FEATURED COMMENT:
Super easy to make, and our sweet little rescue Chihuahua Kowalski loooooves them. I used a pizza cutter to make them into little squares, so it made a LOT. He was kind enough to share them with his canine cousins, who also loved them. These are a WIN! - Karen
Ingredients:
Ground Flaxseed: good for skin and coat health, immune system support, and healthy digestion. If you have whole flaxseeds you can grind them in a blender or coffee grinder. Unsweetened Applesauce:Â a good source of vitamins A, C, K, calcium, and phosphorus. The antioxidants may help ward off cancer, help with joint disease symptoms, and can improve dental health and breath. Make sure you use unsweetened applesauce. Alternatively, you could substitute applesauce with unsweetened pumpkin puree or cooked mashed sweet potato (without any added oils or seasonings). Natural peanut butter:Â A small amount of peanut butter is added for flavor to make these treats more delicious, but peanut butter also contains protein, healthy fats, vitamins B, E, and niacin. 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. Dried Parsley: a good source of vitamins and minerals and also has antimicrobial properties that help freshen breath! Cinnamon: in small amounts, cinnamon is safe and healthy for dogs. It can help support brain function, improve focus and memory, and also has anti-inflammatory properties. Omit this if preferred. Whole wheat flour: is packed with fiber, and protein, and is a good source of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, including vitamin B9 (folate), vitamin E, copper, iron, manganese, and selenium. You could alternatively substitute this with oat flour or another dog-safe flour.
How to Make This Healthy Dog Treats Recipe:
Preheat your oven to 350F (180C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or leave it dry (the treats shouldn't stick). In a small bowl or measuring glass mix the warm water and flax. Set aside for about 10 minutes to thicken.
In a large bowl add the thickened flax mixture, apple sauce, peanut butter, parsley, and cinnamon, and mix well. Add the whole wheat flour and mix to make a stiff dry dough (it won't come together just yet).
Dump the dough and any remaining flour and bits from the bowl onto a clean work surface. Gather the dough and knead to incorporate all the flour. If your dough doesn't come together and is too dry, sprinkle over 1 teaspoon of water at a time until the dough comes together into a stiff dough.
Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out to about ½ inch (1.3 cm) thick. Cut the dough into dog biscuits. I used this bone-shaped 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. Gather any dough scraps, and reroll to make more treats.
Lay the treats out in a single layer on the baking sheet and bake for 45 mins - 60 mins until the treats are golden on the bottom and dry.
Let cool before giving one to your pup. I like to let my treats cool on the baking sheet and sit out in the open overnight to dry even more and become more crunchy. Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, or you can freeze them. I hope your dog loves this healthy dog treats recipe!
This healthy dog treats recipe is...
- Full of ingredients that are good for your dog
- Made using pantry staples
- Always a hit with dogs- they love them!
More homemade dog treats recipes:
Homemade Sweet Potato Dog Chews Easy Homemade Dog Treats (banana, peanut butter, oats) Pumpkin & Peanut Butter 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.
(click stars to vote)
Healthy Dog Treats Recipe!
These healthy dog treats are easy to make and full of ingredients that are good for your dog. These treats help freshen breath, improve skin and coat health, and are packed with fiber, and nutrients your dog needs. Best yet, dogs love them!!
Servings: (depending on your cookie cutter size)
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Ingredients
- ½ cup warm water
- ¼ cup ground flax, for skin and coat health
- ½ cup unsweetended apple sauce, for dental health and breath (or sub pumpkin puree)
- 2 tablespoons natural peanut butter, for protein and healthy fats (smooth or chunky)
- 2 tablespoon dried parsley, for fresher breath
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, for brain function
- 2 ½ cups whole wheat flour, for fiber, protein, and minerals (or sub oat flour)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F (180C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or leave it dry (the treats shouldn't stick).
- In a small bowl or measuring glass mix the warm water and flax. Set aside for about 10 minutes to thicken.
- In a large bowl add the thickened flax mixture, apple sauce, peanut butter, parsley, and cinnamon and mix well. Add the whole wheat flour and mix to make a stiff dry dough (it won't come together just yet).
- Dump the dough and any remaining flour and bits from the bowl onto a clean work surface. Gather the dough and knead to incorporate all the flour. If your dough doesn't come together and is too dry, sprinkle over 1 teaspoon of water at a time until the dough comes together into a stiff dough.
- Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out to about ½ inch (1.3 cm) thick. Cut the dough into treats. I used this bone-shaped 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. Gather any dough scraps, and reroll to make more treats.
- Lay the treats out in a single layer on the baking sheet and bake for 45 mins - 60 mins until the treats are golden on the bottom and dry. Let cool before giving one to your pup. I like to let my treats cool on the baking sheet and sit out in the open overnight to dry even more and become more crunchy. Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, or you can freeze them.
Nutrition
Serving: 1treat (recipe makes 28 treats) | Calories: 53kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Sodium: 6mg | Potassium: 64mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 5IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 1mg
Did You Make This Recipe?Tag @itdoesnttastelikechicken on Insta and let the world see just how amazing plant-based creations can be!
Sandra says
My older whippet loves these biscuits so do I ha ha
Jess @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Hahaha! We love that!
Ashley says
You should consider removing or replacing the Ground Cinnamon for a spice that is less risk for poisoning. Yes, Cinnamon can be healthy for dogs given in very small portions, but it is usually recommended that you avoid Cinnamon for your dogs health and well-being.
Respectfully,
Ashley
Yadira pena says
Hi, I just made these for my dogs and they loved it. How many do you suggest I can give them in a day? The vet stated to cut back on treats for a more healthy diet since I always bought store treats.
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Hi Yadira, I would take your vets advice on the treats as I myself am not a vet. I am sure 1 or 2 a day is fine. Enjoy!
Animal People Dog Boarding & Day Care says
This healthy dog treats recipe is fantastic! It's easy to make and packed with ingredients that are beneficial for your dog's health. Freshen their breath, improve their skin and coat, and provide essential nutrients with these treats. My dog absolutely loves them, and it's comforting to know they're free from preservatives and additives found in store-bought treats. Give it a try and watch your furry friend go crazy for these delicious, healthy snacks!
Jodie M says
I couldn't find a way to contact Sam directly via a private message (or through email) so I am sending it through the comments here. I put 5 stars so I didn't effect the reviews negatively even though I haven't tried the recipe yet. I was researching recipes to try out as I am wanting to find some good ones to start selling dog treats. I am a trained chef from years ago but have been in several different careers in my life. I started to experiment more in only baking last year and am wanting to bake and sell healthy dog treats. But so I am an animal lover and know that cats and dogs can have toxic reactions to certain smells in chemical cleaners and air freshers, etc. as well as certain foods. --So...I looked up if parsley or cinnamon was toxic for dogs since it is in this recipe. Cinnamon is safe to use. Parsley can be toxic if digested in large amounts but even more specifically, only "curly" parsley is totally non-toxic to dogs. There is dried parsley in this recipe and so I looked up what type of parsley tends to be in dried parsley. I found that flat leaf parsley is the one most used in dried parsley. And flat leaf parsley is for sure in the group of potential toxic parsley not to use. So I will be substituting "fresh" and "curly parsley" in my use of this recipe. I am hoping to get a response and maybe a change to this recipe in the future from Sam just to make sure everyone is on the safe side using this recipe in the future. in my research, Furanocoumarins (scientific name: psoralen angelicin) is the component in flat, italian and spring parsley's that can be toxic to dogs.
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Hi Jodie, according to these sources: here, here, and here parsley is safe and healthy for dogs. However, if you prefer you can easily omit the parsley. I hope that helps!
Jake clarke says
These are very tasty I must say! my beagle loves them and I can see why. I keep a few at work to nibble on myself. The only thing I would prefer is if they were a little bit softer, the batchs I have made have been very hard I worry about my beagles old teeth (and mine). What can I do to make them still crunchy, but not so rock hard. I took them out the oven after 40 minutes because I could tell they were done/hard enough. Shall I try less flour? or less time?
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Jake, yes you could increase the moisture slightly or decreased the flour slightly. You could also bake them for less time. Enjoy!
Jayden says
I'd leave zero stars if I could. Parsley is not good for dogs. esp not just any kind of dried parsley. Do not add this to your treats.
Amy says
Can you site your source? From what I’ve
seen, a moderate amount of parsley is okay for dogs. That being said, it’s hard to trust information from the web nowadays.
Faye says
Curly Leafed Parsley is safe for dogs in small amounts. All other varieties of Parsley are not safe. I sourced this from 3 different trustworthy sites. One which is science based.
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Hi Jayden, according to these sources: here, here, and here parsley is safe and healthy for dogs. However, if you prefer you can easily omit the parsley. I hope that helps!
Jane L says
My dog and all her 4 legged friends loves these
Being Christmas, I used a tree cutter and they are very cute as presents too! My GSD has a sensitive tummy so limit them but she loves them and that is rare as she is a fussy eater. I used sweet potato instead of apple and it adds some lovely colour too
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
We love to hear it!
Tania says
Made these for my golden and he absolutely loved them. Didn't have any cookie cutters so I used a knife and made them into strips, managed to make a LOT.
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
He'll be happy for a long time! 🙂
Melissa Van Roie says
I’m wondering if these are hard, crunchy treats.
AGF says
you can make these harder by cooking longer at lower bake temp
Sharon says
Can freeze the dough if I don't make all the treats at one time ? Thanks
TT says
I made this for my beagles and they love them! But they have been showing some small signs of irritable bowels so I’m thinking subbing oat flour may be a better fit for my fur babies. Just to be clear my dogs don’t get any sort of store bought biscuits so I’m sure the wheat is a bit more of a shock to their system than dogs already getting a treat like that regularly.
Only wish the dough was easier to knead and roll. It’s quite dense and takes some strength to manipulate. I’m thinking of using my stand mixer next time to take out some of the work.
Thanks for a great recipe!
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
Thanks for sharing your experience, TT!
KB says
Hi TT,
I wear rubber gloves and just mix the dough with my hands. It's much easier than mixing these treats with a spoon.
Karen says
Super easy to make, and our sweet little rescue Chihuahua Kowalski loooooves them. I used a pizza cutter to make them into little squares, so it made a LOT. He was kind enough to share them with his canine cousins, who also loved them. These are a WIN!
Sam Turnbull says
Yay!! Glad they are a win!
jacquie says
i want to make these for my pup as i'm sure he would like them. However, I think i would likely use a different flour as he has IBD. You mentioned to use a dog safe flour. I wasn't aware that some flours might not be safe for dogs so was curious as to what those flours were.
thanks.
Sam Turnbull says
I would recommend using oat flour! Other dog-friendly flours are brown rice flour, coconut flour, and almond flour. I think oat flour would be your best bet for this recipe.
Amanda says
Can you skip the flaxseed in this recipe, or is it an essential binder or would it be better to use one of the other recipes instead? I ask because my dog is allergic to flaxseed (he's allergic to... many ingredients. Including wheat. And soy. And most proteins. It's a whole thing.)
Sam Turnbull says
You need it for the binder but you could sub ground chia seeds instead which are also super healthy for dogs! 🙂
Denise says
Can almond flour be used instead of wheat flour?
Aurora Goldstein says
research tapioca flour to see if it's the right fit. Every site declares a certain flour as the best and tapioca was one for a lot of specific health benefits and requirements.
I'd also substitute ginger powder for the parsley since there's risks with certain types and yours is already at risk for issues
4 stars because it's a great recipe to use as a diving board into the pool of possibilities.
thank you for sharing this recipe!