You only need 4 wholesome ingredients to create these easy pumpkin banana dog treats! Their small size makes them perfect for training treats or between meal snacks.
Your Puppy Will Love Them
Not only are these treats super easy to make, but this recipe makes a lot! You should get more than 10 dozen out of a single batch of pumpkin banana dog treats. The treats are dried out into the oven so that they are super crunchy, which is great for removing tartar from your doggy's little teeth.
For Dogs of All Sizes
You don't need any cookie cutters or fancy equipment to make these pumpkin banana dog treats. The dough is rolled out and then cut into bites using a pizza cutter. Depending on the size of your dog or your intended usage for these treats, you can cut them as large or as small as you need. Cut larger treats for a bedtime snack or cut tiny treats for training aids.
And hey, if you want to cut them into fun shapes - go for it! These treats hold their shape in the oven and don't get all melty or spread out, so they are perfect for making adorable shapes!
Need mini cookie cutters? Check These Out!
Required Ingredients
One of my favorite features of these pumpkin banana dog treats is the ingredients are basic, easy, and nutritious items that you likely already have in your pantry/refrigerator.
- Egg: One large egg will help bind the treat dough together.
- Whole Wheat Flour: Always a good, nutritious choice when baking for dogs.
- Canned Pumpkin: As always, make sure you are using plain canned pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling!
- Banana: Choose a ripe banana and mash it up with a fork, I've found that one small banana yields the perfect half-cup needed for this recipe
How To Make Pumpkin Banana Dog Treats
- MIX all ingredients together in a bowl. I recommend a hand mixer since the dough is quite thick. The mixture will resemble coarse crumbs at this point.
- FORM dough using your hands. Press all of the coarse crumbs together with your hands and use a lightly-floured surface to press and knead it until a nice thick dough is formed. The dough will be slightly sticky but shouldn't readily stick to your fingers.
- ROLL dough out to a rectangle about ½ inch thick. Dust a little flour onto your rolling pin to make it easier and prevent sticking.
- CUT the dough into the desired size treats using a pizza cutter, or you can use mini cookie cutters to create fun shapes. Gather up any leftover scraps and roll them out again so you can cut more treats and not waste any dough.
- BAKE the treats on a lightly-greased baking sheet or one lined with parchment paper. When they are done baking, leave them in the oven with the heat off for an additional hour or more, until treats are dried out and crunchy.
- FEED the treats, in reasonable serving size, to your sweet doggie babies.
Storage and Freezing Instructions
You can freeze pumpkin banana dog treats! After the homemade treats have completely cooled, place them into a freezer-safe zip-top bag and freeze. Thaw on the counter when ready to use, but make sure they are completely thawed out before feeding them to your dog - they might damage their toofers otherwise!
You can store the dog treats at room temperature for up to a week when stored properly. They should be kept in a cool place, away from light, and in an airtight container. Discard immediately if any mold growth is visible. Remember that moisture will promote mold growth, so the more you dehydrate your treats in the oven, the longer they will stay fresh. If you want to be super safe, go ahead and keep them in the refrigerator from the get go!
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Pumpkin Banana Dog Treats
These crunchy pumpkin banana dog treats need only 4 wholesome ingredients and are perfect for training or snacking!
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 10 dozen treats 1x
Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup canned pumpkin puree
- ½ cup mashed banana
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl using a hand mixer, beat egg, canned pumpkin, and mashed banana. Add the flour in 3 additions, mixing on low until the mixture resembles coarse, wet crumbs.
- Press crumbs together with hands and turn out onto a lightly-floured surface. Knead until a thick dough is formed.
- Use a rolling pin to roll dough out into a rectangle about ½ inch thick. Use a pizza cutter to cut into small bite-sized treats. Transfer to prepared baking sheet.
- Bake on center rack for 30 minutes. Turn off the oven and prop the door open with the handle of a wooden spoon. Leave the baking sheet in the oven for an additional hour or until treats are dried out and crunchy.
- Let cool and store in an airtight container in a cool, dark place.
Notes
Recommended Equipment: Kitchenaid 7-speed Hand Mixer
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins + dehydrating time
- Category: Dog Treats
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Treats
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Rose
I added 1/8 tumeric and 1/2 cup of peanut butter. I used Oatmeal simply because I can't have wheat flower in my house. Dogs loved the dough. We will de how it comes out.
Sheila Bradford
Can white flour be used instead of wheat flour?
Robin Williams
Please disregard my previous comment I read the recipe wrong
ROBIN WILLIAMS
What size Pumpkin can do I use, thanks
Jeaninne
How long can you keep them?
Jennywren
Liked the recipe just one thing. 2 cups flour did not seem adequate even after kneading kept adding more flour incorporate but they came out ok dog loved them
Kelsey
My dog LOVES these. I can’t get the texture to turn out the way you describe though. With 2 cups of flour, the dough is insanely sticky. I add a little more at a time until it stop sticking but still doesn’t seem right. The dough stops being spreadable and retracts itself when I roll it out. What am I doing wrong?
Hayley crosier
Can you use regular flour if you don’t have whole wheat ?
Thanks
Hayley
Erin
Sure! You may need to use less liquid and it'll be a bit less healthy for pups, but the recipe should still work!
Susan Driver
My dog is allergic to egg. What can I substitute for the egg?
Brandy
Applesauce works great as an egg substitute in recipes. Probably would be just fine in this as well and unsweetened applesauce is very healthy for dogs. ¼ cup applesauce for 1 egg
Gina Jones
My lab loves these! Thanks for sharing. How long will they keep in the frig?
Erin
I'm so sorry it's taken me a while to get to this comment - I have been very ill! The "safe" answer is a week, though they will probably stay good for a bit longer than that. If you want to be super safe, section some of them out and freeze them in a Ziploc bag. I understand this recipe makes a lot of little treats so that's a good way to make sure they don't go to waste!
Amber
I just made these but they are not hard? They are hard on outside but you can push the treat in in the middle?
Erin K. Browne
They need to have more of the water dehydrated out of them - try putting them in a very low oven (keep warm or similar) or crack the door open with a wooden spoon and let them sit in there until dried.
Laura
How long in the oven if using molds
Terri
Can you take them out to cool & be less crunchy
Erin
Yes you could do that!
Tricia
My dog loves these! He has meat protein allergy but I can I usually add a couple of tablespoons of natural peanut butter in as well. I have to double the dough because our dog goes through them pretty quickly! I freeze them in small snack ziploc bags so they don't mold on the counter. I also sometimes use sweet potato that I bake in the microwave in place of the pumpkin, if I have those on hand. I love that it's an easy recipe with few ingredients. My dog sits and watches me make them, and then waits by the oven until they are done! Also, my vet approves of them!
Erin
Great ideas!! That's so cute that your dog sits and watches you make them - hilarious!
Linda G
My dogs love this recipe! I used a small dog bone cookie cutter and they turned out great.
Is it normal for them to puff up tho? Just asking
Will definitely keep this recipe
Erin
Glad your puppies love it! They will puff up a little bit in the oven but it shouldn't be major (it shouldn't change the shape of your bones)
lexia
My dog really liked these!!
Erin
Awesome! I'm so glad to hear you dog enjoyed them!
Hannah
I first made these treats according to the recipe and due to my puppy’s allergies she got the itchies over the next few days. I made them again using oat flour (same measurements, just used blended up quick oats) and they turned out great and she loves them.
Elaine
Can the whole what flour be replaced with rice, coconut or almond flour?
Erin
Hey Elaine! I haven't tried using different flours. I don't see why it wouldn't work, but you may need to adjust the amount of liquid ingredients to account for the differences in the flour. Let me know how it turns out!
Kim
Is that right ? 1 batch = 10 doz?
Erin
Yes, when the dough is cut into mini training-sized bites. You can make larger treats if you want!
Meressia
So fun making these and my Saint Bernard loves them! Do they need to be stored in the fridge? I didn’t see that listed anywhere but saw another comment saying they will keep for a week in the fridge. How long are they good for out of the fridge?