Are you looking for homemade vegan dog treats? Check out this easy recipe for dog treats made with plant-based ingredients! These DIY treats are both delicious and healthy for your furry friend.
You may be on a vegan diet and enjoy healthy snacks while staying away from junk food. You want the same for your four-legged friend, so you’re always on the lookout for the best vegan dog food and treats. Well, you can’t get better than making them at home! All you need are a few simple ingredients and a cookie cutter and you can make treats your canine companion will love.
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Why This Vegan Dog Treats Recipe is the Best
It just feels so good to bake homemade treats for your furry friend, doesn’t it? Well, this is one of the best ones out there cause it’s an easy recipe with simple ingredients.
You’ll know the quality of ingredients that go into them and feel good when giving them to your dog. In fact, you can use these healthy dog biscuits as training treats or as a special treat throughout the day.
There are so many good things to say about these vegan dog biscuits! For one thing, they are both eggless dog treats and meatless dog treats. For another, they fit perfectly in both a vegan and a vegetarian diet.
The best part about these natural dog treats is that they taste great and they are a great alternative to store-bought treats from pet stores or the grocery store.
Ingredients
The exact ingredient amounts and step-by-step directions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this article. First, I want to share some information about the ingredients I used in this plant based dog treats recipe.
Here’s a list of what you need to make vegan dog cookies – just a few simple ingredients! Use organic ingredients if you want to make organic vegan dog treats.
- Rice Flour – Healthy gluten-free flour that’s easily digestible by dogs.
- Ground Flaxseed – To make a vegan egg substitute for rising agents.
- Water – Needed to make the flax egg substitute.
- Unsweetened Applesauce – To moisten the dough and add a little sweetness.
- Creamy Natural Peanut Butter – Be sure to use unsweetened peanut butter (without sugar or an artificial sweetener).
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
When making homemade vegan treats for dogs, there are a few things to know:
You can substitute peanut butter with almond butter or SunButter (sunflower seed butter).
Do not use peanut butter, almond butter, or SunButter which contains xylitol, an artificial sweetener toxic to dogs.
I used rice flour instead of wheat flour because it is naturally gluten-free, easy to digest, and unlikely to cause stomach upset.
Can’t find rice flour at the store? Just put uncooked rice in the bowl of a food processor or blender and process until it has the consistency of a fine powder.
You can use brown rice flour instead of white rice flour.
You can use oat flour instead of rice flour. You can also make your own oat flour by placing uncooked old-fashioned oats in a blender or food processor until the ground oats turn into fine flour.
You can use coconut flour, but you will need to add water or the dough will be too dry. Coconut flour absorbs much more liquid than other types of flour.
You can use all-purpose flour or a 50-50 combination of all-purpose and whole wheat flour for the brown rice flour. The amount will have to be adjusted since those flours will cause the dough to have a different consistency. It will take less of those flours than rice flour. Because whole wheat flour is denser, it’s not a good substitute to use by itself.
Equipment Needed
You probably have most of the kitchen items you need to make these dog biscuits. You can use any cookie shape cutter, but cookie cutters shaped like dog bones give these treats a cute shape.
- Measuring Cups
- Large Bowl
- Rolling Pin
- Parchment Paper or Silicone Baking Mat
- Cookie Cutters for Dog Treats
- Baking Sheet
You can use a biscuit cutter for round treats or a pizza cutter to cut the dough into small squares if you don’t have cookie cutters.
How to Make Vegan Dog Treats
These are the recipe steps and some photos of the process for making the treats. I hope they help you make this healthy dog treat recipe!
You can scroll down to the bottom of this article for a printable recipe card.
- The first step is to preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a baking tray or line it with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
- Combine the ground flaxseed and water in a bowl. Let it sit for 5 minutes.
- Place the flax egg in a large bowl and add the applesauce and peanut butter.
- Combine the wet ingredients with a large spoon or mixer.
- Add the rice flour.
- Stir to combine the flour with the wet ingredients and make a dough.
- Place the raw dough ball on a lightly floured surface.
- Press or roll the dough out with a rolling pin to about ¼ to ½ inch thick, according to your preference for the thickness of the biscuit.
- Cut out the dog treats with cookie cutters.
- Place the cutouts on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown and done. Baking time can vary depending on the thickness and size of the treats.
- Transfer the baked treats to a wire rack to cool to room temperature.
This recipe made 15 treats using the 3-inch dog bone cutter. Cutters of different shapes and sizes will yield more or fewer treats.
Serving Size
How many homemade dog treats should you give your dog at once? That depends on what else you gave your pet to eat that day. This might be a healthier treat, but it is still a treat.
Treats should not make up the bulk of your dog’s calorie intake. They should be something eaten on rare occasions, along with healthy dog food.
Dogs shouldn’t eat too many carbs – even healthy vegan treats made with rice flour and applesauce. For this reason, I suggest only giving your spoiled hound one treat per day.
You can use large or small cookie cutters to make the perfect size treat for your dog. Larger dogs can have larger treats and vice versa for small dogs.
How to Store
To preserve freshness, store these baked dog treats in an airtight container or plastic bag at room temperature. They will last up to 7 days.
You can freeze them for up to 4 months for extended storage.
Storage Tip: A dog treat jar is best to use as a container for dog treats, so they are not mistaken for human treats. Here are some cute ones on Amazon:
- Metal Farmhouse Style Dog Treats Jar
- Rae Dunn Good Dog Ceramic Dog Treats Canister
- Clear Plastic Paw Print Air-tight Container
Can people eat these vegan dog treats?
Yep, people can eat these homemade dog treats. All of the ingredients are safe for human consumption. However, I doubt folks would enjoy them since they are not sweet.
Popular Homemade Dog Treat Recipes
Want to make more treats for your dog? Here are some tasty dog treats to make:
- 3-Ingredient Homemade Dog Treats
- Baby Food Dog Treats
- Banana Dog Treats
- Peanut Butter Dog Treats
- Sweet Potato Dog Treats
Find more easy dog treat recipes here on Spoiled Hounds!
Want to get the best store-bought dog treats instead of making homemade ones? Check out these favorite dog treats on my Amazon dog treats ideas list.
Vegan Dog Treats
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Ground Flaxseed
- 2½ tablespoons Water
- ½ cup Unsweetened Applesauce
- ⅓ cup Natural Unsweetened Creamy Peanut Butter
- 2 cups Rice Flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a baking sheet or line it with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
- Make a flax egg by combining flaxseed and water in a small bowl. Allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes.
- Place the flax egg, applesauce, and peanut butter in a medium bowl.
- Use a hand mixer or a large spoon to combine the wet ingredients.
- Add the rice flour and combine well to form a dough.
- Turn the dough out onto a smooth surface.
- Using your hands, squeeze and combine the ingredients until you have a flat, smooth dough. Flatten the dough evenly with your hands or a rolling pin to about ¼ to ½-inch thickness.
- Using a cookie cutter, cut out the dog treats and place them on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 12 to 16 minutes.
- Transfer the baked treats to a wire rack to cool to room temperature.
Does this need to be refrigerated?
They don’t have to be refrigerated. However it could extend the shelf life by a few days.
According to the AKC website: “Almonds are a great snack for humans. But, can dogs eat almonds? The answer is no. While almonds might not be as as toxic as some nuts, they are one of those foods canine companions can’t digest as easily as people.
Why Almonds Are Bad for Dogs
While dogs might love the taste of almonds, consuming them can cause gastric intestinal distress. If your dog accidentally eats a few, be on the lookout for these symptoms: Vomiting Diarrhea. Gas. Loss of appetite. Lethargy. General discomfort
Almonds, like most nuts, are high in fat and can put your pup at risk of developing pancreatitis. It’s a serious condition that requires the attention of your veterinarian.”
I would assume that almond butter would carry the same risks.
It must not apply to almond flour and almond butter because the AKC has vet approved recipes for dog treats with almond flour. I think the issue is with whole almonds because they can cause an obstruction in the digestive tract.