Gluten-Free Homemade Dog Treats Guaranteed to Make Tails Wag!

Whether you are accommodating your dog’s food allergies or gluten sensitivity, or your fur baby is accommodating yours, your puppy will happily gobble up these gluten-free homemade dog treats!

Pumpkin, my very picky Chiweenie (chihuahua/dachshund) loves these healthy treats. Personally, I think it’s the cheese! I mean, what’s not to love about peanut butter and cheese… if you’re a pup.

While your dog will love these treats, you will love that your sweet dog is getting good, wholesome ingredients, packed with protein, complex carbohydrates, and vitamins that are as good for him as they are delicious.

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Healthy Ingredients

This homemade dog treat recipe has only five simple ingredients:

Egg

Eggs are high in protein and fatty acids. They are also an excellent source of vitamins and minerals, like iron, folate, riboflavin, selenium, and vitamins A and B12. If your dog is allergic to eggs, replace the egg with an extra ¼ cup of pumpkin puree.

Natural Peanut Butter

Peanut butter contains protein and healthy fats, vitamins B and E, and niacin, and is good for your fur baby in moderation.

Natural peanut butter contains only peanuts, and maybe a little salt. I opt for the unsalted variety for my pup. More importantly, natural peanut butter has no sugar and absolutely no xylitol, which is toxic to dogs. Double-check your peanut butter to confirm it does not contain xylitol.

Pumpkin

This recipe calls for canned 100% pure pumpkin, which is beneficial for your dog. Be careful not to pick up canned pumpkin pie mix by mistake, which contains sugar and is not a healthy treat for dogs. Plain pumpkin is fiber-rich and contains vitamins A, E, and C, potassium, and iron.

Brown Rice Flour

Brown rice is a good source of fiber and complex carbohydrates, and your dog needs both. It contains selenium, to boost the immune system, and is high in iron and potassium. More nutritious than white rice, brown rice is also a good source vitamins and antioxidants. 

Cheese

Cheese is a dog-favorite and is fine in small quantities. It is high in fat, but also contains protein, calcium, vitamin A, essential fatty acids, and B-complex vitamins. If your dog is lactose-intolerant, omit the cheese from the ingredients, and otherwise make the treats per recipe instructions.

We use shredded cheddar, but low-fat shredded mozzarella is a great option.

Substitutions

For canines (or their people) with additional allergies, or if you don’t have an ingredient handy, use the following substitutions as needed:

• 1 egg = ¼ cup of pumpkin puree
• 2 tbsp natural peanut butter = 2 tbsp pumpkin puree = 2 tbsp almond butter
• ¼ cup pumpkin puree = ¼ cup sweet potato puree
• 1 cup brown rice flour = 1 cup *gluten-free oat flour
• cheese: option to omit

* Note, while oats are naturally gluten-free, most oats are cross-contaminated with gluten-containing grains in the field and factory. If cross-contamination is a concern for you or your pup, you can purchase oat flour that is labeled gluten-free.

Big Dog? Try This Easy Recipe Adjustment

Our Pumpkin is a small dog who needs small treats. But if tiny treats would barely be a nibble for your precious pup, these easy modifications are sure to earn you wags and wiggles:

• Double the recipe: 2 eggs, ¼ cup of peanut butter, ½ cup of pumpkin puree, 2 cups of brown rice flour, and ½ cup of cheese.
• Use a 3″ dog bone-shaped (or similar size) cookie cutter.
• Use a toothpick to poke 4 holes in each treat.
• Bake for 30-35 minutes.
• Follow all other instructions in the original recipe.

Gluten-Free Diet

My daughter and I are on a strict gluten-free diet, due to celiac disease. We have a gluten-free home and opted to keep our sweet Pumpkin gluten-free to prevent us from having an accidental gluten exposure.

Maybe your four-legged friend is on a gluten-free diet due to her own gluten intolerance, food allergies, or another medical condition.

Whether for your dog’s health or your own, always discuss any changes to your dog’s diet with her vet.

Grain-Free Treats

Brown rice flour is gluten-free, but not grain-free.

For dogs on a grain-free diet, one cup of chickpea flour, coconut flour, or buckwheat flour can be used instead of one cup of brown rice flour. Contrary to what the name may lead you to believe, buckwheat is a seed, not a grain, and ironically (and thankfully!) has absolutely nothing to do with wheat.

Step-by-Step Instructions

This recipe is so simple a child could make it. In fact, a child created the recipe. My 11-year-old is our resident dog trainer, and she knew just what to include in these homemade dog biscuits to motivate our dog, Pumpkin.

Preheat oven to 350°.

After preheating the oven, you can optionally prepare your baking sheet with either parchment paper or a few sprays of Pam, to simplify clean-up.

In a medium bowl, beat one egg. 

The egg adds protein and moisture while helping hold the mixture together.

Add remaining ingredients and mix until a dough forms.

The mixture will be the consistency of cookie dough.

Roll out the dough to approximately ¼ inch thick.

The dough is sticky. Use extra brown rice flour to dust your surface, rolling pin, dough, and cookie cutter, as needed to prevent the dough from sticking.

Cut out treats with a small cookie cutter and place them on the baking sheet. Use a toothpick to poke two holes in each treat.

Use a small cookie cutter (approximately 1″) to cut out your dog’s homemade treats into shapes of your choosing. We use this adorable little cookie cutter that reminds us a bit of Pumpkin. There are so many cute cookie cutters to choose from, like mini hearts and bone shapes!

Place the cut-out homemade treats on a baking sheet with about ½ inch of space between each treat, just enough so the heat can circulate. The treats do not spread when baked.

Use a toothpick to create two holes in each dog treat. It allows them to crisp evenly.

Bake for 10-12 minutes until firm.

After these biscuits are baked, I turn off the oven and leave them in there as the oven cools. The extra time at low heat allows the treats to dehydrate further. Remove from the oven after an hour. Or go to bed and grab them the next day. As long as the oven is off, these treats are okay to leave overnight.

Store in an airtight container.

Of course, you must give your furry friend a treat immediately after removing these tasty treats from the oven (they should already be room temperature). Save the rest in an airtight container for up to two weeks.

These are the best gluten-free dog treats! I’m sure your fur baby will agree with Pumpkin.