Treat Your Dog with These 5 Easy Halloween Dog Treat Recipes

You’ve decorated your yard, picked out a costume, and bought more candy than you can shake a bone at — what else could be missing from your Halloween to-do list? With more families bringing their hounds along for Halloween, you might be forgetting treats for an essential pack member.

But choosing safe treats for your neighborhood’s furry ghouls and goblins can be challenging, especially since many dogs have food allergies. Common allergens like corn, soy, gluten, and poultry can turn a pet’s Fright Night into a nightmare, so it’s best to avoid them. Unfortunately, these are some of the main ingredients in most premade doggy snacks.  

Sure, pet stores carry hypoallergenic treats, but there’s something magical about creating your own spooky snacks. We’ll show you just how easy it is to whip up scary-good DIY homemade Halloween dog treats (without common allergens) for your neighborhood woofers. Let’s get started!

These frozen yogurt skulls are sure to thrill and chill your furry trick-or-treaters. With the addition of apples and yogurt, these treats are as nutritious as they are delicious! Plus, the probiotics in the yogurt make them great for gut health too! 

Ingredients   

• ​​2 apples
• 1 cup Greek nonfat plain yogurt (make sure it doesn’t contain xylitol)
• 1–2 tablespoons of water

Tools

• Silicone skull candy mold
• Knife
• Food processor 

Directions

1. Peel, core, and remove the seeds from your apples.

2. Thinly slice the apples and place them into the blender with a cup of Greek yogurt and 1 to 2 tablespoons of water. 

3. Blend the ingredients well and pour the mixture into the silicone chocolate molds. 

4. Freeze for 2 to 3 hours or until completely hardened.

5. Store your frozen treats in an air-tight container or zip-top bag.

Give the neighborhood dogs "pumpkin" to talk about with these sweet potato Jack o' lantern cookies. The best part? These treats are low-fat and packed with vitamins and fiber! They even contain turmeric, which has many benefits (including anti-inflammatory properties) for our canine companions.

These treats are "pawfect" for Halloween, but you can freeze the leftovers and serve them at Thanksgiving, too, so you can have homemade fall dog treats without adding something else to your to-do list! 

Ingredients

• 1 pound of sweet potatoes (about 2 to 3, depending on size)
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil 
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon turmeric

Tools

• Roasting pan
• Paring knife

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Remove the skin from your potatoes, then cut them in quarter-inch circles.

3. With a small knife, cut two triangles in each potato slice for the eyes and a smiley face for the mouth. 

4. Coat the bottom of a roasting pan with coconut oil and place the treats inside.

5. Dust the tops of the treats with cinnamon and turmeric.

6. Bake on the middle rack for 30 minutes or until slightly browned.

With canned pumpkin and creamy peanut butter, these treats are bursting with flavor, fiber, and protein. These ghoulish treats are sure to win kisses of approval from your four-footed neighbors!

Ingredients 

• 2 ½  cups coconut flour
• 2 eggs, room temp
• ½  cup pure canned pumpkin (with no added ingredients)
  
• 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
• ½  teaspoon salt
• ½ –1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon water (if needed)

Tools  

• Ghost-shaped cookie cutters (or another Halloween-inspired cutter)
• Rolling pin
• 2 cookie sheets
• Cooling rack

Directions  

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Prepare 2 cookie sheets by coating them with nonstick spray.

3. In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients. You may need to add 1 tablespoon of water if the dough isn’t coming together. 

4. Knead the dough with floured hands and form it into a ball.

5. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and using a floured rolling pin, flatten your dough to ½ inch.

6. Place the treats on the prepared cookie sheets and into the oven for 40 minutes.

7. After removing the cookie sheet from the oven, let the cookies harden on the pan before transferring them to a cooling rack. 

8. Once the cookies cool completely, place them in an air-tight container for storage.

These gummy gourd-shaped treats will have your furry trick-or-treaters howling for more. Since these are soft and chewy, they’re a great option for senior dogs or puppies who haven’t gotten their adult chompers yet. Plus, since they aren’t overly spooky-looking, they make great homemade fall dog treats for Thanksgiving too!  

Ingredients

• ½ cup of bone broth
• ¼ cup of canned pumpkin 
• 3 tablespoons of unflavored gelatin
• ¼ cup of water

Tools  

• Silicone pumpkin mold
• Small pot

Directions

1. Heat water in a pot over medium heat just until warm, not boiling.

2. Mix your gelatin into the water and whisk until completely dissolved.

3. Mix the bone broth and pumpkin into your gelatin-water mixture.

4. Pour your mixture into your silicone mold and place it into the fridge for 3 hours or until set.

These festive frozen treats are sure to be a hit at any Halloween "pawty". These Halloween dog treats require minimal effort and only have 3 ingredients, so they’re inexpensive to boot!

Ingredients

• ½ cup of coconut oil
• 1 mashed banana
• ¼  teaspoon of ground ginger

Tools

• Microwave-safe bowl
• Bone-shaped silicone molds

Directions

1. Place your coconut oil in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave it in 30-second intervals until completely melted.

2. After mashing your banana, combine the banana, coconut oil, and ground ginger. 

3. Transfer the mixture into your silicone mold and place in the freezer for at least 1 hour or until hardened.

4. Pop your treats out of the mold and store them in a zip-top bag in the freezer.