Easy Recipes for Pumpkin Dog Treats

Even though it’s best known for improving symptoms of indigestion, loose stools, and diarrhea, small amounts of pumpkin are appropriate anytime. Most dogs love the taste and pumpkin’s prebiotic fibers support the microbiome. Best of all, pumpkin dog treats are easy and fun to make.

Start With the Right Kind of Pumpkin

Plain pureed canned pumpkin is your primary ingredient. Try a made-for-dogs product like  Nummy Tum Tum Organic Pumpkin for Pets or use a single-ingredient canned pumpkin, such as Libby’s Pure Pumpkin Puree, Farmer’s Market Organic Pumpkin Puree or Lucky Leaf Canned Pumpkin. Canned pumpkin pie mix, which contains sugar and spices, is not recommended.

To make your own puree from fresh pumpkin, use small pumpkins sold for pie making rather than the fibrous jack-o-lantern pumpkins associated with October 31^st. Cut 2 small pumpkins in half, scrape the seeds out with a spoon, and place the pieces face-down on a baking sheet. Bake at 350ºF (177ºC) for 45 minutes or until the pumpkin is golden brown and fork-tender. Peel the skin off and place chunks in a blender or food processor, adding a small amount of water if needed. Pulse or blend the pumpkin until smooth. Alternatively, mash the pumpkin with a potato masher, press it through a potato ricer, or process it with a food mill.

Store pumpkin puree in an airtight container in your refrigerator for up to 7 days, or place it in a Ziplock freezer bag, press the air out, and freeze it for up to 6 months.

Basic Instructions for Pumpkin Dog Biscuits

When making pumpkin dog biscuits, combine dry ingredients with a mixer, food processor, or by hand, then add other ingredients to create a stiff or soft dough. Lightly grease cookie sheets or line them with kitchen parchment paper before baking to prevent sticking.

Stiff doughs can be rolled flat with a rolling pin (place dough between two sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap or on a floured surface before rolling) and shaped with a cookie cutter, pizza cutter, or knife. For dog-related cookie cutters, visit

LokiDokiDog Cookie Cutters, The Cookie Cutter Shop Dog Cookie Cutters, or

Cheap Cookie Cutters Dog Collection. You can also shape stiff dough as a log or cylinder, wrap it in plastic wrap, refrigerate until firm, then slice the roll into discs. To create small round pumpkins, roll dough into balls, pull up to create a little stem on top, and press vertical lines into the sides with a knife.

Soft doughs can be pressed into silicon molds, such as those sold by SodaPup or Etsy Silicone Dog Bone Molds.

Most dog biscuit recipes call for wheat flour, but gluten-free flours are widely sold. Blends containing almond flour, coconut flour, arrowroot starch, tapioca starch, cassava flour, rice flour, or potato starch are designed to replace equal quantities of wheat flour. In the following dog biscuit recipes, use wheat flour or shop for a gluten-free or Paleo flour labeled as a one-to-one replacement for wheat flour.

All recipes are adjustable, so if a dough seems too liquid, add a little more flour, finely ground oats or other thickener. Baking times are approximate because cookie thickness, oven temperatures, and ingredients vary. I used Cup4Cup gluten-free flour to test the recipes given here.

For recipes using peanut butter, try made-for-dog brands that don’t contain xylitol, hydrogenated vegetable oils, sugar, or molasses. Examples include:

• Paw Power Dawg Butter
• Buddy Budder Peanut Butter for Dogs
• Teddie Unsalted Peanut Butter for Dogs
• Dogtastic Gourmet Peanut Butter for Dogs

While baking dog treats, check the oven every 10 minutes and reduce or extend baking time as needed. Cool treats on a wire rack. Leaving treats at room temperature for a day or two helps harden biscuits to make them crunchier. Depending on ingredients, home-prepared treats may last several days to a week or more at room temperature or longer in the refrigerator. For long-term storage, freeze in air-tight containers. For holiday baking, mix cookie doughs ahead of time and refrigerate or freeze them until a few days before gift giving, then bake and gift-wrap.

Try These Easy Recipes

Pumpkin Peanut Butter Biscuits for Dogs

• 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1 egg
• 2 cups gluten-free or equivalent flour

Combine the pumpkin, peanut butter, and egg yolk in a large bowl. Gradually add flour and stir until combined. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut shapes by hand or with cookie cutters and place 1 inch apart on prepared cookie sheets. Bake at 375^oF (190^oC) for 20-25 minutes or until lightly brown.

Pumpkin, Carrot, and Coconut Biscuits for Dogs

• 2 cups gluten-free or equivalent flour
• 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened peanut or almond butter
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 cup grated carrots
• 1 cup shredded dried unsweetened coconut

Combine ingredients, roll to 1/4 to 3/8 inch thick and shape with cookie cutters. Bake at 350^oF (177^oC) for 30 to 35 minutes, or until lightly brown.

Soft Pumpkin Treats for Dogs

“Soft” treats are appreciated by dogs with tooth problems. Most contain vegetable glycerin, a plant-derived syrup that acts as a moisturizer and preservative. Food-grade vegetable glycerin from Glycerin Supplier, Starwest Botanicals, and other manufacturers is sold online and in natural food stores. If you don’t have vegetable glycerin, substitute honey, which also works well in soft treats.

• 2 cups pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup grated apple or 1/4 cup applesauce
• 1/4 cup honey or vegetable glycerin
• 1 egg
• 1-1/2 cups gluten-free or equivalent flour

Combine ingredients and drop dough with a teaspoon to form mounds on prepared baking sheets, placing them an inch or more apart. Bake at 350^oF (177^oC) for 20 minutes. Refrigerate in an airtight container to maintain soft consistency and prevent mold growth.

Frozen Pumpkin Treats for Dogs

Here are three simple variations:

Pumpkin Peanut Butter Frozen Treats

• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/4 cup melted or softened coconut oil

Pumpkin Frozen Yogurt Treats

• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt or regular yogurt that you strain overnight through cheesecloth or a mesh strainer to thicken it
• 1/4 cup melted or softened coconut oil

Pumpkin Banana Frozen Treats

• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup mashed ripe banana
• 1/4 cup melted or softened coconut oil

Mix ingredients and fill silicone molds or ice cube trays. Freeze for at least 2 hours, then remove treats from the molds or trays and store them in an air-tight freezer bag or container. Remove treats from the freezer a few minutes before serving.

Pumpkin Gummy Treats for Dogs

Gelatin is the key ingredient in sweet or savory gummy treats. Unflavored gelatin powder is available from Great Lakes Grass-Fed Gelatin, Knox Gelatine, and other brands. Soda Pup sells Dogtastic Jelly Shots Gelatin with holiday-themed silicone molds. Gelatin is recommended for aging joints, increased mobility, improved digestion, strong bones, and skin and coat health. Unfortunately, gelatin does not freeze well. Use gummies as training treats or as additions to your dog’s dinner. Adding more gelatin will create firmer gummies.

For your first gummies, sprinkle 3 tablespoons gelatin powder over 1/4 cup unheated coconut water, bone broth, soup stock, water, or other liquid and let it stand a minute or two until the gelatin is absorbed. Heat 1/2 cup of the same liquid until almost boiling, add it to the gelatin, and stir to blend. Add 1/2 cup pumpkin puree and stir gently. Pour into a lightly oiled silicon mold, loaf pan, or tray. Refrigerate until firm. Remove gummies from silicon molds. If using a loaf pan, remove the single slab of cold gelatin and cut it with a knife or cookie cutters. Refrigerate gummies, tightly sealed, for up to 2 weeks.