Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe·4.9 from 14 reviews
For a special Valentine’s post we wanted to give you a way to say “I love you” to your best friends! As a bonus to you, this home-made dog treat recipe is also so simple and quick to make!
Just 3 Ingredients
Free From Common Doggy Allergens
High Fibre
Super Tasty For Your Dog (And Honestly Not Bad Tasting For Humans!)
And They Cost Us Less Than $1 To Make!
3 Ingredients For Home-Made Dog Treats
The three simple ingredients for this home-made dog treat recipe are:
- Cooked sweet potato
- All natural peanut butter (no sweeteners or additives)
- And oat flour (made from grinding whole oats)
AND… if you’re hoping for an even simpler option that requires no cooking of the sweet potato… you can use canned pumpkin puree!
Dogs love pumpkin and it’s very healthy for them as long as the pumpkin you are using is not sweetened! Make sure you are not using pumpkin pie filling which often has sweeteners and additives. Your can of pumpkin puree should have pumpkin as the only ingredient listed.
Likewise, the peanut butter you use should have peanuts as the only ingredient listed. Make sure there are no additives that could be harmful to your dog.
And if you’re wondering how to make oat flour… don’t stress! Simply grind the regular quick or rolled oats in your pantry into a fine meal and you have oat flour!
I decided to use all oat flour for this recipe as many dogs are sensitive to wheat. BUT… if your dog isn’t sensitive to wheat then feel free to make this recipe with whole wheat flour and there will be no grinding of oats involved either!
Make The Dough
Are you ready for how easy this is?
Stir together the mashed sweet potato and peanut butter.
If you are wondering how to cook sweet potato for this recipe, you can peel and boil cubed sweet potato. Then mash it as you would for mashed potatoes. You could even freeze the mashed sweet potato in silicone muffin liners for easy portions!
Or… bake whole sweet potatoes at 425 degrees F for 40-55 minutes until the sweet potato is soft and the skin has pulled away. Once the potato is cool, remove the skin and freeze the whole sweet potato! When you need one, just take it out of the freezer and defrost it really quickly in the microwave. Now you’re ready to make this home-made dog treat recipe in a flash!
Next…
Add the ground oat flour into the combined sweet potato and peanut butter.
Stir to combine using a spoon or your hands. I find it easier to mix this dough with my hands as it is a little sticky.
If for any reason the dough seems a little dry to you, just add a splash of water or unsweetened oat milk. OR… a bit more peanut butter or sweet potato. And if the dough seems much too sticky to handle, a dash more flour will help to firm it up.
Roll It Out
Although this dough is a little sticky, I find it quite easy to roll out with my rolling pin on a silicone mat. Roll the dough out to between ¼″ and ½″ thick. As there are no raising agents in this dough, the thickness of the biscuits at this stage will be the thickness of the cooked biscuits.
Here is where you can really customize this home-made dog treat recipe for your dog!
- Use a larger cookie cutter for bigger dogs.
- Make the biscuits as thick or thin as is best for your dog.
- And if you don’t have a cookie cutter… cut the dough into small square treats!
If you are having trouble rolling out a sticky dough…
Placing a piece of wax paper overtop the dough and using your rolling pin on top of the wax paper will prevent the dough from sticking to your rolling pin.
And if you start rolling the dough and it is too crumbly…
Don’t be afraid of overworking the dough. You can scoop it back up and add in a bit more of a wet ingredient. Water, unsweetened oat milk, or a bit more peanut butter or pumpkin will all work. Then, roll the dough out again.
Baking Time For This Home-Made Dog Treat Recipe
Here is another area where you can customize these treats perfectly for your dog!
Bake these home-made dog treats at 400 degrees F for 10-15 minutes.
Only bake the treats for 10-12 minutes if your dog prefers soft treats with instant gratification!
Or… leave these treats in for 15 minutes for a crunchier treat that will take your dog a little longer to enjoy!
Recipe Cost
Here’s the best part…
This home-made dog treat recipe costs us approximately: $0.83 CAD for 40-50 small dog bone treats!
Compared to buying store-bought treats for at least $10 a bag… this recipe shows both your dog and your wallet some love!
Let me know in the comments below if you make these home-made treats for your dog and how they like them! I know other readers will want to know how you customized these to suit your dog best so make sure to gush with lots of details about your cute pup!
Oh… and if you want to make some yummy things for yourself use any leftover sweet potato for Sweet Potato Black Bean Tacos. Try my popular Peanut Butter Chickpea Cookie Dough Bars too!
3 Ingredient Dog Treats, Home-Made With Love
5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 Star
4.9 from 14 reviews
- Author: Kathryn Alexandre
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 40–50 small treats 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
An easy, 3 ingredient, home-made dog treat recipe. High fibre, free of common doggy allergens, and rewarding for both your dog & your wallet.
Ingredients
UnitsScale
- 1 cup oat flour (or whole wheat flour if your dog is not sensitive to wheat)
- ¼ cup peanut butter (all natural, ensure the only ingredient is peanuts)
- ½ cup cooked sweet potato, mashed* (or unsweetened pumpkin puree)
*Ingredients you need that are not part of our pantry and freezer tips.
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F and prepare a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Stir together mashed sweet potato and all natural peanut butter (no sweeteners or additives).
- Add the flour. If using oat flour you can make it yourself by just grinding quick or rolled oats into a flour using a food processor. If your dog is not sensitive to wheat, feel free to use whole wheat flour.
- Mix the flour into the wet ingredients with a spoon or your hands until fully combined. The dough will be a little sticky but I find it pretty easy to roll out. If the dough seems too dry, you can add a splash of water or oat milk. If the dough is too sticky to roll out, just add a bit more flour.
- Transfer the dough to a silicone mat or sheet of wax paper and roll out to between ¼” and ½” thickness. (Placing another piece of wax paper on top of the dough can make it easier to roll if it’s sticky). Cut out your treats using a biscuit cutter of your choosing or simply slice the dough into small square treats. Keep in mind that as there are no rising agents in this dough so the thickness of the biscuit at this stage will be the thickness of the cooked biscuit.
- Transfer the cut out treats to your lined baking tray and bake at 400 degrees F for 12-15 minutes. For softer treats bake for 10-12 minutes and for crunchier treats bake for 15 minutes.
- Allow to cool completely and store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to one week or freeze for up to 2 months.
Notes
Approximate Cost: $0.83 CAD vs at least $10 for store-bought dog treats.
To cook raw sweet potato, peel and boil until soft or bake at 425 degrees F for 40-55 minutes until the potato is cooked and the skin pulls away. Allow to cool, peel the skin, and use right away or freeze until you need it!
Feel free to substitute the sweet potato with unsweetened pure pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling) or even cooked and mashed carrot.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Thrifty How-Tos
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American, Canadian
