One of the biggest hurdles that many health-conscious dog owners face is the cost of high-quality treats.
Cheaper treats don't have the best ingredients and may do more harm than good for your precious pup.
On the other hand, those healthy treats filled with beneficial ingredients tend to come with a high price tag. So what is a dog owner supposed to do?
Well, you don't have to break the bank to spoil your dog and keep them healthy. Homemade dog treats give you ultimate control in what you're feeding your pup.
These grain-free recipes are easy on the stomach, taste great, and are a healthy alternative to store-bought products. Best of all, they're easy to make and utilize ingredients you can find at your local grocery store.
Check them out and see how much your dog will love them.
15 Delicious Easy to Make Homemade Grain-Free Dog Treat Recipes
#1. Five-Ingredient Grain-Free Treat
Made with delicious peanut butter and your choice of pumpkin puree or sweet potato puree, this treat is sure to be a favorite for your dog.
The dough is very simple to make. You can use a cookie cutter to get that signature dog bone shape. Depending on your preferred biscuit size, you can make upwards of 60 treats! They're soft, scrumptious, and very healthy.
#2. Grain-Free Biscuit
With only four ingredients, this recipe couldn't be any easier to make. The combination of black beans, creamy peanut butter, and banana ensure that your dog is getting plenty of great vitamins and nutrients.
All you need is a food processor or blender to mix all of the ingredients together. After chilling, the biscuit dough needs less than an hour to bake. Before you know it, you'll be done and spoiling your pup!
#3. PB & Ginger Snaps
Want to let your dog enjoy some of that holiday spirit? These peanut butter and ginger snaps are filled with holiday flavors. The recipe calls for natural peanut butter, almond flour, coconut flour, and a dash of ginger.
When these ginger snaps are baking, your home will be filled with a sweet aroma that no dog can ignore.
#4. A Cozy Kitchen Grain-Free Treat
Keep things simple and healthy with this grain-free dog treat from A Cozy Kitchen. It has simple ingredients to please even the pickiest eater. In addition to banana and peanut butter, this recipe calls for garbanzo bean flour.
If you have never used this unique ingredient before, it's definitely something you should try. Garbanzo bean flour has a 22-percent protein content, making it great for growing pups.
#5. Grain-Free Bacon Dog Treat
If there's one thing that all dogs love, it's bacon! This grain-free treat has simple ingredients like many of the recipes on this list.
You'll need some peanut butter, coconut flour, pumpkin puree, and coconut oil.
Then, there's the bacon. The chopped bacon adds some great flavor to this treat. You may even want to try some of it for yourself!
#6. Gluten-Free/Grain-Free Treats
While this recipe continues the trend of using grain-free alternatives to ingredients you would find in your cupboard, it calls for items that can provide your pooch with a lot of additional benefits.
These treats have flaxseed in them! Flaxseed is a great source of omega fatty acids. They can keep your dog's coat healthy and shiny.
#7. Grain-Free Sweet Potato Treats
If you want a simple and nutritious treat, consider making these grain-free sweet potato cookies. Sweet potatoes are excellent food for dogs. They're a complex carb that helps to regulate your pup's energy levels throughout the day.
They're also chock-full of great vitamins and minerals. Thanks to this recipe's touch of poultry seasoning, your dog will have no problem gobbling these cookies up.
#8. Dried Chewy Banana Dog Treats
If your dog loves bananas, this treat might be the perfect choice for you. While all of the other recipes in this list are very easy, this one takes the cake for simplicity.
All you need is some sliced bananas.
You can add some additional lemon or honey for flavor as well, but it's not required. Simply pop the bananas in a dehydrator or oven, wait a few hours, and you're done!
#9. Homemade Flea Prevention Dog Treats
No one likes to deal with fleas. Unfortunately, the go-to solution for most dog owners is medication and chemical dips. What if you could keep your pup flea-free with a simple treat?
This recipe uses brewer's yeast and coconut oil. Brewer's yeast is believed to repel fleas because it contains compounds that make your pup unappetizing to the pests.
To make these treats, just melt the coconut butter, add the brewer's yeast, and let the mixture solidify.
#10. The Harvest Skilled Grain-Free Dog Treat
Want a recipe that you can customize? This simple treat recipe has a base with only three ingredients.
All you'll need is coconut flour, peanut butter, and an egg. These ingredients alone make a great treat your dog will love.
However, you can make a version to combat bad breath too! Just add coconut oil, parsley, and mint to keep the odor-causing bacteria at bay.
#11. Homemade Dog Chews
This recipe is very similar to the previous chewy banana treat. All you need is some sweet potatoes or yams. These two vegetables are filled with vitamins and nutrients your dog needs.
Once you have sliced your ingredient of choice up, pop them in a dehydrator or low-heat oven to create a delicious jerky. It's a fun and healthy treat your pup with enjoy chewing on.
#12. DIY Apple Pumpkin Pie Chew Stick
When Thanksgiving rolls around, these treats will let your canine companion get in on the celebration.
It takes some of the season's most beloved flavors and wraps them into an easy treat that any dog will enjoy.
All you need is some applesauce, pumpkin puree, and a dash of cinnamon for good measure. Blend all the ingredients up, pop them in a dehydrator, and you'll have some sweet jerky in no time!
#13. Peanut Butter and Coconut Oil Dog Treat
If you don't want to bake anything, this treat is a great option. It has peanut butter, coconut oil, and cinnamon. All the ingredients are melted and poured into a mold of your choice.
The treats are very delicious and filled with beneficial oils. They can help keep your dog's skin healthy and their coat looking great.
#14. Making Mrs. M. Sweet Potato Grain-Free Treat
Looking for a softer treat that will crumble when your dog bites into it? These sweet potato grain-free treats have you covered.
In addition to sweet potato, they have applesauce, coconut flour, carrots, and bananas.
The recipe can be used to make a large batch of perfectly bite-sized portions. Use them as a training tool and your pup will be jumping for joy.
#15. A Slice of Sweet Grain-Free Dog Treat
Whether you're celebrating the holidays, your pup's birthday, or you simply want something with a touch of elegance, try this recipe out for size.
It uses some high-quality grain-free ingredients. It's very high in fiber to help out your dog's digestive system.
A creamy peanut butter drizzle can be used to add a punch of flavor and give the treats a gourmet look.
The Benefits of Homemade Treats
If you love spending time in the kitchen and creating delicious treats for your family, going the homemade route for dog treats is a no-brainer.
More and more dog owners are passing on the commercial treats and switching to homemade alternatives due to the many benefits they offers.
More Control
One of the biggest advantages of creating homemade dog treats is that you have greater control over what your dog is consuming.
While we'd all like to think that treat manufacturers have our dog's best interests in mind, that's not always the case. The market is flooded with low-quality foods filled with potentially harmful ingredients.
Treats you find at the store are heavily processed. While they may contain some great ingredients, a lot of unnecessary fillers, chemical additives, and unnatural preservatives cancel out those benefits.
When you make your own treats, you know exactly what your canine companion is consuming. You can also customize recipes to meet your dog's unique needs.
Lower Costs
The amount of money you will end up spending on dog treats adds up pretty quickly. This is especially true if you're looking for healthy snacks.
Instead of spending a fortune, you can get affordable raw ingredients and make your own treats.
Why Go Grain-Free?
Generally, it's a good idea to limit grains from your dog's diet. Many pups are allergic to grains. Grains can cause digestive issues and may lead to uncomfortable allergic reactions.
* While some grains are fine, you need to keep your dog's gluten intake balanced.
All commercial kibbles utilize starchy ingredients. The starch is what makes the kibble hold its shape. Unfortunately, that starch comes with gluten.
You can avoid excessive gluten intake by providing your pup with grain-free treats.
Keeping Your Homemade Treats Fresh
The only downside of homemade treats as they tend to have a shorter shelf life than store-bought alternatives. They don't include preservatives, so you'll need to take some extra precautions when storing them.
The best option is to keep them in an air-tight container.
Alternatively, you can put them in a ziplock bag, let all of the air out, and keep them in a cool place.
If you want your treats to last as long as possible, you can also pop them in the refrigerator.
Over to You
Grain-free dog treats are the way to go if you want to provide your furry friend with healthy, guilt-free treats. All of these recipes are easy to make. However, to your dog, they're a delicious reward deserving of all the love in the world.
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