These homemade liver dog treats are the perfect training treat. They are made with chicken liver and are good for your dog’s health.
These are really healthy for your pup, but they won’t know it! They will just think you are sharing something tasty because you love them. Keep reading and learn all about how nutritious they are and how to make them for your fur baby.
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Why These Liver Dog Treats Are the Best
Your dog will love these liver treats! And you won’t mind making them because they are so easy! They might not be very appetizing for you, but they are a healthy treat for your pup.
And talk about treats dogs will get excited about. Just watch your dog’s tail wag when you are making these treats.
These DIY liver dog treats are made with wholesome, nutritious ingredients so they are actually good for your dog. Your pup will think they are eating a treat, but you will know they are eating nourishing food.
Want to know what is so healthy about them? It’s mainly the liver in these all-natural dog treats. Organ meats are so much better for dogs than any second-class protein such as beans or other vegetables.
Eggs, oats, and coconut oil are also very nutritious ingredients.
These dog treats with liver are high in protein and loaded with vitamins and minerals. They are a good source of iron and essential fatty acids.
Plus, you can crumble smaller pieces up and put them on your dog’s dry dog food!
If you enjoy baking healthy homemade treats for your dog, then this recipe is for you!
Benefits of Liver
Liver has an exceptional nutritional profile. It’s a nutrient-dense protein and one of the healthiest foods for dogs. These are some of the nutrients found in chicken liver:
- Vitamin A: Is important for normal vision, immune function and reproduction. It also helps organs function properly.
- Vitamin C: Boosts the immune system and reduces inflammation and oxidation.
- Riboflavin (B2): Is important for cellular development and function. It also helps turn food into energy.
- Folate (B9): An essential nutrient that plays a role in cell growth.
- Iron: An essential nutrient that helps carry oxygen around the body. The iron is the kind most easily absorbed (heme iron).
- Copper: Acts like a key to activate a number of enzymes, which then help regulate energy production, iron metabolism, and brain function.
- Choline: Is important for brain development and liver function.
Read more about chicken liver nutrition and beef liver nutrition.
Liver Dog Treats Recipe Ingredients
The quantity of the ingredients and the step-by-step directions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this article. First, I want to share some additional information about the ingredients I used in these baked dog liver treats.
Here’s a list of what you need to make these tasty dog treats. Use organic ingredients if you want to make organic liver treats for dogs.
- Liver – Not only is it full of fatty acids, but it is a good source of iron and protein too.
- Oatmeal – This has the healthy fiber your dog needs to encourage healthy digestion.
- Eggs – Another great protein source and it binds the ingredients together, so it is really important.
- Coconut Oil – A healthy fat that is good for your dog’s coat and skin.
Ingredient Substitutions
Do you want to use flour instead of oatmeal? You can use all-purpose or whole wheat flour. Note you will need to use less flour than oats.
Use 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose or whole wheat flour instead of the 2 cups of oatmeal.
Best Liver for Dog Treats
Wondering what is the best liver to use when making dog treats? Well, really any liver works. Chicken and beef liver are most commonly found in local grocery stores. You can also use:
- Deer Liver
- Duck Liver
- Lamb Liver
- Pork Liver
Read more about different types of liver and dogs.
Serving Size
How many homemade dog treats should you give your dog at once? That depends on what else your furry friend ate that day. This might be a healthier treat, but it is still a treat.
It isn’t high in sugar or calories, but it is still a “sometimes” treat that you should give to them in moderation.
Treats should not be a dog’s main source of calories. They should be something given to dogs as a reward or for training purposes.
Dogs shouldn’t overeat and consume too many calories on a daily basis. For this reason, I suggest only giving your spoiled hound a couple of these high-protein liver treats per day.
Always take your dog’s health into consideration before giving them any new treats. Consult with your veterinarian if needed. Also, dogs can have or develop food allergies. Start with small pieces and observe your dog afterward.
Tip: You can crumble up these treats to use as dog food toppers. Yup! Just break them up into small pieces and add them to your dog’s food.
Equipment Needed
You probably have most of the kitchen items you need to make these homemade chicken liver dog treats. You can use any regular silicone candy mold but a dog paw print mold gives these treats a fun look.
- Measuring Cups
- Mixing Bowl
- Dog Treat Molds
- Baking Sheet
How to Make Liver Dog Treats
These are the recipe steps and photos of the process for this healthy dog treats recipe. I hope they help show you how to make your own liver treats for dogs.
You can scroll down to the bottom of this article for a printable recipe card.
- Place oatmeal in a blender. Pulse to grind the oats into flour.
- Add liver, eggs, and coconut oil on top of the blended oats in the blender. Blend until well combined and it is a liquid.
- Place the silicone mold on a baking sheet for stability. Pour the mixture into the mold.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
If you do not have a silicone mold, you can use a greased rimmed baking sheet and pour the mixture into the baking sheet. After baking, cool it to room temperature then cut it into squares.
Tip: Wear kitchen gloves if you are concerned about food safety when handling fresh liver.
How to Store the Treats and How Long They Last
Store the treats in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They will last up to 1 week in the fridge.
For more extended storage, you can freeze them for up to 3 months. Thaw them at room temperature or give them as a frozen treat.
Can you eat these liver dog treats?
Yep, you sure can eat these treats. All of the ingredients are safe for human consumption. But I’m certain you won’t enjoy them. They’re quite tasty for dogs but for humans, well, not so much.
More Homemade Dog Treat Recipes
Want to make more treats for your dog? Here are some different types of dog treats to make:
- 3 Ingredient Dog Treats
- Apple Cinnamon Ginger Dog Treats
- Apple Oatmeal Dog Treats
- Banana Dog Treats
- Blueberry Dog Treats
- Chicken Dog Treats
- Dog Treats for Bad Breath
- Peanut Butter Dog Biscuits
- Peanut Butter Pumpkin Dog Treats
- Satin Balls for Dogs
Find more easy dog treat recipes here on Spoiled Hounds!
Liver Dog Treats
Ingredients
- 2 cups Uncooked Oatmeal
- 1 pound Chicken Liver
- 2 Eggs
- 1 tablespoon Melted Coconut Oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Place oatmeal in a blender. Pulse to grind the oats into flour.
- Add liver, eggs, and coconut oil on top of the blended oats in the blender.
- Blend until well combined and a liquid forms.
- Place silicone cookie/candy molds on a baking sheet for stability. Pour the mixture into the molds.
- Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
O pleased to have found this web site. I’ve become unwilling to feed Jake anymore commercial dog food product. This is a blessing.
Roger
Elgin, Oregon
My babies wait patiently in the kitchen for me to bake their treats. I put 1 tablespoon of turmeric in .
Oh great! I’m so glad your pups enjoy the treats.
Hi, what is your recipe for dog food? How do you supplement the vitamins and minerals?
I to make dog treats . I dehydrate the meat . I put it in the food processor several times . The end result is a powder . Liver has some small chunks remaining . The other meats are basically powder . This allows them to not need refrigeration. When done baking they get put in the dehydrator.
That’s a great tip and info Carol. Thanks for sharing it!
How much powder do you use to equal the 1 pound of chicken liver?
Hi, I was wondering what the use by would be or rather how long they last for consumption?
Many thanks
They should last up to a week in the refrigerator. For longer storage, you can freeze them for up to 3 months.
how long the dog treat last.
They should last up to a week in the refrigerator. You can freeze them for up to 3 months.
How crunchy are the treats? One of my dogs doesn’t have any teeth and I’m searching for soft type treats for him. Thank you.
They are chewy, not crunchy because they were baked in the silicone mold. They would be crunchy if baked on a tray. They can be baked for less time to make them even softer.
Can you use lamb or pigs liver if you haven’t got chicken?? X
Yes, you can use lamb, pig, or beef liver if you don’t have chicken liver.
I’m like Mr. Johnson I quit feeding my dogs commercial foods I make your dog food and I make their treats they absolutely love the liver treats for your recipe the dogs
Hi, what is your recipe for dog food? How do you supplement the vitamins and minerals?
hi can i replace coconut oil with olive oil?
Yes, olive oil is safe for dogs to eat.
If I’m using white flour instead, do I still put everything in a blender?
Yes, you will need to blend to puree the ingredients.
Just made these for my 4 fur bee bees, and they went NUTZ! over these treats! Thank you, thank you, thank you! For putting this article and recipe out for the public, my fur babies will not touch the store bought biscuits anymore, and I know what is in these treats too, so again I thank you and so do my fur bee bees!
Can I add peanut butter to this recipe?
You could add a little peanut butter, up to a 1/2 cup. Reduce the amount of liver by the same quantity.
One of our dogs is wicked picky, I have a hard time finding things she will eat. She’s like Mikey in the Life cereal commercial. She even walks away from marrow bones. When I gave her one of these, she liked it so much she came back for more, then came back again. The other 3 are enjoying them, but they’ll eat anything. Thank you for great recipe!
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. My Sassafras is the pickiest dog about anything she eats. If it doesn’t smell right to her she just turns up her nose and walks away. I made these in two batches. Just put second batch in oven. Sassy couldn’t wait she was so excited. One fell on the floor and she gobbled it up. My secong batch I added1/2 tsp tumeric and a handful of kale greens. I am putting in dehydrator so they will store without being refrigerated.
Oh fantastic! I’m so glad your dog enjoys the treats so much.
Hi! Do you cook the liver first, or mix it in raw and cook it in the treats?
You mix it raw and cook it in the treats.
Hi can I put in some chia seeds or blueberries or both maybe? Thanks.
Yes, both chia seeds and blueberries are fine. About 1 tablespoon of chia seeds and 1/2 cup of blueberries.
My dog only eats raw beef liver. I warm it up for her.is beef ok, or use only chicken liver?
Yes, you can use beef liver to make these treats.
Can you substitute raw chicken (no bones) for the liver? All the recipes I see for chicken treats call for cooked chicken as an ingredient. Is there a reason why you couldn’t throw raw chicken in the blender (as you do the liver)?
I think raw boneless skinless chicken would work, but I haven’t tested it to be absolutely sure. Give it a try and let me know how it does.
My pittie just loves these! First batch chicken liver and making a 2nd batch of beef liver. Thank you for the recipe!
350 degrees is Farenhight or Centigrade I want to bake the liver treats for my 3 Jack’s I am in Thailand and not sure about the heat setting
It is Fahrenheit.
Can beef liver be used instead of chicken livers?
Yes, you can use beef liver to make the treats.
If your beef liver mixture is too thick to pour into the molds, is it okay to add enough water to thin the mixture?
Yes, just add a little at a time until you can pour it into the molds. Or you can spoon it into the molds.
Can’t wait for my dog to try. Adding the livers and eggs to the oat flour turned the flour into a very tough glue-like mixture deep in the blender and it couldn’t mix and got stuck and started smelling bad. I had to transfer batches out and try blending the livers alone and then add them together. Also the sinews in the liver can get tangled up around the blades and cause some problems. Blend the oats and separate. Then chop up the livers, blend with the oil and eggs, and then add the oat flour slowly. I’ll do that next time.
Thank you for your great tips for the blending process. Also note that how it blends can depend on the blender, some heavy-duty ones (like a Vitamix) can handle the blending better.
It calls for oats- oat flour would cause it to get too gummy of a texture- you’d need to pull way back on the amount of oat flour used.
This was also my experience using the Vitamix . I transferred the mix to my food processor and finished the recipe . There remained a layer of oats that had basically turned to cement in the bottom of my Vitamix . Not that easy to remove but I will make this recipe again using the food processor. My dogs are very picky and they absolutely loved these last liver treats .
My 2 boys really love these treats, i blend the chicken livers in a chopper first then blend them up any which way i bake them seems to work and they just come out perfect not too crunchy and not to soft
Made these for my girl today, didn’t have chicken liver so I substituted beef liver and did the oven method. She loves them. Thanks for the great recipe.
I’m so glad your dog enjoyed the treats!
This is my 2nd batch. I made them a few months ago as well! My pups are obsessed. They are sitting by the oven starring at it as I wrote this.
First time I was a bit squeamish, but now I’m a pro lol.
Thank you!
I have some questions about the recipe. Where should the treats be stored for them to last the longest and how long will they last? Can you store them in different places?
The treats should be stored in an airtight container. They should last up to a few days at room temperature or a week in the refrigerator. You can freeze them for up to 3 months.
Where can we buy good quality liver cheaply? We are making 700 treats and buying 5 kilos of liver. It is so expensive, can you recommend anywhere?
I have found good prices for meat at Asian markets. There’s also the warehouse stores like Costco and Sam’s.
First, I followed your receipt to the letter, and I had no problems whatsoever. It was really easy. But boy oh boy did my dogs LOVE these, ha I can get them to do anything by now saying who wants liver. Thank you so much for sharing this, I gave some to my neighbor for his dog, never said if the dog liked them or not, but he is a golden, so I sure he did. Going to make them again since they were such a big hit!!
Thank you for this recipe it was very easy to make. One of my dog seems like it better than the other. Sometimes I think my dogs are more like people as they definitely do give me opinions.
My one observation while baking was mine seem to rise in their molds did this happen to anybody else?
I used olive oil and not coconut oil because I did not have it in my pantry.
Thank you so much for this recipe! Four ingredients in my 10 year old Kitchenaid blender and they are ready in 45 seconds. (I LOVE my old Kichenaid.) I pour the mixture into a squeeze bottle and fill the various small dog silicone molds I have and pop in the oven and I’m done. My three Shih-Tzu’s know that 7:30 PM is treat time and the little male, Gizmo, reminds me, quite vocally, if I forget. These treats are their favorite. Gizmo does zoomies through the house whenever he knows he’s getting these liver treats. Thanks again for such an easy and highly anticipated recipe!
I started to buy real dog food and make my own dog treats after my dog started to have seizures and the vet said, “Sometimes the seizures are due to the dog food.” Without a doubt, her health improved and her seizures were rare, after I made these changes.
I remember reading one day, that pack animals (like coyotes and wolves) always let their pack leader have first dibs on their kill. The leader often chooses the vital organs to eat first.
So when I saw this recipe, I knew I had to try it. I have made my dog peanut butter, chicken and beef dog treats. But after making these liver treats, they are by far her favorite!
Oh wonderful! I’m so glad your dog enjoys the treats.
I currently have a batch in the oven but the product did not liquify, it’s pretty thick. What do you suggest.
Cutting the liver into small pieces can help, along with using a high-powered blender. You can also add a little water if it’s too thick to blend.
My dog loves these. I add kale and spoon of flax seeds.
I’m so glad your dog enjoys the treats. Great additions to them too!
Made these for the first time yesterday and my dogs LOVE them! I recently made the decision that I am going to make my own dog treats and not buy those mystery ones at store anymore and I had a horrific incident with one of my pups choking on one! Please if you haven’t learn from MULTIPLE sources how to help your animal in a choking situation!!!!! My lil guy is doing amazing now 😁 anyway so I wanted to start making a good, softer type of treat and this one if absolutely PERFECT, they are spongy like and I do take my out a little earlier, 25 minutes if what I do. I am going to start adding turmeric also. Thank you sooooo much for this recipe 😁😁😁😁
Oh fantastic! I’m so glad your dogs love the treats. And I agree they’re so much better than store-bought ones.
I made this yesterday using beef liver. Following the advice of other reviewers, I first ground up the oatmeal in my Nutribullet, dumped it into a medium size mixing bowl, THEN ground up the eggs, oil and liver in the Nutribullet. Added that to the ground oatmeal and easily mixed it up with a wooden spoon. To make it easier to put into the little bitty silicone (doggy bone) mold areas, I spooned the mixture into a quart size plastic bag and snipped off one corner to pipe it into the mold’s openings. The biscuits were too soft ( my dog likes crunchy treats) so I cooked them for an additional 2 hours at 275. They look like professional doggy treats and my dog loves them. However, BE FORWARNED!!!!! The kitchen smelled so horrible that we had to open all the house doors and use all the fans for hours to get the stink out. My husband made me promise never to make these again lol. Might be less odiferous with chicken livers. One star off for the stink : )