Sure, buying dog treats in the store is easy, but wouldn’t you rather give your dog something with minimal ingredients you know is good for him (or her)? I’m excited to share these super simple pumpkin whole wheat flour dog treats with you and look forward to hearing what your pup thinks of them!
Let’s talk about the two ingredients that make up this quick and easy dog pumpkin treats recipe.
Benefits of Whole Wheat Flour for Dog Treats
The cool thing about baking with whole wheat flour is that the gluten protein it contains, helps the treats rise while holding their shape.
Whole wheat flour also contains more fiber and protein than white flour. Even though whole flour is processed, it’s not as extensively processed as white flour, so it still offers nutritional value.
Dog treats using whole wheat flour also tend to hold their shape pretty well! This is nice when you’re using cookie cutter shapes to form your dog treats.
If your dog does not have a gluten allergy or intolerance, give this recipe a shot and let me know what your pup thinks!
Benefits of Pumpkin for Dog Treats
Pumpkin is delicious and nutritious for both humans and dogs! And it’s easy to find in most convenient stores and grocery stores.
Many commercial dog foods are often low in B vitamins and fiber, so we add a couple of teaspoons to our dogs’ breakfasts each morning to supplement that deficiency. Fiber is what helps us feel full and regulates our digestive system – and it’s the same for dogs!
The list of health benefits of pumpkin is extensive. This nutrition-packed fruit offers:
- A high concentration of vitamin A (the beta-carotene gives pumpkin its gorgeous orange color)
- Essential vitamins and minerals (like Vitamin C, Zinc, Iron, and Folate)
- Antioxidants (which destroy free radicals)
- Fiber to encourage digestive regularity
- Moisture for added hydration
- A low-calorie treat
- Great taste!
Using canned pumpkin is completely fine as long as pumpkin is the only ingredient. If you compare canned pumpkin labels, you’ll notice that some of them contain pumpkin pie filling, which can include spices that are toxic to dogs (yikes!), instead of just plain pumpkin.
If you have the time and space, I’d highly recommend growing your own pumpkins! You wouldn’t believe how much better they taste than canned pumpkin. It’s a very noticeable difference.
Pumpkin seeds are very inexpensive, so growing your own is extremely cost-effective. Once pumpkin plants start growing, their vines quickly crawl and need plenty of space to spread out, so you’d just need to make sure you have around 3-5 feet of space for each plant (depending on the variety you grow).
Learning how to grow pumpkin is fun, easy, and rewarding – for you and your pup!
Let’s Make Pumpkin Whole Wheat Flour Dog Treats!
My dogs always get excited when I make these treats, and the house smells amazing! With just two ingredients, you’ll have a batch whipped up in no time. Below I share a few notes to keep in mind when baking these simple pumpkin dog treats.
Note #1 – Standard cans of pure pumpkin are 15 ounces, which means you can make a double batch since this recipe only calls for 8 ounces of pumpkin. You may need to add a little water to the batter since a full can isn’t quite enough for a double batch, but they will still turn out great!
You could also make a single batch and save the leftover pumpkin for a food enhancer on top of your dog’s meals. Small dogs can eat up to 1 teaspoon per day but larger dogs can tolerate 1-4 tablespoons daily.
Note #2 – Remember, wheat flour is more absorbent than white flour, so this recipe is a base. You may need to add a little more flour or pumpkin depending on how dry or sticky the batter is. Adjust the consistency by one tablespoon at a time until you get it just right.
The Baking Process
This pumpkin whole wheat dog treat recipe is quick and simple! I’ll take you through the steps below with photos so you can see how mine turn out.
Step 1
Once you’ve measured out your ingredients, go ahead and combine them in a mixing bowl until thoroughly mixed together. Depending on the dryness or stickiness of your batter, you may need to add extra flour or pureed pumpkin (or water) 1 tablespoon at a time, as needed.
If you have some fun cookie cutters on hand, be sure to grab those! Otherwise you can just cut your shapes out (when we get to that step) with a knife.
Step 2
Scoop the treat dough out onto a lightly floured surface (using the same flour you chose for the recipe), and either roll out the dough using a rolling pin or press it our with your hands.
If you’d rather not use the extra flour or dirty your hands, you can place a piece of parchment paper over the dough and then roll it our using the rolling pin.
Step 3
When you’ve rolled the dough to approximately ½” in thickness, use dog-shaped cookie cutters to cut out the dog treats or a knife to cut simple squares or rectangles.
Step 4
Place the treats on a baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes (or until golden brown and slightly puffed up). Remove the treats from the oven to cool.
Step 5
Leave the dog treats on the baking sheet to cool for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a plate. Let the treats cool completely.
This recipe yields about 24 treats (if using a 3″ cutter). My cutters were a little smaller, so the recipe yielded about 30 dog treats for us.
Conclusion
This easy pumpkin whole wheat flour dog treat recipe is packed full of fiber, antioxidants, and vitamins – but your pup will just appreciate the great taste!
You may already have pumpkin and whole wheat flour in your pantry, but if not they’re readily available to snag online. I can’t wait to hear how these simple pumpkin whole wheat flour dog treats turned out for you.
What does your canine companion think of these treats? Share their “feedback” in the comments!
Pumpkin Whole Wheat Flour Dog Treats
Equipment
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Measuring Cups (plus a tablespoon if additional flour or pumpkin is needed)
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Mixing Bowl
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Rolling Pin (optional)
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Parchment Paper (optional if not using dusting of flour)
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Cookie Cutters (optional – a knife works fine too)
Ingredients
- 1.75 cups whole wheat flour
- 8 oz pure pumpkin puree
Instructions
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Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Mix the wet and dry ingredients together to form a soft dough. If necessary, add extra flour or pureed fruit as needed (1 tablespoon at a time). If making a double batch using a 15oz. can of pureed pumpkin, you may need to add a little water to the batter if it's too dry
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Roll the dough out onto a lightly floured surface (using the same flour you chose for the recipe). If you’d rather not use the additional flour, place your dough on a silicone mat with a piece of wax or parchment paper over the top. Then roll out your dough using a rolling pin.
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Once the dough is approximately ½” thick, use cookie cutters (preferably dog-themed cookie cutters for a fun flare!) to cut out the treats.
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If you don't have cookie cutters, or would prefer simpler shapes, use a pizza cutter or knife to make small squares, rectangles, or triangles.
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Arrange the treats on a baking sheet and bake them for 20-25 minutes (until golden brown and slightly puffed up). Remove from oven to cool.
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Leave the dog treats on the baking sheet to cool for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a plate or napkin. Let the treats cool completely.
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Yields about 24 treats (if using a 3" cutter).
Notes
- These pumpkin whole wheat dog treats will store fine in a Tupperware container or dog treat canister on the counter for several days, but I prefer storing them in the fridge for a longer shelf life of at least 1 week.
Related Posts
- 2-Ingredient Healthy Homemade Dog Treat Recipe
- Is Whole Wheat Flour Good for Dogs? (Plus 11 Gluten-free Substitutes)