one-ingredient Sweet Potato Dog Chews couldn’t be easier.
Or, you can head over to see all our dog treat recipes in one place!
3 Ingredient Dog Treats
Equipment
- Dehydrator optional, can use oven that goes down to 250℉
Ingredients
- 2 cups rolled oats oat flour or oatmeal (or a substitute grain)
- 1/2 cup natural peanut butter
- 1/2 cup soft fruit or vegetables cooked apple, carrots, sweet potato, pumpkin or a banana
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250°F
- If using oatmeal, place it in a food processor and blend until most of the oats are ground. I left some oats whole, but you can process it as much as you want. The cookies are easier to cut if most of the oats are processed.
- Add peanut butter and fruit and process until the dough comes together.
- If using another grain, combine the grain, peanut butter, and fruit or vegetable in a food processor and process until the dough comes together.
- Roll dough 1/4" thick, using flour if the dough is sticky.
- Cut out using a cookie cutter or cut into squares.
- Place cookies on cookie sheets and bake at 250° for 2 hours until the dog treats are completely dry and crispy.
- Once dog treats are fully dehydrated, they can be stored at room temperature. Mine sit out at room temperature for at least a month without getting moldy, but you do need to make sure to fully dehydrate them.
Notes
Nutrition
Bookmark this page or pin the following image to refer back to these 3-Ingredient Dog Treats in the future.
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What an easy recipe! I’ll have to try these for my dog. I’m sure he’ll love them!
So easy! And I’m pretty sure your pup will love them…they are tasty, if I say so myself! 😉
If you don’t use oats, what other “flour” is canine tolerable?
Here’s a list of some of the flours that are suitable for dogs, in moderation of course.
Whole Wheat Flour
Garbanzo or Chickpea Flour
Buckwheat Flour
Coconut Flour
Oat Flour
Brown Rice Flour
Barley Flour
Millet Flour
Our 2 Labradors love them. If I run out and have to give them store bought ones they take them but give me the look
Oh Cathy, I love this story! And I know that ‘side eye’ look that labs and retrievers give. They are such fantastic pups.
Thanks so much for sharing this! 💗
Hugs, Lynn
Hi! I have never made treats for my dogs before and this seems really easy. You say to make sure they are completely dehydrated. This happens while in the oven, right? Or do I need to buy a dehydrator to do this?
Thanks,
Debbie
Good Morning Debbie,
Yes, you can get to the ‘dehydrated’ stage by slowly baking them in a 250 degree F oven for about 2 hours…no need to buy a dehydrator. Just make sure they break with a ‘snap’ when cooled. If not, pop them back in to get completely dry. Happy Baking, my friend.
Hugs,
Lynn
Are there any good substitute options for the peanut butter? Wanting to make my girls special treats for my youngest furbabys adoption anniversary, but have limited ingredient options. We’ve got carrots, apples, and pumpkin puree but very little peanut butter and no eggs.
Hi Kaitlin,
do you have any nut butter? If you have whole nuts, you could blend them to get the nut butter. I’m struggling to come up with a good substitute…you need something sticky to hold it all together. I have never tried it, but I wonder if yogurt that has been drained of the whey might be sticky enough.
Lynn
Should it be hard? My dogs still ate it but I personally found it hard. Can I bake it at a little over an hour and keep it in the fridge?
Hi Peppa,
They should be hard and crunchy. Taking the moisture out of the cookies is how we keep them shelf stable and last longer.
Hi! Wondering if you are able to add a frosting to the top afterwards or would that mess up shelf life time??
I’d be afraid that adding frosting would limit the shelf life. If you are so inclined, I would keep them in the fridge.
I was unable to use all the dough because it was so dry. I used a cooked apple but I’m thinking maybe it wasn’t large enough to give the dough enough moisture to help hold it all together?? I used your recipe with peanut butter, cooked apple, & ground oats. Your suggestion please? Thanks so much.
Hi Dolly,
I’m so sorry, I have not had that problem. I would definitely try to add another cooked apple, pear or carrot or mashed banana. Hopefully, you have one of those on hand but if you don’t, add a little water, broth or milk in small increments. Let me know if that works.
Lynn
So easy to make and dog loves it. Smells nice while baking 🙂 thank you !
Hi! I have made these treats a couple times and they turn out great! Three dogs love them. I did not pulse the oats as I do not have a food processor. I took a potatoe masher and pounded on the oats for a few minutes. I also do not have cookie cutters so shaped the dough into small balls. It is a tad mess but they turn out fine; very nice and dry.
Hi Diane,
I am so glad to hear how you altered the recipe to make it work for you! I’ve always believed that any recipe is just a jumping off point for us to put our own spin on it! I will share your input for other readers, encouraging them to use what they have to make this simple recipe. And all that matters at the end of the day is that our pups love them!
Hugs, Lynn
My dog loves these, especially the cronch! Sometimes I add a little cinnamon or turmeric for her joints. I’ve eaten them myself- they taste like my mom’s oat muffins!
I am a lazy fur mum, and I use my thermomix to grind the oats at speed 7 for 20 seconds, add the peanut butter and cooked apple, and mix for about a minute on speed 4. It doesn’t come together well in the bowl itself, but I turn it out on a flat surface, and squish it together into a ball before flattening.
Once rolled out, I use a pizza cutter to make rectangles, and a pie slice server to scoop them up into the parchment prepared tray. They don’t need a lot of space, so I can cram a lot onto two trays!
I’ve been making dog treats for years, and this is definitely my go-to. Thank you!
Good Morning Renee!
Adding turmeric or cinnamon is brilliant! I am going to start doing that as well. Thanks so much for sharing your review…I’ve tasted them as well!! They are quite tasty and so easy.
Thank you so very much for sharing your tips and comments! It really helps others when deciding if they want to give this recipe a go!
Have a wonderful day, my friend.
Hugs,
Lynn
Renee, how much cinnamon or turmeric did you add?
Hi Heidi, you’d be very safe adding two teaspoons per batch of either one. I’m assuming you will be making 4ish dozen cookies, from what I’ve read dogs can safely have 1/8 teaspoon of Turmeric a day and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon a day….for a medium sized dog.
My Yorkie Zona …”LOVED” them!” I used cooked carrots and banana and ground up Quaker Oats in the food processor. Yes, they were dry, so I rolled them into small balls and used a glass to flatten them.
Yes, they snapped when I broke off pieces!!
Thanks for the recipe!!
Hot diggity! I’m so glad that Zona loved them. My girl Flora does love them too! Thanks so much for writing in and sharing!
Have a great day!
I made these with cooked apple and added turmeric to the dough and a few flax seeds on top! They’re cooking now and smell so good. Great way to use up apples or bananas that aren’t super fresh anymore. I found the apple easy to cook in the microwave. I had to add a little extra water and apple to form a dough that comes together. Was too lazy to roll them out so made little dough balls and flattened with a fork and sprinkled flax seeds on top. Great recipe!
Good Morning Maria,
Thanks so much for sharing your twist on the recipe. As an inveterate recipe tweaker myself, I appreciate hearing what others do. And I love the idea of adding Turmeric to these tummy yummies! I will be doing that for my old girl, too! Thanks for the suggestion.
Hugs, Lynn
I made these “cookies” last week for my dog. He loves them. If I ask Jackson if he wants a cookie, he comes running over and sits at my feet to get it. I have a multi-purpose oven that dehydrates. It took less than an hour to dry the cookie out. One recipe made a big bag of dog bone size cookies. Thank you for an easy, safe and low cost treat to make for my dog. I look forward to trying more of your recipes.
Hi Dianne,
I am so glad that Jackson loves his cookies! Making our fur babies happy brings us such joy, too!
Dehydrating these treats is key and really doesn’t take much time.
Thanks for writing in! We love to great reviews!
Hugs, Lynn
Can they be frozen?
Hi Delores,
Absolutely! THey freeze and thaw well!
My Buddy loves these treats unfortunately he thinks if he goes anywhere or does anything that’s cute he will get a treat. So I give him one, he so spoiled. But that’s why he here with me.
To Love and spoil and lot’s of hugs
Thanks for the easy and great recipe.
Hi Bernadette,
Seems you have it all figured out! Of course, that’s why we have our four-legged loves! Because they make our lives so much better,spoiling them is only right.
Thanks so much for writing in!
Hugs, Lynn
p.s. Buddy needs a treat! ❤🐶
I have a chiweenie Sally Mae that has started itching and scratching like crazy. She has no fleas of course so I’m thinking it possibly could be the store-bought dog food and store-bought treats. I have decided to start making her dog food and treats this sounds like an awesome recipe. Thanks
Hi Debbie,
I sure hope Sallie Mae likes these! Keep me posted.
Hugs, Lynn
My babies love these. I’ve made them with apple sauce and pumpkin. I’m getting ready to put a batch in the oven.
Oh Yay, Claudia!
My girl loves them too. I’m going to start adding turmeric and cinnamon to help with sore joints. Thanks for the kind comment!
Hugs, Lynn
going to try these..can I use sugar free applesauce instead of fruit ?
Absolutely! Just make sure it doesn’t have artificial sweetener.
Hope your pup enjoys!
My girls will not eat these. I took a bite and they are pretty flavorless. I’ve made others they do like but not these.
Omg! Recipe is so easy to make and my golden doodle puppy is obsessed with these treats!
Oh yay Rhianna!I’m so glad your Golden Doodle loved them! Thanks for your comment.
I can’t believe it’s that easy! Just 3 ingredients! My dogs loves them. so much healthier than store bought! Thanks for the recipe 😘 😋 🐕🐕🐶
Hi Mary,
It is such a wonderfully easy recipe, isn’t it? And I love that I can use up what needs to be used up! Thanks for writing in!
Hugs, Lynn
Just made these treats for my Luna Faye (6 month old Golden Doodle) and the verdict is in. She absolutely loves them.
I used quaker oats oatmeal put in food processor to grind them up with apples and homemade peanut butter ( very easy to make as well) 2 ingredients 2 cups of organic dry, roasted peanuts, and a tablespoon of organic unrefined x- virgin cold pressed coconut oil it keeps in the fridge for a few weeks good to keep on hand 🐶💕🙏
Hi Cyndy,
Oh yum! I’m so glad Luna Faye loves them (and what an adorable name!). I can tell she is a spoiled pup…as well she should be!
Thanks for writing in!
Hugs, Lynn
These are the easiest dog biscuits I’ve every made and my dogs liked them the best of all the recipes I’ve tried! I used carrots this first time. One of my little dogs won’t eat any treats and he even liked them. Thanks for the recipe.
Oh yay Judi,
Your comment made my day! No…it made my weekend! I’m thrilled that your picky four-legged love actually likes this recipe! That is some high praise.
Thanks for taking the time to write in!! Comments like yours are fuel to my fire.
Have a great weekend.
Lynn
I made these with the oats, peanut butter and carrots but I also added an egg because we have 14 chickens and an over abundance of eggs! They turned out amazing and the dogs Loved them!!! My question is arr the eggs ok to add?
HI Sally,
Did you bake or dehydrate the treats? USDA believes that eggs need to be processed at a minimum of 160′ for 10 hours to be safe. I’d make sure that they were processed at that temperature or more to make sure that there is no risk of salmonella.
Super easy and dog approved. I used no sugar added applesauce for the soft fruit.
Yay! I’ve not met a pup who didn’t love them!
Thanks for sharing and writing in.
My pup loved these! I used banana for the fruit and they turned out perfect. I put little holes in the center of the cookies before I baked them. Once baked I threaded them on ribbon and created a little ring of treats as Christmas gifts. Will make these again for sure.
Hi Wendy,
What a fantastic idea! I don’t suppose you took a picture you could share?