Homemade pumpkin cookies for dogs are crunchy treats made with just four simple ingredients. With pumpkin and peanut butter in every bite, they’re a tasty way to spoil your pup with a special treat they’ll come running for.
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
There’s a lot to love about making a batch of crunchy pumpkin cookies for your pup. From the simple ingredients to the fun cutout shapes, this is a recipe you’ll want to make again and again.
Easy to Make – Mix the dough, roll it out, cut it into shapes, and bake.
Wholesome Ingredients – There’s no added sugar, artificial sweeteners, or preservatives.
Customizable – It’s easy to change the pumpkin, peanut butter, or flour to suit what you have on hand or your dog’s preferences.
Budget-Friendly – Skip the pricey specialty dog cookies and make a batch at home with a handful of basic ingredients.
Great for Fall Pumpkin Season – Pumpkin isn’t just for people! These pumpkin dog cookies are a fun way to include your pup in fall baking and give them their own seasonal treat.
Ingredients and What They Bring to the Cookies
Just four ingredients come together to make these crunchy pumpkin peanut butter cookies for dogs. Here’s what each one contributes:
- Pumpkin Puree – Adds moisture, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and naturally delicious pumpkin flavor.
- Peanut Butter – Adds rich, nutty flavor and moisture to the dough.
- Egg – Helps bind the ingredients together and gives the cookies structure.
- Oat Flour – Forms the base of the dough and gives it enough structure for rolling and cutting.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
These easy pumpkin cookies are simple to customize, but there are a few important things to keep in mind when choosing ingredients and making substitutions.
- Pumpkin – Be sure to use plain pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. Pie filling may contain added sugar and spices that aren’t safe for dogs.
- Pumpkin Substitutes – You can substitute the pumpkin with cooked and mashed butternut squash or sweet potato. You can also make homemade pumpkin puree with fresh pumpkin.
- Peanut Butter – Always check the ingredient label and make sure the peanut butter does not contain xylitol, an artificial sweetener that is toxic to dogs.
- Peanut Butter Substitutes – You can substitute peanut butter with almond butter or sunflower seed butter. Make sure whichever one you use is xylitol-free.
- Homemade Oat Flour – Make your own by blending old-fashioned rolled oats in a blender or food processor until they have a flour consistency. One cup of oats makes approximately ¾ cup of oat flour.
- Flour Substitutes – You can substitute oat flour with brown rice flour, all-purpose flour, or a 50-50 combination of all-purpose and whole wheat flour. Because whole wheat flour is denser, it’s not a good substitute to use by itself. Flour substitutions may affect the consistency of the dough, so start with less and add more as needed.
Equipment Needed
You probably already have the kitchen equipment needed to make these cookies, including mixing bowls, a rolling pin, and a baking sheet. You can use any cookie cutter you like, but bone-shaped cookie cutters make the cookies extra cute.
How to Make Pumpkin Cookies for Dogs
Making these cookies couldn’t be much simpler. Here’s what to do:
- Place the pumpkin puree, peanut butter, egg, and oat flour in a large bowl.
- Mix until the ingredients come together to form a dough.
- Place the dough on a sheet of parchment paper.
- Roll the dough until it is about ⅓ to ½ inch thick.
- Cut the dough into shapes with your favorite cookie cutter.
- Place the cutouts on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
- Gather the scraps, re-roll the dough, and continue cutting until all the dough has been used.
- Bake at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the cookies are baked through and crisp.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.
Recipe Tips
A few simple tricks will make the dough easier to work with and help your pumpkin dog cookies turn out just right.
- Let sticky dough rest. If the dough feels too sticky to roll, let it rest for a few minutes. The oat flour will absorb some of the moisture, helping the dough firm up.
- Flour the cookie cutter. Dip your cookie cutter in a little flour between cuts to help prevent the dough from sticking.
- Watch the baking time. Cookie size and thickness will affect how quickly they bake. Smaller or thinner cookies may be ready sooner, so check them toward the end of the baking time.
How to Store the Cookies and How Long They Last
Store the cookies in an airtight container. They will last up to 5 days at room temperature or 1 week in the refrigerator.
For longer storage, place the cookies in a freezer-safe container or plastic freezer bag and freeze them for up to 4 months. Thaw them before serving.
Can people eat these cookies?
Yes, they sure can! All the ingredients are safe for human consumption. They’re a fun cookie option for those watching their sugar intake. Give one a try and see if you like it.
Popular Homemade Dog Treat Recipes
Want to make more treats for your dog? Check out these recipes:
- Apple Carrot Dog Treats
- Carob Dog Treats
- Christmas Cookies for Dogs
- Dog Breath Treats
- Frozen Yogurt Dog Treats
- Oatmeal Pupcakes
- Peanut Butter Dog Biscuits
- Pizza for Dogs
- Pumpkin Dog Muffins
Find more easy recipes for pumpkin dog treats here on Spoiled Hounds!
Pumpkin Cookies for Dogs
Ingredients
- 2½ cups oat flour
- ½ cup plain pumpkin puree
- ¼ cup creamy peanut butter (natural and unsweetened)
- 1 egg
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Place all ingredients in a large bowl.
- Mix the ingredients together to form the dough.
- Place the dough on parchment paper.
- Roll out the dough until it is ⅓-½ inch thick.
- Cut out shapes with a cookie cutter.
- Place the cutouts on a greased or parchment paper-lined baking tray.
- Gather the dough scraps, re-roll, and cut until all the dough is used.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
- Remove the treats from the oven and transfer them to a wire rack to cool.
Notes
Nutrition
Serving Amount
Treats should make up no more than 10% of your dog’s daily calories. Consult your vet if you are unsure of the appropriate portion size for your dog.
If your dog hasn’t had any of these ingredients before, start with a small piece to make sure they don’t have any allergies, sensitivities, or adverse reactions.
is there any other recipe to make pumpkin cookies for dog(s) because my dog can not have peanut butter and any kind of nuts
You can use SunButter (sunflower seed butter) instead of peanut butter to make these pumpkin cookies.
These are very easy to make. My dogs absolutely love them, too. I add a little cinnamon to the dough.
I just finished cooking 2 pumpkins for pies, soups, etc.
My dogs love peanut butter pumpkin cookies.
The 1st time, before I made them, I wanted to see which pumpkin they preferred: canned or fresh.
I gave them some fresh cooked pumpkin. They gobbled it quick. I gave them some canned pumpkin. They turned their nose up.
So glad I did that 1st.
So, I make sure to get 4-6 pumpkins every season to get the seeds, flesh and pumpkin water. I freeze most of it for later use.
My dogs are so cute sitting by the oven waiting for me to take the baked pumpkins out.
Also, when I making and baking these cookies, all 3 dogs will stay in the kitchen until I’m done. One of our dogs will whine the second I take them out.
It’s torture, her having to wait til they’re cool. 🤣
How adorable that they stay in the kitchen until they cookies are done! I’m so glad they are enjoying the treats.
Interesting that they like homemade pumpkin instead of canned. I’ll have to make some and see how Milo and Luke like it.
What is the best way to store the dog treats? Should they be a little soft or crispy?
Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 7 days. You can freeze them for up to 4 months. They should be a little crispy after baking. But just like human cookies, you can make them softer or crispier by baking them a little less or longer.
What is the best way to store the dog treats? Should they be a little soft or crispy when they come out of the oven?
I made a batch of the dough today and baked about 24 very small treats for my dog. Can the dough be frozen? I’m not sure I can use it all up at once since my dog is small and she’s on a limited diet due to a stomach tumor.
She loved the couple of treats I gave her!
I haven’t tested it, but I think it would be okay to freeze the dough. Just thaw it in the refrigerator overnight. Alternatively, you can freeze the treats and just take a few at a time out of the freezer.
My dogs love these cookies. I add cinnamon, turmeric + black pepper and ginger with a pinch of salt. I also let the cookies cool on the sheet in the oven. It helps to dry and crisp them up. The crunchier the better (for my labs!)
I’m so glad your dogs enjoy the cookies! And thanks for the great tips for additions and making them crunchier.
Hello hello 😊! My cookies are a bit soft inside. Is this normal? My dog loves them 👌😊✨!
Grtzz
It’s okay for them to be a little soft on the inside. But if you are concerned about it, you can either roll the dough out thinner or bake them a little longer.
Can I substitute rolled oats (oatmeal) for the oat flour? Or perhaps all-purpose wheat flour?
If you don’t have oat flour, you can make your own by blending uncooked old-fashioned oats in a blender or food processor. 1 cup of oats will yield about ¾ cup of oat flour.
You can swap oat flour all-purpose flour or a 50/50 mix of all-purpose and whole wheat flour.
I added 1/2 cup blueberries and a dash of cinnamon. The second time I made them with whole wheat flour because I ran out of oat flour. Dogs loved them both ways. The blueberries made the dough softer, so cookies were soft, not crisp. I tasted them and they aren’t bad.
Thank you for sharing your tweaks! Blueberries and cinnamon are a nice addition, and you’re exactly right – the extra moisture from the blueberries will make the cookies softer. It’s also great to hear that whole wheat flour worked well as a substitute when you ran out of oat flour. I really appreciate you sharing what worked for you.